Tuesday, February 03, 2015

The Astonishing Departure of the Con Clown John Baird



I can never forget the night John Baird tweeted that Thatcher was dead. 

And how disappointed I was to find out, after consuming half a bottle of very expensive champagne, that it wasn't Margaret Thatcher, it was Thatcher his CAT !#@!!!.

But now I just wish I had saved what was left in the bottle to toast Baird's apparently imminent departure. 

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is leaving federal politics. Sources close to him with direct knowledge of his plans say they expect Mr. Baird to resign his cabinet seat on Tuesday and soon step down as MP for his Ottawa West-Nepean riding.

Because we do have a lot to celebrate, after his long and shabby record in office.

For who can forget the way he served serviced Stephen Harper, his fellow Thatcherite and ideological bed mate...



Or his hilarious stint as the Minister of Religion...



Or the not so hilarious way he blindly backed Benjamin Netanyahu's settler regime.

And the shocking way he tried to steal Benny from Steve....



Or the way he tried so hard to start the Third World War...



Or in short, the way he embarrassed us in the eyes of the world...



But of course the burning question is did he jump or was he pushed?

Two weeks ago, a rumour that John Baird was going to resign bubbled up from inside the public service. It was quickly denied by the prime minister’s communications director as wishful thinking on the part of a foreign affairs bureaucracy that has no love for a minister so consistently disdainful of their advice.

Yet it looks like the rumour is true after all. The question remains — is he jumping or is he being pushed?


Because after all a gay man who names his cat after the brutish homophobe Margaret Thatcher is capable of ANYTHING.

Could he have been shown the door? There have been stories about him misusing government hospitality in the past. CTV reported that Mr. Baird and six of his friends stayed for free at the historic Macdonald House, the official residence of the Canadian High Commissioner in London, for a week — an account for which the Foreign Affairs minister has still not forgiven the news organization.

If more explosive revelations were coming, even the prospect of jettisoning a Foreign Affairs minister in the run up to an election might appear to be reasonable damage control on the part of the prime minister.


And what scandals might the Cons be hiding in that cramped closet?



But of course it doesn't really matter. All that counts is that Stephen Harper has lost another valuable servant.

Mr. Baird, 45, has proven to be one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s most trusted and reliable political lieutenants and has often been given difficult assignments. His departure, after the loss of long-time finance minister Jim Flaherty, will leave Mr. Harper scrambling to replace him.

Who apparently wasn't sure he could keep his seat, which tells you something about the mood of the country.

And what do I have to say about all this?

Bye Bye Johnny.

One Con hog less...



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40 comments:

the salamander said...

.. few deserve such a lashing more.. well said, Simon..
John Baird is as dirty as they come.. fully complicit.
It would be surprising if another rat, Tony Clement
does not jump hand in hand with Baird
as the two are bound together with Harper
over the G20 funds that found their way to Muskoka.

The so called Conservative Party of Canada
is becoming top heavy with young evangelical activists
and a surprisingly large faction of MP's of similar leanings.

One is left questioning where the hoary older closeted MP's
or Ministers fit in to the grand Harper plan..
Or is the Harper Party one tottering step from exploding..
from a sex scandal, or shocking reveal.. or whistleblower?

I've often said the black swans are gathering over Ottawalberta ..
and leveraging Laureen via 24-7 and her guacamole recipe
or soldiers rappelling and F 18 acrobatics aint going to make them all go away..

Canada is headed towards a 65 cent dollar vs the USA buck
and the great economist & Ray Novak can spew till blue in the face
trot out parrot millionaires like Oliver, Blaney, Kenney et al
but its Stephen Harper gets the gong..
and look for him to relocate somewhere safe with his millions
Geneva, Washington, London .. he was just visiting ...

Anonymous said...

It's really quite simple. Just like most Canadians, Baird couldn't stand the thought of another term under Harper.

bcwaterboy said...

Can't help but think some kind of Duffy level revelations were lurking so harper made the decision to push Baird off the cliff and presto, scandal disappears. Something this abrupt doesn't just come out of nowhere although the regime would think we are stupid enough to believe that.

Steve said...

All who remember Johnny from his Mike Harris days remember the public credit card got a real workout when he chowed down.

Unknown said...

the Rats Simon are abandoning the Harper-con clown ship probably as you said they know they will not be re-elected.

Cheers,
Mogs

PS: Good news at last :-)

Anonymous said...

The parasites always vacate a dying animal. True fact!
Mary Jane Rottencrotch

Omar said...

Like a rat from a stinking, sinking ship.

Marmalade said...

