The Drudge Report has posted links to a Breitbart.com story about a nudist protest in Spain against the seal hunt.
You put nudists together with one of the most popular web sites in the entire world, and you're going to generate a media feast.
Here's the link to the Breitbart story:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.faea6ca815221f889eb08324c42f2bef.1d1&show_article=1
Here's the video link:
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=298963
Hard to see how this is all Ottawa's fault, but I'm sure DW will find a way to blame the feds for the fact that Spaniards are taking off their clothes in public.
Monday, March 16, 2009
A Breach in Patriotic Protocol?
Another day, another story about Newfoundland separatism. To paraphrase another Winston, never before in the history of journalism have so many written so much about so little. I have to admit that I really didn't think we would still be reading about the Curious Circus, which should have folded its tent a couple of news cycles ago.
With important reports now submitted on crises in Health and at MUN, and the terrible tragedy that is gripping Newfoundlanders, you would think that there would be plenty of other things to write about.
So the sight of yet another story -- this one by the Canwest News Service -- on the fallout from Curious George's antics was rather hard to stomach:
http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=1392266
Foot's story has all the hackneyed ingredients, including the obligatory opening about unresolved passions from 1949 and a separatist quotation from Ryan Cleary. I was just about to click onto something else, but then this interesting passage caught my eye:
"Bruce Templeton, chairman of the St. John's Board of Trade, say the grievances may be legitimate, but Newfoundlanders need to get over them and focus on a future within Confederation.
"These deals are done, you can't cry about them now," he says.
He says the province should focus its energies on a series of huge economic projects waiting on the horizon -- including the new Hebron oil development, and the Lower Churchill hydro dam -- and work with Canadian investors and with Ottawa to get them done right.
"There's no appetite among the business community for separation," says Mr. Templeton. "Instead there's this tremendous feeling of quiet confidence. We'd like to be a positive contributor to Confederation."
Reading this passage brought to mind David Cochrane's 2007 speech on "Patriotic Correctness" in the local business community, which is worth quoting from:
"There exists in Newfoundland and Labrador a phenomenon I like to call “Patriotic Correctness.” Like political correctness, it makes certain words or expressions unacceptable.
But most significantly, it has fostered an environment where informed dissent is seen as nothing short of treason. Where the simple questioning or criticism of the government or the premier is viewed as an unpatriotic assault upon the very fabric of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Patriotic correctness manifests itself in times of conflict. Usually it pits the premier and the government against an outside force such as the federal government, a nickel company, Big Oil, or a fish company that happens to be run by a Nova Scotian. It creates an incredibly lop-sided public debate, one where all good Newfoundlanders and Labradorians must rally to the side of the government.
What matters most is a public display of loyalty; of being on side with the stated goal of getting the best deal, best return and most benefits for the province."
Cochrane's speech is worth a full reading and, thankfully, Geoff Meeker has posted it online:
http://meekermedia.blogspot.com/2007/02/david-cochranes-speech-on-patriotic.html
...Now to the VODW Question of the Day: are Templeton's remarks a breach of patriotic protocol?
Saying that NL needs to get over grievances and work with Ottawa certainly doesn't sound like Danspeak. Today's editorial in the Tely quotes the latest Danspeak, and it doesn't sound like DW is interested in getting over anything:
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=232136&sc=80
"That's how things have worked for us over the years, and we've got shafted as a result of it.... So, when it comes to getting the short end of the stick, Newfoundland and Labrador has generally got it in Canadian international negotiations. From my perspective, that time is over. I'm not prepared to stand back and let that happen. And, more importantly, I'm not going to stand back and let somebody who obviously has a vicious dislike for Newfoundland and Labrador like Stephen Harper to go over and negotiate on our behalf."
It looks to me that we may be seeing a wee bit of disconnect between Dangovt and Dantrade.
With important reports now submitted on crises in Health and at MUN, and the terrible tragedy that is gripping Newfoundlanders, you would think that there would be plenty of other things to write about.
So the sight of yet another story -- this one by the Canwest News Service -- on the fallout from Curious George's antics was rather hard to stomach:
http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=1392266
Foot's story has all the hackneyed ingredients, including the obligatory opening about unresolved passions from 1949 and a separatist quotation from Ryan Cleary. I was just about to click onto something else, but then this interesting passage caught my eye:
"Bruce Templeton, chairman of the St. John's Board of Trade, say the grievances may be legitimate, but Newfoundlanders need to get over them and focus on a future within Confederation.
"These deals are done, you can't cry about them now," he says.
He says the province should focus its energies on a series of huge economic projects waiting on the horizon -- including the new Hebron oil development, and the Lower Churchill hydro dam -- and work with Canadian investors and with Ottawa to get them done right.
"There's no appetite among the business community for separation," says Mr. Templeton. "Instead there's this tremendous feeling of quiet confidence. We'd like to be a positive contributor to Confederation."
Reading this passage brought to mind David Cochrane's 2007 speech on "Patriotic Correctness" in the local business community, which is worth quoting from:
"There exists in Newfoundland and Labrador a phenomenon I like to call “Patriotic Correctness.” Like political correctness, it makes certain words or expressions unacceptable.
But most significantly, it has fostered an environment where informed dissent is seen as nothing short of treason. Where the simple questioning or criticism of the government or the premier is viewed as an unpatriotic assault upon the very fabric of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Patriotic correctness manifests itself in times of conflict. Usually it pits the premier and the government against an outside force such as the federal government, a nickel company, Big Oil, or a fish company that happens to be run by a Nova Scotian. It creates an incredibly lop-sided public debate, one where all good Newfoundlanders and Labradorians must rally to the side of the government.
What matters most is a public display of loyalty; of being on side with the stated goal of getting the best deal, best return and most benefits for the province."
Cochrane's speech is worth a full reading and, thankfully, Geoff Meeker has posted it online:
http://meekermedia.blogspot.com/2007/02/david-cochranes-speech-on-patriotic.html
...Now to the VODW Question of the Day: are Templeton's remarks a breach of patriotic protocol?
Saying that NL needs to get over grievances and work with Ottawa certainly doesn't sound like Danspeak. Today's editorial in the Tely quotes the latest Danspeak, and it doesn't sound like DW is interested in getting over anything:
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=232136&sc=80
"That's how things have worked for us over the years, and we've got shafted as a result of it.... So, when it comes to getting the short end of the stick, Newfoundland and Labrador has generally got it in Canadian international negotiations. From my perspective, that time is over. I'm not prepared to stand back and let that happen. And, more importantly, I'm not going to stand back and let somebody who obviously has a vicious dislike for Newfoundland and Labrador like Stephen Harper to go over and negotiate on our behalf."
It looks to me that we may be seeing a wee bit of disconnect between Dangovt and Dantrade.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
More Unreported Stories
In addition to the 10 under-reported stories I cited earlier, two more came to mind today as I followed the news here and elsewhere:
1) The decline of sectarianism since 1997. Since we're in the midst of the Paddy's Day uber-Weekend, we should stop for a moment and appreciate the fact that we're not, despite what many want to believe, just like Ireland. As the recent murders and rioting in Ulster demonstrate, the Troubles are not completely over, more than a decade after the Good Friday Agreement:http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/03/14/northern.ireland.violence.arrests/index.html?pc=no_id
So if you hear a rebel song at one of the pubs tonight, and you sing along about the exploits of the IRA, remember that you can sing so freely and so loudly because it's their history, not ours. With few exceptions, we have been mercifully free of violent sectarianism and, since 1997, finally free of denominational eduation. Brian Tobin has entered a black hole in NL's public memory, but let's not forget that the referendum that ended denominational education was held while he was premier. That's not an accomplishment that DW can claim. Whatever you want to say about Tobin (and there's lot to say, no doubt), he gave one of the best speeches in NL political history: "I believe it's time to allow all of our children, of every denomination, to sit in the same classroom, in the same schools, to ride the same bus, to play on the same sports teams, to live and to learn, together in the same community." No one seems to take Tobin seriously anymore, perhaps for good reason, but that does not detract from the importance of this speech. It was not a populist speech against Ottawa or some other designated enemy but, rather, a genuine call for a more united NL. Unlike the cant and chimera of the ABC feuds, this referendum marked a moment of real, tangible progress -- something which everyone now takes for granted. Here's the link to the speech: http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/speeches/1997/exec/JULY31.HTM
2) The persistence of "Townie versus Bayman." While the past decade has witnessed a remarkable decline in the tensions and distance between Catholics and Protestants, the same cannot be said for the perennial rural-urban divide. The gap between Town and Bay is arguably as wide as ever, as St. John's has morphed into a Superbubble while the rest of the province continues to suffer high unemployment, outmigration, and underdevelopment.
NL has come to resemble a Dickensian tale of two worlds -- one affluent and optimistic, the other struggling and fearful -- but this is one of the dirty little secrets that politicians would prefer to keep out of the press. The prejudice runs both ways, as Baymen view Townies as effeminate, ersatz Newfoundlanders who are little different from Mainlanders. It's only when you travel outside NL that you realize that this stark cultural binary does not exist elsewhere. But in NL, it's the unspoken reality that you confront whenever you're talking to someone from another place. "Where are you from?" often means, are you one of them? Perhaps not surprisingly, while the mainstream media has looked the other way, it has been left to singers, writers, and artists to tackle this last public taboo. Colleen Power should have received a Juno for her New Townie Man video, which packs more punch than a whole stack of CD's from Great Big Sea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QlQkw2FCek
And, by the way, what's one thing that JRS and DW have in common? They are the only provincial premiers raised in St. John's. (Thanks to a reader for correcting me).
