At Home in Hespeler

I got The Secret Mulroney Tapes for Christmas. In spite of the press it got, with half a dozen quotes being pulled out of a 300 page book to make Mulroney seem all that the press wants him to be, it’s loaded with political insights, stories and wisdom, not to mention a few good shots. Here’s a quote about Kim Campbell’s 1993 election campaign that sounded familiar:

In the inevitable post-mortems, her chief of staff and transition advisor, Bill Neville, shared with Mulroney an interesting anecdote, which he is only too pleased to pass on:
She just had no political instincts whatsoever, none. Can you imagine doing something like going into a campaign without a platform? Bill Neville attended a meeting where it was decided that they would have no platform. It was a formal decision, approved by the leader. Can you imagine how goddamned vain you’ve got to be to think in 1993, with all the difficulties we have, you can go to a great pluralistic democracy and ask them to vote for you without telling them what you’re going to do?

Now which sitting Prime Minister does that sound like?

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This story is actually about a week and a half old, but with Christmas &tc. I didn’t get to it. None the less it sat at the back of my mind until today. The story is Robert Plant helping Arizona-based charity that aids West African nomads. Now I get tired of filthy rich entertainers making all sorts strange pronouncements from their special spot in fantasy land. Bono telling the prime minister of a country he doesn’t even live in how to spend tax money one of the more special items on the list, but by no means the only one. This one is different. What Robert Plant did was release a 4 song EP, that he announced would be sold through his web page, with proceeds going to help “nomadic people in drought-stricken West Africa.” Simple enough, really. Don’t want to make that donation, don’t buy the disk. Want the disk bad enough, you know up front where the money is going. This isn’t Don Henley tacking $20.00 on to the price of already overpriced Eagles tickets to help some pet cause or another. This isn’t pronouncements on how you should vote/think from the stage, when you just spent $100 to hear some rich A**hole sing. This is an upfront simple transaction, and I have no problem with it. But…

If you are going to do this sort of thing, make it available. I myself bought this CD. Here’s what I had to do to get it. For a couple of weeks I kept an eye on the part of the Robert Plant homepage devoted to selling music.Here it is. See what’s there, Mighty Rearranger. The CD you can go to any CD store and buy. No charity CD. I watched this for a few weeks, then decided to be more proactive. But, the Robert Plant web site doesn’t have any contact information. None! Nobody to e mail and enquire where I can buy the CD. But, the site where Robert Plant sells it’s CDs out of Bravada, does. If you search their site, you still won’t find the CD, so I emailed them. Finally I get a link.

Moral of the story. When I read a paragraph like this:
Plant, former frontman for Led Zeppelin, had committed proceeds from a four-song CD by his band, Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation, but it failed to generate the royalties he had expected.

I wonder how many people wanted to buy this CD, but gave up instead. When you want to generate revenue, make it simple.

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From Bourque Newswatch:

BREAKING: GOODALE MAY QUIT Bourque has learned that embattled Finance Minister Ralph Goodale is being pressured to give up his Cabinet seat for an indeterminate period of time, this in light of devastating news first revealed to the nation here yesterday that the RCMP has launched a criminal investigation into leaks from his department regarding rulings relating to the growing income trust scandal. According to senior sources inside the Paul Martin Liberal Party who spoke on condition of anonymity, “the official party posture is that Ralph didn’t know anything and therefore shouldn’t have to resign, but the public perception is devastating, it’s killing us, and we need to move firmly to squelch the stink.” Incredibly, Prime Minister Paul Martin has refused to comment directly on news of the RCMP criminal probe, except to offer support for Goodale, blustering that “The RCMP has said there is no evidence of wrongdoing on Mr. Goodale’s behalf, his office or his department”, a comment that would seem to contradict RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli in his letter of December 23, where he states categorically that “based on information during the review, the RCMP will be commencing a criminal investigation”. All of which begs the question: if Martin is so sure the RCMP is not investigating Goodale and his Department, who does he think the RCMP is investigating, the PMO ? Meanwhile, Goodale is said to be reeling from the latest developments in this scandal. “A little rattled”, as blogger “Kate” put it at Small Dead Animals, noting that “Ralph is on local radio right now, repeating his assertions that he investigated himself to his own satisfaction.” His campaign team, according to one lifer who emailed Bourque, is said to be “dismayed and disillusioned” by the stunning turn of events. Further, fully 82% of those polled in a Bourque Barometer overnight say Goodale has no choice but to step aside. Developing.

The question is, will he jump, be pushed, or hang in there? A true team man would jump, but there is little of the “what’s good for the team” spirit in the latest Liberal incarnation. Will he be pushed. Maybe, but Martin can be stupidly loyal, and at very strange times. As a loyal Martinite, he may hang on, good for us Conservatives if he does. My guess, Martin will be convinced to let him go, lest the stink find it’s way to the PMO. Think it can’t, re read this line:

if Martin is so sure the RCMP is not investigating Goodale and his Department, who does he think the RCMP is investigating, the PMO ?

I for one will miss Mr. Goodale, if for no other reason than because ever since I started political writing in the spring, I have had fun with the name, calling him Skunkybeer, Waterylager &tc. I hate to see a dependable joke just up and resigning.

Find out more at:

angry in the great white north, Bourque, Political Staples and CTV’s David Akin’s.

