As far as Jack Layton’s political legacy goes, Shakespeare got it wrong.
The good he did will not be interred with his bones.
Jack Layton was a man of good will who sought to do good in politics. You’ll hear lots of that in the days ahead from all sorts of people.
There’s more to those comments, though, than the easy cynicism that even the most miserable bastard who ever lived will be borne to his grave by mourners hailing him as the greatest saint who ever lived.
For Jack Layton, the praise is sincere.
The loss is real.
The grief is genuine.
The pain, palpable and deeply so.
Jack Layton was a reminder that men and women of good will can make a difference in politics, for all the right reasons.
The good that Jack Layton did will not go into the grave with him so long as those of us who remain act with that in mind.
- srbp -