Preville on Politics

The top five political miscalculations of 2007

Posted on December 27, 2007 by Philip Preville

A look back at the year that was, through the lens of failure:

1Faith-based schools
Under John Tory’s leadership, the whole city was flirting with the notion of voting Conservative. Then Tory dropped this clunker on his way out of the starting gate, tripped over it and never got back on his feet.

2David Miller’s failed tax vote
Being mayor of Toronto is really easy: all you need to get anything accomplished is 23 votes. Provided, of course, that you or a member of your staff can count that high.

3Phantom budget cuts
The Sheppard subway will be closed—not. Community centres will be closed—not. Libraries will be closed—not. Decisions have consequences—not.

4The Mark Warner affair
It wasn’t an active year for federal politics in the city, but Stephen Harper did manage to kill the Toronto Centre candidacy of the one man who could have made him palatable to Toronto. Who’s left? News anchor–cum–blowhard Peter Kent, who, of course, will be running outside city limits.

5Blame the media
NDP leader Howard Hampton, desperate to change the subject from faith-based schooling, blamed the media. This bet is notable because it nearly covered the spread: the ploy got attention, but alas, no votes.

See you in 2008!

Note to readers: this blog will be dormant until the new year. My initiation to the blogosphere has been positively nutty, complete with my own Facebook fan group. It went fallow within a few weeks of its launch, which was both a shame and a blessing. Its founders meant well (howdy Matt, Amy and Alex!), but I don’t think I or any other regular reader could have stomached a continued flood of the gang’s self-referential in-jokes (howdy also to Caninestein, the talking dog).

Happy New Year's all!

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nick January 17, 2008 at 12:42 a.m.

Canadian socialism is the misfortune of the 21st century


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Philip Preville

Veteran freelance writer Philip Preville lived much of his life in Montreal and Edmonton before he was lured, like so many Torontonians before him, by the promise of more work and a better living. A National Magazine Award winner and former Canadian Journalism Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Massey College, Preville writes Toronto Life’s politics column. He lives with his wife and one-year-old son in Riverdale, just close enough to the Don Valley Parkway that he can hear it when he steps outside his house—but just far enough away that it doesn’t keep him awake at night. On his office wall hangs a 1938–39 press pass belonging to his grandfather, Elias Gannon, who wrote for the Montreal Star.


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