Cross Posted to Cannuckistan Chronicles

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From Bourque Newswatch:

RCMP CRIMINAL PROBE INTO LIB GVT BREAKING: Bourque has learned that RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli has confirmed that the Paul Martin Liberal Government is under a criminal investigation over potential leaks stemming from decisions in Finance Minister Ralph Goodale‘s department relating to the multi-hundred million dollar Income Trust debable [sic]. This, stemming from an official complaint received by the RCMP from an NDP MP. Late today, the NDP indicated that Zaccardelli confirmed that the RCMP has “launched a criminal investigation “regarding a possible breach of security or illegal transfer of information in advance of the federal government’s announcement of changes to the taxation of Canadian corporate dividends and income trusts November 23, 2005.” The NDP MP who filed the complaint, Judy Wasylycia-Leis, today called on Liberal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale to step aside from his Cabinet role, until the criminal investigation is complete. According to the MP, “Goodale is personally responsible to ensure his office and his department protect average Canadians from the consequences of improper disclosure. “Goodale has stonewalled this issue for a month now, insisting without any qualification that there is nothing to this issue.” Developing.

Watch this story, it could be explosive!

More at Angry in the Great White North CTV and of course, Warren Kinsella

Update: Ralph Watery-Lager says no to resigning while under investigation proving that Greg Sorbora is not the least ethical finance minister of 2005.

Love this line in the CTV article ..Veterans Affairs Minister Albina Guarnieri said, “Ralph Goodale has impeccable integrity and I attribute all this to very nasty noise from the opposition.”

Who knew the RCMP was the opposition. These guys are starting to sound like two bit hoods. Which Liberal do you think will be the first to say “You’ll never take my career alive, Copper!”?

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Just toodling around and I discovered Andrew Coyne has been updating his blog recently. That’s good news, he is one of the best and his blog was one of the best. Find it here:

andrewcoyne.com

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The story is self explanatory, but here it is:

Canada new destination
of choice for pedophiles?
High court ruling legalized
group-sex clubs with 14-year-olds

Lines like this make me so happy:

A former consultant to three U.S. administrations, Reisman, who is also a WND columnist, says the court’s decision sends a clear message to pedophiles: “You don’t have to go to Asia anymore. Pedophiles can have the blond, blue-eyed kids in Canada, too.”

Isn’t that special? So is this:

Judith Reisman, a world-renowned scholar and author of four books, including “Kinsey: Crimes and Consequences,” said that since under Canadian law 14-year-olds are legally considered “consenting adults,” the court’s controversial decision “will now make Canada a sex traffic playground for pedophiles.”

The column really speaks for itself, which is good because I found it so distasteful it’s hard to comment on. I can only say I hope to god Mr. Lambert got it wrong.

Cross Posted to The Cannuckistan Chronicles

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How badly skewed is the ethics radar in this country where theft of hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money reduces a government to mere minority status? So skewed, that this is news:

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. Â? Federal NDP candidate Peg Norman received an offer she had to refuse from former TV chat show host Rosie O’Donnell.

Norman, who is running for the second time in the Newfoundland riding of St. John’s South-Mount Pearl, had to say no thanks to O’Donnell’s “generous” offer of a donation in the Jan. 23 election campaign because the actress isn’t a Canadian citizen.

Here’s the more salient facts:

The two women have known each other for several years. …
“We’ve kept in touch since then, so when she heard that I was running again in federal politics, she sent a donation,” says Norman.

There is literally no story here. O’Donnell wanted to donate to a woman she knows and admires but couldn’t due to Canadian law. Thus, donation returned. So why is it in every newspaper today?

Partly, of course, because O’Donnell is a celebrity. But lets face it, this is a story because a candidate did the right thing without consulting the lawyers, the ethics commissioner, the party leader, &tc. Just “Sorry, can’t take it.” I bet she could use it though.

Now, hands up everybody who thinks that if Ms. Norman was a Liberal, the party brass would have found a Canadian friend to filter the donation through? Yea, me too. And that’s why this is a story.

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This one’s from the Ottawa Sun. First the headline.

NDP ‘underdog’ nips at top Tory

Now the meat of the story:

…But make no mistake — if Canadian political history is anything to go by, giants will be slain on election night. After all, in the June 2004 vote, five Liberal cabinet ministers lost their seats.

UNFLAGGING OPTIMISM

That’s the kind of history NDP candidate Holly Heffernan points to when she’s asked about her chances of beating Conservative Leader Stephen Harper in his Calgary Southwest riding. In 2004, the previous NDP candidate trailed Harper by more than 32,000 votes…

So to get this straight, Ms. Heffernan has no hope of slaying Stephen Harper, and later in the story admits as much. So why is the stories headline NDP ‘underdog’ nips at Top Tory? Surely the story states the exact opposite.

Not really a case of bias, in my opinion, so much as bad headline writing: I even get the pun they’re after. But the headline leaves a very different impression than the story.

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Liberal’s Running Best Campaign?

So how are those campaigns going. According to a poll by the fine folks at CTV, so it must be true, the Liberals are running the best campaign:

While the media have been giving Stephen Harper credit for running a smooth campaign so far, Canadians are saying it is Paul Martin and the Liberals who have run the best campaign up to the Christmas break.

A quarter of Canadians think the Liberals have run the best campaign so far, while 23 per cent say it is the Conservatives, 16 per cent say the NDP and 10 per cent say the Bloc.

Note the headline “Martin’s Liberals running best campaign: poll” then the details: 25% for the Liberals, 23% for the Conservatives. But the poll is considered accurate within 2.5 points, so no, the Liberal’s are nor running the best campaign according to the poll. According to the poll it’s even.

keep moving folks, no bias to see here.

I guess the 24% never saw this:

This is from this, wonderful piece of work by “Mike Klander, a senior executive in the Liberal Party of Canada; Paul Martin’s senior leadership organizer in Ontario; the muscle the Grits sent in to roll over Sheila Copps in Hamilton in ’04; and riding-association president to Tony Ianno.” Inkless Wells has more, as does Stephen Taylor.

This one is just breaking, so look for some fireworks once the campaign re starts.

Cross Posted to The Cannuckistan Chronicles.

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