According to Take Back Alberta Executive Director David Parker, he has been informed by the Canadian Ditchley Foundation he’s being ditched as a director of the organization.
In a bitter sounding tweet on the social media site known as X yesterday afternoon, Mr. Parker complained that “the woke mob has succeeded in intimidating the Ditchley board to have me removed. So, I guess you guys are good at something!”
The tweet includes a screenshot of what appears to be part of an email or series of emails from Pierre Lortie, president of the Canadian arm of the U.K.-based Ditchley Foundation and a senior business advisor at the Dentons LLP law firm.
“I am writing to inform you that the Governance and Nominating Committee of the Canadian Ditchley Foundation (CDF) has taken the decision not to recommend your reappointment as a Director of the Foundation for the coming year,” the screenshot indicates Mr. Lortie told Mr. Parker.
It is not clear from the material posted by Mr. Parker when the decision was made or communicated by the organization, or whether reasons for the decision were given.
Certainly the brouhaha caused by some of Mr. Parker’s recent social media posts, which can fairly be described as unhinged, cannot have sat well with what appears to have be a staid and respectable, if very conservative, organization that likely doesn’t encourage a lot of public scrutiny.
It can be said, however, that few people would call the Ditchley Foundation “woke” or easy to intimidate.
Mr. Parker’s tweet was followed by a number of not-very-sympathetic responses on the social media site. “I like that you think I’m sad about it,” he said in a riposte to one.
Mr. Parker’s habit of firing off volleys of angry, offensive and insulting tweets is also starting to cause political embarrassment for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
We know this because Ms. Smith used her Your Province, Your Premier radio show Saturday morning to do damage control, responding in particular to a statement Friday by NDP Health Critic David Shepherd.
“I am deeply concerned by the threats made by David Parker of Take Back Alberta towards the Albertans who work to keep our hospitals open and our ambulances on the road,” Mr. Shepherd said in the statement emailed to media early Friday afternoon.
“Parker is a hateful extremist and a close friend and ally of Danielle Smith,” Mr. Shepherd’s statement continued. “He claims the credit for Smith’s premiership. His organization claims to hold half the seats on the United Conservative Party’s board and that they aim to take the other half.
“As elected officials, we must speak out against this kind of hateful language. Danielle Smith must immediately denounce David Parker’s threats and attempts at intimidation of healthcare workers. She must tell Albertans if the hateful extremism of Take Back Alberta has set up shop in the Premier’s Office,” the statement concluded.
In what was presumably a question vetted in advance, or perhaps even requested by the premier, host Wayne Nelson read both Mr. Parker’s now notorious shot at Alberta Health Services, quoted in this space yesterday, and Mr. Shepherd’s statement.
“Your response, Premier,” Mr. Nelson concluded.
Ms. Smith began: “You know I’m my own person. I think people know that. I think people know that I consult widely and broadly. I listen to Albertans. I listen to stakeholders. I am not controlled by any one person. I am not controlled by an advocacy group. …”
Mr. Nelson interjected: “What about your response to Parker’s post on X?”
Ms. Smith continued: “You know what? There’s lots of posts on X from lots of people. I think that they should go and respond and ask David Parker what he means himself. I’m too busy.” …
She paused momentarily, then resumed … “to monitor every single post from every single person, um, on Twitter. It’s, it’s … I listen to Albertans. I take my advice from my caucus, from my cabinet, and we’re moving forward with governing Alberta. I think that this little game that everybody is playing, it sounds like junior high school. I’m not interested. So let’s elevate the conversation. Let’s talk about real issues. …”
This was a typical but not very satisfactory answer from Premier Smith.
At the very least, the kinds of things Mr. Parker has been uttering on X would not be allowed in any junior high school. (Not to mention that this response comes from a politician who, in a previous elected position, was once caught fishing other school trustees’ notes out of a trashcan to send to media.)
The premier, of course, has people who are paid to monitor social media and bring to her attention things she needs to be aware of – as clearly happened in this case.
So “I’m not interested” is a dog that won’t hunt!
The unhinged discourse emanating from Mr. Parker’s Twitter account is obviously an appropriate topic for comments like Mr. Shepherd’s, who deserves (but will not likely get) a serious response from Ms. Smith.
