The cable guy should go

No really, the cable guy has to go, if the Conservative Party in Ontario ever wants to form the provincial government. If a natural conservative like myself can be so alienated by the provincial party leadership that I refused to vote conservative in the last provincial election - your issues are bigger than branding. And no, for the record I didn’t vote Liberal either. Apparently, the provincial conservatives would rather ignore the mote in their own eye accept an MPP speaking truth to power. The Toronto Sun:

Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory still hasn’t persuaded a member of his caucus to give up a seat for him, but he did have one less caucus member after suspending a veteran member of the Ontario legislature who criticized his leadership.

Conservative maverick Bill Murdoch was suspended early today after what sources described as “a very tense” two-hour conference call between Tory and about 20 of the 25 other caucus members that lasted until 11 p.m. last night. The call was scheduled after the always-outspoken Murdoch said Tory should find a new job during an interview with radio station CFOS in Owen Sound.

That angered Tory and his supporters. But today Murdoch said he wasn’t about to back down and say Tory was a good party leader just to get back into caucus.“How could I do that? I guess a month from now and he pulls off a stunt and does something great, I guess I could say ’well that looks good … but nothing’s changed between two days ago and today,” Murdoch said in an interview. “I’ll stick by what I said before.”

Conservative caucus chair Frank Klees said the caucus executive decided unanimously Murdoch should be suspended, and put the issue to the 20 Conservatives on the conference call. “I’m not going to talk about what took place during that caucus phone call other than to say the majority conclusion was to support the decision of the leadership,” Klees said in an interview. “What probably surprises him is that it didn’t come sooner.”

But sources said that up to half of the Conservatives on the call spoke in defence of the 18-year veteran member from Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, and Murdoch estimated his support in the caucus at “50-50.”

As long as John Tory is leading the provincial conservatives, there is no way I am going to vote for another pseudo-liberal dressed up in blue and calling himself a tory when the only thing Tory about him is his name. So enjoy your stay in electoral perdition – I can’t say you haven’t earned it.