The Berlusconi of Quebec announces his retirement from politics

Sorry we never even got to know you, PKP.

I don't know if PKP would ever have got round to doing any important things, but there is no doubt he was on the cusp of interesting things.

Actually, it was interesting enough that he got himself elected as top dog in the PQ, the Quebec separatist party. That was interesting on multiple fronts. PKP's history of anti-labour activism throughout his vast media empire, while nabbing the PQ leadership, the most pro-labour party in Quebec, was just one example.

But it was a stunning example. We really and truly believed PKP was following in the footsteps of Berlusconi.

Apparently not.

The Postmedia-Sun death rattle

Quebecor is breathing a big sigh of relief to have the Sun chain off their books.

That Quebecois neo-fascist with political ambitions will also be breathing a big sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, the hedgies who run the Postmedia "empire" are salivating at the prospect of a few more pension plans to be looted and a few more real estate assets to be "monetized" before this pretend take-over of nothing by nothing hits the wall.

And Paul Godfrey is just happy to keep collecting a million a year as the titular head of this slow-motion trainwreck...

...but those unpaid interns at a Burlington Timmy's are aghast!..

Pot-addled blogger instrumental in bringing down PQ!

We were all over the putrid Bill 60 long before Pauline called the ill-considered election.

And when she did, we didn't waste any time declaring what a nightmare Pierre Karl would be for the people of Quebec.

And while the Quebecois are not known for heeding Anglo voices, ours was a plea for sanity that they obviously could not resist.

Pauline's political career is over. Alas, PKP won his seat, so our neighbours may have to put up with a little huffing and puffing until he finds new challenges.

The unfortunate reality is that the man literally is the Berlusconi of Quebec, and has the resources to huff and puff very loudly for a long time.

But really, what was Pauline thinking? Bill 60 was a brazen attempt to legitimize very marginal racist sentiments; to make a problem where none existed, and then win an election on the basis of those racist sentiments.

The result of the election has proven that there are insufficient racists in Quebec to permit that kind of blatant exploitation of differences.

Or in other words, if my doctor or my teacher wears a turban or a kippa, that's just fine so long as they're competent in what they are doing for me. And that is as it should be.

All in all yesterday was a great day for Quebec and a great day for Canada.

Now if only the Anglo part of the country can do something about that Harper scourge in the next federal election...

Peladeau Rising; Quebec's Silvio Berlusconi sets sights on Presidency of independent Quebec

When Pierre Karl Peladeau says he wants to see Quebec become an independent country, he hardly needs to add that he'd also like to see himself as its leader.

Its interesting to see how his declaration for the PQ is considered to lend the separatist party much-needed cred in the business community. The shareholders who took a multi-million dollar bath with the bankruptcy of Quebecor World in 2008 may have a different opinion.

Here is a portrait of the young Peladeau as a business genius, from Forbes in 1999.

Angry son

HE STRIDES THROUGH his U.S. offices blowing smoke from his Montecristo cigar and relishing the fact that no one dares to remind him of nonsmoking laws. He curses at his executives in French and English, throwing an occasional chair across the room to drive his point home. He punishes salesmen for extravagant spending by withholding their travel reimbursement checks for six weeks. Pierre Karl Pladeau, the new head of Quebecor Inc., is something of a terror. But allow him some bad-boy antics: His Montreal-based, but internationally ambitious, firm had sales last year of $5.6 billion and is upstaging the competition wherever it goes.

What a charmer!

Hopefully Quebec media will do a little digging into their new political star. They should ask questions about his partnership with right-wing union-buster and all-round nutter Robert Maxwell, and his more than cosy relationship with the ever-slippery Lyin' Brian Mulroney, who had more than a few scandals of his own.

But given his control of Quebec media that may be wishful thinking.

Most disturbing is his consistent record of bullying workers. It makes one fear for the future of Quebec's working class if this man is allowed near the levers of political power.