succession

Wednesday July 26, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday July 26, 2023

Justin Trudeau’s Waning Popularity and a Cabinet Shuffle

December 30, 2021

As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gears up to announce a cabinet shuffle, it is evident that his popularity is dwindling among Canadians. Recent polls indicate that just two in five Canadians approve of Trudeau’s leadership, while slightly more than half express disapproval. While these numbers may still be favourable compared to some past prime ministers at similar stages in their careers, the signs of discontent within Trudeau’s own party are becoming increasingly apparent.

About half a dozen ministers will no longer hold their positions at the cabinet table after the upcoming shuffle, with three Toronto-area Liberal ministers, including the somewhat disastrous Omar Alghabra, having already announced their departure from the federal election race. This opens up opportunities for aspiring minds within the Liberal Party to anticipate Trudeau’s departure as Prime Minister and, in turn, aim for an elevation in their political careers.

News: Trudeau arrives at Rideau Hall to shuffle his cabinet in a big way  

June 23, 2023

The shuffle is rumoured to focus on the government’s economic priorities, including housing, and aims to shore up the cabinet ahead of the next election campaign. With Trudeau’s popularity at risk, the government also seeks to strengthen its key communicators on crucial issues.

The discontent within the Liberal Party is not entirely surprising. Senior government sources indicate that Trudeau’s almost eight years in power have been characterized by near-total loyalty from those within the PMO and the wider Liberal circle. However, recent leaks and damaging quotes to the media suggest that some party members are increasingly frustrated and disillusioned with Trudeau’s leadership. Partisan sources don’t typically resort to such actions without a sustained pattern of behaviour they cannot tolerate.

The signs of restlessness within the Liberal caucus are evident, with public bickering over various issues and indications that some ministers are already positioning themselves for leadership ambitions. Ministers like Chrystia Freeland, Anita Anand, François-Philippe Champagne, Mélanie Joly, and Dominic LeBlanc are among those patiently waiting for an opportunity to seize control of the Liberal leadership.

Opinion: His progressive mission accomplished, Trudeau should prepare his departure  

September 10, 2022

While Trudeau’s cult of personality has so far prevented obvious leadership threats from emerging, the situation might change as internal discontent grows. With approximately two-and-a-half years until the next federal election, this time frame may seem too long for an embattled party leader to survive once seeds of doubt and disaffection start to grow.

Trudeau’s future could be further complicated by the possibility of NDP leader Jagmeet Singh’s stance on the confidence-and-supply agreement. While there are accusations that Singh’s motives are purely political, it is intriguing to consider the reverse scenario—where Trudeau might be motivated to force an election before internal leadership threats fully bloom. Another election win, even a slim minority, could potentially buy him more time in office than running out the clock on his current term.

Ultimately, the political landscape can change rapidly, especially when internal fissures begin to emerge. If Trudeau is forced to fight within his own party, the Liberal house could get very messy indeed. As the cabinet shuffle approaches, all eyes will be on the Prime Minister and the ensuing developments within the Liberal Party. One thing is certain: Canadian politics is never short on surprises. (AI) From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro. If you’re creative, give illustration a try:

 

Saturday January 7, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday January 7, 2023

The enduring anguish of being the royal ‘spare

September 30, 2022

“Wonderful. Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare, my work is done.” That was the conversation that Prince Harry claims marked the day of his own birth, with the then Prince Charles joking to the Princess of Wales about the arrival of their second son.

The story is told in Harry’s memoir, called Spare, and he says the term was often used to describe him, within his own family.

“They would say it without a spirit of judgement, but straight out. I was the shadow, the supporting actor, the plan B,” he writes, in a translation of the book’s Spanish edition.

“I was brought into this world in case something happened to Willy,” he writes, using the nicknames that saw Prince William as “Willy” and Prince Harry as “Harold”.

The saying “an heir and a spare” refers to aristocratic families needing an heir to inherit a title or an estate, and the “spare” as the younger sibling who could be the replacement if anything happened to the heir before he or she has their own children.

It clearly annoyed Prince Harry enough to use it as a title for his book, and it taps into the longstanding difficulty of this uncertain royal understudy role, where there’s wealth and privilege but no obvious sense of purpose.

March 9, 2021

“It’s a non-position,” says royal expert Professor Pauline Maclaran, from the Centre for the Study of Modern Monarchy, Royal Holloway, University of London.

“There’s no clear role apart from shaking hands and being pleasant to people,” says Prof Maclaran.

A life of pointless luxury might have its decadent charms, but it also carries a heavy risk of unfulfillment and lack of direction.

So much so that Prof Maclaran says that a modern, slimmed-down monarchy should either find better defined roles for such individuals, or else release them from any royal expectations, once they’ve slipped down the pecking order of succession.

Royal historian Ed Owens says Sweden and Denmark are examples of where such an approach has been taken, “downsizing” the royal families, so that individuals who might have been marginal “spares” can have their own private lives “unfettered by royal responsibilities”.

Mr Owens says that Princess Margaret, younger sister to the late Queen Elizabeth II, is an example of the pressures put upon such siblings, in a way that remains relevant to the problems raised by Prince Harry.

January 15, 2022

Prince Andrew is another whose attempts at finding a role have not exactly ended well. Even before the scandal involving sex assault claims, which he denied, he had gained the nickname of Air Miles Andy for his many overseas trips.

But there have been positive outcomes. George VI, a shy and initially reluctant monarch, had been Edward VIII’s younger sibling but stepped up to the plate as King after his childless brother abdicated, and proved to be a leader in wartime.

