G20: Putin And Xi Conspicuously Absent.

Putin being absent is no surprise given the bad relations that Russia presently has with the United States. Russia has pretty much been living in a deep freeze since the annexation of Crimea -- and add to that the disastrous vaccination rates in Russia. So, there's plenty of reasons for Putin to avoid the collective cold shoulder awaiting him at the G20.

But unlike Putin, Xi has even more legitimate reasons not to leave China: first and foremost, his continuing feud with Jiang with rumours of an assassination attempt having already taken place against Xi. One was under the impression that Xi had already consolidated power sufficiently not to be at political risk. Add to this the increasing hardline rhetoric on Taiwan and the ever-increasing flyovers of Taiwan's air defense zone. That's why Biden's verbal representations have been unambiguous -- even if walked back later by the White House -- because Washington D.C. takes the Chinese invasion possibility more seriously than it has ever before.

Will internal infighting in China lead to reckless military adventurism against the so-called renegade province? Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail otherwise what would initially be a tight regionally focused conflict could rapidly spiral down into a larger conflict, more than likely drawing in at least Japan and perhaps other area players. 

So, at minimum, we're living in politically trying times with the rest of the G20 tasked with a sacred obligation: maintain diplomatic and economic channels and work to reduce tensions wherever they appear. That should be the G20's focus. God help the rest of us if it somehow fails in its mission and ends up as just another fruitless League of Nations.

G20: Hope Biden Doesn't Get COVID-19.

Too many delegations -- way too many people...even if most if not all of them are doubly vaccinated.

God, how I hope Biden doesn't return home only to find out that he has COVID-19. I would hate for him to catch it and later drop dead. That's the exact opposite view from what I think about you know who. May God send him to his "reward" as soon as possible and definitely before 2024.

Marc Is Out.

And significantly but not surprisingly, HimselfTM won't say why. Of course he won't even though the reason is already as clear as day: you know that this newly returned government is finally falling apart at the seams when the most distinguished former Liberal prime minister takes a run at you and but good in his latest book.

Couple that with Garneau's independent streak and his manner of not letting precious Katie and company micromanage his department and voilà, Marc is suddenly and ungraciously toast.

When you think of it, that's quite a tag team, Chrétien and Garneau with both likely thinking that this joke cannot continue other than in the short term as PM or party leader. This guy is now toxic for the Liberal brand and everyone knows it, most especially those who make up our most recent and unfortunate ministry.

Any government headed by Trudeau is now nothing short of a national shame and a political disgrace, period. To put it kindly, this guy will make it into the history books in a way that no other prime minister ever has -- and it won't be pretty.

Meanwhile, over on our side, we have a leader who's still digging with the vaccine shovel. A man with a special talent for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, à la Scheer, and then for a topper doing all that he possibly can to unknowingly sink the Blue ship 🚢

And caucus says nothing, willingly complicit and ever compliant as we politically head down suicide alley. Opposition parties usually, at the very least, pick up steam when a minority government is returned. Not this time: Erin seemingly is hell bent on going in the exact opposite direction while caucus genuflects and Trudeau heartedly thanks O'Toole for that highly undeserved second wind. Pathetic yes, but now playing out for all to see, but only au Canada.

COVID-19: The Permanent New Normal.

Incredibly, so many people can't think beyond their nose. They actually believe that vaccinations will eventually eradicate this. But they won't. Vaccination is a crucial component to staying alive but all it can do is vanquish corona viruses.

People have no idea seemingly that CVs were but the tip of the iceberg. This is a new world where airborne pathogens will be the actual and permanent new normal. In fact, when we get to WW3, right after Beijing invades Taiwan, it will be self-evident for all the world to see.

Now you know why I'm for double and triple vaccinations, permanent seating restrictions, permanent masking and permanent social distancing.

In short, we need every advantage we can get because the next generation of genetically modified bioweapons will make COVID-19 look like a medical afterthought. You ain't seen nothing yet, folks.

We're headed to a place where between 25 and 50 million who died from Spanish Flu will look like just an asterisk. 

Will the next war, inevitably biological, precede the end of life on this planet? Could happen. And maybe if we're lucky, we'll get the Second Coming.

Somebody desperately needs a quick military victory. You know, to get people's minds off the power struggle and purported assassination attempt against him. Not good, to put it kindly.

So, for the time I have left on this planet, I'll keep doing what I have to to survive and keep the odds in my favour.

In my case, that, at minimum, will mean wearing a mask in public until the day I drop dead. I'll leave it to governments to be both incredibly foolish and naive. After all, that's their specialty.

Vaccination of MPs: O'Toole's Lack Of Judgment.

From WarrenKinsella.com

Sean,

If they do not reverse and reverse quickly, that will say more about Erin O’Toole’s personal judgment than anything else he has done or failed to do since becoming leader. In my case, it’s reverse now or I’m off the reservation as far as defending his leadership is concerned. So, choose wisely Erin because you desperately need all of us who apparently have a lot more common sense than you seemingly do…

Vaccines In Parliament.

