These days our politicians belong in the entertainment section of the news. The continuing saga of Patrick Brown’s leadership resignation/bid/withdrawal will surely make an interesting film someday. Lie detectors, Facebook and Twitter outbursts, death threats, backstabbing, and anonymous sexual misconduct allegations – it sounds like a terrible script, but who could make this stuff up?
Our Prime Minister is facing questions about his own judgement, and one can only imagine the fodder for late night talk shows a Doug Ford in office might provide.
We want to be taken seriously, and expect our leaders to behave with dignity, and more importantly, in a way that serves their constituents in the broadest sense of the word. Most people do not envy the personal sacrifices of a political career, but while we hold those in public office to the highest standards of behaviour, we must be fair in our treatment of them lest we discourage participation from those who are willing to make the sacrifice.
Eventually we will learn if Patrick Brown was the victim of a determined smear campaign, or if he is just delusional. In the meantime, we can only hope that his experience doesn’t deter others from taking up the mantle of public service to make things better for all. KG