The Ditchley Foundation governance and nominating committee found a simple and effective way to prevent Mr. Parker from embarrassing their organization.
Unfortunately for Ms. Smith, whether or not she is controlled by anyone, the path forward for the United Conservative Party is not as simple when Mr. Parker’s TBA cadres already control half of the party’s board of directors and are poised to win more board seats.
As anyone who has invited a crazy uncle to a holiday dinner knows, it is not easy to deal with them. Of course, from Smith’s perspective, she has said a number of kooky things over the years, so up until now she was probably quite comfortable with Parker and appreciated his past political support. However, she also knows political embarrassment when she sees it and is now quickly trying to distance herself from Parker.
Unfortunately, it is not necessarily that simple – if Parker does not want to go and he and his supporters have taken back the UCP, it could be very hard to get rid of him. Sometimes you really are stuck with the one who brought you.
It is also ironic that Parker who seems to portray himself as a populist was part of a seemingly elitist foundation, but not surprising. A lot of the so called populists these days are fake. Unfortunately, they can and do fool some of the people, some of the time with their con acts, but fortunately not all of the people all of the time.
Never forget that Ms. Danielle Smith is the “crazy aunt” and closely watch her expressive eyes when she speaks! They tell it all.
Where damage control and clean up on aisle 3 means that . . .
It is, of course, the merest of mere coincidences that the acting populist . . . cf., the observations and warnings by the ‘elder statesman’:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/presont-manning-conservative-populism-1.3994886
. . . just happens to be an ideological purist and shrill advocate for the dominant (Alberta) economic narrative.
It appears that the power of Marxist/Communist nightmares in the minds of mentally fragile paranoids are still very powerful indeed.
https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2023/10/13/Canada-Let-Thousands-Former-Nazis/
I think in the premier evading the question speaks volumes that mirrors her allegiance to some of these unhinged “grassroots” club houses. Each time that she does not denounce the words and or speakers of the words Smith emboldens them to produce further rhetorics that in no way represent the history of true conservative parties in this province. This in turn is beginning to create cracks of divisiveness within the party itself. Yes at some point TBA could fill all of the board seats of the ucp however at that point it would probably only be half of the party it is now as more and more traditional conservative persons are tired of being embarrassed by this adopting of gop styles of governance.
Yeah! I think. Can’t help but wonder, if this make any difference. So, he’s no longer affiliated with a foundation/organization that no one ever knew he was part of in the first place. I’m at a loss understand how this will benefit or affect Albertans, Canadians or anyone else, except that Parker’s ego may be slightly bruised as a result.
“I’m too busy … to monitor every single post from every single person, um, on Twitter”. That’s rich. Parker isn’t just “every single person”. He’s one of the UCP’s most doctrinaire activists & ideological drivers. It’d be like Stephen Harper saying he didn’t pay attention to Tom Flanagan, or Doug Ford to Kory Tenyecke.
“I’m not interested” is Smith’s equivalent to not wanting to talk about an Alberta Pension Plan during the election. We all know what happened with that.
Whack-a-doodles and hate mongers will take over the entire UCP board at its annual convention. Smith will carry out their commands. The dangerously unhinged and deeply disturbed are in charge now, with Smith as their voice. The world is at a tipping point for radicalism. Albertans are at the mercy of the UCP and all of its extremist elements. Pandora’s box is open for business.
Ditchley ditched Parker now. He is a problem for Smith, no doubt too. Remember how he trotted her out at his wedding like a second wife (trophy?) to announce to the world that he “owned her”? Given the people Smith likes to court, she is no stranger to “bozo eruptions” as we remember, and may have honed her skills in dealing with them. She did her dance of the seven veils with Pawlowski in her famous phone conversation (and no doubt subsequent, more private ones)
and her dulcet tones must have worked on him because he seems to have gone away.
Smith and her pal Rob Anderson
have no doubt anticipated some of these land mines and have extrication Plans A,B, and C. It will be very interesting to see what happens at the Thunderdome when the UCP are all together come their Convention.
I just had a thought. Did any media report use the headline “Ditchley Ditches Parker”? ’cause that would be perfect for the kind of “reporting” the Sun papers publish. They wouldn’t, but maybe someone else?
