Booming Russian auto industry is siren call

for Frank Stronach of Magna International

 

While Belinda the Defectionist flounders in shallow water on the Hill, her father, Frank Stronach, with an eye ever on the bottom line, is grazing in greener pastures with his new buddy, Vladimir Putin

 

To keep himself virile and active in the company, the Magna supremo and controlling shareholder enjoys bedding a bevy of babes. The latest is Mistress Cindy, who he has stashed away in a condo beside his golf course in Aurora, Ontario, just north of Toronto.         

 

You can be sure she’s well taken care of. After all, Frank rakes in $52 million a year, tax free. He has avoided paying income tax on $198 million income since 1994 by declaring his principal residence in Switzerland.

 

On the business front, while Canadian politicos are busy denouncing he evil doings of Russia’s ruling class, Frank has been hobnobbing with Vladimir Putin himself.

 

How does an immigrant fender mender from Austria have friends in such high places?

 

Well, one good deed leads to another. Frank’s latest Teutonic business partner is none other than Gerhard Schroeder. In his capacity as German chancellor for a number of years, Schroeder developed excellent international connections — which he has generously handed to Frank — for a small fee of course.

 

It seems that Frank has been regularly jetting to Moscow to dine with his new pal, Putin. You can bet he’s not there lecturing the president on human rights or sexual harassment or workers rights.

 

Rumour has it that Magna plans to lay off 3,000 Toronto-area workers as part of an aggressive restructuring plan that includes plant closures among the company’s Canadian operations.

 

There have been outrageous suggestions that those jobs will move to Russia, where Frank is said to be in the process of opening up a series of new factories — just when the North American auto industry is on the skids and sales are way down for Magna’s biggest clients, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, and Ford.

 

Coincidence? We think not.

 

Frank, whose motto has always been, “My wife is married, I am not,” should have no problems exercising his philosophy in the Kremlin, where tall, leggy, blondes (Frank’s specialty) outnumber the men, three-to-one.

 

That’s one way of driving the economy.

 

(With notes from Frank Magazine.)