1) The decline of sectarianism since 1997. Since we're in the midst of the Paddy's Day uber-Weekend, we should stop for a moment and appreciate the fact that we're not, despite what many want to believe, just like Ireland. As the recent murders and rioting in Ulster demonstrate, the Troubles are not completely over, more than a decade after the Good Friday Agreement:http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/03/14/northern.ireland.violence.arrests/index.html?pc=no_id
So if you hear a rebel song at one of the pubs tonight, and you sing along about the exploits of the IRA, remember that you can sing so freely and so loudly because it's their history, not ours. With few exceptions, we have been mercifully free of violent sectarianism and, since 1997, finally free of denominational eduation. Brian Tobin has entered a black hole in NL's public memory, but let's not forget that the referendum that ended denominational education was held while he was premier. That's not an accomplishment that DW can claim. Whatever you want to say about Tobin (and there's lot to say, no doubt), he gave one of the best speeches in NL political history: "I believe it's time to allow all of our children, of every denomination, to sit in the same classroom, in the same schools, to ride the same bus, to play on the same sports teams, to live and to learn, together in the same community." No one seems to take Tobin seriously anymore, perhaps for good reason, but that does not detract from the importance of this speech. It was not a populist speech against Ottawa or some other designated enemy but, rather, a genuine call for a more united NL. Unlike the cant and chimera of the ABC feuds, this referendum marked a moment of real, tangible progress -- something which everyone now takes for granted. Here's the link to the speech: http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/speeches/1997/exec/JULY31.HTM
2) The persistence of "Townie versus Bayman." While the past decade has witnessed a remarkable decline in the tensions and distance between Catholics and Protestants, the same cannot be said for the perennial rural-urban divide. The gap between Town and Bay is arguably as wide as ever, as St. John's has morphed into a Superbubble while the rest of the province continues to suffer high unemployment, outmigration, and underdevelopment.
NL has come to resemble a Dickensian tale of two worlds -- one affluent and optimistic, the other struggling and fearful -- but this is one of the dirty little secrets that politicians would prefer to keep out of the press. The prejudice runs both ways, as Baymen view Townies as effeminate, ersatz Newfoundlanders who are little different from Mainlanders. It's only when you travel outside NL that you realize that this stark cultural binary does not exist elsewhere. But in NL, it's the unspoken reality that you confront whenever you're talking to someone from another place. "Where are you from?" often means, are you one of them? Perhaps not surprisingly, while the mainstream media has looked the other way, it has been left to singers, writers, and artists to tackle this last public taboo. Colleen Power should have received a Juno for her New Townie Man video, which packs more punch than a whole stack of CD's from Great Big Sea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QlQkw2FCek
And, by the way, what's one thing that JRS and DW have in common? They are the only provincial premiers raised in St. John's. (Thanks to a reader for correcting me).
Unexpected Crime Waves
This morning Slate has an interesting Foreign Policy story on unexpected crime waves:
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4751
The social impact of the global recession is being felt in all kinds of places in all kinds of ways. And despite the drumbeat of DW and the Sunshine Band, the impact will be felt in NL as surely as it's being felt everywhere from Calgary to Tampa to Moscow to Tokyo.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, we know little at this point about the ramifications of the economic meltdown in Alberta, where Ralph Klein's severage package is generating criticism while foreclosure rates increase:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090313.wklein0313/BNStory/National/home http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090313.wsubprimefactbox14/BNStory/Front
As for NL, the effects of Alberta's recession will be twofold.
First, many migrant (and even semi-permanent) NL workers will return from Alberta. They may bring some money, but they will be looking for work and may have to rely on social services once EI runs out. Meanwhile, the communities that once relied on Alberta remittances will face much less local revenue.
Second, surplus workers in NL will no longer be able to rely on Alberta. Once the famous contractor shortage in boom-town St. John's gets filled, the local labour market will see significant deterioration while, for the first time in a generation, Alberta will no longer offer a viable alternative labour market for young people
So what will happen? Anyone's guess at this point, though at least the Tely (whose editors seem to be reading Orwellianspin) is asking some important quesitons:
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=231828&sc=80
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=231834&sc=86
It's hard to imagine a Japanese-style outbreak of geriatric crime but, at some point somewhere along the line, the lineups at Costco will get shorter. At some point, the supply of $250k condos will outstrip Townie demand. At some point, VOCM could report that what's going on in the rest of the world could affect NL.
For the enraged separatists who agitate so ceaselessly for nationhood, it's a curious fact that they themselves ignore what's going on in other nations. It's a curious fact that Newfoundland nationalists seem ignorant of a global crisis that has, according to the National Post, dealt a blow to many political movements, including Scottish nationalism: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1387642
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4751
The social impact of the global recession is being felt in all kinds of places in all kinds of ways. And despite the drumbeat of DW and the Sunshine Band, the impact will be felt in NL as surely as it's being felt everywhere from Calgary to Tampa to Moscow to Tokyo.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, we know little at this point about the ramifications of the economic meltdown in Alberta, where Ralph Klein's severage package is generating criticism while foreclosure rates increase:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090313.wklein0313/BNStory/National/home http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090313.wsubprimefactbox14/BNStory/Front
As for NL, the effects of Alberta's recession will be twofold.
First, many migrant (and even semi-permanent) NL workers will return from Alberta. They may bring some money, but they will be looking for work and may have to rely on social services once EI runs out. Meanwhile, the communities that once relied on Alberta remittances will face much less local revenue.
Second, surplus workers in NL will no longer be able to rely on Alberta. Once the famous contractor shortage in boom-town St. John's gets filled, the local labour market will see significant deterioration while, for the first time in a generation, Alberta will no longer offer a viable alternative labour market for young people
So what will happen? Anyone's guess at this point, though at least the Tely (whose editors seem to be reading Orwellianspin) is asking some important quesitons:
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=231828&sc=80
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=231834&sc=86
It's hard to imagine a Japanese-style outbreak of geriatric crime but, at some point somewhere along the line, the lineups at Costco will get shorter. At some point, the supply of $250k condos will outstrip Townie demand. At some point, VOCM could report that what's going on in the rest of the world could affect NL.
For the enraged separatists who agitate so ceaselessly for nationhood, it's a curious fact that they themselves ignore what's going on in other nations. It's a curious fact that Newfoundland nationalists seem ignorant of a global crisis that has, according to the National Post, dealt a blow to many political movements, including Scottish nationalism: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1387642
Friday, March 13, 2009
Economic Postmodernism Goes Bust
For those of you looking for coffee-break reading, or something to take your mind off the tragedy offshore, John Lanchester has an interesting piece:
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2008/11/10/081110crat_atlarge_lanchester?currentPage=1
Slate has a thoughtful piece on photography and the recession:
http://www.slate.com/id/2213365/
And here's Jon Stewart at his best. Apologies for the ad, but it's worth the wait:
http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/#clip148232
http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/#clip148239
Here's the link to the already-famous uncensored interview with Cramer:
http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/#clip149637
Power of Humour Update:
And who said that irony, sarcasm, and parody don't make serious news:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090313.wstewart0313/BNStory/Entertainment/home
And when Berkshire Hathaway gets downgraded, you know that Jon Stewart is more trustworthy in his business reporting than Rick Santelli:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/29666975
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2008/11/10/081110crat_atlarge_lanchester?currentPage=1
Slate has a thoughtful piece on photography and the recession:
http://www.slate.com/id/2213365/
And here's Jon Stewart at his best. Apologies for the ad, but it's worth the wait:
http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/#clip148232
http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/#clip148239
Here's the link to the already-famous uncensored interview with Cramer:
http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/#clip149637
Power of Humour Update:
And who said that irony, sarcasm, and parody don't make serious news:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090313.wstewart0313/BNStory/Entertainment/home
And when Berkshire Hathaway gets downgraded, you know that Jon Stewart is more trustworthy in his business reporting than Rick Santelli:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/29666975
Thursday, March 12, 2009
American Technology to Build NL Tunnel
We can now confirm news of the US-NL strategic tunnel agreement, which Orwellian News broke earlier today. Below is the CP wire story.
-------------------------------------------------------
American Technology to Build NL Tunnel
The Canadian Press
March 12, 2009 at 1:33 PM EDT
OTTAWA — The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has announced a strategic partnership with Globex Corporation. From the front seat of his Chevy Avalanche, Premier Danny Williams told reporters waiting in the rain outside the Confederation Building, "This is a very, very historic day for the going forward people of Newfoundland. I have signed a multi-billion deal with Globex to use their new Bioengineered Crabs to complete work on the underwater tunnel that will at long last link Labrador with the island portion of the province." The underwater link, known as The Dunnel, will be funded through a bond offering by PWG plc, a bank based in Dublin.
