WHATEVER

Grits and Scandal Live on (Toronto Sun, May 20th, 2005)

The majority of Canadians who told pollsters they were against a spring election got what they wanted last night -- as did Paul Martin's Liberals. But it's a classic case of "Be careful what you wish for."

The squeaker vote on the Grits' jerry-rigged budget passed, as expected, after tight-lipped Independent MP Chuck Cadman threw in his lot with the government and Speaker Peter Milliken broke the resulting 152-152 tie.

We now face many more months of unprincipled, sleazy government by a scandal-tainted party that has shown it cares about nothing more than staying in power, ruled by a PM whom 63% of Canadians reportedly believe is the most dishonest of all the party leaders.

But hey, on the bright side, we can plan our summer vacations without having to worry about being pestered by annoying politicians or bothering to vote!

The ultimate source of this fiasco is the pervasive, cynical view that everyone is in it for himself, there are no principles worth standing up for and any old government will do provided it gives me my share.