I believe JB saw the writing on the wall and envisioned the near future. We will probably never know the whole truth, but does it really matter?

Any bets on who is going next?

Anonymous said...

Simon, I meant to put this link on your article on Bill C-51 but it's too far down and I want you to see this in case you missed it. http://cdnpoli.tumblr.com/post/109849928312/virtually-all-mainstream-media-outlets-think

mizdarlin said...

He wouldn't be pushed, he is too much a filth-catcher for Harper ( to deflect criticism from the Emperor)..no, I think he either sees the proverbial writing on the wall, or there is something so scandalous about to break that he can't stand the heat he was so adept at spewing himself...
Either way, don't let the door hit ya, Baird...

Anonymous said...

Another rat abandons the sinking ship before the Captain pushes everyone aside while he makes for the lifeboat/closet, eh?

But it was still surprising. I would have expected Michael Chong to quit before him, especially after Chong's bill had been thoroughly defanged by Closet Leader. Perhaps Chong is being rehabilitated?

Some of my friends in Johnny Boy's riding would be conflicted. While they would certainly be celebrating his departure, they were also hoping to kick him out in the coming election.

David said...

Today on the CBC News Network, Hannah Thibedeau said Baird didn't phone Harper to tell him he was resigning until AFTER the resignation was reported on TV last night.

David said...

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/02/03/john-baird-tops-long-list-of-conservatives-not-seeking-re-election.html

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/02/02/five-things-to-know-about-john-bairds-career-in-politics.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/john-baird-resigns-you-need-to-be-defined-by-your-values-1.2942832

David said...

Here's a crazy speculation.... if the Cons go down to defeat in the election, would there will a leadership review or would Harper beat them to it and announce he's leaving politics? Either way, Baird could come roaring back and announce he will run for the leadership.

e.a.f. said...

My guess is Baird decided to leave while there was less competition for jobs in the private sector. With the changes to the pension plan I do expect to see more resignations, especially amongst M.P.s who think they might not get re-elected.

he gets a $100K a yr at age 55, the other Canadians his age have to work until 67.

We will never know why Flaherty really resigned although it might have been the income splitting "split". Sometimes even those who are "ethically" challenged reach a point at which they can not continue. Who knows perhaps Baird reached that point.

With stevie slime's new "terror bill" any one could be classified as a terrorists, i.e. environmentalists or gay/lesbian activists. The list could go on and on.

Whatever caused Baird to really resign, who cares, he's gone. They may toute Rait and Ambrose and the new "brain trust", but really, not so much. Anyone can read what the "little shits in short pants" write, so it will be entertaining to see who gets Baird's old position, but you can bet it won't be a woman, because some of the work requires them to go to such wonderful "terrorist" countries like Saudi Arabia. They may have "tolerated" Condelesa Rice, but I doubt if they would accept one of the "blonde air heads" from Canada.

Perhaps we can establish a "pool" as to who will be next to "defect"?

Anonymous said...

If this is true, there goes the he was pushed thing, although since it was Ivison who had raised it, it should have raised questions as to its validity. This rat likely jumped because the internal polling numbers must be telling him to do so before it is too late. Recall that he was already hinting that he would not be standing in his own riding but in one of the two new ridings carved out from Pollievre's safe rural Cons constituency.

the salamander said...

.. don't think we will get to see a closet gay PM
from this 'Conservative' Party or government
Baird or Kenney.. or from within the closet Evangel factions .. hmm
A gay 'Conservative' with courage.. outing himself/herself ..
to 'The Base' .. don't think so (Friend - send 5$ I'm coming out..)

What to make of Stephen Harper though & 'leveraged Laureen'... ?
and Ray Novak & Stephen Lecce ..
or Speaker Scheer, Chris Alexander among others.
well maybe anything is possible ? ? ?

Anonymous said...

I'm with David @ 1:54 PM

JB is too much of a political animal to leave the game... He is either eying being Harper's replacement next year, or lining himself up for a shot at Ontario's premiership... since these scenarios play out with Harper's job in jeopardy first - I think it's most likely the bilingual John has his sights set on the big prize... and if Harper wins again (shudder), he can have a clean shot for a win against Wynne.

Baird is NOT gone.

Anonymous said...

Harper does not permit his Ministers to do their jobs. Harper over rules them, refuses to take their advice. There are some Ministers that were against Harper's FIPA deal with China. Flaherty was dead set against the income splitting. Harper's Ministers were aganst him bringing in Soudas. Harper is far too arrogant and stubborn, to listen to anyone.

However, I have little respect for the Ministers, who do support that monster Harper.

