MacKay pleads in vain with Tories over Mulroney

[Spazito]

OTTAWA -- A senior cabinet minister has pleaded with the president of the Conservative party to make peace with former prime minister Brian Mulroney -- and been rebuffed.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay called the party boss last week and asked him to issue a public statement clarifying whether, as a former two-term prime minister, Mulroney could be a Conservative member for life.

That conversation with party president Don Plett was brief and unproductive: the Conservative Party of Canada does not offer lifetime memberships and wouldn't make an exception for Mulroney.

snip

"In the past, Mr. Mulroney has been buying memberships. So obviously, at some point, somebody was aware that memberships needed to be purchased."

snip

MacKay's personal history illustrates how close those ties can be: His father, Elmer, was a cabinet minister under Mulroney, helped post bail for Schreiber, and testified at a recent Commons inquiry into the Mulroney-Schreiber dealings. MacKay himself once worked as a summer student for a military company at the heart of the inquiry, Thyssen Industries.

more

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090409/mulroney_mackay_090409/20090409?hub=QPeriod

Geez, looks like little Petey is a two-time loser, first he loses his bid for the NATO position and now this, lol.

[CHIMO]

1. Looks

Like MacKay was to use the NATO posting as a place to lay low until Harper was to leave. Don't know why MacKay would trust Harper on that but it is looking to me like the arrangement. Then Harper would only have Charest to contend with for control of the party.

Now MacKay has to sh.. or get off the p..

I would now expect that if Harper sees a split coming in the party he will learn the words to Irish Eyes. Otherwise he will continue to push the PC's back and his policies forward.

We should watch for Ignatief to try and aggravate this festering problem but not bring it to a head. Wonder what te Bloc will do? And I don't see the ND's being able to capitalize on this.

[Spazito]

2. It is getting interesting for sure...

I suspect Harper will stick his finger in the wind, see which way it is blowing, if it looks like he needs to make nice with Mulroney, he will quickly begin sucking up as needed. If the wind blows the other way re his base, this 'disagreement within the party' could definitely grow.

I think the Liberals should sit back, focus on the inquiry and use that to take potshots at both the Mulroney accolades and harper's cabal. I think the Bloc will take a back seat and watch the possible fireworks, I also think they will start hammering Harper on the NAFTA issue and DOW. Given how the NDP has been with Layton as leader, I tend to agree with you, not much there for them to capitalize on in order to nail both Harper's cabal and the Liberals.

This could all fizzle out quite quickly but I hope not, lol.

[HeresyLives]

3. Two more.

Harper approved plan to leak Mulroney story

April 10, 2009 04:04:00
Tonda MacCharles
Ottawa Bureau

OTTAWA–Prime Minister Stephen Harper, from overseas, was aware of and agreed with plans to leak stories that would distance him and the current party leadership from former prime minister Brian Mulroney, the Star has learned.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/616708

New course for PM?
Harper begins to look like a reborn social conservative

By MICHAEL DEN TANDT

Stephen Harper must be worried. There's a big, bad recession afoot. He's lost Quebec. Ontario looks shaky. Even the West is a little restive. And the new Liberal leader hasn't even registered yet. If you're Harper, suddenly none of this looks good. He can be forgiven for being rattled

- snip -

If this is true -- if Harper's recent references to faith and morals are part of a new strategy to play the social conservative card -- then one conclusion comes into focus.

The Conservatives are more rattled by recent events than they've let on, to the point where they're contemplating abandoning eastern Canada and any hopes of a majority and retreating to their western stronghold.

http://www.ottawasun.com/Comment/2009/04/10/9073856-sun.html

[Spazito]

4. Both articles are very interesting to read...

thanks for posting them. Harper is running back to his base, the Reform supporters, which means, imo, his internal polling is giving major warning signals, imo. I hope there IS an awakening of the Progressive Conservative original members causing a split and those who betrayed them left out in the cold.

[HeresyLives]

5. Here'a another cute one

Saturday, April 11, 2009
Chasing Kinsella

Remember the "cat's meat" mini- scandal and the CCCA (Chinese-Canadian Conservative Association), that did so much to keep it in the news:

The unidentified CCCA member, however, said the group actually had been contacted by the PMO with suggested "talking points" and asked to hold the press conference.

The PMO did that? Don't they have an economic collapse to manage or something?

(PS. Overall, a good piece on the news behind the news, as it were. I always like reading about the various community groups and how they interact/connect-up with the larger political parties. This one is run by Alex Yuan, P.C. candidate for Richmond Hill).

http://bigcitylib.blogspot.com/2009/04/chasing-kinsella.html

[CHIMO]

6. Defying Harper, MacKay met with Mulroney

HALIFAX — Defence Minister Peter MacKay says he has spoken with Brian Mulroney recently, despite a directive from Stephen Harper not to have any contact with the former prime minister.

Mr. MacKay says he saw Mulroney at an all-star hockey game in Montreal in February and chatted with him for a couple of minutes.

He didn't reveal what the two longtime friends discussed, but said that was the last time they communicated.

It's not clear whether such an encounter would violate an edict from the Prime Minister that directed government members not to have any contact with Mr. Mulroney.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090417.wPOLmackay0417/BNStory/Front

Clear to me. It violates the "word". Plain and simple. Now NATO wouldn't have him. Wonder where he will be headed next. Perhaps Harper will throw his support to a green candidate in MacKay's riding in the next election.

[Spazito]

7. McKay and Mulroney are two of a kind....

It would not surprise me in the least if they would be working to form another "Conservative" party. Mulroney has never had a problem betraying his 'own', ie Joe Clark and McKay was positively gleeful when he betrayed the Progressive Conservative Party in the takeover by the Reform Party.

Now both feel betrayed, how ironic eh, by the "New Conservative Party" and we know Mulroney still has a certain conservative base that is not happy because of the way Harper has 'treated' Mulroney.

It might be worthwhile stocking up on popcorn in the not too distant future, lol.