To the Expositor:
This past weekend the federal Liberals elected Justin Trudeau as leader of their party. This hardly came as a surprise.
Like three out of four such contests that this once mighty political party has held in less than 10 short years since their political fortunes went into the dump, this one was again more in the nature of a coronation than a leadership race in any real sense of the term. Witness the 80 percent first ballot victory by the winner.
For the past eight months the Liberals have trotted out Justin Trudeau as a cross between a modern day rock star and the second coming of Christ. For better or for worse, the Liberals have cast their lot with a ‘show pony’ to lift themselves out of the doldrums. Only time will tell if Justin Trudeau has more to offer Canada than charm, good looks, and name-brand recognition.
Another federal election is looming as early as the year 2015. Let us hope by that time the dust will have settled, and that the only Canadians still star-struck will be limited to those of the hard core Liberal variety.
The rest of us would be wise to take heed of what Stephen Leacock, the great Canadian writer and humourist once said about one hundred years ago: “Many a man who has fallen in love with a dimple, makes the mistake of marrying the whole girl.”
Brad Middleton Evansville
