The latest clutch of polls tells us the lightweight PC candidate for Newmarket-Aurora, Dawn Gallagher Murphy, is likely to be our next MPP. 

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. 

She brazenly tells us she and her team have knocked on 20,000 doors – a porky if I’ve ever heard one – but can’t find the time to show her face at any of the candidates’ debates. 

Instead the office manager invents diary clashes which keep her away from important election debates – organised by the two local Chambers of Commerce no less. 

She refuses to tell the local press how she came to be the Official PC candidate, claiming it is an internal matter. 

Never apologise

She is never going to apologise for any of this. 

She has learned from her friend and mentor, Christine Elliott, who told the Legislative Assembly in 2008

“… my basic training as a lawyer has conditioned me that this is not a good thing to do (apologise). As lawyers, we are trained to protect our clients, to act in their best interests and not to have them say or do anything that might jeopardize their position.” 

This applies to Gallagher Murphy in spades.

Stick with platitudes. Stay on message.

And say nothing original or controversial or remotely interesting and you are home and dry.

Why do people put up with this?

As I tap this out I have in front of me an old lapel badge from a long-forgotten political campaign. 

"If you're not outraged you're not paying attention."

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Note: There are no polls specific to Newmarket-Aurora. The predictions for individual ridings are extrapolations from province-wide and region-wide data.