2007-09-25

you call this leadership?

Caucus dissent grows over schools policy
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070925.wonttory25/BNStory/ontarioelection2007/Ontario/

Bill Murdoch [Ontario Progressive Conservative MPP] said in his rural riding of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound that he could no longer defend his boss' plan to extend public funding to Jewish, Muslim and other religious schools. He said he came to that realization after hearing "loud and clear" while campaigning door to door that residents are predominantly against the policy.
At a campaign stop in Guelph yesterday, [Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory rather childishly] dismissed Mr. Murdoch as a "maverick" and said his views are not representative of the other 24 caucus members.
"Bill Murdoch is sort of like a jack-in-the-box, where you wind the handle and you don't know when something's going to pop up with Bill and it popped up today" Mr. Tory said.
"I think you will find we have good support for this policy," he said. "I mean, when you look up maverick in the dictionary, you find his picture there in colour."
[Granted, ]Mr. Murdoch has become renowned during his 17 years as a member of the provincial legislature for speaking his mind [, but] At least five other [PC] caucus members have expressed reservations about the policy, including veteran MPP Bob Runciman. He recently told The Canadian Press that: "It's not playing well. I am not hearing from people [who are] supportive, by and large."
Meanwhile, John Tory is running TV ads blasting Dalton for broken promises and praising himself as a good leader. I wasn't sure that slandering a member of the team, a well-seasoned MPP was a appropriate behaviour, so I looked up the definition of the term "leadership." Oddly enough, John Tory's picture was not there.

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