Hello David,
It appears that David Parker fails to understand that the Governance and Nominating Committee’s decision likely is a response to his own words, and actions. He seems to lack an understanding that this recent tweet, for example, is far outside the accepted norms of public discourse.
Hi Christina. The Angry Young Man of Qberduh will never, ever admit he might be at fault. If he ever recognizes he’s made a mistake, it’ll be someone else’s fault for making him do it. “Far outside the accepted norms” is exactly what he’s trying to achieve.
Wow! In response to Parker’s threat to health care workers Smith defends herself rather than the healthcare workers! As Premier she should have shown herself willing to stand up for the province’s healthcare workers rather than leave them subject to such odious intimidation.
Gillian: That’s just not the way Ms. Smith thinks. In that regard, she and her friend Mr. Parker are birds of a feather. DJC
Hi. The ucp seems to be as fragile as a bad implant eh
David Darker’s fight against discrediting has been decredentialized
Danielle Smith and her Reform Party pals still don’t get it. They found nothing wrong with praising the criminal truck drivers and the disaster they created for Canadians and even got their pictures taken with them. Pierre Poilievre was right there kissing their ass, helping them run up millions in taxpayer dollars proving there is nothing conservative about him, and the idiots want to elect him as our next prime minister that’s how stupid they are. Like all Reformers problems are always someone else’s fault. They offer no intelligent solution. Don’t forget how Poilievre and his pal Stephen Harper lied to Canadians about the Income Trusts and they lost $31 billion. Members of my conservative family , who lost thousands, haven’t forgotten and have no intention of supporting Poilievre. We also haven’t forgotten how they planned to destroy our public health care system by cutting $36 billion off payments to the provinces. It got them kicked out and Trudeau elected. Destroying our Public Healthcare System has been the number one priority of the Reformers since day one when Preston Manning created them. Both Ralph Klein and Jason Kenney have deliberately tried to destroy it in Alberta. Of course slashing royalties and taxes for the rich to try to buy votes, and making it impossible to fund it properly has had a lot to do with it. Yet we still have fellow seniors believing ever lie they feed them, calling themselves conservatives but too dumb to know what a conservative is
My dials are firmly set to CKUA or CBC Music so I have been spared the craziness of talk radio. Does the UCP pay for the airtime? Does the offer extend to Premiers who are not right of centre? I am a “new” Albertan (since 1998) so my apologies in advance.
Lefty: I believe the show is a freebie, a gift, free advertising from Corus. Does the offer extend to premiers who are not to the right of centre? Unknown. Unlikely, in my opinion. DJC
The trouble is that Smith herself is the crazy aunt, so it might not make much difference if Parker disappeared from Alberta politics completely. Smith would still be governing as badly as possible, surrounded by the mediocre advisors she chose.
If I were a cartoonist, I would always draw Smith with a cockroach peeking out of her ear.
Or a Ceti eel … https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Ceti_eel
So, David Parker got cancelled by the Woke mob at the Ditchley Foundation?
Honestly, the comedy just writes itself these days.
Smith’s rambling defence has some interesting implications. “I am not controlled by any advocacy group.” Sure. She’s the Number One spokescreature for David Parker’s rage farmers. Smith isn’t controlled by them, she LEADS them—for now.
“I listen to Albertans. I listen to stakeholders.” Yep. Albertans like Artur Pawlowski, Rob Anderson, Barry Cooper and David Parker. Stakeholders like Alex Pourbaix and Rich “I Win” Kruger. Stakeholders like CAPP lobbyists.
I’d hate to think what Danielle Smith’s high school was like. To me, Smith, Anderson and Parker all have the intellectual rigour and emotional maturity of a two-year-old pitching a tantrum. And it’s gonna get worse. Smith claimed in a Friday presser that “she’ll tell companies who delayed putting forth project proposals: ‘Start now, because we’re going to approve them. We have the constitutional authority to do it.’” For the record: no she doesn’t. Not YET.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-impact-assessment-act-supreme-court-analysis-1.6996129
The next step in the destruction of Alberta will be a bonfire of environmental regulations, and the death by regulation of the renewable-energy industry. Just wait till the lawsuits start to fly. They’ll be thicker than snowflakes in a blizzard.
