Premier Dalton McGuinty is trying to give himself a new name, but it is not exactly what others had in mind. The Liberal premier wants to be known as ?The Education Premier,? which he thinks would recognize his efforts in that important area.
Some around the premier have been hinting at his ambition for some time and after the recent budget, Education Minister Gerard Kennedy claimed McGuinty ?is working hard to be the education premier,?and demonstrated his right to that title. Kennedy pointed to McGuinty?s increasing money for universities, his support for public over private schools, and the peace he has brought, although bought would be more apt, with teachers. Premiers want their names to be linked to good works.
But opponents in the legislature have been giving McGuinty less complimentary names, including ?McLiar,? because he quickly broke promises to keep down taxes and balance the budget.
Progressive Conservative house leader Bob Runciman called him Premier McPromise, claiming ?he serves up billions and, just like McDonalds, he doesn?t deliver.?
Runciman also called McGuinty ?Mr. Dithers Junior,? a follow-up to a British magazine?s description of Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin as ?Mr. Dithers.?
A newspaper columnist has called McGuinty ?Sir Liesalot,? a pun feeble enough to make any knight of the round table reach for his sword.
Another calls the act of saying one thing but doing another ?pulling a McGuinty,? so the premier?s name may yet enter the language to join such words as Scrooge and Churchillian ? McGuinty would hope to be closer to the latter.
McGuinty?s party similarly has been given nicknames. Newspapers have labeled it ?the Fiberals? and ?Team McFib.?
Those who dream up such nicknames get a lot of mileage out of Scots names.
One nickname has prompted another and they are more in vogue than at any time in decades.
Health Minister George Smitherman, who lacks a soothing bedside manner in dealing with the medical community, has been called ?Furious George,? after Curious George, the children?s cartoon character.
Conservative leader John Tory, who expressed concern Smitherman could hurt relations with doctors, dubbed him ?Injurious George.?
Among earlier premiers, Ernie Eves, the Conservative who preceded McGuinty, was anointed ?Landslide Ernie,? because he won his first riding election by only six votes.
Mike Harris sometimes was called ?Iron Mike,? because he was thoroughly confrontational and did not easily bend. A wrestler had the same name.
William Davis, an earlier Conservative premier, was dubbed ?Brampton Billy,? because he slipped a reference to that Toronto-area community where
he lived into every speech, even if it was on amending the Constitution or improving international trade.
Davis was not merely proud of his roots ? he wanted to avoid being seen as a big city lawyer and known as a defender of small town values and it helped him in elections.
Darcy McKeough, a dominating treasurer who came close to becoming premier after Davis twice won only minority governments, was called ?The Duke of Kent,? because he represented a riding of that name in southwestern Ontario and had superior, lordly ways.
Stuart Smith, a psychiatrist and Liberal leader during part of Davis?s reign, was scoffed at as ?Dr. No,? by the Conservatives, because he warned economic problems were looming and they did not want to admit this, but he proved accurate.
Leslie Frost, a Conservative premier was dubbed ?Old Man Ontario,? because he seemed to represent Ontarians? thinking, had his finger on their pulse and was not seriously challenged in three elections.
McGuinty is more modest in hoping to be called the education premier, but some of his catchier nicknames will be hard to shake off.
Eric Dowd is a veteran member of the Queen?s Park press gallery.
