Tom Says: “Just Wait Wally…”
Yesterday in Fredericton, New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham did some shuffling and elevating.
One of those promoted to his cabinet was Petitcodiac MLA Wally Stiles.
Lets go back a number of months when Wally and his wife, Joan, decided to leave the Progressive Conservative party to join the provincial Liberals.
Could the conversation have gone anything like this..?
Wally: “Hey Shawn, Joan and I are thinking of coming over, what have you got for us?”
Shawn: “Optics Wally, Optics! …Just hang on!”
Wally: “I’ve turned my back on the Tories, I’ve done the best I can to get you Frank McKenna type numbers, so you’ve got to do something for me! …And I don’t want to wait too long!”
Shawn: “Optics Wally, Optics! We can’t do it today, we can’t do it this month, but hey, in less than a year, how will this sound? — New Brunswick Cabinet Minister Wally Stiles.”
Wally: “What about Joan?”
Shawn: “Optics Wally, Optics! One is better than none, and two would be just too many. What would the rest of caucus think? And, If the press ever picked up on turncoat couple makes cabinet…?
Wally: “Okay, give me a target date!”
Shawn: “Sounds good enough to announce on Halloween, I’ll rearrange the deck chairs and you’ll be in! Don’t say anything to anybody — it’ll all work out!”
I’m doubt that’s word-for-word on how the conversation might have gone, but what I do know is that some of the players got new posts and Wally Stiles is now a member of Premier Shawn Graham’s inner circle and in New Brunswick provincial politics can there be anything better than that?
Just ask Wally Stiles.
I’m Tom Young.