There’s an ancient curse, said to be Chinese: “May you live in interesting times.” We do.
Thats only half of the curse: May you live in interesting times and come to the attention of important people.
Mike J Danysh: Danielle Smith’s photo was front page on The Sun, on Saturday. They were making it look like she scored a major win against the federal government. She really hasn’t won anything, and has nothing to be boasting about. Danielle Smith still and the UCP has issues with environmental catastrophes, present and looming that she can’t avoid. There is the orphan well situation, that Albertans have to produce $20 billion to pay for, on top of the $260 billion plus that is needed for this. It originated from Ralph Klein’s time as premier of Alberta, and the UCP have added to the costs of it. The tailings ponds that were leaking in the far north area of Alberta have been there for an extended period of time, and the AER and the UCP did absolutely nothing to get a handle on this. If the Grassy Mountain Mine gets the green light from the UCP, there will be strong opposition from Albertans. After a back and forth on this, the UCP are trying to resurrect this. First, the UCP tried to be cunning, and thought they could do away with Peter Lougheed’s 1976 Coal Policy, when nobody would notice, around a long weekend, in the spring, around two years ago. Albertans did notice, and the UCP had to retract. The issue is something that the UCP wants to go ahead with, once again. The Palestinian/Israeli war is going to make the economy go berserk, and there is a strong chance of a very big recession coming in 2024. Any new projects, will be not economically viable, and if the UCP puts money into them, it will be a losing venture, where we pay for it dearly. This includes carbon capture and storage, which Danielle Smith used to oppose, but now endorses, and any petrochemical related projects. Her usual rant will be with Justin Trudeau and the Liberals, and with Rachel Notley and the NDP. Danielle Smith has a very pompous attitude, but it will still end up being her downfall. She still hasn’t learned to be premier, and just acts, instead of doing what a premier is supposed to be doing, which is governing.
Hi Anonymous. Smith and Scott Moe are both over-promising their fanboys “victory” over the federal government. Here’s the latest take on what the Supreme Court’s IAA decision will mean:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/supreme-court-decision-has-little-impact-on-other-federal-environmental-moves-experts-say-1.6998279
The Supreme Court did NOT say Environment Canada cannot review projects in Alberta, they said the IAA overstepped federal authority, and the Feds will prune it back to comply. The Supreme Court never even IMPLIED that Smith can rubber-stamp every new oil project in Alberta. Smith and Moe—and Ford, too—will have one hell of a fight on their hands if they try to defeat the upcoming clean-electricity regulations.
I can’t tell if Smith really believes her blather, or whether she’s lying deliberately. Either way, when she learns she’s wrong, she’ll use that to rile up her fanboys again.
Same thing with every other scheme and scam Smith is running now—the whole Free Alberta Fantasy would be pathetic, if Albertans were even a little less inclined to be Qberdunces. Jason Kenney woke ‘em up, and Danielle Smith is determined to whip ‘em into a frenzy.
Mike J Danysh…
check out the Tyee, article by Elizabeth May on what the court’s ruling means…2 thumbs up…. imho
We still know who is pulling the strings, and Danielle Smith doesn’t go at it alone.
Anonymous to add to what you are saying just look at the horrible mess our roads are in, as former paving crew members point. By ignoring proper road maintenance for years they have created billions in repairs. My B.C. relatives state for a province that brags about how rich they are they continue to show-case how stupid they are and are proud of it.
Any chance you could furnish evidence that masks work? Since contagion is a myth, obviously wearing a mask is silly.
Do you think your surgeon’s decision to wear a mask when he operates on you, is a fashion statement?
You asked for evidence that wearing a mask works against Covid-19. Five minutes with Bing search produced these results–and many more–from well-known medical and public-health sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7883189/
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7106e1.htm
https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-masks
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2021/11/face-masks-covid-19
You probably heard of a “not-so-fast” review of the CDC statements, as reported here:
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2023/2/8/23591132/cdc-exaggerated-evidence-supporting-mask-mandates-column-jacob-sullum
Be sure to read this reply to the Cochrane meta-analysis:
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/2/22/23609499/masks-covid-coronavirus-cochrane-review-pandemic-science-studies-infection
As with any question in science and medicine, the research is always continuing. New answers may “contradict” older ones, but that simply means we’re still learning. Your argument that “contagion is a myth” is inexplicable to me, but you asked for evidence and now you have some. Enjoy.
