By Judi McLeod ——Bio and Archives--November 29, 2014
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“OTTAWA -- Reform Leader Preston Manning says he will move into Stornoway against his personal wishes because of massive public demand. To cries of "hypocrite" from his critics and some former allies, Manning said he is reluctantly abandoning his long-time promise not to use the $2-million, 34-room, tax-funded mansion because the public have written, faxed and called to insist he do so. Manning said he was amazed to find that people felt he was showing disrespect to the office of Leader of the Opposition and to tradition by refusing to move into the mansion, which he has repeatedly cited in the past as an example of politicians living high on the hog. The Reform leader could give no figure on the number of calls and faxes the party has received and was reluctant to produce any letters from the public demanding he move into Stornoway. Manning said he will not offer to pay any rent for Stornoway, will continue to take the $21,000 housing and living expense allowance given to all MPs, and will probably hire the housekeeper and three government servants that go with the mansion. He previously said he will take the government limo and chauffeur that go with his new job. "We're taking whatever the compensation package is, and I believe it to be helpful to us in discharging these official duties (as Opposition leader)," Manning said. Manning said he will keep his family home in Calgary and he and wife Sandra will "balance out time between the two as we see fit, based on the demands of our office and the family." Manning said he believes the public has changed its mind since the 1993 election, when they were angry and wanted the perks of power cut back. Now they see Reform as a possible government and want it to act like a proper official Opposition, he said. “Manning tried to make light of the decision, saying he only intends to keep the place warm for Prime Minister Jean Chretien to move back into after the next election. He ridiculed the media for treating his decision as a "weighty issue of state," but his critics disagreed. Gerry Nicholls, spokesman for the National Citizens' Coalition, which has long seen Reform as its main ally in its campaign to cut government perks, said: "Preston Manning has contracted the Ottawa disease -- he promised one thing and is doing the opposite." Tory Leader Jean Charest said, "he's a hypocrite and this will stick with him for the rest of his career."After reneging on his never-move-into-Stornaway promise, Manning, and Reformer candidates who campaigned against MP salary increases, voted themselves in on it. The point here is that there is nothing more devious, nothing more dishonest than the latter day politician of any stripe, because the main party stripe of the politician could be identified as “Me, myself and I”. In days of old, politicians who pulled off the double-cross after being able to add the word ‘Honourable” this or that to the name their Mamas gave them, were soon finished off by voters in the very next election. In time, politicians, intent on being able to go on feathering their own nests, moved out of voter accountability becoming far out of the range of ordinary citizens. How did so many miss the real Preston Manning? The duplicity of Preston Manning was helped along by a mainstream media who kept poking fun of the nerdy looks that came from his purposely preacher-like hair styles and glasses, the same way the duplicity of up-and-coming wannabe Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be buried because of his blow-dried, sprayed-in-place hair, youthful good looks and air of celebrity as late Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s eldest son. The left and their cult of celebrity are on a roll in most western nations, and as long as they’re elected, defectors joining them from the other side will be legion. What’s going on in the cut throat business of politics is much bigger than Turncoat Preston Manning. Unless voters come up with surefire ways to keep politicians masquerading as small -c conservatives from being elected, western society as we have come to know it is a lost dream. Meanwhile, plastic is a million times more useful and durable than the Preston Mannings who get to con the political world.
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