The Premier breaks bad

[sabotabby]

Whomst'd've among you would enjoy hearing the latest Drug Fraud debacle? All of you? Then I shall oblige because it is juicy.

Now, the Ontario Provincial Police, like cops anywhere, are basically awful, but they're not supposed to be, like, a political entity any more than police forces are political by nature. There are ostensibly rules as to who can be in charge of them.

Doug Ford decided that rules were for eggheads, and changed them so that he could appoint his BFF Ron Taverner to the job.

Well, that is awfully corrupt! Enough that the ombudsman is getting involved. But that's not the fun part. The fun part is this:

Word is going around the Twittersphere and actual news sources (the Twitter link is better because it also includes a photo of him breaking distracted driving laws) that the premier's chief of staff asked the OPP to buy a "large camper-type vehicle" from a specific source and keep it off the record.

You read that right. The former hash king of Etobicoke (who sucks at selling pot, it seems),

1) Changed the rules so that he could appoint his buddy to head up the provincial police, then
2) Asked the police to do something at minimum sketchy and at maximum blatantly illegal, and then
3) Asked them to cover it up.

We all know what he'd use a camper van for, right?






gosh maybe electing him wasn't such a great idea you guys

Comments

[umadoshi]

*endless staring*

[sabotabby]

This is actually happening and he gets to run the province and pass whatever shitty legislation he wants, instead of being in prison.

[sara]

True tales of local government: in a place I used to live, county commissioners got in trouble for having "book club" meetings, e.g. non public pre public meeting meetings, in an RV they parked at a county park.

[sabotabby]

Wooow, was it drugs? Or sex?

[sara]

No, just corruption.

[sabotabby]

So disappointing. I've gotten spoiled with some really good scandals.

[fannishnonsense]

Well, that's... certainly something.

[sabotabby]

I wish he wasn’t my boss so I could be entertained instead of horrified but a bit entertained anyway.

[wolby]

#TOORELATABLEBYFAR

[minoanmiss]

This would be so funny if it were actually going to result in this asshole's downfall.

Honestly I shouldn't call him an asshole, those have a proper function.

[dewline]

Exactly the point I was about to raise. Thank you.

[sabotabby]

Yeah, he can get away with literal murder, just like Trump. He's got a majority government and no one in his party has a spine or a conscience.

[smhwpf]

That's magnificent.

I hope this leads to indictments somewhere down the line, but as we all know the rich and powerful tend to be able to avoid such 9 times out of 10. (Does Ford have immunity as Premier?)

[sabotabby]

I don't think he does, but generally, the cops are on his side. I mean not in this because it was so over-the-top, but they'll be back once he has the top ranks staffed with his people.

The Honourable Wifebeater's many documented criminal activities and a police investigation wouldn't have stopped him winning a second term as mayor if cancer hadn't delivered unto us instead the ambulatory sweater vest

[notasupervillain]

I'm always amazed by how bad these people are at being Villains. Like, I swear if it wasn't for white male privilege, no one would take this season's plotline seriously.

[sabotabby]

Seriously. I had to abandon the municipal version of the story I'm writing because I couldn't top Rob Ford as a character.

[notasupervillain]

I heard an interview with someone from Veep who was really upset that he had to cut a golden showers joke. He hadn't meant it as a reference!

I couldn't write a Ford type because I need to love every character I write, and I can't find anything to love in a narcissistic bully. Maybe I'm not generous enough. But I can't find any way to turn them into a character I want to spend time with.

[sabotabby]

I feel very bad for Armando Iannucci and Charlie Brooker, who have to write political satire in this environment. Though I think Brooker enjoys it a bit while Iannucci weeps softly into a G&T.

This is the problem; I desperately want my villains to be acting out of a motivation more interesting than fear or brutal sadism. But that's increasingly unrealistic.

[notasupervillain]

Write the Villains you want to see in the world.

[lapinlunaire]

wouldn't it be awesome if this, a shitty camper van of all things, turned out to be his downfall? that would make the whole thing even more epic*

* by epic I mean endlessly bizarre and horrifying

[sabotabby]

Bold of you to suggest that a downfall is a possibility here.