Positioning for a Phyrric victory
The calendar is a dangerous adversary, although our mayor is unaware. We’re heading towards that fateful day when she’ll have to cut the ceremonial ribbon to begin the festivities for the 400th. Yet, she has once again notified the French that a proposed gift is, well, not good enough.
Let’s see. first, there was the huge staircase. Not for this city. Then, there was the offer to do more work down by the giant ice cube. No. The offer refused in the last few days was a cultural building, to be located in the Parc de l’Amerique Francaise. Non, non, et non.
The Parc is a personal mystery. Lovely place to wait for a city bus in the late afternoon rain. The original concept had flags from each of the francophone communities in Canada as well as several from south of the long undefended border. A change in provincial politics left the flagpoles, but only a Quebec flag was seen as fit for flight. So, you have a line of fleur-de-lys as far as the myopic eye can see. The French government wanted to build a cultural centre in the middle, but our mayor has refused the offer.
So, let’s recalculate here. Offers, three (or more), refusals, three (or more). She has an admirable goaltending average there, but sooner or later the French government is going to give up the chase. She’ll spurn her suitor once too often, and the 400th will still begin. Without the financial input. Isn’t that referred to as a Phyrric victory?
