Persistence precedes essence (II)

Tony Clement, to James Cowan, a few months ago:

"I have never, so far, found a case where I have been in such disagreement with the eventual outcome that I’ve posed the existential question about whether I will continue with the ministry or not."

After the pounding he took from @acoyne on twitter last night, it is increasingly clear that there is no compromising of his much-flaunted conservative principles that would lead Tony Clement to pose that existential question. Which, of course, raises the deeper question as to the actual existence of those principles.