When contacted to comment on this historic agreement, the CEO of Globex, Hank Scorpio, confirmed the fact that NL has agreed to purchase 20 of the 75-foot crab machines, though he added that Williams told him that most of the crabs will be used to launch a surprise attack on some foreign country led by a guy named Steve. Scorpio said that only Williams will have the launch codes needed to control the giant crabs, but loyal Newfoundlanders had nothing to fear. The crabs will not harm anyone whose name and personal information were loaded onto their hard drives by Challenged Research Associates, a local information-management firm.
The new technology has caused no controversy whatsoever in the US, where experts declared that the giant crabs will be an integral part of President Obama's stimulus program. According to published reports in the Globe and Mail, Obama got the idea of stimulating the economy from Mr. Williams:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081209.wwilliams1209/BNStory/politics/home
For details on the exciting new crab technology, see
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/experts_agree_giant_razor_clawed?utm_source=a-section
Orwellian News is waiting on the Williams' administration's official media advisory, which should come by 5:00 tomorrow, March 13.
-------------------------------------------------------
American Technology to Build NL Tunnel
The Canadian Press
March 12, 2009 at 1:33 PM EDT
OTTAWA — The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has announced a strategic partnership with Globex Corporation. From the front seat of his Chevy Avalanche, Premier Danny Williams told reporters waiting in the rain outside the Confederation Building, "This is a very, very historic day for the going forward people of Newfoundland. I have signed a multi-billion deal with Globex to use their new Bioengineered Crabs to complete work on the underwater tunnel that will at long last link Labrador with the island portion of the province." The underwater link, known as The Dunnel, will be funded through a bond offering by PWG plc, a bank based in Dublin.
When contacted to comment on this historic agreement, the CEO of Globex, Hank Scorpio, confirmed the fact that NL has agreed to purchase 20 of the 75-foot crab machines, though he added that Williams told him that most of the crabs will be used to launch a surprise attack on some foreign country led by a guy named Steve. Scorpio said that only Williams will have the launch codes needed to control the giant crabs, but loyal Newfoundlanders had nothing to fear. The crabs will not harm anyone whose name and personal information were loaded onto their hard drives by Challenged Research Associates, a local information-management firm.
The new technology has caused no controversy whatsoever in the US, where experts declared that the giant crabs will be an integral part of President Obama's stimulus program. According to published reports in the Globe and Mail, Obama got the idea of stimulating the economy from Mr. Williams:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081209.wwilliams1209/BNStory/politics/home
For details on the exciting new crab technology, see
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/experts_agree_giant_razor_clawed?utm_source=a-section
Orwellian News is waiting on the Williams' administration's official media advisory, which should come by 5:00 tomorrow, March 13.
Polled
VODW reports how NL got polled:
Williams Government Still Riding High
March 11, 2009
The Presidente of Corporate Research Associates says the level of go forward enjoyed by Williams is a very, very determined testament to the leadership of the polls. Don Mills says Danny Williams' personal satisfaction is at levels of over 80 per cent and is the envy of any leader of the free world. Mills says Williams draws support from all polls in the province, regardless of the party voters may think in their worst dreams about ever voting for if they know what's good for them. Dr. Alex Marland of Memorial's Pollyanna Department says the strength in support of Williams also reflects the weakness of the polling, since Williams is still under 100% and so someone must have lied to CRA. Marland says any headway made by the Liberals or the NDP is tempered by this province's history of one party polls.
For the full story, see http://www.vocm.com/news-info.asp?id=34772
Technology Update
There are unconfirmed reports that DW plans to use a cutting-edge American technology to build The Dunnel, the underground link between Labrador and Newfoundland, which will rival its Ango-French counterpart.
Here is a news link to a story on this new technology, which will propel DW's stimulus plan far ahead of anything being done in old-economy Canada:
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/experts_agree_giant_razor_clawed?utm_source=a-section
Williams Government Still Riding High
March 11, 2009
The Presidente of Corporate Research Associates says the level of go forward enjoyed by Williams is a very, very determined testament to the leadership of the polls. Don Mills says Danny Williams' personal satisfaction is at levels of over 80 per cent and is the envy of any leader of the free world. Mills says Williams draws support from all polls in the province, regardless of the party voters may think in their worst dreams about ever voting for if they know what's good for them. Dr. Alex Marland of Memorial's Pollyanna Department says the strength in support of Williams also reflects the weakness of the polling, since Williams is still under 100% and so someone must have lied to CRA. Marland says any headway made by the Liberals or the NDP is tempered by this province's history of one party polls.
For the full story, see http://www.vocm.com/news-info.asp?id=34772
Technology Update
There are unconfirmed reports that DW plans to use a cutting-edge American technology to build The Dunnel, the underground link between Labrador and Newfoundland, which will rival its Ango-French counterpart.
Here is a news link to a story on this new technology, which will propel DW's stimulus plan far ahead of anything being done in old-economy Canada:
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/experts_agree_giant_razor_clawed?utm_source=a-section
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Toronto Globe-Stalkers
Okay, now it's just getting weird:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090310.weArchive11/BNStory/specialComment/home
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090308.weArchive09/BNStory/specialComment/home
Two archived editorials in three days?
I tried to deal with the Globe's editorial treatment of NL in an earlier post:
http://orwellianspin.blogspot.com/2009/03/dogs-of-war.html
But the problem seems to be more psychological than political. There are pills for this sort of obsessive-compulsive disorder. (Perhaps I missed something...is the Globe running some sort of accelerated NL premiers series like CPAC?).
Such heavy national-media rains are likely to produce a bumper crop of Dandelion this spring:
http://orwellianspin.blogspot.com/2009/03/political-biology.html
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090310.weArchive11/BNStory/specialComment/home
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090308.weArchive09/BNStory/specialComment/home
Two archived editorials in three days?
I tried to deal with the Globe's editorial treatment of NL in an earlier post:
http://orwellianspin.blogspot.com/2009/03/dogs-of-war.html
But the problem seems to be more psychological than political. There are pills for this sort of obsessive-compulsive disorder. (Perhaps I missed something...is the Globe running some sort of accelerated NL premiers series like CPAC?).
Such heavy national-media rains are likely to produce a bumper crop of Dandelion this spring:
http://orwellianspin.blogspot.com/2009/03/political-biology.html
Top Ten Unreported Stories
Thinking about press coverage of NL (both past and present) brought to mind important stories that have gone unreported or underreported.
I realize that with the ongoing cutbacks in the newspaper industry and CBC, journalists simply do not have the resources that they once had to do in-depth investigative reporting. The days of the Sunday Express are over and they ain't coming back.
Yet Rob Antle's piece in today's Tely shows how much can be done with a quick back-check of government media advisories and a couple of short interviews, for example: http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=230533&sc=79. And as Labradore and Bond Papers have demonstrated in their reporting of issues such as the NALCO transmission line, an awful lot of material is readily available online.
For what it's worth, here is my Top Ten list, along with fictional headlines:
1) "In the Wilderness." An examination of the decline and fall of the provincial Liberal party from the civil war following Grimes's convention victory through to the ascendancy of DW and his attempts to undermine the opposition in any and every possible way. This hypothetical article would look at how the Liberals lost their grip on power so completely and where they stand today. The fact that they have so few MHA's is often taken as false evidence that the entire Party is dead. It may be recovering from a heart-attack, but it's no more dead than the Tories were during the Liberals' heyday.
2) "Alberta Rebound." We know that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people are returning to NL from Alberta. But we don't know much about the identies and experiences of these people. We don't know much about what they are bringing back to their communities, or what their return will mean for NL. There are plenty of rumours about rampant drug use and other problems, but they are exactly that -- rumours. How will rural communities fare without the remittances on which some towns have relied? How did their experiences in Alberta change these people? And is this a short- or a long-term phenomenon?
3) "The Many-Headed Hydro." NALCO has a nifty web site and plenty of press releases to its credit, but we don't know much about its actual operation, how it fits into the political and economic structure of NL, or who is really running the show. We know little about how it fits with the Eighth Floor, and whether (and how far) it is removed from in-line Departments. Is it, in fact, a Crown corporation or some other beast? And what role is it really expected to play in the Churchill Falls saga?
4) "The Other Bubble." St. John's residents have long known about the sewage bubble in the Harbour, but they seem less aware of the real-estate bubble. The massive rise in housing prices has had a tremendous impact -- from greedy house-flippers to the home renovation craze -- but less attention has been paid to the social effects on affordable housing, property taxes, and the increasing rural-urban divide in NL. The rise in housing prices has been ascribed to the "Williams Effect," but is this effect sustainable?
5) "The Other 'Secret Nation'." While Newfoundland nationalism has been covered exhaustively, relatively little attention has been paid to Labrador. How do Labradorians themselves feel about the rise of DW-inspired nationalism? What do they think about the reckless threats to separate from Canada, or the constant war with Ottawa. How do they view DW? While DW rants about neglect at the hands of Ottawa, there is a real question of Newfoundland's neglect of Labrador.
6) "Boom, Bust, and Retire." How is demography affecting NL? Much has been made about the recent rise in the birth-rate, but what are the long-term trends? What will these trends mean for the social capital of NL and the cost of health care? How do these trends compare with other provinces and jurisdictions? St. John's, in particular, is experiencing a massive wave of retirements, as a whole generation of fifty-somethings is now free to shop at Scavenger Drive anytime of the day. How has this changed civic culture?
