There is no better form of bonding between men than fishing. It is a quiet introspective time that you share with a true buddy. And what better buddies could there be than Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Toronto Mayor Rob Ford?
There are not many people who have been invited to the Prime Minister’s private Harrington Lake in the past few years. To drop a line in these waters puts you in the company of elites. It is a company of world leaders, great thinkers, of political power brokers and people who understand the pressures of leadership.
And you do not even have to eat what you catch. Mayor Ford admits that he does not really like to eat fish. He is strictly a sport fisherman and likes to stand and cast for bass.
The Prime Minister is more the type of fisherman who drops his line in the water and waits patiently for the fish to come to him. This tells you much about the two men.
They are unusual buddies. After all, how many buddies do you have who will kick in some $660 million to help you build a subway—after you have rejected an offer of $1.4 billion in funding from the Province of Ontario. It is one of those political games that can cause you to wonder if any of the principals knows what they are doing.
Both of these men are proud to be Conservatives. Along with Timmy Hudak, leader of the Ontario Conservatives, they make an interesting trio. Mind you, it is unlikely that Timmy Hudak has ever been invited to Harrington Lake.
Regrettably none of Stephen Harper’s more hooded personality has ever rubbed off on Rob Ford. You can just imagine the Prime Minister trying to explain political strategy to someone such as Rob Ford. Rob is hardly the type to understand caution, restraint, planning or scheming.
It is even more interesting to try to think of the lessons, Stephen Harper can learn from Rob Ford. And after thinking about it for a while and nothing comes to mind, it can make your head hurt.
It is really too bad that Harrington Lake will be freezing over soon. Rob Ford desperately needs to get away and gets his act together. And he needs the advice of his fishing buddy.
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Copyright 2013 © Peter Lowry
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