WEDNESDAY, 30 JULY, 2003
Manley yields to Martin - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER – Before the main column, two notes. First, if you haven't checked out Mike Kwan's website yet, you must. And not just because I'm guesting there for the next few weeks. (Mike's doing a fine job writing himself, and do check his pieces out. They're good.) There are already two pieces up there, and you ought to really take a look. They've been exclusively written for the Now That's Entertainment. . . website and only there will you be able to read them. Go now to http://www.geocities.com/now_thats_entertainment, as there'll be a new piece there by your dutiful correspondent each week.
Secondly, it was in this very space one week ago that I reported that Rafe Mair was to sign with radio station 600 AM, and bring talk show there come this fall, after his unceremonious dump from CKNW. Well, The Vancouver Sun only came around to reporting the news in their paper on Thursday, the morning of Mair's announcement that he would now work for Jimmy Pattison. I also reported in that column of one week ago, that CKNW would slot Bill Good in the space vacated by Rafe Mair. Well, the Sun reported, what you would have read in this space last Wednesday, in their Friday edition. As Margaret Thatcher said, as she defeated the socialist insurgency led by Arthur Scargill in the 1980s: "I shouldn't gloat. But I am gloating."
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Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister John Manley finally came to his senses last week, when he dropped out of the federal Liberal leadership race. It was, however, both expected, as well as a surprise.
First, it was expected because Paul Martin has been running for this job, ever since he first lost it to Jean Chrétien in 1990. Martin has amassed a horrendous war chest, that's crisscrossed the country countless and back. Martin, besides raising money hand over fist, is making promises of equal number at the same time. One should be dismayed at the amount of wiggle room he's been given by the media, excepting of course, the tenacious National Post, which is doing an admirable, if not biassed job at holding Martin's feet to the fire.
John Manley has realised that he couldn't attempt to ask people for their donations anymore, considering he'd inevitably lose it all on the way to the Liberals's convention in November. But what Manley hadn't counted on is the precarious position he's put the ‘Natural Governing Party' in. Now, Martin's coronation as Liberal leader really is a coronation, much to the chagrin of Martin's nemesis Jean Chrétien, as well as Martin himself, who will doubtless be worried at how a coronation might appear considering he'll be seeking a mandate from the people as early as next spring.
John Manley was a lowly-backbencher MP when the Liberals were in opposition. Once Chrétien became Prime Minister in 1993 he became minister of industry, distinguishing himself as a quiet but assured cabinet minister. Besides his misstep over bailing out hockey franchises in this country, he did pretty well, catapulted to greater prominence when Chrétien tapped him his deputy, after distinguishing himself as Canada's foreign minister in those days around September 11th.
He soon became Deputy Prime Minister, being one of the more powerful Deputy PM's since Don Mazankowski. And he was extremely loyal to the man who brung him, Jean Chrétien. There was no doubt that Chrétien was effectively tapping Manley as his successor. You know it would have been a terrific Liberal leadership race had Brian Tobin and Allan Rock run to seek the job, as well as Manley, Martin and Sheila Copps. Throw in a Jane Stewart or even a Herb Dhaliwal, it would have been an interesting convention, instead of this apparent and unambiguous coronation for Windsor's favourite son, even though he's a Quebec MP representing La Salle-Emard.
But it did take John Manley a hell of a long time to figure out that there wasn't a hope in hell that he had a shot. Even Brian Tobin knew it would be farting against thunder running against Paul Martin. Ditto for Allan Rock and Frank McKenna. Mind you, Sheila Copps is still in it to run, but deep down, she'd be well advised to vote for Martin instead of herself, considering a cabinet seat is at stake here.
Now that the Liberals are on their way to crown their new leader, much to the chagrin of their old leader, who is obviously so bitter that his arch rival is going to get the job he's tried desperately to shun him away from, Liberals ought to be worried about the optics of what they're effectively doing. Liberals are arrogant, refusing to even front a viable enough race for the unwashed public to buy. Canadians are being had, and it's deplorable to see it being done so blatantly. There is not a semblance of democracy in this leadership race and Liberals ought to know better than that. Liberals should know that it's not going to look good that they're carrying on like this, when just as soon as Martin becomes prime minister, he'll turn to the public, call an election and seek a mandate. Canadians ought to see through these hucksters and do something about it. Sadly, the state of the opposition as it is, and as fractious as ever, Canadians will not. I guess Canadians really do want the kind of government their apathy so obviously deserves.
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Questions and comments may be sent to: editor@thecommentary.ca