The recent combative,
even feisty tones of John Crosbie somehow triggered my memory of a couple of
lines from an old Simon and Garfunkel tune:
Where have you gone Joe
DiMaggio
A nation turns its lonely
eyes to you (Woo, woo, woo)
It may appear improper, even
unfair, that anyone should possess large and unwieldy expectations of an
octogenarian, especially one who has served the Province long and well.
But when John Crosbie came
out swinging, on Monday, with Danny Williams in his sights, he stirred up memories
of the “old” days; after all his reputation wasn't built upon a single "we got it" which quickly evaporated.
Inside political hot houses he was referred to, respectfully, as “JCC”. Those barely weaned, in the ’60s and ‘70s remember him for his fearless rebuke of Joe Smallwood and his cronies, especially the carpetbaggers John Shaheen and John C. Doyle. Later generations remember him, too.
Inside political hot houses he was referred to, respectfully, as “JCC”. Those barely weaned, in the ’60s and ‘70s remember him for his fearless rebuke of Joe Smallwood and his cronies, especially the carpetbaggers John Shaheen and John C. Doyle. Later generations remember him, too.
He was a tour de force in
Frank Moores’ Cabinet. When he ran Federally, serving as a Minister in the Federal Cabinet, he was akin to a Don Jamieson on speed. His ability to loosen the Federal
Government’s purse strings, during the cod moratorium, prevented great human misery and helped rural
Newfoundland to survive a lot longer.
His success at
having Ottawa take Gulf Oil’s 8.5% share of the Hibernia Project was
instrumental in getting offshore oil production moving.
Not one for braggadocio, Crosbie is a
politician with a real history. That’s
why people still listen to him.
He and Brian Peckford had
their tiffs, but rarely did it get personal; that trademark was reserved for Danny
Williams.
Paul Simon said his lines were
a tribute to DiMaggio’s “unpretentious heroic stature….” Politics seldom finds occasion for unanimity, as
in baseball; but few would argue Crosbie was an immense figure, a Joe DiMaggio
in a blood sport.
It was fitting that the
recent fuss should all start when Crosbie turned up the volume on Ray Guy Night
– a celebration of the man whose impact on our politics, especially during the
Smallwood years, is still being defined.
Even posthumously, Ray Guy seems able to stir up mischief.
Who better to bring out
the best in one and the worst in another!
It was vintage
Crosbie. But, it was typical Danny
Williams, too.
Crosbie said it was a "bloody pity" that there is no Ray Guy to deal with the current political
situation in the Province with an uncontested Frank Coleman heading for the
Premier’s Office and a Cabinet and Caucus unable to produce a single person
willing to run.
Crosbie described as
“frustrating” and “discouraging” the state of democracy in the Province. He remarked that he has seen the P.C. Party reduced to a shambles with Williams’ meddling.
It wasn’t in Danny Williams to
say just say Crosbie was entitled to his opinion and to leave it there.
Jack had to be as good as
his master, as they say. He called Crosbie an ingrate:
‘I installed a half million dollar elevator at Government House because he
couldn’t climb the stairs, Danny sulked, giving no quarter to the requirement
that Government Buildings should be wheelchair accessible. In essence, Danny was saying, as if the money came out of his own pocket: I did him a
favour, he shouldn’t be pickin’ on me.
It’s not difficult to see
why Ray Guy made it seem easy to invoke characters like Aunt Cissy Roach. For certain, she would certainly
have called Williams a “mawmouth”. If she was in a good mood, which was rarely, she
might have called him “the gall of a spavined bullock”, to his face.
Danny
would not have answered her back unless he wanted to get a crack from the
handle of Aunt Cissy’s “double-bit axe”. Crosbie didn't need to be spiteful. He made a public display of dropping Danny with a crash; akin to what the voters did in Virginia Waters.
Crosbie didn’t require Nick McGrath to invoke any force majeure for him, either, as
he did for Coleman.
What Crosbie had in mind
was not the ‘one’ person but the whole Province. He did what Ray Guy was unable; the
latter having permanently taken his place among the ‘Greats’.
In the blunt style that belies a steadfast character Crosbie sent a message, perhaps even a
warning, about the poor state of the Tory Party and the Government.
________________________________________________
Related Reading: ODE TO RAY GUY
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But the media recognized the man, too. The same crowd that seem to know only road kill and weather still chased Crosbie for every utterance. The notice is a testament to his etched cache.
Why do warriors like
Crosbie still matter? For the very
reason Crosbie cites: the absence of a mature democracy and the willingness of
some to shag with our democratic institutions.
He is needed as counterweight to people like Danny Williams;
the latter too corporately conflicted and blinkered to be
a worthy speaker for the public interest.
It is a pity that John
Crosbie did not become more politically engaged in the days following the end
of his tenure, as Lieutenant Governor.
The “anti-Muskrat Falls” camp needed one of his stature as a
spokesperson to butt heads with the Dunderdale/Ed Martin propaganda machine. Though Crosbie endorsed that Project, I have
always thought his position inconsistent with his long history of condemning
stupidity and misspending.
Until he confirms that he
seriously reviewed the business case for that Project, I am forced to conclude that
he was speaking from his heart (the concept) rather than his head (the
numbers).
That said, his re-emergence
as an opinion-maker is important. The
Tory Party has not served us well; it is in the grip of a ‘puppeteer’. No one likes their Government controlled by
interests other than the public interest, even if the puppeteer is named ‘Danny’.
Love him or hate him,
Crosbie has raised the alarm. In his own
words:
“We have the same problems
in Newfoundland here today. They never change. All kinds of skulduggery…we
haven’t advanced very far in political life here in Newfoundland...they can’t
even organize a leadership convention.”
Frank Coleman likely won't interpret his comments as a ringing endorsement of his leadership.
Frank Coleman likely won't interpret his comments as a ringing endorsement of his leadership.
Where have you gone Joe
DiMaggio? Farewell, Ray Guy.
There’s still lots of
life in John Crosbie.
