The Order of B.C. people's decision to give former premier Gordon
Campbell the highest lapel pin in the land is a positive and encouraging
move that should be met with enthusiasm by the general populace.
Because
when people at the very pinnacle of society make bone-headed blunders,
it excuses us when we do the same. It's somehow refreshing to see an
eminent judge, a university president and assorted other worthies emerge
from their high-level deliberations and make exactly the wrong
decision.
Personally, it makes me feel better about that recent
RRSP play I made involving Greek bonds. Or that time I bought heavily
into the concept that Stephen Harper would never get a majority.
It's awkward when you honour someone and the biggest public reaction is: "Are you kidding me?"
There's
no question he doesn't deserve it. He's had an outstanding three-decade
career in public service. He got to the top of every single outfit in
which he enlisted and won a lot more battles than he lost.
But
even his most ardent fans must realize it's way too soon. Any politician
needs a cooling-off period before they start showing up on awards
lists.
When they write the history of our times, Campbell will be a
leading figure. But the point is: They haven't written it yet. Let's
not award the Oscar until the screenplay is written.
The authors of this botch are a very distinguished bunch, which makes the mistake all the more entertaining.
They
are from all sorts of different spheres and most of the members of the
panel would have had routine dealings with Campbell over the years.
But
there's one member of the group who should have had the good sense to
put the nomination on ice for a while, and that's legislature Speaker
Bill Barisoff.
The chief justice and the university president
could be excused for not using their political antennae. Municipal
leader Barbara Steele may have just missed the call. You couldn't expect
the deputy minister on the panel to raise such a fine political point.
And former Olympic boss John Furlong is too big a fan of Campbell's to
call a time-out.
Barisoff is the only provincial politician on the
committee. He should have had the good sense to let the nomination sit
for a while. But he's been ensconced in the Speaker's office for so long
he seems to have lost touch with the public mood.
Now that the ice is broken, however, Campbell can look forward to a
chestful of medals. If the traditional idea of waiting for the dust to
settle has been parked, officials will be tripping over themselves to
bestow honours. Because it makes it easier for everyone else to get
them.
Look for the following news in the near future.
- LONDON - Former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by the Royal Air Force.
Campbell
has completed several sorties across the Atlantic as Canada's High
Commissioner to Great Britain, without once complaining to a flight
attendant about how the pilot is flying the plane.
The RAF also
cited his record of five confirmed kills. Most of them were at
receptions where his enthusiastic recounting of "the five great goals"
and the "golden decade" sent guests nose-diving into their cocktails.
"He
comes at you from out of the sun," a survivor said. "He opens up with
that New Era stuff and you barely have time to grab the ripcord before
you're unconscious."
- OSLO - Gordon Campbell was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this week for his work on introducing harmony to B.C.'s tax system.
The
Nobel Committee said he undertook a daring, secret mission to merge two
warring, dysfunctional tax systems into one. The harmony only lasted a
few years before tribal differences re-emerged and the project
foundered.
"At least he tried," said one member. "And we gave one
to Barack Obama after just eight months on the job, so it's not like we
have high standards."
Campbell is now living in exile and could not be reached for comment.
- LONDON - Sir Gordon Campbell, OBC, DFC, PC, BA, MA, has been named to the British House of Lords.
"No special reason," said a spokesman. "He just kept asking and wore us out. He's worse than Conrad Black."
lleyne@timescolonist.com
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