7) "The Icelandic Lesson." The dramatic fall of Iceland has received editorial coverage, but there is a need for a more in-depth analysis of how this happened and what it means for NL. There is also a need for a clearer understanding of how Iceland has been held up as a model for NL development by the provincial government, business interests, and even prominent members of the arts community. How did they all get it so utterly wrong?
8) "Folk Branding." There have been studies of various tourism campaigns, but we need a more in-depth analysis of the much larger and pervasive re-branding that has taken place since 2003. From licence plates to an endless stream of TV ads that have carpet-bombed every station imaginable (including the Weather Network in winter!), DW has launched an unprecedented campaign to attract attention and tourists. How much has this cost? Is it working? Does it matter if the ads are not an accurate portrayal of NL?
9) "School's out." There has been an alaming increase in the number of school closures in NL due to mould and other health problems. While this has been reported on a case-by-case basis, no one has looked at the larger problem of education infrastructure. We know relatively little about how the end of denominational education affected the organization of the school system. Are the province's schools a looming health-care crisis?
10) "The People in your Neighbourhood." When the NL media consider events or trends outside NL, it focuses almost exclusively on the anglophone provinces and especially Ottawa. Federalism is often presented as a bilaterial, Ottawa-St. John's, process. As a result, people in NL know remarkably little about their francophone neighbours. As the controversy over the Romaine River project demonstrated, there are strong opinions about the Labrador boundary, for example, but those opinions are not well informed. And while the negotiations concerning the Lower Churchill remain a focal point for provincial politics, we know remarkably little about Quebec-Hydro, which has been (and will continue to be) a major player in these negotiations.
I'm sure that some of these hypothetical stories have already received ample coverage that I have missed. You can email me any suggestions you may have. I offer the list not as a criticism of local reporters, who are doing the best they can with what they have.
Instead, as we endure another news-cycle about how DW "soars" above us, I offer it as an alternative to the daily grind of having the news determined by public opinion polls, official media-advisories, and the omnipresent DW personality cult.
Tely Update:
Looks like someone at the Tely is reading Orwellianspin:
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=231828&sc=80
Wangersky even cites the same quotation from the same New Yorker article that I used for my two earlier posts on Iceland:
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=231834&sc=86
I realize that with the ongoing cutbacks in the newspaper industry and CBC, journalists simply do not have the resources that they once had to do in-depth investigative reporting. The days of the Sunday Express are over and they ain't coming back.
Yet Rob Antle's piece in today's Tely shows how much can be done with a quick back-check of government media advisories and a couple of short interviews, for example: http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=230533&sc=79. And as Labradore and Bond Papers have demonstrated in their reporting of issues such as the NALCO transmission line, an awful lot of material is readily available online.
For what it's worth, here is my Top Ten list, along with fictional headlines:
1) "In the Wilderness." An examination of the decline and fall of the provincial Liberal party from the civil war following Grimes's convention victory through to the ascendancy of DW and his attempts to undermine the opposition in any and every possible way. This hypothetical article would look at how the Liberals lost their grip on power so completely and where they stand today. The fact that they have so few MHA's is often taken as false evidence that the entire Party is dead. It may be recovering from a heart-attack, but it's no more dead than the Tories were during the Liberals' heyday.
2) "Alberta Rebound." We know that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people are returning to NL from Alberta. But we don't know much about the identies and experiences of these people. We don't know much about what they are bringing back to their communities, or what their return will mean for NL. There are plenty of rumours about rampant drug use and other problems, but they are exactly that -- rumours. How will rural communities fare without the remittances on which some towns have relied? How did their experiences in Alberta change these people? And is this a short- or a long-term phenomenon?
3) "The Many-Headed Hydro." NALCO has a nifty web site and plenty of press releases to its credit, but we don't know much about its actual operation, how it fits into the political and economic structure of NL, or who is really running the show. We know little about how it fits with the Eighth Floor, and whether (and how far) it is removed from in-line Departments. Is it, in fact, a Crown corporation or some other beast? And what role is it really expected to play in the Churchill Falls saga?
4) "The Other Bubble." St. John's residents have long known about the sewage bubble in the Harbour, but they seem less aware of the real-estate bubble. The massive rise in housing prices has had a tremendous impact -- from greedy house-flippers to the home renovation craze -- but less attention has been paid to the social effects on affordable housing, property taxes, and the increasing rural-urban divide in NL. The rise in housing prices has been ascribed to the "Williams Effect," but is this effect sustainable?
5) "The Other 'Secret Nation'." While Newfoundland nationalism has been covered exhaustively, relatively little attention has been paid to Labrador. How do Labradorians themselves feel about the rise of DW-inspired nationalism? What do they think about the reckless threats to separate from Canada, or the constant war with Ottawa. How do they view DW? While DW rants about neglect at the hands of Ottawa, there is a real question of Newfoundland's neglect of Labrador.
6) "Boom, Bust, and Retire." How is demography affecting NL? Much has been made about the recent rise in the birth-rate, but what are the long-term trends? What will these trends mean for the social capital of NL and the cost of health care? How do these trends compare with other provinces and jurisdictions? St. John's, in particular, is experiencing a massive wave of retirements, as a whole generation of fifty-somethings is now free to shop at Scavenger Drive anytime of the day. How has this changed civic culture?
7) "The Icelandic Lesson." The dramatic fall of Iceland has received editorial coverage, but there is a need for a more in-depth analysis of how this happened and what it means for NL. There is also a need for a clearer understanding of how Iceland has been held up as a model for NL development by the provincial government, business interests, and even prominent members of the arts community. How did they all get it so utterly wrong?
8) "Folk Branding." There have been studies of various tourism campaigns, but we need a more in-depth analysis of the much larger and pervasive re-branding that has taken place since 2003. From licence plates to an endless stream of TV ads that have carpet-bombed every station imaginable (including the Weather Network in winter!), DW has launched an unprecedented campaign to attract attention and tourists. How much has this cost? Is it working? Does it matter if the ads are not an accurate portrayal of NL?
9) "School's out." There has been an alaming increase in the number of school closures in NL due to mould and other health problems. While this has been reported on a case-by-case basis, no one has looked at the larger problem of education infrastructure. We know relatively little about how the end of denominational education affected the organization of the school system. Are the province's schools a looming health-care crisis?
10) "The People in your Neighbourhood." When the NL media consider events or trends outside NL, it focuses almost exclusively on the anglophone provinces and especially Ottawa. Federalism is often presented as a bilaterial, Ottawa-St. John's, process. As a result, people in NL know remarkably little about their francophone neighbours. As the controversy over the Romaine River project demonstrated, there are strong opinions about the Labrador boundary, for example, but those opinions are not well informed. And while the negotiations concerning the Lower Churchill remain a focal point for provincial politics, we know remarkably little about Quebec-Hydro, which has been (and will continue to be) a major player in these negotiations.
I'm sure that some of these hypothetical stories have already received ample coverage that I have missed. You can email me any suggestions you may have. I offer the list not as a criticism of local reporters, who are doing the best they can with what they have.
Instead, as we endure another news-cycle about how DW "soars" above us, I offer it as an alternative to the daily grind of having the news determined by public opinion polls, official media-advisories, and the omnipresent DW personality cult.
Tely Update:
Looks like someone at the Tely is reading Orwellianspin:
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=231828&sc=80
Wangersky even cites the same quotation from the same New Yorker article that I used for my two earlier posts on Iceland:
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=231834&sc=86
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Slumming it East of Canada
Bond Papers makes an important point this morning about a curious trend with Mainland reporting: http://bondpapers.blogspot.com/2009/03/god-save-us.html
Leger is, of course, far from alone. Roy MacGregor's fawning profile of DW in the Globe set a standard that has been unmatched in a national newspaper:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090206.wwilliams0207/BNStory/politics/home
I have no reason to doubt the sincerity or professionalism of either Leger or MacGregor. I think they are writing it as they see it, without deliberately trying to offer a political slant.
And yet, despite the evident sincerity, their articles not only get NL politics wrong; they end up presenting a superhero caricature that is just as false as the evil menace caricature presented by Margaret Wente or the Globe's editorial horde. Though we should need no reminder of this fallacy, two wrongs do not make a right: http://www.fallacyfiles.org/twowrong.html
There are a few reasons, I think, why some well-meaning reporters and commentators get so far off the mark.
First, they tend to have a romantic view of NL. Like the happy-peasant advertisements that feature only blond- and red-haired Newfoundlanders prancing authentically around the landwash, they view NL as some sort of innocent Celtic frontier where the passionate yet unsophisticated peasants need the strong hand of a paternal leader to guide them in their noble quest to finally shake Ottawa's yoke.
Second, they tend to see NL politics only through the prism of national politics. They consider NL premiers only insofar as they play on the national stage. They make a quick visit, sink a pint at the Ship Inn, attend a Des Walsh poetry reading, listen to some music at O'Reilly's, and declare their research done. They interview the same old hacks, the self-appointed keepers of the culture and leaders of the tribe. They get some sound bites from Crosbie, Mary Walsh and a Dobbin, and then they're good to go. Nothin' to it.
