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  • Andrew 2:47 AM on June 16, 2004 Permalink
    Tags: Canada,   

    Debate Post-Mortem 

    debaters.jpg

    Here are my thoughts on last night’s Leaders’ Debate — actually, more on the leaders themselves…

    Stephen Harper was calm, cool and collected. But a convulsion went through me every time he tried to pass off his evil smirk as a geniune smile.

    Paul Martin looked old, tired and beat up. History may prove me wrong, but I think he’s done.

    This is the first time I’ve seen Jack Layton speak at length. The guy had some decent points to make, if he could only shut his mouth once he was finished. And the dude’s got the smallest hands I’ve ever seen!

    Most surprising for me was Bloc-Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe. Despite a noticeable language barrier he came across as the evening’s most eloquent speaker, I thought. Too bad he wants to break up the country.

    vienneau.jpeg

    Oh, and one more thing: Can someone please explain to me why the fuck David Vienneau is on television? This man-munchkin hybrid makes me cringe every time he stumbles through one of his reports from Ottawa on Global National. Who exactly did he blow to get on panel for this debate?

     

    • Ed Miller 12:07 PM on June 16, 2004 Permalink | Reply

      AC:

      There used to be another guy on Global that covered the political beat for them, Robert something, but they got rid of him because he wasn’t exciting enough. But he knew his stuff and would have been much better than The Head That Talks Like A Man.
      I don’t find Harper’s smile evil, but he does remind me of several insurance salesmen I’ve had to talk to. Layton is his own worst enemy –reading his opening speech from a 3-ring binder in front of him (note: memorize the biggest speech of your campaign, Jack –everyone else did, including Duceppe whose first language isn’t English). I agree that Martin looks tired, but he’s still probably the best choice of leader, ignoring policy, scandal, party, etc.
      I’ve decided to not watch debates any more because they end up being pissing matches with people yelling. I’d rather see the leaders compete in a Fear Factor episode to prove their worthiness of leading our nation using television. Say, have my views of politics been shaped by the whoring gods of television? Yeesh!

      Ed

    • Ross McKie 12:23 AM on June 18, 2004 Permalink | Reply

      I believe it was Robert Fisher you’re recalling from the supposed halcyon days of Canwest. He’s a news reader for CBC radio now and a sometime contributor to the now defunct TVO “Fourth Reading” magazine show.

      -ross mckie

  • Andrew 11:22 AM on June 13, 2004 Permalink
    Tags: , Canada,   

    Don’t Go There 

    If you’re being swayed towards a Conservative vote, you should read this piece from the Edmonton Journal. A quote:

    “In its 46-page policy platform, the Conservative Party doesn’t mention art and culture. Not even in the appendix. The word art only appears once, in quotations, decrying the ‘artistic licence’ defence for child pornographers. Stephen Harper and other Conservatives have said they would cut finding to the CBC in whole or in part, and Heritage critic Jim Abbott supports lifting foreign ownership restrictions on telecom companies and broadcasters.”

     

    • Chris 6:09 PM on June 13, 2004 Permalink | Reply

      So I think I’ll take this place and this time to talk about my political thoughts this election. I hate this election, sure I’ve had times that I’ve been less than happy with selection of people running for political parties in my short voting life, but this election is so hard to keep track of because it’s making me a little ill. For the first time in my life I wish I was an American, I at least know for sure I wouldn’t vote in Bush.

      So this leads me to my voting choice, what am I looking at when I vote in this upcoming election? Simple, I’m looking at my local riding, I’m pretty certain that most of the big wigs in parliament today and in most of the parties could care less about me, the artist, the tax payer, and the guy who occasionally needs medical care. What I do know is people in my local riding have to care about my needs and right now it’s the best thing I’ve got. I want to be sure I can at the very least get some of my issues heard, if even a whisper, rather than pick out the lesser of many evils.

      Thanks for letting me get this off my mind.

    • Andrew Currie 11:07 AM on June 14, 2004 Permalink | Reply

      All good points, Chris. Lots of people get caught up in the political horse race, forgetting how Parliament works.

