Like so much of Canada

[james_davis_nicoll]

Harper leaves 24 Sussex an uninhabitable shambles.

Comments

[dewline.livejournal.com]

To be fair, he was continuing a tradition that went back nearly half a century. A sad tradition, though, and hopefully finally broken for good and all.

[graydon saunders (from livejournal.com)]

I find Justin's "listen to the experts" tack heartening, but not nearly as heartening as the PM-elect needing to move their young family because their rental has been sold. It's not the cold brush of reality having to move while out of work would be, but it's a lot more reality than the political class usually seems to experience.

Lots of good symbolism available in "put the house in order", too, especially if they get Rideau Hall done in the bargain.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

And what of Stornoway?

Because I suspect Reasons for his family renting that place in Rockcliffe Park instead of living there. Reasons not unrelated to the issues with 24 Sussex.

[keithmm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there were good reasons. He couldn't live there. The Liberals weren't the official opposition. Mulcair and his wife were living there after he succeeded Layton (and Layton officially occupied it for the short time between the 2011 election and his death).

It will be unoccupied until the Conservatives choose their new leader.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Now why the Devil did I blank on remembering that basic detail?

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

For a moment I forgot it too. Pretty sure this is the first time in Canadian federal history that an incoming PM after a change of party was not the leader of the opposition.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

I believe you're right on that one, but given my brain-misfire above, I don't trust that belief.

[keithmm.livejournal.com]

1917, the Unionist Party (coalition of Liberals and Conservatives) which didn't exist before, won, but that doesn't really count. Other than that, your belief is correct.

[keithmm.livejournal.com]

Rideau Hall has undergone several major renovations over the last few years, so do you mean "finally finish what they've already started"?

Dealing with fifty year old wiring and modern electrical needs is a nightmare. I almost guarantee there are power bars and overloaded circuits galore in that place just for basic living needs, forget any working requirements.

[graydon saunders (from livejournal.com)]

My understanding about Rideau Hall is that there are dozens of buildings on the grounds and the plan hasn't even got to most of those. ("Six greenhouses"; if one of those is an Edwardian wrought-iron greenhouse, as I sort of vaguely recall, it's probably a restoration challenge all by itself.)

Plus the geothermal climate system for Government House is only about half installed -- in the sense of the first phase of the project is done but it's planned to be much larger if the first phase works -- plus whatever else still needs to be done for the interior, which almost has to include electrical as you note. ("tear out the 1913 ornate plaster ceiling? The 1890s carved baseboards?" etc. Figuring out where to run wires is not going to be easy.)

I shouldn't say "finished" about Rideau Hall, really; it's such a vast accreted pile that it probably can't ever be finished in the sense of "no outstanding maintenance". "Much more caught up than presently" might be the better way to put it.

[bunsen-h.livejournal.com]

That'll give them time to find and dismantle any little "surprises" that Harper may have left behind.

I was thinking of suggesting that they should let Pierre Poilievre snoop around to make sure that Harper didn't leave behind any personal posessions, before moving in themselves. Being what some of my gaming friends, back in the day, referred to as a "Polish trap detector".

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Surveillance surprises or something else?

[sanskritabelt.livejournal.com]

re: that last line, http://achewood.com/index.php?date=02062007

[lostwanderfound.livejournal.com]

"Polish mine detector" doesn't reference the US ethnic stereotype of Polish-Americans, it references Nazi atrocities of WWII (i.e. forcing prisoners to walk in front of military units as mine- and ambush-triggers).

Not particularly polite either way, but somewhat different.

[bunsen-h.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I don't know if my former gaming buddies knew about that historical aspect.

In my comment, I'd intended to distance myself from that "joke". But in retrospect, I realize that in bringing it up, I was perpetuating it. I apologize to those whom I offended.

[neowolf2.livejournal.com]

Fixing it up could be a reality TV show, like those home refurb shows on cable.

[keithmm.livejournal.com]

Given that the Canadian TV industry has become a hub for documentaries on how stuff is done, made, or moved, I wouldn't be surprised if at least one company hasn't already approached the NCC for permission to film.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

This Old Statehouse.

[movingfinger.livejournal.com]

"R-14, Norm!"

[autopope.livejournal.com]

I find it wryly amusing that Stephen Harper's denialism would appear to extend to the toxic effects of living in an asbestos dump.

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

Or perhaps be caused by it?

[violsva]

I'm pretty sure he was like that before moving there.

[graydon saunders (from livejournal.com)]

Asbestos gets your lungs, not your brain.

Harper's brain has a dire case of doctrine, but we can't blame that on asbestos.

[(Anonymous)]

I have a friend who went to university with Stephen Harper. He informs me that Stevie was an asshole even back before he got his first taste of power.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Considering he was dragging his feet on the asbestos-exporting file - yes, we were still making some kind of go at selling asbestos overseas! - I wonder who in his family might suffer the karmic consequences. Which will be horrific when they finally appear.