They don't bother to talk to local people in local places doing local things (most of which don't take place anywhere near the landwash these days). They don't read the local newspapers or blogs. They pay little or no attention to the most important local issues, such as health care, and they overlook scandals in education or the treatment of nurses' unions. They simply have neither the time nor inclination for that sort of quotidian drudgery. And besides, that stuff doesn't sell very well.
They end up projecting their anxieties and ambitions onto their subject, so, in the case of DW, he becomes the hero for standing up to someone that no one (not even his fellow Tories) likes. Since Joey's day, the storyline has been David versus Goliath. If the provincial David can win against the federal Goliath, then all will be magically fixed, the sun will shine, and have not will be no more. Funny how all the many complexities of governing an entire province can get collapsed into such a one-dimensional story.
But just as two wrongs don't make a right, it's indeed possible to have two politicians who are both a few fries short of a happy meal. Just because Harper is malevolent does not, for a minute, make DW infallable. Just because Harper is a control freak who drinks way too much Pepsi does not mean that DW is a paragon of democratic governance. Just because Margaret Wente got it so wrong does not mean that Roy MacGregor got it right. Getting it right is hard. It's rare because it's not only hard but time-consuming and complicated. But that doesn't make it any less important.
I suspect that one of the reasons why DW so often gets a free pass from Mainland writers is because they don't have to live under Dangovt. They don't have to worry about the state of health care in NL, a nurses strike, a scandal at MUN, or anything else that affects the daily life of democracy. They can blare the trumpet of democratic authoritarianism in the comfort of knowing that they won't have to listen to it in their own province (though it's okay for other people).
If you think such hackneyed reporting is restricted to the national media, think again:
http://www.madelainedrohan.com/writing/a_place_apart_11.10.07.pdf
If you think that only Wente can be patronizing, think again. If you pay attention, you'll realize that these hackneyed redemption stories perpetuate stereotypes that are just as negative and harmful in the long run. Read the very last line of Drohan's story. And think about what it says about you.
Heard the one about lousy journalism?
Cross-Country Checkup Needed Update:
http://labradore.blogspot.com/2009/03/rex-gets-it-wrong.html
Breathless Non-News News Story:
Stop the presses, unplug the blogs -- this just in: DW is still soaring far above us, up in the stratosphere, up where the oxygen is depleted:
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=230284&sc=79
This poll-story story (whatever happened to investigative stories?) concedes that "not much has changed." But what's that when placed next to a really super headline?
Blog Reality Check Update:
I.P. Freely...there when we need it most:
http://ipfreelynl.blogspot.com/2009/03/thats-just-unacceptable.html
Leger is, of course, far from alone. Roy MacGregor's fawning profile of DW in the Globe set a standard that has been unmatched in a national newspaper:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090206.wwilliams0207/BNStory/politics/home
I have no reason to doubt the sincerity or professionalism of either Leger or MacGregor. I think they are writing it as they see it, without deliberately trying to offer a political slant.
And yet, despite the evident sincerity, their articles not only get NL politics wrong; they end up presenting a superhero caricature that is just as false as the evil menace caricature presented by Margaret Wente or the Globe's editorial horde. Though we should need no reminder of this fallacy, two wrongs do not make a right: http://www.fallacyfiles.org/twowrong.html
There are a few reasons, I think, why some well-meaning reporters and commentators get so far off the mark.
First, they tend to have a romantic view of NL. Like the happy-peasant advertisements that feature only blond- and red-haired Newfoundlanders prancing authentically around the landwash, they view NL as some sort of innocent Celtic frontier where the passionate yet unsophisticated peasants need the strong hand of a paternal leader to guide them in their noble quest to finally shake Ottawa's yoke.
Second, they tend to see NL politics only through the prism of national politics. They consider NL premiers only insofar as they play on the national stage. They make a quick visit, sink a pint at the Ship Inn, attend a Des Walsh poetry reading, listen to some music at O'Reilly's, and declare their research done. They interview the same old hacks, the self-appointed keepers of the culture and leaders of the tribe. They get some sound bites from Crosbie, Mary Walsh and a Dobbin, and then they're good to go. Nothin' to it.
They don't bother to talk to local people in local places doing local things (most of which don't take place anywhere near the landwash these days). They don't read the local newspapers or blogs. They pay little or no attention to the most important local issues, such as health care, and they overlook scandals in education or the treatment of nurses' unions. They simply have neither the time nor inclination for that sort of quotidian drudgery. And besides, that stuff doesn't sell very well.
They end up projecting their anxieties and ambitions onto their subject, so, in the case of DW, he becomes the hero for standing up to someone that no one (not even his fellow Tories) likes. Since Joey's day, the storyline has been David versus Goliath. If the provincial David can win against the federal Goliath, then all will be magically fixed, the sun will shine, and have not will be no more. Funny how all the many complexities of governing an entire province can get collapsed into such a one-dimensional story.
But just as two wrongs don't make a right, it's indeed possible to have two politicians who are both a few fries short of a happy meal. Just because Harper is malevolent does not, for a minute, make DW infallable. Just because Harper is a control freak who drinks way too much Pepsi does not mean that DW is a paragon of democratic governance. Just because Margaret Wente got it so wrong does not mean that Roy MacGregor got it right. Getting it right is hard. It's rare because it's not only hard but time-consuming and complicated. But that doesn't make it any less important.
I suspect that one of the reasons why DW so often gets a free pass from Mainland writers is because they don't have to live under Dangovt. They don't have to worry about the state of health care in NL, a nurses strike, a scandal at MUN, or anything else that affects the daily life of democracy. They can blare the trumpet of democratic authoritarianism in the comfort of knowing that they won't have to listen to it in their own province (though it's okay for other people).
If you think such hackneyed reporting is restricted to the national media, think again:
http://www.madelainedrohan.com/writing/a_place_apart_11.10.07.pdf
If you think that only Wente can be patronizing, think again. If you pay attention, you'll realize that these hackneyed redemption stories perpetuate stereotypes that are just as negative and harmful in the long run. Read the very last line of Drohan's story. And think about what it says about you.
Heard the one about lousy journalism?
Cross-Country Checkup Needed Update:
http://labradore.blogspot.com/2009/03/rex-gets-it-wrong.html
Breathless Non-News News Story:
Stop the presses, unplug the blogs -- this just in: DW is still soaring far above us, up in the stratosphere, up where the oxygen is depleted:
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=230284&sc=79
This poll-story story (whatever happened to investigative stories?) concedes that "not much has changed." But what's that when placed next to a really super headline?
Blog Reality Check Update:
I.P. Freely...there when we need it most:
http://ipfreelynl.blogspot.com/2009/03/thats-just-unacceptable.html
Monday, March 9, 2009
The Long View
Since I've spent a few posts looking at the (humourous) short-term, I thought it would be useful to pause and consider the long-term.
The most frequent argument made in favour of DW is his poll numbers. Day after day, week after week, the polling claim is trotted out to justify just about anything. As one email correspondent put it to me earlier today, DW has poll numbers like Obama's. I tried to point out that this isn't really true, but let's leave the twisted game of poll-goosing and media manipulation to one side for now. Instead, let's place Dangovt in its larger context.
The longue durée of modern liberal democray in NL began in 1949. We can argue about the franchise and all sorts of constitutional minutiae, but the fact remains that the current incarnation of Newfoundland democracy began with Joey Smallwood, and it has developed through four discrete periods:
1) Liberals, 1949-1972
2) Tories, 1972-1989
3) Liberals, 1989-2003
4) Tories, 2003-present
What are the patterns? The most obvious is that power in NL has alternated between the two dominant parties, which, until DW, have held power for extended periods. After the fall of Joey, the Tories and Liberals were in office for 17 and 14 years, respectively.
Part of the explanation for this pattern is the relative weakness of third parties and the cyclical trend towards bandwagon movements that emerge in response to the perceived corruption/atrophy of the ruling regime. The watershed votes in 1972, 1989, and 2003 were not so much about the strength of the opposition as the weakness of the governing regime. The bandwagon trend in NL politics means that during the heyday of each Party's reign (such as the one DW is currently enjoying), the perceived popularity of the ruling government was due in large measure to the inability of the other party to attract strong candidates, generate positive media attention, or raise funds for election campaigns. As a result, the pattern has been for ruling parties to rot from within before they are finally defeated at the polls.
In each case, accusations of tyranny, corruption, and incompetence snowballed into a larger movement which, fueled by a vigorous newspaper press, formed a coalition of interests that demanded change at all costs. Despite claims that Newfoundland nationalism is a new, DW-inspired phenomenon, nationalism (which is different from separatism, despite the popular conflation) has played a role in NL politics since 1949.
After Joey's fall, a series of premiers placed themselves at the centre of national/provincial struggles that dominated their tenure: Peckford (Offshore oil war), Wells (Meech Lake war), Tobin (Turbot war), Grimes (aborted Terms of Union war), and Williams (Equalization war). Despite DW's claims that 2003 is Year One, it is a phase in a much longer history of political conflict that has, invariably, involved battles with Ottawa, nationalist rhetoric, and (in the late stages of each party's reign) intense media focus on scandals.
Nonetheless, Dangovt has brought changes that have broken with NL's political past. No other regime has so effectively manipulated the media and public opinion. This is partly due to changes in local media (one wonders how DW would fare if he, like Peckford, had to face the Sunday Express each week!), and partly due to the unprecedented resources that Dangovt has poured into PR.