He’s just an excitable boy.
https://youtu.be/fZokPAuhD6k?si=W-GO9cZDCPvj_30j
Ronmac: Such a great song! I thought you were Pogo there for a minute. DJC
Warren Zevon gets my vote every day of the week and twice on Sundays!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKscd2LkSZk DJC
To be honest it’s more likely they heaved him from their board because he was drawing too much attention to them, not that they care at all what a boorish tool like Parker says publicly, more what they can achieve using him as an actor. Power needs secrecy and I guarantee they do not enjoy seeing their name in print.
Additionally, I’m not sure of the timing but it really looks like our fair blogger had a bit of a role, and I hope you’re patting yourself on the back for this one DJC
Now that David Parker is free — yes, I said free — of the Ditchley Foundation, he can now pursue his real passion, taking the UCP completely.
At this time, it is known that Danielle Smith owes her position in the Premier’s Office to TBA, and very likely the election win as well. As Parker has proven, TBA owns the forty plus ridings in rural Alberta and 50% of the constituency boards. Thus, is the power of the Evangelical core in Alberta. And now it appears Parker is building support among the more orthodox south-east Asian and (likely) Muslim communities in Alberta. For what purpose? To emulate the CPC’s 2011 strategy of winning over the cultural divides in these communities by making CON values the same as their own. It worked in 2011, and Parker is applying that same formula in Alberta right now.
This will mean that there will be a heavy stacking of the UCP membership with those who are like-minded with Parker, including the next president of the UCP and the executive. At that point, outside actually holding elected office, Parker will be effectively calling the shots. Can Danielle Smith continue to say she is her own person and serving Alberta’s so-called stakeholders? Provided those stakeholders are Parker and his revamped UCP executive.
This is no longer a case of the lunatics taking over the asylum. The vandals have already breached the gate, and they are taking over.
Highly doubt this foundation accidentally hired the wrong guy ,pretty transparent,David Parker is not elevated because he’s smart ,I’m not giving the Foundation a free ride
David Parker capitalized on fairy tales
You are offered science and you choose censorship! And you have the temerity to hurl insults at Parker as if you are superior and enlightened. Poor Canada when an organ that might otherwise offer informed debate is run by a mucky grub that only dares publish shallow facsimiles of his own ignorance.
Thanks, Rog. DJC
Mucky Grub is the name of my Nitty Gritty Dirt Band tribute band.
So Roger, are you saying you like and respect DJC? You should re-phrase your comment so we’re all clear on where you stand.
Roger—Vaccines are “vexatious “….?
Upset God’s given gift?
Which God are you referencing? and what is this gift ? And FWIW— you did have a choice…. no one ‘forced’ anyone. The same as no one is ‘forcing’ you to read this blog….and YOU have the temerity to hurl insults at DJC.. seriously ??
It’s not that I hurl insults because I think I’m superior, it’s because a significant number of Albertans, myself included, are apparently communists. Sorry, godless commies.
Any thoughts on the so-called Unity slate that seems to be rarin’ for a scrap with the TBA gang? Will it lead to deadlock, the formation of a splinter party à la Wildrose or the reinvigoration of the Liberals?
Lefty: As I think I noted in an earlier piece on Mr. Parker, it’s not clear to me whether the Unity Slate is an effort to counter him and Take Back Alberta, or to seek its approval. Rick Orman, Klein era relic though he may be, is pretty far right – perhaps as far right as David Parker. Jury’s out. DJC
Sorry. I will reread your post. Still cleaning up spilt cereal over Quebec decision to hit Anglo universities with tuition hikes for certain students. Sad news.
Well I suppose this is a little late, however. . . Once again the world sits on the precipice of war. Isreal and the middle east. Ukraine not mentioned lately in the msm news. What gives? Money makers focus on death full stop.
I envision a GOP/Conservative world in which social security is a thing of the past. If you are not a muli-millonaire or billionaire you simply do not exist.
