Canada's failed populist: A cautionary tale
The downfall of Ontario's provincial premier, Doug Ford, is a prime example of what happens when populism takes power.
With apologies to the Roman poet, Virgil, his cautionary proverb - as befits the times - requires updating: Beware populists bearing gifts.
In the Canadian political context, the "populist" who offered up a Trojan Horse filled with seemingly appetising, but simple-minded promises to hoodwink the gullible, is Ontario provincial premier, Doug Ford.
More than a year ago, the decal salesman and former city councillor, rode a tsunami of voter disaffection with a spent, cavalier and corruption-prone Liberal administration to an impressive victory on June 7, 2018.
Ford's mantra at the time - "For the People" - fit neatly, of course, on a bumper sticker. Its proletarian meaning was intended, I suppose, to reflect Ford's antipathy towards the "elite vested interests" and his sympathy for the forgotten, hardworking everyman and everywoman.
That Ford was a multimillionaire didn't quite fit the "I'm with the little guy and gal" narrative. So, with a thin, perpetual smile fixed on his face, Ford promised to deliver a buck-a-beer and the usual, recycled bromides idea-free libertarians consider the equivalent of "governing".
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