No other premier since Joey has had such a weak cabinet. As a result, to an extent not seen since the 1960s, NL is experiencing rule via personal fiat. No other premier, Joey included, has been as reckless as DW. No other premier, Peckford included, has inflated expectations so high or blurred the province's economic and demographic realities so much. No one since Joey has attempted to re-make the political culture so radically or to brand an entire province in his own image. (Grimes's flirtation with nationalist rhetoric was not part of a sustained policy but rather a symptom of his weak position in the aftermath of the Liberal civil war that followed his convention victory.)
By hauling down the Canadian flag, DW signaled a new era in NL political history. By attacking the very symbol of the country, he served notice that his battle was with Canada, not the federal government. There were countless alternative options that DW could have employed during his negotiations with Paul Martin -- there were numerous ways he could have protested against the federal Liberal Party -- but rather than focusing on the Liberal Party or even Martin himself, DW targetted a nonpartisan symbol: the Canadian flag. It is hard to imagine a greater hypocrisy than taking down your country's flag and then calling your critics traitors.
DW has been very lucky. He had the luck to inherit not only Voisey's Bay and Hibernia but, more importantly, a coincidental rise in oil prices. He had the luck to inherit an opposition party in total disarray. He had the luck to face Harper, a highly polarizing prime minister. And he had the luck to face a media tamed by cutbacks and the decline of the traditional newspapers industry.
So the prediction? The end of Dangovt is not yet in sight. DW's luck has been slipping lately in the face of a series of problems: the debacle at MUN; the severe health care crisis; the lack of a Churchill Falls deal; the crisis in the pulp & paper industry, et cetera. DW faces a fiscal crisis of his own making and an absolutely dysfunctional relationship with Ottawa. But he faces no fatal threat to his rule in the short- or even medium-term.
However, although it remains a relatively minor problem for DW right now, at some point in the future the failures of democratic governance will come back to haunt him: the political witch-hunts, the vendettas, the smear campaigns against "traitors," blocking freedom of information requests, blocking opposition party funding, the absence of ministerial accountability, the lack of respect for the House of Assembly. At some point the miasma will begin to lift. You could feel some of the air seep out of the governing balloon at the beginning of last week, as public anger grew over the fact that Wiseman remained in office, despite the Cameron Report. The eruption of Baker's Curious Circus provided a highly convenient diversion but, before too long, questions of democratic governance will return.
Like his predecessors, DW's fall will not be sudden. Nor will it occur as a result of federal-provincial battles. As I have said before, the ABC games and their successors serve the interests of DW, not NL, and one of the principal interests they serve is to keep Newfoundlanders distracted from the shortcomings of Dangovt. Nonetheless, Peter Whittle got one thing right when he wrote, "You can only kick a dog around so much before it bites you!" He just seems to be unaware of who is actually kicking whom: http://www.polemicandparadox.com/2009/03/baker-tells-it-like-it-is.html
The demise of Dangovt will happen when the Liberals finally manage to re-group. It will happen when they build a larger movement to rally around grievances concerning education, the fishery, health care, and fiscal mismanagement, et cetera. It will happen when the public gets exhausted of the endless wars and crises, the bombast and the bullying.
But in the final analysis, the end of Dangovt will come only when the truth is told. DW is not endowed with superhero powers. He does not represent the hearts and souls of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. And his interests are not necessarily our interests, despite his claims to the contrary: http://bondpapers.blogspot.com/2009/03/rex-should-check-his-video-archives.html
It will happen when people start to say 2+2=4.
Supplemental Reading Update:
In addition to Bond Papers, Geoff Meeker, and other online sources that have taken a critical look at polling, there have been studies of using polls to manufacture consent:
http://www.cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/viewFile/1786/1909
The most frequent argument made in favour of DW is his poll numbers. Day after day, week after week, the polling claim is trotted out to justify just about anything. As one email correspondent put it to me earlier today, DW has poll numbers like Obama's. I tried to point out that this isn't really true, but let's leave the twisted game of poll-goosing and media manipulation to one side for now. Instead, let's place Dangovt in its larger context.
The longue durée of modern liberal democray in NL began in 1949. We can argue about the franchise and all sorts of constitutional minutiae, but the fact remains that the current incarnation of Newfoundland democracy began with Joey Smallwood, and it has developed through four discrete periods:
1) Liberals, 1949-1972
2) Tories, 1972-1989
3) Liberals, 1989-2003
4) Tories, 2003-present
What are the patterns? The most obvious is that power in NL has alternated between the two dominant parties, which, until DW, have held power for extended periods. After the fall of Joey, the Tories and Liberals were in office for 17 and 14 years, respectively.
Part of the explanation for this pattern is the relative weakness of third parties and the cyclical trend towards bandwagon movements that emerge in response to the perceived corruption/atrophy of the ruling regime. The watershed votes in 1972, 1989, and 2003 were not so much about the strength of the opposition as the weakness of the governing regime. The bandwagon trend in NL politics means that during the heyday of each Party's reign (such as the one DW is currently enjoying), the perceived popularity of the ruling government was due in large measure to the inability of the other party to attract strong candidates, generate positive media attention, or raise funds for election campaigns. As a result, the pattern has been for ruling parties to rot from within before they are finally defeated at the polls.
In each case, accusations of tyranny, corruption, and incompetence snowballed into a larger movement which, fueled by a vigorous newspaper press, formed a coalition of interests that demanded change at all costs. Despite claims that Newfoundland nationalism is a new, DW-inspired phenomenon, nationalism (which is different from separatism, despite the popular conflation) has played a role in NL politics since 1949.
After Joey's fall, a series of premiers placed themselves at the centre of national/provincial struggles that dominated their tenure: Peckford (Offshore oil war), Wells (Meech Lake war), Tobin (Turbot war), Grimes (aborted Terms of Union war), and Williams (Equalization war). Despite DW's claims that 2003 is Year One, it is a phase in a much longer history of political conflict that has, invariably, involved battles with Ottawa, nationalist rhetoric, and (in the late stages of each party's reign) intense media focus on scandals.
Nonetheless, Dangovt has brought changes that have broken with NL's political past. No other regime has so effectively manipulated the media and public opinion. This is partly due to changes in local media (one wonders how DW would fare if he, like Peckford, had to face the Sunday Express each week!), and partly due to the unprecedented resources that Dangovt has poured into PR.
No other premier since Joey has had such a weak cabinet. As a result, to an extent not seen since the 1960s, NL is experiencing rule via personal fiat. No other premier, Joey included, has been as reckless as DW. No other premier, Peckford included, has inflated expectations so high or blurred the province's economic and demographic realities so much. No one since Joey has attempted to re-make the political culture so radically or to brand an entire province in his own image. (Grimes's flirtation with nationalist rhetoric was not part of a sustained policy but rather a symptom of his weak position in the aftermath of the Liberal civil war that followed his convention victory.)
By hauling down the Canadian flag, DW signaled a new era in NL political history. By attacking the very symbol of the country, he served notice that his battle was with Canada, not the federal government. There were countless alternative options that DW could have employed during his negotiations with Paul Martin -- there were numerous ways he could have protested against the federal Liberal Party -- but rather than focusing on the Liberal Party or even Martin himself, DW targetted a nonpartisan symbol: the Canadian flag. It is hard to imagine a greater hypocrisy than taking down your country's flag and then calling your critics traitors.
DW has been very lucky. He had the luck to inherit not only Voisey's Bay and Hibernia but, more importantly, a coincidental rise in oil prices. He had the luck to inherit an opposition party in total disarray. He had the luck to face Harper, a highly polarizing prime minister. And he had the luck to face a media tamed by cutbacks and the decline of the traditional newspapers industry.
So the prediction? The end of Dangovt is not yet in sight. DW's luck has been slipping lately in the face of a series of problems: the debacle at MUN; the severe health care crisis; the lack of a Churchill Falls deal; the crisis in the pulp & paper industry, et cetera. DW faces a fiscal crisis of his own making and an absolutely dysfunctional relationship with Ottawa. But he faces no fatal threat to his rule in the short- or even medium-term.
However, although it remains a relatively minor problem for DW right now, at some point in the future the failures of democratic governance will come back to haunt him: the political witch-hunts, the vendettas, the smear campaigns against "traitors," blocking freedom of information requests, blocking opposition party funding, the absence of ministerial accountability, the lack of respect for the House of Assembly. At some point the miasma will begin to lift. You could feel some of the air seep out of the governing balloon at the beginning of last week, as public anger grew over the fact that Wiseman remained in office, despite the Cameron Report. The eruption of Baker's Curious Circus provided a highly convenient diversion but, before too long, questions of democratic governance will return.
Like his predecessors, DW's fall will not be sudden. Nor will it occur as a result of federal-provincial battles. As I have said before, the ABC games and their successors serve the interests of DW, not NL, and one of the principal interests they serve is to keep Newfoundlanders distracted from the shortcomings of Dangovt. Nonetheless, Peter Whittle got one thing right when he wrote, "You can only kick a dog around so much before it bites you!" He just seems to be unaware of who is actually kicking whom: http://www.polemicandparadox.com/2009/03/baker-tells-it-like-it-is.html
The demise of Dangovt will happen when the Liberals finally manage to re-group. It will happen when they build a larger movement to rally around grievances concerning education, the fishery, health care, and fiscal mismanagement, et cetera. It will happen when the public gets exhausted of the endless wars and crises, the bombast and the bullying.