      Sadly, even more are probably saying “what’s the point?”, and not voting at all.

  • Andrew 9:50 PM on June 3, 2004 Permalink
    Tags: Canada,   

    Should You Go Green? 

    earth.jpg

    Global National spent a good part of tonight’s broadcast talking about voter apathy in this country. If you’re feeling left out of the upcoming Federal Election I’ve got the perfect solution for you…

    It’s unlikely that Canada’s Green Party will win a single seat in Parliament on June 28th. They have members in public office around the world (though not quite as many as the media might have you believe) but have been shut out of the upcoming nationally-televised debates next week.

    My personal mandate for this election is to ensure that the NDP gets the minimum number of seats needed for official party status. If you find yourself stymied when it comes to making a choice, why not give the Greens a boost? If you do they’ll get $1.75 for their next campaign, and next time ’round you’ll have one more choice at the ballot box!

     

  • Andrew 9:44 PM on May 31, 2004 Permalink
    Tags: Canada,   

    Accountability 

    It would be a mistake not to vote for the Federal Liberals because of the Provincial Liberals’ broken campaign promises, but it’s a mistake I wholeheartedly endorse!

    Elections are rare moments, even in a democracy, where common folk like you and I hold all the cards. Since it’s unlikely that Dalton McGuinty‘s budget will be an impeachable offence, denying the Liberals a Federal vote is pretty much our only means of payback. And if that’s not enough for ya, there’s also that sponsorship scandal…

     

    • Ed Miller 12:27 PM on June 1, 2004 Permalink | Reply

      AC:

      Paul Martin felt it necessary yesterday to promise to keep his promises. Sounds like a sketch, doesn’t it?

      Ed

    • Andrew Currie 12:44 PM on June 1, 2004 Permalink | Reply

      Well, truth =is= stranger than fiction they say… Some sobering news this morning, though:

      http://tinyurl.com/2gz69

      Apparently the latest projections show the Conservatives neck-in-neck with the Liberals, and if the PCs win a minority government, they’ll likely form a coalition not with the NDP, but with the Bloc, the very antithesis of what this left-leaning federalist is looking for in his next government. :-(

  • Andrew 11:25 AM on May 27, 2004 Permalink
    Tags: Canada,   

    Am I Missing Something? 

    Soon after the Federal Election was announced last weekend, I checked the Election Predictions for my local riding. Turns out that Trinity-Spadina is currently too close to call, and local superstar Olivia Chow stands a good chance of winning a seat in Parliament.

    Thing is, I’m not really that huge a fan of the NDP these days; their traditional support of organized labour seems particularly dangerous after Buzz Hargrove almost singlehandedly killed Air Canada — now there’s guy who deserves a pie in the face!

    Despite this, I’m leaning towards an NDP on June 28th, despite the fact that all I’m hearing in the news this week are warnings of a possible minority government. Why is that such a bad thing? If the three (okay, four) parties have more equal representation in Parliament, and a single governing party can’t run amuck with its own mandate at the expense of other interests, isn’t that better, albeit slower, process of government for all of us?

     

    • Ed Miller 1:26 PM on May 28, 2004 Permalink | Reply

      AC:

      I think a minority government would be a perfect result for this election, as is the case when, really, the only issue is whether or not we need to change governing parties. There are no real burning policy issues like free trade or wage and price controls in this election, so it’s a case of “do we give these idiots 5 more years or do we send them a message that we’re happy/not happy with them?”
      I think majority governments serve a good purpose in allowing a party to come to power with a new agenda –witness the changes the Rae NDP, the Harris and the Mulroney Tories, the Chretien and the McGuinty Liberals have brought in with their wins over governing parties. Whether you agree with the new agenda or whether the idiots actually go through with their promises is beside the point, but it’s a much better situation than being governed by the same political party for years or even decades .
      I’m going to ignore the parties and the leaders this time, and I’ll take a look at each candidate running in my riding (Dr. Carolyn Bennett’s the incumbent). This means going to an all-candidates debate (pulling teeth, anyone?), but that’s the only way to see everyone in action (or inaction as the case may be).

      Ed

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