KINSELLA: Pierre Poilievre may win the party but lose the country

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Can’t you image it?

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If Cecil B. DeMille was nonetheless round, and he was directing a big-screen re-do of his 1958 epic, The Ten Commandments, Stephen Harper could be solid in Charlton Heston’s function of Moses.

He’d be nice at it, wouldn’t he?

The much-missed Senator Doug Finley could be picked to play Yul Brynner’s Pharaoah Rameses II, Moses’ adoptive brother. There’d be respect and affection within the relationship between Moses and Rameses, the Biblical exile and punishment stuff however.

To replace the ensuing big-screen drama, there’d be a brand new scene when Harper/Moses would sweep down from his 40-day retreat on Mount Sinai, holding aloft the brand new commandments of the Conservative Social gathering of Canada.

Amongst them: Thou Shalt Not Reopen the Abortion Debate. And: Keep in mind Regulation and Order and Hold It Holy and Do Not Embrace Regulation-breaking Convoy Conspiracy Theorists and Racists. And: You Shall Not Have Any Different Forex, Bitcoin In Explicit. And: Thou Shalt Not Take the Identify of the Central Banking System In Useless.

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And, most significantly: Thou Shalt Not Kill the Conservative Social gathering Model.

Moses/Harper would descend from Mount Sinai, and wave round his New Conservative Commandments, and Rameses/Finley would solid a baleful eye in his course.

“You’re preaching, huge man, however the celebration ain’t shopping for,” Rameses/Finley would say. “Sorry.”

Watching the Conservative Social gathering management debate, this week — as a result of my editorial Cleopatra, Adrienne Batra, insisted I accomplish that — my thoughts naturally strayed to the massive display model of identical. And scripture.

As a result of a debate did certainly happen, however the 1000’s of interruptions of moderator Tom Clark, who presided over an affair that had the manufacturing values of a highschool musical (a nasty one.) Onstage, it was Pierre Poilievre versus Everybody Else, just about. And it was obvious that Pierre had already smashed the Harper/Moses commandments to bits.

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Pierre is busily recreating the Conservative Social gathering in his personal picture, you see. And — whereas he’ll seemingly achieve success at that — the ensuing abomination gained’t be. Underneath Pierre Poilievre, defeat by the hands of Justin Trudeau (who’s dislikable, however not as dislikable as Pierre) is definite.

Watching the controversy, sad Conservatives had been supplied all of the proof they want. Pierre says he’s now sort-of, kind-of pro-choicey — however he’ll nonetheless let social conservative MPs deliver ahead legal guidelines to kill abortion rights.

He says he’s in favour of legislation and order — however there he shall be, in a Liberal assault advert coming quickly to a display close to you, chumming it up with those that defaced a statue of Terry Fox, danced on the Warfare Memorial, stole from a soup kitchen, threatened law-abiding mask-wearing Ottawans, held a complete metropolis hostage, and blockaded our borders, thereby costing the nation billions in commerce. Not so law-and-order, that.

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Oh, and there’s Pierre onstage, too, pimping for Bitcoin Ponzi schemers, whose digital “forex” has misplaced half its worth since November — and defaming the mild-mannered chap who leads the Financial institution of Canada, whose sole and solely mission is to maintain Canadians from shedding their houses and their financial savings.

Why is Pierre Poilievre so obsessive about Bitcoin and central banks? Beats me. However he appears crazier than an outhouse rodent when he goes on (and on) about both. Do you suppose Pierre has the facility to make eggs and floor beef any cheaper? After all you don’t. No politician can try this. However Pierre, whose ego is Biblically-huge, thinks he’s possessed of tremendous powers.

Anyway. Others had been on the stage in Edmonton, however you’d by no means comprehend it. Jean Charest regarded 110, however he’s additionally the one man who regarded like a Prime Minister. Patrick Brown is a awful speaker, however he’s promoting memberships like hotcakes. Scott Aitchison is a pleasant man, however everyone knows the place good guys end. A pair others had been onstage, however who cares: they’re loons. Pierre continues to be going to win the celebration, however lose the nation.

Within the closing scene of Cecile B. De Mille’s Ten Commandments re-do, Moses/Harper is lingering outdoors Centre Block, whereas Rameses/Finley is having a smoke.

Rameses/Finley regards the sullen Moses/Harper, after which says: “You’re nonetheless the one man who could lead on these idiots into the promised land of energy, huge man.”

Dramatic pause.

“However this film isn’t going to have a contented ending. Sorry.”