Letter to the Editor, The Hamilton Spectator

His father, George V, had been another second son who came to the throne. His older brother had died at the age of 28 in an outbreak of flu in 1892.

There are also historical templates for the younger royal being cast in a negative light, accused of dissolute and disreputable behaviour or as a rival threatening to undermine the authority of the elder.

Think of Bad King John versus Good King Richard, in the 12th Century power struggle between brothers, that was depicted in a 1970s Disney movie. (BBC News) 

From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro …

 

Saturday September 10, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday September 10, 2022

Chrystia Freeland has a ‘legitimate shot’ at top NATO job, expert says

October 26, 2021

It’s the favourite parlour game of the parliamentary precinct — predicting which powerful figure is going where and why. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland finds herself at the centre of speculation now, as talk about her possible appointment to NATO’s top job ramps up.

The buzz was loud enough for a journalist to ask Freeland about it directly on Wednesday, as Liberal cabinet ministers gathered on the West Coast to plot strategy for the fall session of Parliament.

Predictably, the deputy prime minister didn’t bite and spoke about how she already has “two busy jobs” — a reference to her principal portfolio as finance minister.

At least four different sources — in Ottawa, Washington and Brussels, where NATO is headquartered — say Freeland’s name has been tossed around for several months in international defence and security circles as a potential successor to the current secretary general, former Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg, who has been in the job since 2014.

The parlour game gets played in other capitals, too.

November 21, 2019

And while most of the speculation — first reported publicly by journalist Paul Wells in his online column — revolves around the domestic political effects of a possible Freeland candidacy, the chatter in international circles spins on a different axis.

“There are several very qualified women out there who would be very good candidates,” said a top NATO official who spoke to CBC News last month. (The source spoke to CBC News confidentially because they are not authorized to speak on the matter publicly.)

“It seems there is some momentum for a woman to be the next [secretary general].”

Stoltenberg’s term was supposed to end this month but NATO leaders — reeling in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine — extended that term to 2023.

October 20, 2016

Sources in Brussels said Freeland’s name surfaced last fall.

The question that didn’t quite get answered on Wednesday was whether Freeland might be interested in the job. 

As someone steeped in Eastern European politics and history, someone who can speak English, Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, French, Spanish and Italian, Freeland likely would be considered a major asset at a time when the alliance is trying to hold itself together in the face of a major regional war. Her knowledge of Russia and the inner workings of the Kremlin would be another major plus.

But in order to secure her candidacy, both her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would have to work the international diplomatic circuit — likely behind the scenes — and expend political capital. (CBC) 

 

Thursday December 30, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday December 30, 2021

Ottawa’s New Pastime: Leadership Speculation

No wonder there is a sense of déjà vu on Parliament Hill. The minority Parliament elected in September met for just two-and-a-half weeks before taking its holiday break.

September 1, 2021

Perhaps that business-as-usual post-election vibe in the House is why one of the favourite political discussions among insiders is speculation as to who will lead the two main political parties into the next election. Some may think this a waste of time. With a second consecutive minority government no one knows when the next election might be. And neither of the major party leaders, Justin Trudeau or Erin O’Toole, plans to step down. Quite the contrary. Both have said they are determined to lead their parties when voters next go to the polls.

Monday January 13, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Monday January 13, 2020

Princes William and Harry issue statement amid U.K. Royal Family rift

Queen Elizabeth is set to hold face-to-face talks Monday with Prince Harry for the first time since he and his wife, Meghan, unveiled their controversial plan to walk away from royal roles — holding a dramatic family summit meant to chart a future course for the couple.

May 19, 2018

The meeting reflects the Queen’s desire to contain the fallout from Harry and Meghan’s decision to “step back” as senior royals, work to become financially independent, and split their time between Britain and North America. The couple, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, made the announcement Wednesday without telling the Queen or other senior royals first.

Before the extraordinary session, Princes William and Harry took the equally unusual step of issuing a statement challenging the accuracy of a newspaper report that there was a severe strain on the relationship between the brothers.

“For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful,” the statement said.

August 23, 2012

The meeting at the monarch’s private Sandringham estate in eastern England will include William as well as the brothers’ father, Prince Charles. It comes after days of intense news coverage in which supporters of the Royal Family’s feuding factions used the British media to paint conflicting pictures of who was to blame for the rift.

William is expected to travel to Sandringham from London and Harry from his home in Windsor, west of the British capital. Charles has flown back from the Gulf nation of Oman, where he attended a condolence ceremony Sunday following the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

Meghan, who is in Canada with the couple’s baby son Archie, is likely to join the meeting by phone.

British Monarchy Merch

Buckingham Palace said “a range of possibilities” would be discussed, but the Queen was determined to resolve the situation within “days, not weeks.” The goal was to agree on next steps at Monday’s gathering, which follows days of talks among royal courtiers and officials from the U.K. and Canada. Buckingham Palace stressed, however, that “any decision will take time to be implemented.”

One of the more fraught questions that needs to be worked out is precisely what it means for a royal to be financially independent and what activities can be undertaken to make money. Other royals who have ventured into the world of commerce have found it complicated.

Prince Andrew, for example, has faced heated questions about his relationship with the late convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew, the Queen’s second son, has relinquished royal duties and patronages after being accused by a woman who says she was an Epstein trafficking victim who slept with the prince.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also face questions on paying for taxpayer-funded security. Home Secretary Priti Patel refused to comment, but said safety was a priority. (CBC)