Speaking of Special Effects, Dangovt will need all its expertise in psy-ops and propaganda to mitigate the political effects of falling oil prices. Those prices will likely bounce back within 24 months, but DW will likely need to orchestrate new crises before then, or he may end up getting lumped in with the petrocrats:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090212.wcogee13/BNStory/specialComment/home
It's a good thing for DW that no one has told Marcus Gee about Freedom From Information or the other aspects of Danland's version of Managed Democracry, which according to an article sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, "controls society while providing the appearance of democracy."
"Its main characteristics are as follows:
1. A strong presidency [Premier] and weak institutions [House of Assembly]
2. State control of the media [VODW and its affiliates]
3. Control over elections allows elites to legitimize their decisions [ABC and its affiliates]
4. Visible short-term effectiveness and long-term inefficiency [petro-dollar Danwar]
The result is an “unstable stability” based on the president’s personality. He is actually a hostage of the system. This system is highly dysfunctional, with poor information flows. Everything beneath the president is vertically integrated, but there are no horizontal connections."
See http://www.carnegieendowment.org/events/index.cfm?fa=eventDetail&id=819
I'm not sure about the hostage part, but I leave it to you to draw your own comparisons with the other criteria.
Showing posts with label Special Effects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Special Effects. Show all posts
Friday, February 13, 2009
Special Effects
It appears that DW has a rival in the special-effects department. His pal Ig is developing a PR machine that might one day rival the Psy-Ops unit on the Eighth Floor. Even the NP is now speaking breathlessly about the Ig Effect. Ig does seem to have learned a thing or two since 2006. The media now focuses more on the gourmet food and wine Ig & partner serve at their intimate and important meetings than Ig's policies.
And he now has the Obama card to play. While DW is left to claim that Obama is taking inspiration from Dangovt, Ig can tell people that the Prez is reading his books. He is, though I hate to quote from the NP, "this year’s model":
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/02/12/john-ivison-liberals-enjoy-the-ignatieff-effect.aspx
The special effects have successfully obscured rather inconvenient truths, especially Ig's former life as a liberal hawk and supporter of the Iraq debacle. I once thought that this alone would be sufficient to sink his electoral chances in an electorate decidedly opposed to the war; but Ig's special effects are working their magic even in Quebec.
With his tendencies toward liberal authoritarianism tucked firmly in the back of the political closet, Ig has been attracting attention from the NY Times and is, despite his creepy looks, getting compared to Trudeau. Thus what was seen as old in 2006 is now seen as new in 2009. I guess Ig just had to ferment a bit longer:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060405.wcomment0405/BNStory/National/home
The lessons for DW? Ditch the haircut and the Tony Soprano suits, start having your foes over to fancy dinners, and get someone to ghost-write some books that you can peddle to Obama. Nothing to it. In three years, you, too, could go from federal has-been to Ottawa's flavour of the year.
And he now has the Obama card to play. While DW is left to claim that Obama is taking inspiration from Dangovt, Ig can tell people that the Prez is reading his books. He is, though I hate to quote from the NP, "this year’s model":
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/02/12/john-ivison-liberals-enjoy-the-ignatieff-effect.aspx
The special effects have successfully obscured rather inconvenient truths, especially Ig's former life as a liberal hawk and supporter of the Iraq debacle. I once thought that this alone would be sufficient to sink his electoral chances in an electorate decidedly opposed to the war; but Ig's special effects are working their magic even in Quebec.
With his tendencies toward liberal authoritarianism tucked firmly in the back of the political closet, Ig has been attracting attention from the NY Times and is, despite his creepy looks, getting compared to Trudeau. Thus what was seen as old in 2006 is now seen as new in 2009. I guess Ig just had to ferment a bit longer:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060405.wcomment0405/BNStory/National/home
The lessons for DW? Ditch the haircut and the Tony Soprano suits, start having your foes over to fancy dinners, and get someone to ghost-write some books that you can peddle to Obama. Nothing to it. In three years, you, too, could go from federal has-been to Ottawa's flavour of the year.
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