The Day The Ontario Cons Ate Themselves Alive

I watched the first debate of the Ontario PC leadership candidates live on Twitter yesterday afternoon at work, instead of watching the tape on TV several hours later when I got home.

Which was annoying, since I was occasionally interrupted, and missed parts of it.

But as it turns out that wasn't a totally bad thing, because it was without a doubt the worst political debate I have ever seen.

And when it finally ended I had this warning for my Twitter followers.



But then later on I thought no, I was wrong, people should watch it. 

For as Martin Regg Cohn points out, they'll never see a better example of a bunch of Cons eating themselves alive. 

Stay tuned — and if you didn’t tune in to Thursday’s first televised debate among Tories, do your democratic duty and watch at least some of it online.

For it is not to be missed. For better or for worse, there is no other way to glimpse the puerile, juvenile, infantile and facile political theatre on display by the grown-up politicians vying to lead the party that is now leading in the polls, and poised to govern the province.

Which is scary enough, and that's before their disgraced former leader Patrick Brown, who is now threatening to return to haunt them.

Made his presence felt...



And was attacked by all.

Doug Ford, Christine Elliott and Caroline Mulroney (not to mention fringe anti-sex-ed crusader Tanya Granic Allen) variously denounced and renounced him in every way for sexual misconduct and mismanagement of internal party affairs. And most importantly, for misappropriating or misstating the Progressive Conservative vision.

When they weren't busy demolishing themselves and their party.

Quite apart from condemning one another, the candidates were at war with themselves — contradicting their own past positions and demolishing the party platform that, until last month, the party had put forward collectively as a carefully considered blueprint for governing Canada’s biggest province.

For there can be few scarier sights than the brutish Doug Ford attacking a carbon tax like all the others, even though the Cons need it to fill a $4 billion dollar hole in their platform.

Or worse, going after the province's sex-education curriculum, in an attempt to appeal to the lowlife bigots who hate that very reasonable curriculum for the way it acknowledges and protects LGBT children.



For the stench of homophobia that hung over the room couldn't have been stronger, or more cowardly, and disgusting.

And the good news? The Cons may be leading the polls right now, but with losers like Ford and the others they won't be leading them for much longer.

It is a rare party that eats itself alive a mere three months before an election, but Ontario’s Tories are sitting down for a tainted meal of their own making, while Ford chows down at the head of the table.

Enjoy the cannibal banquet while it lasts.

For like the Harper Party, the Ontario Cons after burping loudly.

Will almost certainly end up in the place where they belong...