Is this the most Liberal of scandals? or Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

The SNC-Lavalin "scandal" is certainly the top story in the news these days.  Even if it is the contention of the central figure, Jody Wilson-Raybould (the former Attorney-General, probable source of the leak to the Globe and Mail etc), that nothing illegal occurred.

Why all the fuss?  That is still unclear.  But this does all follow a theme manifested in past Liberal governments.  When they are firmly in government and faced with a weak leader of the Conservative Party, the Liberals revert to Natural Governing Party mode.  The underlings get restless and the knives come out for the current leader.

A sample from recent times:

• John Turner tried to undermine Pierre Trudeau and was banished from cabinet
• Jean Chretien was determined to wrest the leadership from Turner
• Paul Martin forced Chretien into an early retirement

So did a JWR faction within the Liberal party see Justin Trudeau as vulnerable and seek to supplant him?  The weakness of the Conservative leader is certainly evident.  Is this all part of a Blue Liberal revolt?  Are one time Liberal strategists with an axe to grind due to their exclusion from the 2015 campaign leading the charge?

I have no idea.  But it makes as much sense as the swirl of nebulous bumpf currently in the news cycle.  But if it ends up costing the Liberals the next election and allowing the crypto-racists of the Conservative party to take over, the people planning any palace coups will have a lot to answer for.

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