Simon said...

hi salamander...I thought since he will be departing the stage, that I should check out my photo shop files on Baird. And I only regret that I wasn't able to use the other two hundred. ;)
The man was a Thatcherite loudmouth, and I certainly won't miss him...

Simon said...

hi anon...Since Baird was is and will always be Harper's faithful flunky, I think it more likely that he couldn't stand the idea of being evicted from power. Because even if Harper manages to snatch a minority, his days in power will be numbered, and he will be evicted...

Simon said...

hi bcwaterboy....yes it is a surprisingly sudden move, and it does raise some questions. I was shocked to learn that our brother Johnny is considered to be a party boy, especially when he is abroad. So who knows what trouble he might have got into in Egypt. ;)
But I think he just sees the writing on the wall, knows that an election is coming soon, and needed to resign so he can claim a bigger pension. Because anyone elected or re-elected in 2015 will have to wait longer to claim their payments...

Simon said...

hi Steve...I have read about his record in the brutish arris government and how he persecuted welfare recipients, so he was rotten right from the beginning of his political career...

Simon said...

hi mogs...yes it is good news, because he served Harper faithfully, Great Leader depended on him, and with Flaherty and Baird gone his cabinet is looking shallower and even more second rate...

Simon said...

hi anon....well tha's a nice thought, as horrifying as it may be. ;) The Cons are losing a lot of MPs as they scramble to avoid getting their pensions delayed. And I can only imagine some of the losers who will replace them....

Simon said...

hi Omar...well I must say I would like to see those furry creatures having to swim for it, so I could through a heavy cheese into the sea, and see if they will follow it all the way to the bottom... ;)

Simon said...

hi Kathleen...No I don't, but unfortunately it won't be Jason Kenney. I understand he still dreams of being Prime Minister. Ha Ha Ha Ha...

Simon said...

hi anon...thanks for that. It's true that most MSM media editorial boards are again C-51, but unfortunately many Canadians are far too inclined to allow the Cons to do what they think necessary to protect them. And do not understand that with the exception of a slight change to the peace bond arrangement, we already have all the powers we need to fight the terrorists. So it is a very serious problem for the opposition, having to criticize the bill, while being portrayed as weak by the Harperites. We urgently need to educate our fellow citizens for their fear could be catastrophic for the future of this country...

Simon said...

hi mizdarlin...From what I'm hearing he probably did jump rather than being pushed, and I think it's a combination of fear at losing his seat, and fear about having his pension delayed. But yeah, good riddance anyway...

Simon said...

hi anon...I can understand your friend's reaction. It's always more satisfying to defeat them, that watch them drive away in their getaway cars. But at this point as long as they go I'm satisfied...

Simon said...

hi David...yes apparently the leak caught them by surprise, so they wren't able to inform Harper, before it was all over the place. It still strikes me as strange that he would not have consulted his master, but the Cons are in such a state these days that it may be just a sign of confusion...

Simon said...

hi David...I read that story about how Baird believed that he had to be defined by his values, and after I had stopped laughing I decided I had to write something about that. Something so outrageous simply has to be challenged...

Simon said...

hi David...I don't think Baird will challenge for the leadership, not when he haas never shown any interest in the job, and not when Jason Kenney has such a commanding advantage in the race to replace Harper....

Simon said...

hi salamander...I agree with you that Baird wouldn't have a chance, because he is gay, albeit discreetly. But of course Kenney is chaste so we don't know what he is, and he has the nomination sewn up unless some outstanding outside candidate should challenge him...

Simon said...

hi e.a.f...a large number of Con MPs have announced that they are resigning so they are not affected by the new pension rules. And I think Baird is quitting for the same reason. The gang in his office is also very close to Bay Street, so I expect him to end up there...

Simon said...

hi anon...as I told David I don't think he will challenge for the leadership of the party, but he could follow the example of Prentice in Alberta, recycle himself, and try to become the Premier of Ontario.It's a horrible thought but I can see him going for it...

Simon said...

hi anon...yes Harper controls everything, and as foreign Minister Baird just followed his instructions. I have never heard any stories of him not agreeing with Stephen Harper, so he was a most willing flunky...

Unknown said...

"...his cabinet is looking shallower and even more second rate..." Ya no kidding Simon more like a bunch of babies running a grade school eh?

Walt Whiteman said...

You didn't say anything about the possibility that Johnboy is being blackmailed because of his "lifestyle choices". It's an open secret on Parliament Hill that he's gay, although of course Canada's lamestream media never talk about it, because they don't want to encourage homophobia, right? But Baird has never denied it.

Unknown said...

"...he was just visiting..." I hope you are right Salamander :-)