Have a vote in both chambers and whip that vote. Period.

The "Talk".

In life, nothing truly important is simple: sometimes you just have to have the talk, be it in politics, business or your personal relationships. But that's not easy to do, especially for those who put their ego and pride above all other considerations. 

So, this weekend I took it upon myself to have The "Talk" with a friend who's a longstanding dyed-in-the-wool Conservative. Never bolted, unlike yours truly, who said Fuck You and departed for a decade. Anyway, back to the story: I explained to him the facts of life. I told him how he and his friends were simply both passionate and deluded when it came to replacing O'Toole. 

This guy thinks it's already a done deal: he takes those signatures from twenty percent of caucus as an eventual given -- not on your life. He's living in LA LA LAND. I reminded him what happened at the CPC convention in Montreal after the election loss. 

Many gathered around the bars with the various discussions primarily driven by the strutting peacocks of the day -- you'll know who they were. LOL. Anway, they all sang from the unity bible as the scotch flowed and was consumed by all. Except not by this bozo, I showed up at that convention to vote against Harper and that's what I did, only to run straight into him and his entourage five minutes later. Boy, did I feel cheap. Point is, the tide was turned and my friend voted for Harper and for me that was the biggest conversion I'd seen since hearing about the one on the road to Damascus.

I told him this is exactly what will happen at the next policy convention. The stirred up will go out with a whimper, not a bang. The party will rally around Erin and generously give him another shot, as they should. Now, if the leader blows the next one, he won't need to be prompted. He'll do like Harper and Martin did.

So, there you have it folks. Been there, done that and am smart enough these days not to go there. (I used to joke that when I died, on my headstone you'd find my full name, birth and death date and the following: Against Harper.) Caucus, like all caucuses everywhere only care about three people: me, myself and I. They very much want Erin to consider them for cabinet -- or at least parliamentary secretary when we finally get there as a government and we will. They also, to a person, want the leader to sign those nomination papers. So, voilà, that pretty much says it all except for those who are both deluded and hopelessly low-ranking. This thing is already done meaning Chen, Byrne and company should speak their final piece and then quickly move on. End of story.

They're Going After Chen: Big Mistake.

National Council is acting like a bunch of amateurs -- look, this thing was already dying a natural death and now they've gone and blown the breath of life right back into it. Not the smartest.

Do I think Chen and the others are going to get any traction? Of course not. But this bungle keeps it alive and gives it political oxygen. So, it becomes a chronic rather than a passing irritant for the leader and caucus.

So, put Chen back on and let him speak his peace. Then move on to other more pressing party matters. Like I said, Erin is going nowhere and the next review will only come at the party policy convention. And O'Toole will pass that, just like Harper did in 2005 or was it 2006?

Forgive me if I'm stupid or something but I have a mind to tell National Council where the party's priorities should be: how about on doing anything and everything we possibly can at a party level to oust HimselfTM and his government in the next election? Kind of more important than Chen, right?

So, keep moving and stop providing Chen and others with a multitude of reasons for seeing something here. To conclude with a Kinsellaism: You're welcome.

Batherson vs. Chen.

Our job is to quickly defuse this leadership struggle and that won't happen if Batherson either directly or indirectly sees to Chen's removal from National Council.

Don't make Chen a victim, or a potential hero. Just let it be and concentrate the mind solely on keeping Erin in his chair.

That's my take on it and hopefully it's also O'Toole's.

Going NEGATIVE.

Let's face it, in the first two weeks, Trudeau's goose was cooked. But it's so true when they say that a week is a lifetime in politics: panic and desperation in Liberal ranks meant only one thing: strategically going negative.

And so they did with spectacular results: they lied their asses off on O'Toole's Assault-Style weapons position and on CPC candidates and vaccination but it worked like a charm, especially with Blair effectively fronting for them in TO.

You see, Liberals go negative with positive reinforcement in Ontario. It's that basic. You spin it and the province reflexively laps it up. It's only when it gets gonzo, à la Martin with soldiers in the streets, do Ontarians turn away in disgust. 

So, going neg has its natural advantages for Liberals. For the Conservatives, the exact opposite is very much true: push Trudeau's buttons too hard and you risk a sympathy backlash. 

That's precisely why CPC ads were weak as milk toast. They didn't move the dial one iota and were a complete waste of money.

Once the Liberal ads got traction it was time to go for the gusto and damn them torpedoes. But O'Toole's strategic braintrust failed miserably at doing precisely that.

End result: Trudeau wins when he shouldn't have, while O'Toole loses when victory was almost his.

Look forward to the OLO and party firings. Those people deserve it in spades, period. So, let's have at it right now.

Nobody Showed Up With Signatures.

Caucus met on Tuesday morning. They met for six hours. But no one showed up with the signatures of 20% of caucus. Translation: O'Toole is safe in his job.