The Emperor Has No Clothes

Whispering in the Wind (December 2, 2013) WITW 7

I start this week’s column with the fairy tale “The Emperor Has New Clothes” by Hans Christian Anderson – here’s my take on this famous story.  The fable involves a mythical land and an emperor who prided himself on his fine wearing apparel.  At one point in his reign the emperor wanted to re-enforce his authority so he asked his tailors to make him a new set of clothes that would astound his underlings and impress all under his rule.  In fear of losing their heads, the stumped tailors clad their emperor in “invisible” finery saying to the emperor: only those who are stupid, incompetent, or unfit for office will not see the emperor’s “new” stronger presence in his fine new clothes.  With confidence the emperor proudly went out to his people in his new finery and the crowd was in awe and applauded enthusiastically – only one, a small child innocently cried out: “The Emperor Has No Clothes.”  For me there are political lessons that can be drawn from this fairy tale and they come out in spades when looking at Canada’s current political landscape and three of its most prominent personalities.. 

Prime Minister Steven Harper – The Emperor Has No Clothes

A year ago it was a simple expenses scandal involving three rogue Senators who got greedy and didn’t play the game, the way the game was normally played in the Red Chamber.  Recently the scandal has blossomed into an expose of political intrigue, manipulation and corruption - all apparently engineered out of Prime Minister Harper’s office.  Mr. Harper’s obfuscation in the House of Commons (by not answering straight forward questions) indicates a cover up with the real possibility that Mr. Harper was directly involved in the abuse of power – at the very least.  To me, Mr. Harper has been stripped of most of his defenses and his approval rating has plummeted to an all- time low with a good number of “grassroots” conservatives suggesting that he step down.  From my perspective it is no longer the Senate Expenses Scandal, it has become an Abuse of Power Scandal and I expect the RCMP is strong enough to see it through to the end, for the “Emperor Has No Clothes”. 

Mayor Rob Ford Scandal – The Emperor Has No Clothes

The Rob Ford saga continues and there is no doubt, more revelations are at hand.  Last week a Superior Court justice issued an order that the censored portions of incriminating police documents are to be released, in full, without any blackouts.  As to why the Toronto police have not charged Mayor Ford with known criminal infractions the authorities are mum – my feeling is there are bigger fish to fry so Canadians will have to be patient.  Nevertheless there continues to be some support for the down to earth Rob Ford and his serious addictions and inappropriate actions – actions that have been labeled as “just shenanigans”.  So the saga continues and The Emperor Has No Clothes. 

Premier Pauline Marois – The Emperor Has No Clothes

Quebec’s Premier Pauline Marois has shown herself to be a shrewd strategist when it comes to Quebec politics.  As leader of the Parti Quebecois her ultimate goal is clear, Quebec’s separation from Canada.  To achieve that goal Premier Marois has taken a big, first step toward sovereignty by tabling Quebec’s Charter of Values in the province’s National Assembly.  The unpalatable charter bill has been labeled by one reporter, “PQ’s madness has a method” and the leader of the official opposition in Quebec has called the bill “a frontal assault on our freedoms” and will be challenged in the courts if the charter becomes law.  As surprising as it might be, the defeat of the Charter of Values in Quebec’s National Assembly is likely and just might be exactly what the Parti Quebecois leader wants – Marois heads up a minority government and has stated that a defeat of the charter bill could be treated as a vote of non-confidence – and that means an election.  An election based on the Charter of Values as presented will end being a sovereignty election with extremely dangerous religious, ethnic overtones.  Premier Marois has shown her colors and no matter how it turns out, it’s not good for Canada, it’s not good for Quebec.