[can.politics] Johnny B. Goode

jjwlisenchuk@rose.waterloo.edu (Jason Lisenchuk) (03/29/88)

It's interesting to put things in a nutshell:  4 years and $5m later, the
Liberals are no more popular than they were in September 1984.   

I think that Trudeau has the power to destroy John Turner this Wednesday.
He'll be addressing the Senate Committee on Meech Lake.  Recall that in
Caucus, Senators outnumber MP's 3:2.  Caucus meets the same day to elect
either Brian Tobin (MP) or Warren Allmand (Senator) as Chair.  A revolt is 
feasible if Senators get the right cue from the Trudeau team.  As someone
remarked after the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, "Trudeau still governs
this country."

Horoscope for Turner on Wednesday:  "Don't get out of bed."  

Horoscope for Trudeau: "Always shoot to kill; never to maim."

Let's hope he empties the gun.

It will be good theatre in either case;  but a few corpses by Act II can't
hurt (if you subscribe to the Shakespearean paradigm). 

Ideally, I'd like to see Trudeau as interim leader as the party organizes
a convention for June.  Brian Mulroney would never call a snap election 
with PET as leader.  I think the party needs a leadership convention (and 
the run-up to it) in order to define policy.  The motto for the Liberals
should be COURAGE in these trying times.  Just as Trudeau lead with courage,
Turner should resign with courage and dignity.  The window for doing so is
rapidly closing.

The above is the musing of a disenchanted Liberal and does not (necessarily)
reflect the prevailing views of the Young Liberals of the University of
Waterloo.