Amen!

A toast to Kathleen and all the super troopers who made her win possible......lets drink.....!!!!

Clap...Clap...Clap...!!!! and Sing Along with the Beatles....!!!!

I'll clap four years from now

If:

The budget is balanced and responsible.

The Liberals make good on all promises they have made enroute to forming their governments (and that includes the McGuinty promises).

In short, I'll clap if we get good government rather than the mediocre and slip-shod governance that we have seen over the years.

The choice at the polls, for the most part was between irresponsible governance and somewhat suicidal governance.

Hudak resigning is not likely going to solve the PC problem.  He alone is not responsible for this campaign disaster (unless he was in charge of scouting locations to make grand speeches--Remember the first two days of the campaign).  The fact that nobody in the PC party checked his poor math around the million jobs plan indicates that either they trust his math skills or they don't have enough of their own to check his.

Horwath must have had stars in her eyes.  Looking for an opening to call an election since Wynne took charge she managed not to have a platform ready for day 1 of the campaign.  Whose strategy was that?  Did nobody in the party suggest that among other things that was stupid?

So that was a choice between irresponsible and fails to take responsibility.  Wynee apologized for McGinty's mess.  Horwath will have to consult with the people to decide if she needs to apologize for hers.

I long for an election when substance will matter again.

That will be an election worth applauding.

Wynne deserves credit for making a silk purse out of a sow's ear.  It likely would not have happened if Hudak wasn't master at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and Horwath actually listened to the people rather than some group of people who thought that the NDP could play King while Bob Rae is still remembered.

Which is not me blaming Rae.  I think he actually did some responsible leading.  Any politician willing to cut off their arm to govern a people isn't in it for accolades and board room perks afterwards.

The majority handed to Wynne by the citizens of Ontario who decided to show some civic responsibility demonstrates that Hudak and Horwath ran ineffective campaigns.

Cheering for a winner because their opposition is imbecilic rings hollow.

Grace and peace to you.

John

The Liberals got a majority? Wow - I didn't know that. At the time I went off to bed - CBC was predicting a Liberal minority.

Congratulations to Kathleen Wynne and the Liberal Party of Ontario.

Thank you to everyone who ran for any party - or independently - it takes a lot to put yourself out there. Thank you to those working on campaign teams too.

Thank you to the polling station workers - the election officials - and everyone who got out there and did the responsible thing of voting.

Ah well - so my party didn't win. We will take some time now to rethink things - re-strategize - and be ready for next time.

Hi Dcn.Jae,

Start by firing whomever is responsible for making the strategic decisions for the following:

Not checking the math behind the million jobs plan.  125, 000 jobs is not 1, 000, 000 jobs.

Also if your plan is actually to create 125, 000 jobs don't plan to eliminate 100, 000 jobs at the same time.

I suspect that most of Ontario can do simple math and realize that the million jobs plan is actual short 975, 000 jobs.  It is more accurately named the 25, 000 jobs plan and to date it has only created 1 job.  That of party leader for the Progressive Conservatives.

And then there was the bold and daring move of standing in a recording studio and lauding their success while talking smack about how they achieved it.  That's right proclaim you are against the very program that made your location such a success.

And don't do it just once, do it again the next day so that everybody can see your leadership skills.

What else?

When your opponent is polling higher than you in trustworthiness don't attack them on the trustworthiness.  Even if you can put a dent in that polling it doesn't make you look more trustworthy.

And as far as trustworthy goes.  Don't throw one of your most prominent attack dogs under the bus when they are not breaking any rules.  Sure you won the riding in the by-election after you knifed Peter Sherman in the back but knifing your right hand man in the back is not a measure of trustworthiness.

When your opponent is polling higher than you in likeability don't attack their likeability.  It is not a pathway to becoming more likeable yourself, in fact it generally is a pathway away from likeability.

Most people walking through a cowfield keep an eye out for cow-patties to avoid them.  The PCs kept an eye out to jump face first into them.

Nothing says good governance like sheer stupidity I guess.

Once more Team Hudak snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

The whole point of begging for an election as Team Hudak has ever since McGuinty stepped down is to be ready for an election and the PCs most certainly weren't ready, at least not ready with anything approaching a credible alternative.

