Politics as usual

Re: Business As Usual For Ontario’s Liberals, editorial, Feb. 7. As morally bankrupt as the Ontario Liberal government has become, much of the blame must be shared by the people who have kept them in power for the last 10 years. It boggles my mind voters keep on rewarding their scandalous behaviour.

The only way politicians will get the message is when disenchanted voters boot them out of office.

Wayne Fraser, Toronto. What the Post calls a “stinker” merely has a questionable odour. A political party’s first obligation is to get elected and select the candidate who appears most able to win the seat. Party supporters try to sign up members who will deliver the needed votes to win the nomination and then the election.

Political leaders usually have the right to pick candidates in certain ridings that are more likely to win and negotiate a dropout for a strong candidate not in favour with the party insiders. As the disfavoured candidate likely gave time and money to get the nomination, it is not unusual for the party to offer him or her a position with the party as a consolation prize.

Reading between the lines it seems quite appropriate to seek a candidate other than Andrew Oliver in Sudbury. Premier Kathleen Wynne and her operatives do not appear to have done anything out of the ordinary in securing the nomination for the winner, Joe Cimino.

Charles Patrick O’Neill, Ottawa.