Saint Patrick's Week: Green One

Quickly now...


After a South Korean constitutional court finally removed (now) former president Park Geun-Hye from power, many are not at all pleased:

Ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye expressed defiance toward the corruption allegations against her as she vacated the presidential palace and returned to her home on Sunday, two days after the constitutional Court removed her from office.

In her first public comments since the court’s ruling, Park said in statement, “Although it will take time, I believe the truth will certainly come out.”

Park will likely face a direct investigation soon by prosecutors who already consider her a criminal suspect over suspicions that she colluded with a confidante to extort money and favours from companies and allowed the friend to secretly interfere with state affairs.

Upon her return home, Park was greeted by hundreds of supporters who thunderously chanted her name and waved the South Korean flag as her bodyguard-flanked black sedan slowly rolled into a path near the house. Park, dressed in a dark blue coat and her hair tied in a bun, smiled and waved from inside the car. She then stepped out and shook hands and exchanged brief words with members of her political party before going inside the house.

In her statement, which was read to reporters by Min Kyungwook, a lawmaker from her conservative party and her former spokesman, Park also expressed gratitude to her supporters and apologized for “failing to fulfil my duty as president.”

If she had been anyone else, she would have blamed people by now.




PM Gerald Butts Justin Trudeau has an irrepressible belief that he is winning when losing:

In the House of Commons, a newly muscular Liberal backbench had just voted against the wishes of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not once, but twice in the same night.

Meanwhile, in a reception hall in Montreal, grassroots Liberals were overruling the wishes of the party brass by refusing to nominate Trudeau’s preferred pick to be the candidate in a byelection to replace Stéphane Dion.

Was a caucus revolt underway? Were the grassroots rebelling against Trudeau and his “sunny ways” approach to politics?

Hardly.

“All in all a strong day for democracy in Canada. In Parliament and on the ground,” wrote one of Trudeau’s closest confidants, Gerald Butts, on Twitter. “Promises kept.”

Indeed, in on-the-record interviews at the end of the week with several Liberals, there was a clear message: This was a feature, not a bug. Liberals had campaigned in the past election to allow more free votes in the House of Commons, and Trudeau himself had committed to allowing the grassroots to choose local candidates rather than have candidates forced on them by party HQ.

But there have been more than a few Liberals — in Parliament and on the ground — who have been grumbling privately that Trudeau, his close advisers and the party brass have not been living up to their own rhetoric.

Just a little over a week ago, in Markham, Ont., Mary Ng had won the Liberal nomination in Markham—Thornhill. Ng had quit her job in the PMO and had been parachuted into the riding over the objection of many local Liberals.

There were angry accusations that the party had rigged the process in favour of the leader’s favourite rather than the riding’s favourite.

(Sidebar: corruption? NO!)


Also:

The Trudeau government is in the bizarre position of preparing to go to the Supreme Court to argue against a federal law passed with the support of its own MPs.

That’s the result of Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould’s announcement that the government intends to seek the top court’s advice on the constitutionality of a bill aimed at preventing genetic discrimination.

More than 100 Liberal backbenchers joined Conservatives and New Democrats to give final approval to the bill Wednesday, despite warnings from Wilson-Raybould and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that it is unconstitutional.

Brexit reignites tensions in Northern Ireland:

Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, a border poll can only be called if it’s clear that a majority of representatives want one. The unionists aren’t about to grant that and Adams knows it. But he figures it’s worth pressing: Northern Ireland voted nearly 56 to 44 to remain in the European Union in the Brexit referendum. Of those who consider themselves nationalists, 88 per cent voted to stay in the EU. That presents an added layer of complexity and uncertainty to sectarian issues.

I'd think EU or public service issues like pensions would be a bigger problem.




Oh, this is terrible:

A Marmora, Ont. mother says she will sue Quinte Health Care after her infant fell – fracturing his skull – while a nurse at Belleville General Hospital was feeding him.

Apologetic hospital officials say they are investigating the “unusual and unfortunate incident” involving a “very experienced, highly-qualified, great nurse.”

Only in SOME countries can one be considered a hero if schoolgirls are killed:

A Jordanian soldier who killed seven Israeli schoolgirls has been freed after serving 20 years in prison, with many Jordanians celebrating his release and calling him a national hero, witnesses and family sources said on Sunday.

Japan aided Malaysia in the investigation of the murder of Kim Jong-Nam:

Japan provided Malaysia with fingerprint data for Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, needed for the investigation into his murder last month at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, sources close to the matter said Sunday.

The data was obtained when the Japanese immigration officials detained him in 2001 at Narita International Airport when he tried to enter the country on a false passport. He told Japanese authorities at the time he wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

The disclosure marks the first time that Japan’s assistance has come to light in the investigation into the fatal poison attack, which is widely believed to have been orchestrated by North Korea.

And now, a guy with too much time on his hands: