Lieberman North?

Garth Turner to run as an independent if he loses the Halton nomination to the “Righteous Right”?

From Garth Turner’s comments section, a reader asks:

Garth,

I have to give you credit. You respond to some of the posts here on your blog. So I’ve got a question for you.

You wrote, “Correction: I have nothing against McVety personally. I have complimented him in the media on his silver tongue and political astuteness, while he has attacked me. No problem. What I do hate is the intolerace he stands for, the exclusivity and superiority of his moral code and his unhidden attempt to stack the political system and elect a one-track candidate who is not reflective of the community. If he succeeds, Halton loses a candidate who was elected by the larger voter pool, the Conservatives will lose a seat, the prime minister and party are further aligned with the Righteous Right, and they still have me to worry about! What a fine mess. — Garth”

I would interpret “they still have me to worry about!” to mean that you will run as an Independent if you lose the nomination. (Very hypothetical, since you won’t lose.) Is my interpretation of your comments correct? Will you run as an Independent if you lose the CPC nomination? (I can’t blame you since you will probably win under any label.)

Garth replies:

My immediate meaning is this: After September 11th, win or lose, I will still be the MP for Halton, and will be so until the next election. During that time I will – believe me – be an active political force. As for the next election I think the appropriate words might be those of PET: “Just watch me.” — Garth