Political bubble turns small things into big snits

One of the biggest problems with government today is the bubble.

In Washington it’s inside the beltway, in Ottawa it’s Parliament Hill and environs and in Ontario it’s Queen’s Park and half of Toronto.

No matter its location, the bubble is that place where politicians play their games, oblivious to the people they were elected to serve and the important issues that should be at the top of their priority lists.

A recent example of the kinds of nonsensical games played inside the bubble showed up in Ontario.

The premier, through her lawyers, threatened to sue the leader of the Opposition when he misspoke about the recent Sudbury trail.

As if our system of government didn’t provide enough opportunities for name calling and score settling.

In Sudbury, two leading Liberals are on trial under the Election Act for allegedly offering favours to get the results they wanted in a party nomination.

Brown said Kathleen Wynne was standing trial, when he should have said she was a witness in a trial. In essence the issue is about the difference between being “on trial” and “in a trial.”

Brown was inaccurate, but a lawsuit seems like killing a mosquito with a sledge hammer.

In spite of that, the premier’s defenders have threatened such legal action if Brown doesn’t eat his words through a retraction or apology.

If there are any voters outside the bubble who think Wynne is on trial, they haven’t been paying attention.

The premier’s appearance as a witness has been huge news for every broadcaster in the province. It also has been covered extensively by the print media.

So, where’s the harm? And more important, you’d think the premier would have more important things to think about, than Brown’s error.

If her ego is so fragile that this mistake caused her grief, then she should leave her political career and perhaps try selling insurance.

The list of issues requiring attention would stretch from Sudbury, where the premier appeared in court, to Washington, where she travelled thereafter.

In Yankeeland Wynne threatened reprisals if the government pushes the “buy American” policy favoured by the President.

Wynne claims she told Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that “we will retaliate if necessary. There will be real damage done on both sides of the border if buy America takes hold … And the expectation of our industry will be that we will … put in place similar barriers.”

Exactly how such reprisals would work is anybody’s guess. Does this mean Ontario would quit selling electricity at a loss across the border giving American businesses a leg up over Ontario competitors?

Or does it mean “buy Canadian” would be a first consideration in all purchases in the province?

If so, it would have been beneficial to have such a policy in place before the government promoted the purchase of wind turbines from overseas suppliers at a cost that helped drive many hard-working Ontarians into power poverty.

Inside the bubble, politicians and their hangers-on get into the biggest snits about the smallest things.

Those of us outside looking in can only hope a little more sanity will prevail after the next election.