But in the final analysis, the end of Dangovt will come only when the truth is told. DW is not endowed with superhero powers. He does not represent the hearts and souls of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. And his interests are not necessarily our interests, despite his claims to the contrary: http://bondpapers.blogspot.com/2009/03/rex-should-check-his-video-archives.html
It will happen when people start to say 2+2=4.
Supplemental Reading Update:
In addition to Bond Papers, Geoff Meeker, and other online sources that have taken a critical look at polling, there have been studies of using polls to manufacture consent:
http://www.cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/viewFile/1786/1909
Duffy, George & the Tely
Not a red-letter day for the Tely's Cheers & Jeers. They beat a couple of dead horses and offer some humour-challenged jokes: http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=229667&sc=80
This one in particular stood out:
"Jeers: and while we're talking about Senators and hot air, can someone please convince Conservative Senator Mike Duffy to stop talking until he has something to say worth hearing? When asked about Senator Baker's "separatist" comments about in Ottawa last week, he made a crack to the effect that Baker's hair dye must be seeping into his brain. Is this what we're paying these people for? Gee, Senator Duffy, that's an intelligent, insightful observation. And your mother wears army boots."
I've already posted my response on their web site:
How is an unelected senator making a crack about hair dye worse than a newspaper editor making a crack about a senator's mother wearing army boots? Senators wield extremely little real power and are usually ignored by the Canadian public. If nothing else, Duffy has accomplished the rare feat of generating attention to what goes on in the chamber of sober second thought. In just a few weeks, Duffy has done more for the cause of Senate reform (if not outright abolition) than a whole newsroom full of wise-cracking editors.
But then I got to thinking...maybe the Duffster is on to something. Maybe there is a possible link between the use of hair dyes and a whole host of health problems.
It turns out that there is. And we still know remarkably little about the long-term effects of heavy hair-dye use. According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 2007:
"Previous studies have suggested an association of personal hair dye use with bladder and hematopoietic cancers. Risks for brain tumors are not well understood. The authors investigated associations between use of synthetic hair dyes and risk of brain tumors in a hospital-based case-control study. The study included adults newly diagnosed with glioma (n = 489), meningioma (n = 197), or acoustic neuroma (n = 96) between 1994 and 1998 at three urban US hospitals and 799 controls. Odds ratios were estimated and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using unconditional logistic regression. Detailed exposure histories were obtained by interview. There was no consistent pattern of elevated odds ratios for glioma, meningioma, or acoustic neuroma with use or prolonged use of permanent, semipermanent, temporary, or gradual hair dyes. Although use of permanent brown hair dye for 20 or more years was associated with glioma among women, the estimate was imprecise (odds ratio = 3.8, 95% confidence interval: 1.2, 12.5) and was based on just 13 exposed cases; thus, this could be a chance finding. Overall, there was little consistent evidence for an association of synthetic hair dye use with glioma, meningioma, or acoustic neuroma. However, prolonged use of dark-colored permanent dyes warrants further investigation given the high prevalence of hair dyeing."
For the full article, see: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/165/1/63
And here I was thinking that the Duffster's only contribution was bringing attention to the antics in the august chamber of Parliament. Not only has he (along with Curious George, of course) made a compelling case for Senate reform, he has also made a case for further research into the health effects of hair dye.
This one in particular stood out:
"Jeers: and while we're talking about Senators and hot air, can someone please convince Conservative Senator Mike Duffy to stop talking until he has something to say worth hearing? When asked about Senator Baker's "separatist" comments about in Ottawa last week, he made a crack to the effect that Baker's hair dye must be seeping into his brain. Is this what we're paying these people for? Gee, Senator Duffy, that's an intelligent, insightful observation. And your mother wears army boots."
I've already posted my response on their web site:
How is an unelected senator making a crack about hair dye worse than a newspaper editor making a crack about a senator's mother wearing army boots? Senators wield extremely little real power and are usually ignored by the Canadian public. If nothing else, Duffy has accomplished the rare feat of generating attention to what goes on in the chamber of sober second thought. In just a few weeks, Duffy has done more for the cause of Senate reform (if not outright abolition) than a whole newsroom full of wise-cracking editors.
But then I got to thinking...maybe the Duffster is on to something. Maybe there is a possible link between the use of hair dyes and a whole host of health problems.
It turns out that there is. And we still know remarkably little about the long-term effects of heavy hair-dye use. According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 2007:
"Previous studies have suggested an association of personal hair dye use with bladder and hematopoietic cancers. Risks for brain tumors are not well understood. The authors investigated associations between use of synthetic hair dyes and risk of brain tumors in a hospital-based case-control study. The study included adults newly diagnosed with glioma (n = 489), meningioma (n = 197), or acoustic neuroma (n = 96) between 1994 and 1998 at three urban US hospitals and 799 controls. Odds ratios were estimated and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using unconditional logistic regression. Detailed exposure histories were obtained by interview. There was no consistent pattern of elevated odds ratios for glioma, meningioma, or acoustic neuroma with use or prolonged use of permanent, semipermanent, temporary, or gradual hair dyes. Although use of permanent brown hair dye for 20 or more years was associated with glioma among women, the estimate was imprecise (odds ratio = 3.8, 95% confidence interval: 1.2, 12.5) and was based on just 13 exposed cases; thus, this could be a chance finding. Overall, there was little consistent evidence for an association of synthetic hair dye use with glioma, meningioma, or acoustic neuroma. However, prolonged use of dark-colored permanent dyes warrants further investigation given the high prevalence of hair dyeing."
For the full article, see: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/165/1/63
And here I was thinking that the Duffster's only contribution was bringing attention to the antics in the august chamber of Parliament. Not only has he (along with Curious George, of course) made a compelling case for Senate reform, he has also made a case for further research into the health effects of hair dye.
National Non-News News
This just in...
Liberals tone down election talk
The Canadian Press
March 6, 2009 at 1:33 PM EDT
OTTAWA — Liberals are dialling down the volume on the spring election answering machine. Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale says his party wants a time-out. They are offering their lunch money to avoid a fight with the Tory government over a $3-billion squishy fund aimed at quickly stimulating the sputtering government. He says that Harper is galactically wrong about everything and the Tories have an evil plan to destroy life as we know it, but the polling-winds are just not blowing hard enough right now. According to one expert strategist, "We've stuck our finger up and determined what's blowing where."
The Liberals plan to send a note during Monday's class to ask the government to reveal details about the secret AT-AT Election Walkers rumoured to be in production. They even plan to say pretty please and promise even more lunch money if Harper will agree. Mr. Goodale says they won't even debate the motion or force a vote on it until late March, giving Liberals and Conservatives several more weeks to do polling and get away to the Caribbean.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said the fund is a matter of confidence in his evil doom machine and has warned that opposition parties will find themselves banished to Hoth if they don't hand over the lunch-money before recess.
For further details, see today's Glib:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090306.wliberals0306/BNStory/politics/home
HUMINT Update:
Received via email a link to a report on the new Harpoid weapon:
"Forged at the Kuat Drive Yards, the same production facility that crafted the Empire's prodigious Imperial Star Destroyer, the AT-AT walker is the perfect embodiment of Imperial philosophy. It favors fear over function, as the immense craft is more a weapon of terror than a completely efficient combat vessel."
Fear over function...sure sounds like Harpoid. For a complete description, see:
http://www.starwars.com/databank/vehicle/atat/
Liberals tone down election talk
The Canadian Press
March 6, 2009 at 1:33 PM EDT
OTTAWA — Liberals are dialling down the volume on the spring election answering machine. Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale says his party wants a time-out. They are offering their lunch money to avoid a fight with the Tory government over a $3-billion squishy fund aimed at quickly stimulating the sputtering government. He says that Harper is galactically wrong about everything and the Tories have an evil plan to destroy life as we know it, but the polling-winds are just not blowing hard enough right now. According to one expert strategist, "We've stuck our finger up and determined what's blowing where."
The Liberals plan to send a note during Monday's class to ask the government to reveal details about the secret AT-AT Election Walkers rumoured to be in production. They even plan to say pretty please and promise even more lunch money if Harper will agree. Mr. Goodale says they won't even debate the motion or force a vote on it until late March, giving Liberals and Conservatives several more weeks to do polling and get away to the Caribbean.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said the fund is a matter of confidence in his evil doom machine and has warned that opposition parties will find themselves banished to Hoth if they don't hand over the lunch-money before recess.
For further details, see today's Glib:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090306.wliberals0306/BNStory/politics/home
HUMINT Update:
Received via email a link to a report on the new Harpoid weapon:
"Forged at the Kuat Drive Yards, the same production facility that crafted the Empire's prodigious Imperial Star Destroyer, the AT-AT walker is the perfect embodiment of Imperial philosophy. It favors fear over function, as the immense craft is more a weapon of terror than a completely efficient combat vessel."
Fear over function...sure sounds like Harpoid. For a complete description, see:
http://www.starwars.com/databank/vehicle/atat/
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Political Biology
Since 2003 different types of analysis have been used to understand Danvironment, some more successful than others. So I thought I'd apply a biological analysis to see if it yields any fruit.
