I found the CBC headline "Rob Ford Intoxicated on St Patrick's Day" beyond surreal.

Oh yes, there you have it. Canada personified.

I'd be more concerned if he wasn't! Don't most people use St patrick's day as an excuse to drink more than usual?

Well, precisely.

Re the horrible Ford, if there is nothing in the crack smoking video that is prosecutable(is that a word?) Then what business is it of the police?

If I was a betting man my money would be on Stephen Joseph Harper.

Well, if you can believe the news, which has been all over this, and the Toronto chief of police at the press conference where he explained it, it's evidence in an extortion case, related to mega-dope-bust Operation Traveller. Some questions are left unanswered because it's before the courts, but it looks like (my speculation), Ford's sometime driver and pal Sandro Lisi was trying to muscle the video out of the man who took it and tried to sell it. HTH

When I put my tinfoil hat on I can't help thinking all this news coverage is very convenient for a least one right wing political leader.

Looks like the gentleman isn't for turning........

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/na...045/story.html

I think both Harper and Ford will survive these issues, I don't think Canadian electorate cares about impropriety in politicians and I don't think the Toronto electorate cares what the Mayor does so long as he's seen to be trying to reduce taxes in the suburbs.

Still, I think this claim, in the article:

"Wright used his own money to pay the $90,000 in expenses"

is very unlikely to be the simple truth.

The Canadian electorate probably supports anyone who's seen to be trying to reduce taxes and sort out offenders in the Senate. As long as the economy is generally ok they may well get through these issues.

The business with the $90k expenses does appear somewhat clumsy whatever the truth.

I don't see the latter at all. No doubt the senators are thought to be a dodgy bunch but no more of less so than Harper; he's plainly complicit in a bit of financial malarky. I think though that that is what is expected of Canadian politicians, Harper's not more bent that Mulrooney or Chretien or, indeed, Ford. If people truly cared than the senators have sticky fingers they'd also care that the Prime Minister blurs the lines between public, party and private funds. I don't think the electorate does much care.

I get mad at the Action Canada ads - what is the benefit of those and what do they cost? They basically say Rah Rah Government as far as I can see.

Sorry to quote myself. Bad form I know. But I was right again wasn't I?

Nigel Wright's lawyer has leaked part of Wright's affidavit to the RCMP (i.e. effectively under oath) stating that Gerstein was agreeable to paying Duffy's expenses back when they were estimated as $30K, and then backed off when the sum turned out to be three times as much.

Oops.

"Madam, would you sleep with me for five million pounds?" Socialite: "My goodness, Mr. Churchill... Well, I suppose... we would have to discuss terms, of course... "
Churchill: "Would you sleep with me for five pounds?"
Socialite: "Mr. Churchill, what kind of woman do you think I am?!" Churchill: "Madam, we've already established that. Now we are haggling about the price”

Didn't they pay his legal costs while he was still an mp and disallow the disputed expenses? SOP. I thought that's what happened. I always thought of Wright as the bagman, Ollie North to Reagan, Sczaba to Devine, the designated goat.