Grace and peace to you.

John

The big news is....Ontario will be lead by a member of the United Church of Canada!

http://www.ucobserver.org/interviews/2013/07/interview_kathleen_wynne/

Yes, I read that the UC is in Katleen's family since many years. She will surely need all the faith, hope, strength, and courage she can avail herself of in the coming days to deal with the huge responsibility she has undertaken.

God send her blessings and wisdom as she goes forward.

Kathleen...May You Be Blessed

Edit....Please click You Tube on  lower right corner , it plays.

Rev. John

I sure agree that the political arena in Ont. over the past months has left a lot to be desired. Hopefully....please God....things will turn around for the better.... given time.

LOL Rev John!!! ... what an insightful anaylsis!

I for one will be trying to help make our government more responsible and sober.

There may not be much I can do but I can do something!

Even the smallest voice is better than no voice at all.

As a citizen .... this I would and will do regardless of which party happens to be in power.

The change in tone starts with me....

Regards

Rita

Hi RitaTG,

If we, as citizens, will not commit to doing such then we cannot criticize politicians for failing to be more responsible and sober.

And the best and most effective place to do that is at the local level.  If ywe want something to change then our member is who ywe need to talk to whether we share their political sensibilities or not.

I think e-mail as much as all politicians claim to read it is a non-starter.  It fails to have the weight and substance of a letter on a desk waiting to be opened.  It makes it more convenient to contact our members and it makes it far to easy for them to delete the correspondence.

I wrote my MP twice electronically.  The first response was a stupid form and the second response was nothing.  No chance I'll reconsider voting for that doofus next time around.

MY MPP has been speaker of the house for the last little while.  Insinuations were made that the Government threatened or bribed him for favourable rulings in the house but when those making the insinuations were asked for which specific rulings were favourable for the Government, particularly around the gas plants discussions that conversation dried up.

Why?

Well it wasn't because the Liberals did ask the Speaker to change his mind on whether or not Chris Bentley was in contempt of parliament.  It was because the Speaker did not change his mind and allowed the ruling of contempt to stand.

That's right, the attempt was made to attack the integrity of the Speaker here by showing that he did not give in to threats or bribes.

And as a result the Speaker, our incumbent MPP easily holds onto his seat even though Brantford is not overly happy with the Liberal messes.

For some reason the PC's don't think ad hominem attacks aren't "going negative" but rather part of a "positive" campaign.

Doug Ford is right.  The PCs need a head to toe enema because what should be in their bowels is seeping out their ears and mouths.

*special translation for Phil Gillies (in case he needs one) try running on your own merits next time instead of impuning the merits of others.

At any rate the PCs are already showing their leadership ability by blaming others for their miserably run and failed campaign.

Grace and peace to you.

John

Rev John - you gave some really good advice to me above - if I was a Conservative that is. However - I voted Vegan Environmental.

Hi Dcn.Jae,

Well then.

Take all the time you need for the next election.

Grace and peace to you.

John

Actually that job already existed long before the "Million Jobs Plan" - so really the plan created 0 jobs.

Hey - we might even have had a seat if Ontario would do the right thing - and scrap the unfair first-past-the-post system - in favor of proportional representation.

Hi Dcn.Jae,

Sure, it is the election process that relegates Vegan Environmentalists to also rans.

Grace and peace to you.

John

Hi Rev. Steven Davis,

Technically true.  

Which makes the million jobs plan that much more of a bust.  Sorry Tim, no silver lining for you.

Grace and peace to you.

John

i heard the celebration from here -- you passionate people you :3

here's hoping these Liberals aren't Gordon Campbell Liberals

*keeping eyes peeled for when nation-states stop being a fundamental unit, letting their workers more truly be free to go where the employment is, coupled with population dynamics and automation of even more jobs*

First past the post vs. proportional representation. Six of one; half a dozen of the other. They both skew the end result in different ways. First past the post gives disproportionate influence to larger parties and especially the governing party, often giving majority power to parties with a minority of the vote. Proportional representation gives disproportionate influence to smaller parties, allowing them to essentially set the agenda in spite of their modest (at best) support.