We all harbour secret fantasies. Especially politicians.

Some dream of power and glory. Others fantasize about running a marathon in under three hours.

And some dream of doing God’s will in Ontario as it is in heaven. Without anyone knowing their glorious secret in advance.

The difference between fantasy and reality comes down to honesty and authenticity — with your god, yourself, and others (for instance with voters).

Against that backdrop, we occasionally get a glimpse into what goes on behind closed doors at Queen’s Park, when politicians bare their souls and reveal their fantasies to people of faith.

It’s like going back to basics with the three Rs: Restrict abortions. Rein in sex-education. Revisit gay marriage.

When five Progressive Conservative MPPs hosted a meeting with faith groups the other day, their honoured guests were ushered into the party’s sanctum sanctorum — the caucus meeting room where political secrets are shared. Unfortunately for the PC politicians, they were oblivious to two reporters from TFO, Ontario’s public French-language network, who joined the meeting — and recorded it.

The rhetoric was music to the ears of the Canadian Christian Association and the Canadian Multicultural Care Group. The speeches also pricked the ears of the two journalists, who have posted their tape online:

“Social issues are very, very important — we need to form the government and then, watch us go!” MPP Rick Nicholls preached.

“Amen,” chorused the party faithful and people of faith.

“Watch us go! That will happen, that will happen,” Nicholls proclaimed.

Social issues is code, of course, for those three Rs. Lest there be any doubt, Noel Chaudry, vice-president of the multicultural care group, confirmed to TFO that “they promised us to revoke sex-ed during the event.”

Those are core beliefs for so-called social conservatives in the Progressive Conservative Party. Bless them for being blunt, for saying — and praying — what they believe.

But politics being what it is, some things are best left unsaid. And if uttered, then undone.

When word got out online, the PC damage control machine moved into high gear with its own three Rs: Retract. Recant. Renounce.

PC leader Patrick Brown issued a statement this week saying “the comment made by MPP Nicholls is false and needs to be immediately retracted.”

Thy will be done. On command, in tandem, Nicholls followed up with his own declaration of non-intent.

“I retract and apologize for my comments,” he grovelled. “The party will not be revisiting divisive social issues.”

Rick Nicholls is not just any PC backbencher. He is a gracious, courteous, solicitous parliamentarian who speaks from his soulful heart, if not always from his political head.

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He was also Brown’s soul mate in the early days of his campaign for the party leadership — the first and (for many months) the only member of the PC caucus to endorse Brown’s bid. What did he see in the aspiring premier that no one else could?

Chosen to co-chair his campaign, Nicholls took me aside one day to praise Brown’s virtues — his unrivalled energy, fidelity and loyalty. Back then, Brown actively courted socially conservative Ontarians like him, speaking at rallies where sex-education was denounced as an immoral plot led by a married lesbian premier in cahoots with pedophiles and perverts.

Brown, who had voted as an MP to restrict abortion rights across Canada, led the party’s true believers to think he had found religion.

Until he didn’t. Upon winning the leadership, he quite sensibly paraded in gay pride parades and backed marriage equality, leaving his socially conservative supporters at the altar.

Until he did again. Upon fighting a byelection, his office sent out 13,000 letters under his signature promising to “scrap” the sex-ed curriculum.

Until he didn’t again. Upon reflection, he divorced himself from opponents of gay marriage, proclaiming himself pro-choice and wedded to sex-ed.

Retract past rhetoric. Recant past beliefs. Renounce past allies.

You say something, then unsay it. You believe something, then unbelieve it. You associate with people, then dissociate from them.

It’s like sending an embarrassing email, then frantically trying to erase it after the fact. Microsoft Outlook has an option to “recall” errant emails, but it doesn’t always work.

If you get a note saying, “Patrick Brown would like to recall the message,” would you delete it from your inbox? Brown believes that in politics, if you go off-message you can just recall it and retract it.

Microsoft Outlook might let you get away with it. The electorate might have a different outlook.

Martin Regg Cohn’s political column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. mcohn@thestar.ca , Twitter: @reggcohn

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