"Isn't that special!"

Years ago the "Church Lady" made frequent appearances on Saturday Night Live. When she disapproved of something, her comment was invariably "isn't that special".

The Lansdowne Partnership Plan which was revealed to the public on September 2 certainly fits into the category of something special.

It would appear to the observer that the City's policies for procurement of goods and services should apply since it is proposed that the city spend big bucks. No, we are told this is something different; it is an unsolicited proposal.

So you might assume that the City's policies for unsolicited proposals might apply. No, we are told this is a public private partnership.

Then you might imagine that the City's policies for public private partnership (P3's for the cogniscenti) would be applicable. Wrong again, we are told, this is something unique.

Maybe others accept the unique nature of the proposal, but I am very uncomfortable about entering the twilight zone where no rules apply and anything goes.

One of the concepts discussed in political theory is that of "rule of law" versus "rule of man". The idea is that we have a body of accepted policy rather than operating on the basis of personal whim. In the case of the Lansdowne redevelopment proposal now before us, we seem to be drifting into the dangerous field of making decisions on the basis of personality rather than of policy.