A systematic biological analysis has produced a working taxonomy of five principal species:
1) Digitaria cruciata Burkeia (Crabgrass). This crabby organism is remarkably persistent, despite frequent use of media herbicides. It is arguably the least sophisticated of the grasses found in Dangarden, but what it lacks in intelligence it makes up for in guile. Studies of its growth pattern indicate that it cannot be induced to change its behaviour.
2) Gomphus clavatus Wisemanius (Mushroom). This fungus thrives when kept in the dark. Unlike crabgrass, it wilts when placed in sunlight and is vulnerable to media herbicides. Its intelligence is impossible to determine because it seems unable to remember anything, but it is effective at remaining in place. Studies of its growth pattern indicate that it responds to crises by going into stasis.
3) Trifolium repens Dunderdalia (Clover). This member of the pea family actually covers the most surface area in Dangarden. However, while it takes up considerable space, it's relatively inactive and does little to attract attention. Its green leaves blend in with its surroundings and, like crabgrass, it appears to be resistent to media herbicides. Studies of its growth pattern indicate that once entrenched across an area, it is nearly impossible to remove.
4) Ranunculus sceleratus Kennedyus (Buttercup). This brightly coloured flower is new to Dangarden, so it's unclear how it will thrive among the other plants. It is highly active and seems to enjoy the spotlight. Unlike the mushroom, it wilts when placed in the dark. Its bright yellow colour can rival the dandelion, which may prove fatal to its long-term viability. Studies of its growth pattern indicate that it is abrasive and combative, particularly when it grows near hospitals.
5) Taraxacum officinale Dannydius (Dandelion). This toxic plant is the most dominant and aggressive of all. It spreads at an alarming speed and, if left unchecked, can take over an entire assembly of plants. Despite its colourful and festive appearance, it is highly poisonous and can be fatal if consumed over more than two terms in power. Even when boiled before eaten, it produces serious intestinal disorders and brain cramps. Studies of its growth pattern indicate that it has become resistent to reality-based herbicides. Political biologists believe that this is due to its remarkable ability to soak up attention. The only known way to remove the dandelion successfully is to yank it out completely, along with its entire root system.
Observational notes from the field update:
It looks like it will be a good spring for the Dandelion, as it's now generating not only national editorial attention, but also archival national editorial attention:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090308.weArchive09/BNStory/specialComment/home
A systematic biological analysis has produced a working taxonomy of five principal species:
1) Digitaria cruciata Burkeia (Crabgrass). This crabby organism is remarkably persistent, despite frequent use of media herbicides. It is arguably the least sophisticated of the grasses found in Dangarden, but what it lacks in intelligence it makes up for in guile. Studies of its growth pattern indicate that it cannot be induced to change its behaviour.
2) Gomphus clavatus Wisemanius (Mushroom). This fungus thrives when kept in the dark. Unlike crabgrass, it wilts when placed in sunlight and is vulnerable to media herbicides. Its intelligence is impossible to determine because it seems unable to remember anything, but it is effective at remaining in place. Studies of its growth pattern indicate that it responds to crises by going into stasis.
3) Trifolium repens Dunderdalia (Clover). This member of the pea family actually covers the most surface area in Dangarden. However, while it takes up considerable space, it's relatively inactive and does little to attract attention. Its green leaves blend in with its surroundings and, like crabgrass, it appears to be resistent to media herbicides. Studies of its growth pattern indicate that once entrenched across an area, it is nearly impossible to remove.
4) Ranunculus sceleratus Kennedyus (Buttercup). This brightly coloured flower is new to Dangarden, so it's unclear how it will thrive among the other plants. It is highly active and seems to enjoy the spotlight. Unlike the mushroom, it wilts when placed in the dark. Its bright yellow colour can rival the dandelion, which may prove fatal to its long-term viability. Studies of its growth pattern indicate that it is abrasive and combative, particularly when it grows near hospitals.
5) Taraxacum officinale Dannydius (Dandelion). This toxic plant is the most dominant and aggressive of all. It spreads at an alarming speed and, if left unchecked, can take over an entire assembly of plants. Despite its colourful and festive appearance, it is highly poisonous and can be fatal if consumed over more than two terms in power. Even when boiled before eaten, it produces serious intestinal disorders and brain cramps. Studies of its growth pattern indicate that it has become resistent to reality-based herbicides. Political biologists believe that this is due to its remarkable ability to soak up attention. The only known way to remove the dandelion successfully is to yank it out completely, along with its entire root system.
Observational notes from the field update:
It looks like it will be a good spring for the Dandelion, as it's now generating not only national editorial attention, but also archival national editorial attention:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090308.weArchive09/BNStory/specialComment/home
Saturday, March 7, 2009
When Smart People Do Stupid Things
As hard as it is to imagine, Harpoid (yes, I just can't help myself) offers as target-rich an environment as his well-coiffed antagonist. We must give thanks that as sure as day follows night, nemesis follows hubris.
DW may think he's that nemesis but, as is so often the case in Canadian politics, truth is stranger than fiction. The truth is that Harpoid is his own worst enemy. He has enjoyed, practically from day one, the most hospitable political environment that any PM has faced since Sir John A. barfed on the stump.
But instead of exploiting his tremendous luck, or even enjoying it for a nano-second, he has repeatedly, inexplicably, and almost maniacally kicked himself in the poll-sensitive parts. The true reasons why Harpoid is so politically deaf may never be known, but I suspect it may have something to do with his Pepsi consumption.
Whatever the cause, this morning's Glib offers a new instalment of Ottawa's favourite game show, When Smart People Do Stupid Things: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090306.wuniversities7/BNStory/politics/home
Hhhmmm...let's see...just how many ways can we slice this hash? We could start with the constitution and the division of federal-provincial powers clearly enshrined in the BNA Act. We could consider how such an initiative will go down in vote-rich Quebec, for example, or urban Ontario. We could ponder how it will be viewed by the many fence-sitting voters (let's call them Harper Liberals) who fear the cultural jihadists lurking in the Reform wings of the party. And we could reflect on how it confirms widespread fears about the ideological pathology behind Harpoid's infrastructure plan.
But at the end of the day, we're simply left to marvel at the sheer idiocy. I'm sure that some Poindexter in the PMO told Harpoid that this will go over well with the double-double crowd who loathe latte-drinking literature professors. What the PMO doesn't seem to realize is that they have already maxed out on cultural jihadists. They already have the votes of the culture haters and they're not about to lose them to Ig.
So in the spirit of equal treatment for equal stupidity, I encourage you to apply the insights of John Cleese, whose wit suits Harpoid every bit as much as DW and the Sunshine Band:
http://www.whysanity.net/monos/wanda.html
We should give thanks that Harpoid seems so utterly unable to learn from his mistakes. Now if only Curious George could find another Man with the Yellow Hat to play with.
Told You So Update:
"My research and development includes humanities," Mr. Clement told reporters. What he forgot to say is "My PM is a tactical idiot."
Ah, yes, the fun of watching a news cycle eat its latest offering:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090310.wclement10/BNStory/politics/home
DW may think he's that nemesis but, as is so often the case in Canadian politics, truth is stranger than fiction. The truth is that Harpoid is his own worst enemy. He has enjoyed, practically from day one, the most hospitable political environment that any PM has faced since Sir John A. barfed on the stump.
But instead of exploiting his tremendous luck, or even enjoying it for a nano-second, he has repeatedly, inexplicably, and almost maniacally kicked himself in the poll-sensitive parts. The true reasons why Harpoid is so politically deaf may never be known, but I suspect it may have something to do with his Pepsi consumption.
Whatever the cause, this morning's Glib offers a new instalment of Ottawa's favourite game show, When Smart People Do Stupid Things: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090306.wuniversities7/BNStory/politics/home
Hhhmmm...let's see...just how many ways can we slice this hash? We could start with the constitution and the division of federal-provincial powers clearly enshrined in the BNA Act. We could consider how such an initiative will go down in vote-rich Quebec, for example, or urban Ontario. We could ponder how it will be viewed by the many fence-sitting voters (let's call them Harper Liberals) who fear the cultural jihadists lurking in the Reform wings of the party. And we could reflect on how it confirms widespread fears about the ideological pathology behind Harpoid's infrastructure plan.
But at the end of the day, we're simply left to marvel at the sheer idiocy. I'm sure that some Poindexter in the PMO told Harpoid that this will go over well with the double-double crowd who loathe latte-drinking literature professors. What the PMO doesn't seem to realize is that they have already maxed out on cultural jihadists. They already have the votes of the culture haters and they're not about to lose them to Ig.
So in the spirit of equal treatment for equal stupidity, I encourage you to apply the insights of John Cleese, whose wit suits Harpoid every bit as much as DW and the Sunshine Band:
http://www.whysanity.net/monos/wanda.html
We should give thanks that Harpoid seems so utterly unable to learn from his mistakes. Now if only Curious George could find another Man with the Yellow Hat to play with.
Told You So Update:
"My research and development includes humanities," Mr. Clement told reporters. What he forgot to say is "My PM is a tactical idiot."
Ah, yes, the fun of watching a news cycle eat its latest offering:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090310.wclement10/BNStory/politics/home
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