Although it’s tempting to post about Belinda Stronach to ad nauseum, thus ensuring a continual stream of google hits to this blog, there’s only so much that can be said about the girl (sorry Anne…”person“). Now, if Belinda actually does something newsworthy in her new portfolio (ed: HAHAHA!), I’ll gladly comment on it, but as for the defection itself, this will likely be the last time I dwell on it for a while. So here are some random thoughts about the Material Girl’s defection:
On Belinda’s Lack of Notice…
I know a lot of people disagree with me on this point, but Belinda should have given Harper and MacKay more notice. If we believe the official story then, yes, things happened fairly quickly but this has to have been in the back of her mind for a long time. I’m sorry, but I can’t believe she wasn’t at least considering defecting before she got talked into the whole thing by David Peterson.
Belinda ran for the leadership of the party over a year ago, was in the shadow Cabinet, and was a very prominent Conservative. I don’t doubt that Harper had been treating her badly but she still should have showed loyalty to the party. This was the most important week in the history of the new Conservative Party which she helped create. Giving the party’s leader a few hours notice was unfair in my opinion. When David Kilgour (who I really do not like) left the Liberals, he let it be known well in advance. Pat O’Brien did the same thing when he considered leaving. Why? Because it gives the party leader a chance to talk to you and listen to your concerns. That’s not to say she should have pulled a Martin and publicly said she was considering leaving but at the very least Harper should have been given a chance to talk her out of it and plead his case privately.
It also blows my mind that she wouldn’t so much as tell Peter MacKay that she was considering this…clearly she was never fully committed to that relationship either. If Belinda wanted to leave, that’s fair enough. But you don’t just arrive at these decisions overnight and given the amount of time and capital she’s put into the CPC, I think it was low of her not to give Harper and MacKay a chance to talk her out of this or, failing that, a chance to adjust their strategy accordingly.
On Sexism…
Yes, a few MPPs and MLAs crossed the line. But I don’t think Belinda got criticized as harshly as she did because she’s female. When Jack Horner left the Tories for the Grits, Diefenbaker mused that “the IQ of both parties increased”. When Lucien Bouchard left the Conservatives to co-found the ad hoc temporary rainbow coalition with the current Minister of Transport, he received a lot of criticism as well. The fact is, loyalty is a valuable thing in politics and traitors will always be treated poorly, regardless of their gender.
On Belinda’s Cabinet Spot…
It was likely a mistake for Martin to give Belinda a Cabinet spot and for her to accept it, since it makes her appear opportunistic. Scott Brison played the game much smarter by taking a PS spot right away and then going into Cabinet after last year’s election. As for whether or not she deserves a Cabinet position, that’s harder to judge. The fact that she’s in the Conservative shadow Cabinet makes it difficult for Conservatives to scream that she’s not qualified for a Cabinet position. She was ranked the second most powerful woman in business a few years ago so despite her obvious political shortcomings, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to put her on the Liberal front benches. It just may not have been the smartest political move.
On Belinda’s Former Boss…
This is going to hurt Harper a lot. Everyone keeps saying the Conservatives are united behind him but there have to be a lot of nagging concerns about Harper’s leadership after this. Part of being a leader is keeping your caucus happy and united and Harper failed at that.
On Belinda’s Former Boyfriend…
Peter MacKay is handling this absolutely perfectly. He’s gathering sympathy and has come across a lot less vindictive or mean spirited than Harper. And, despite that, he’s managed to get a few good one liners in (“dogs are loyal”, “she dumped 200,000 people besides me“). I’m more convinced than I was before that Peter MacKay will be the next leader of the CPC. Bernard Lord is the only person I could see beating him at this point.
On Belinda’s Future…
As a Minister of the Crown, Belinda will be under a lot more scrutiny. She’ll have to answer questions in QP and she’ll be judged on what she accomplishes in Human Resources. It will be very interesting to see how she performs. As for the part of her future everyone cares about…
On Belinda’s Leadership Aspirations…
She can’t speak French. She can’t give a speech. She can’t answer questions off the cuff. She has no real political experience to talk about. This may have all been forgivable in a party that needed to look like they were in touch with young, urban, moderate Canadians. But in the Liberal Party, this simply won’t wash. In some sense, it might be good for Belinda to run because of the 9 or 10 rumoured Liberal leadership candidates not a single one is female. And if history is any indication, money and a “cut throat kill your enemies” attitude are two keys to any successful leadership run. But until Belinda develops even passable political fundamentals, there is no way you can discuss her as a legitimate contender.