Big Blue Machine (Ontario)
The
Big Blue Machine was a nickname for the group of strategists and advisors to the
Ontario Progressive Conservative Party in the 1970s and 80s. The moniker has most frequently been applied to
Bill Davis' term in Office from
1971 to
1985 where his
Red Tory government won election after election by promising moderate well run government. Davis' period was only a portion of an unprecedented 47 years of straight Tory rule in Ontario, and sometimes earlier organizations are also referred to as by the Big Blue Machine moniker.
Noted members included Allan Eagleson, William Kelly, Patrick Kinsella, Gerald Nori, Eddie Goodman, and Ross DeGeer. The party workers were often accused of being dismissive of the MPP's they got elected, and would sometimes draft legislation without any input from the Tory caucus or cabinet.
The Big Blue Machine was finally defeated in 1987 and while the Tories returned to power in 1995 the era of centrist governance, where the Tories often ran to the left of the Liberals was over
.