Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Patrick Brown cleared his name and joined the leadership race...

Okay, first things first, full disclosure. 

I do not know Patrick Brown, I have never met the man.  Likewise I do not know and have never met any of the other leadership candidates.  I have also taken out a one year membership in the PC Party of Ontario, something I did before Patrick Brown announced his intention to once again seek the leadership.  

If only CTV had been as forthcoming when they decided to run a story about two anonymous individuals accusing the former party leader of sexual misconduct this leadership race might never have taken place. 

Instead they decided against disclosing that both anonymous accusers had relationships with CTV reporters.  But then the story might have raised some eyebrows and slowed the rush to judgment that ensued. 

Patrick Brown was tried and convicted in the court of public opinion within hours of the story hitting the airways.  But since then he has become a sympathetic figure, and one garnering a lot of public support.  An on-line petition with close to 15,000 signatures backing him, a letter of support signed by 100 women from his home riding in Simcoe County

And now that he's tossed his hat into the ring to once again lead Ontario's PC Party in the upcoming June election he has completely cleared his name in this humble blogger's opinion.  If you don't know the details I invite you to read the blog post I wrote last week:


Unfortunately I might not be allowed to vote for the individual I want leading the party, along with many others.

A comittee in charge of green lighting leadership candidates may pick up one final and substantial dagger and thrust it firmly into Mr Brown's chest.  At least it won't be in the back, as happened when CTV News aired its horribly researched story.  Reporting incredibly filled with false accusations so agregious they were forced to backpedal so fast they nearly tumbled ass over tea kettle. 

Caroline Mulroney's stated desire to have Mr. Brown disqualified, it looks like she might have some on the nomination comittee who are sympathetic to her point of view.  What a shock.

Why are people like me so wrapped up in this story and convinced that Patrick Brown has cleared his name?  Who hasn't been the victim of a smear campaign?  There's a promotion coming up and everyone knows Shelia is the leading candidate for the position.  "Is Shelia taking another one of her two hour lunches"?  The question is offered on a crowded elevator within earshot of some senior management. 

We've all seen it, anyone who has worked in a company that promotes from within and has more than five employees I would bet has seen something of this sort played out.  Its dirty and sadly it often works.  Why do you think companies so often go outside when looking to fill senior promotions, because it eliminates the dirty political games.

Of course this isn't someone hoping to get chosen for some middle managment position, the stakes are a lot higher.  So high they've even attracted Caroline Mulroney, a political neophyte who's never held any elected position in this country that I'm aware of.  Maybe she was in one of Michael Ignatieff's classes at Harvard and was voted top student or something, I don't know. 

Let me get back to my stated view that Patrick Brown has cleared his name.  Some disagree, I know that there are people who still see the Barrie politician as being under a cloud of suspicion.  The single most common reason for doubt I hear being punted is. 

Why did he resign if he wasn't guilty?

Ah yes, the resignation.  After stating his intention to stay on in a hastily called press scrum he later was involved in a phone conference in which he was repeatedly told that he "had to" resign.  With absolutely no support from the PC Party elites present, he basically told them to draw up a resignation letter.  They did one better, they drafted it and released it, assuming that he would sign it...he told them to write it up after all. 

I have not seen a resignation letter with Mr. Brown's signature on it, and if one in fact existed I fully expect it would have been published far and wide by those anxious to put the final nail in the coffin of his political career and reputation.

Perhaps he could have fought it, but he decided to do one better.  He registered to run for the leadership again, to let party members have the final say.  The allegations of his accusers have already been shot full of holes with more than just a reasonable doubt, but a moutain of doubt.  

I'm going to end this latest blog post now....the question remains of whether the powers within the PC party will even allow Mr. Brown's leadership bid to go forward.  We shall see if Ontario's Conservatives are what they claim to be, a party of the people, of its card carrying members.  If they truly believe in democracy they'll let Patrick Brown run and then leave it up to the membership to decide who they want leading the party.  



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