How to save Doug Ford's government - 2019-06-24
How to save Doug Ford's government June 24, 2019,
Part of the problem with the idea of Ford Nation is that it always presumed the presence of a nation, rather than a much smaller subset of individuals who prefer their politics served simple. One year in, it's safe to say there is no such thing as Ford Nation, or at least not one big enough to command reelection. Ontario's Progressive Conservatives are going to have to learn how to govern beyond the buck-a-beer crowd.
And while the resignation of hard-charging Ford Chief of Staff Dean French (ostensibly for a pair of bonkers patronage appointments) might help on that front, things will only truly get better when the Premier's Office realizes the true talent of this government lies outside its four walls. There can be no more command and control from a now-hollowed centre.
According to reports French regularly patrolled the halls of Queen's Park sniffing out insufficient demonstrations of fealty from the players on Team PC. Were they clapping hard enough for Dear Leader? Were they clapping long enough for Dear Leader? Are they tweeting and hash-tagging sufficiently in the service of Dear Leader? Are they browbeating reluctant civil servants with enough vigour on behalf of Dear Leader?