Take a look at the list of Conservative candidates in Newfoundland and Labrador, including a couple who haven’t formally declared yet but whose names are out there:
- Jerry Byrne
- John Ottenheimer
- Peter Penashue
- Fabian Manning
- Loyola Sullivan
- Tom Rideout
- Trevor Taylor
Okay, so drop off the first two and it might be easier.
No, it isn’t that they are all former provincial Conservative cabinet ministers.
That’s too easy.
Try again.
Give up?
They all pissed Danny off and/or left cabinet under strange, strained or unexplained circumstances.
2005: Danny orchestrated Fabian Manning’s political lynching in domestic politics right down to - reportedly - having one of his staffers sit in on the caucus meeting in which the rest of them showed their loyalty to the Capo by figuratively shooting their friend between the eyes. Kinda hard to hide that rift.
2006: Loyola Sullivan quit cabinet and politics suddenly in December 2006. A few days after he flipped Danny the finger, Loyola wound up telling CBC that there as no rift between him and Danny.
2008: Peter Penashue never showed enough “respect” as far as Danny was concerned:
Williams said he doesn't like ultimatums, especially when they are tied to multibillion-dollar developments, and are made on the airwaves instead of at the bargaining table.
"Peter Penashue and his group should treat us with respect, as we treat them with respect," he said.
2008: Former Premier Tom Rideout bailed on provincial politics in a pretty obvious tiff with Danny Williams. Supposedly the two fell out over road paving. A few people thought the road paving thing was a pretext for something bigger.
2009: Trevor Taylor, former federal New Democratic Party candidate, joined Danny Williams’ Conservative crew in 2001. He left politics suddenly in September 2009, citing “personal reasons.”
Bonus if you can identify two more tiffs related to these candidates and Danny.
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