Imagine a world whereby global warming is taboo, science is evil, and all things deemed socialism, ergo community, is detestable.
The GOP in the states is currently voting in an election denier, but that is just the half of it: Give Europe to Putin. Enshrine a Trump world – all smoke and mirrors. Expect billions to suffer all for the sake of very rich. Referring to Roy Scranton: better to not have lived at all. No words can describe or mean anything to our plight.
Someone somewhere is having sex right now in Gaza, having a baby – hoping for the best.
Humans are monsters full stop. Having researched nuclear detonation, biological and chemical weapons. . . if everything was released right now some human would survive. And that is where we are at. World war is nothing, everything is nothing. Call it what you will. Thugs and criminals have always ruled the world. A tale told by an idiot signifying nothing. We will never be anything but despair, it is all we know. All the money and hate put into present war has always been with us and that is the way of humanity – destroy, choose hate. Those who love are forever doomed. What are you afraid of? Death? Embrace death for that is all there is. The reality of of our lives is nothing more than our demise.
My experiences of living in Edmonton lately: had the piano tuner over – a man who homeschools his children, sees all teachers as evil promoting progressive ideas wants to get rid of public education – David Parker much? Uber driver who is armed and wants to kill everyone who voted NDP, man who joined the old group for coffee – says the world is flat, 6000 years old and hates and want to kill all gays and all “socialists”. He is the voice of the future. He thinks his vision of the world will bring about salvation. Everyone who does not agree with him well they can go to hell. And there you have it ladies and gentlemen your future in a nutshell. Death.
Thank you Dave. My apologies for concluding that delay in publishing meant a-censoring. Shame you didn’t include my e-mail address though so’s folk could have requested some science.
Roger: Dissenting comments are welcome here. Use of the comments section, however, to solicit readers, customers or whatever are not. Normally, I just delete such posts, whatever their motivation. However, in this case, I didn’t want to prevent you from expressing your view. DJC
Nothing gives me more pleasure than seeing an arrogant getting peeled until they rot.
This guy needs a tar sand truck to carry his EGO
David Parker on X—
“Politicians represent the people who elected them .
That is their role.
It is Premier Danielle Smith’s job to ‘represent the people who put her in office ‘.
As long as she does that , she will never have a problem with me.
She has made no promises to me and owes me nothing .”
Interesting choice of words, imho. There is SO much to distill there….
David Parker also on X —
“I sometimes worry that @djclimenhaga
doesn’t understand that the more he talks about me, the more influential I become. Then I remember he is an unsuccessful blogger and that he doesn’t understand how influence works at all.”
DJC…..snicker, chortle, and giggles galore….but I suppose the irony of that statement went right over his narcissistic head. Classic case of __ “as long as they’re talking about ME !!
Well this is what I mean, David you are the unsuccessful woke problem!!!! He is great of course. Influential and an all knowing being – WOW
Soon he will say that he does not remember her. Danielle who?????
Very interesting indeed, DJC. If you’re so inconsequential then why would Parker bring you up at all? In my humble opinion I think the puppetmaster is running a bit scared as you have the balls (unlike our captured MSM) to expose this Christo-fascist for everything he is and stands for. It is absolutely criminal that MSM is not following suit.
Once again. The sensei waves. Those well dressed chickens are, as I type, a kind of why they’re coming home to roost! Enjoy! https://youtu.be/Ee_uujKuJMI
No offer of evidence that masks do work then, DJC? You termed Parker’s claim that they do not work “inaccurate” I believe.
Roger: Here you go. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/guidance-documents/summary-evidence-supporting-covid-19-public-health-measures.html#a4 Now get lost. I mean it. DJC
Timothy Caulfield tweeted a new article about what was wrong with that Cochrane study:
https://nitter.net/CaulfieldTim/status/1714691474217202119#m
It also discusses evidence that masks did work in Kansas and elsewhere.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-went-wrong-with-a-highly-publicized-covid-mask-analysis/
David Parker has been unceremoniously dumped by his fair weather ‘friends’ at the Ditchley foundation (Ditchley Park), but the real questions remain. How did he get to be the Canadian representative? Who is and has been financing him? How did an uneducated (homeschool), bully? get to be the leader of this thing called TBA? Where does the money come from?