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Radwanski's Ramblings... Fun with Ontario Liberals (I) To me, the weirdest thing about Gerard Kennedy going federal isn't that he's giving up a great government job for an unlikely shot at an opposition one - it's that he's apparently giving up his provincial seat to do so. Leaving the provincial cabinet was a must, and good on McGuinty for expediting the process to ensure Ontario has a full-time education minister. But there's no reason Kennedy couldn't have held onto his riding, with the understanding he'd go back into cabinet again if things didn't work out nationally. My understanding is that Kennedy genuinely believed he'd be letting down his riding if he held onto it without being able to actually spend time there. That sounds like spin, but if you know the guy it's actually pretty believable. Gerard has a reputation for being brutal on his staff, and in part that's because he's completely obsessed with ensuring that every constituent feels he's at their disposal. (It's also probably because he's a control freak, but that's a different matter.)
Kennedy's unwillingness to behave like a normal politician, epitomized by this decision, is precisely what his supporters love about him; it's also what gets on the nerves of his critics. It'll be interesting to see which he has more of at the federal level. Fun with Ontario Liberals (II) Noticed how, even with the Liberals practically begging worthy candidates to enter the race, absolutely nobody has thrown David Peterson's name out there? Not that he's bitter or anything... What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, except the hangover How good a job did Sin City do of chewing me up and spitting me out? So good that I didn't even have the energy to re-post last Friday's column (the Tony Blair/V for Vendetta one) until now. (For the record, I went with the more family-friendly play on everyone's favourite tourism slogan. I could have gone with the one offered by a slightly crusty septugenarian craps dealer - "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, except the VDs" - but I didn't want to completely oversell last weekend's level of debauchery.) Gone bachelorin' Another brief hiatus here, until early in the week. Junos, you ask? Er, not exactly. Vegas, for my bachelor party. And unlike in Austin, I don't plan to keep a running blog. In the meanwhile, here's yesterday's profile of The Elected, the side-project of Rilo Kiley's Blake Sennett. For those without an obsessive interest in indie music, today's column - on why V for Vendetta is more relevant as an attack on Blair than Bush - will offer a little more value. But if you want to read it in the next few days, you'll have to actually drop those hard-earned quarters. Feel the urban (note: "urban" meant literally, not euphemistically) In addition to my usual stuff (federal politics, music festivals, Kirby Puckett), it looks like I'm going to be doing a semi-regular Toronto column for the Post. To get things rolling, here's yesterday's on the proposed curfew. I'm hoping, with these, to spend less time on municipal politicians and more on the local issues that actually affect people. Not just the sort of stuff that prompts community meetings, either - I want to actually have a bit of fun with this. Hopefully, it'll be the younger, downtown version of those suburban 905 columns that occasionally turn up written by soccer moms. Anyway, point is, the best way for me to seem in the know is for everyone else to make it so. So if you live in Toronto and something catches your eye, drop me a note and let me know about it. Please...don't make me resort to just telling you what grinds my gears. Great minds, Pt II As promised here's yesterday's column on why the meek shall inherit the Liberal Party. Original analysis when I wrote it, at least, and something I may or may not stand by nine-odd months from now. One opinion for the price of two Via Wells, I just discovered a piece by Joan Bryden on the Liberal leadership. I agree wholeheartedly with the analysis - which will come as little surprise if you've seen today's Post, since I pretty much reach the same conclusion in today's column . I didn't see hers beforehand, and I know she didn't see mine. Just great minds thinking alike, I guess. Torturous reading Say this much for Michael Ignatieff...he's probably the only leadership candidate in history who's put out something like this while campaigning. It's all very worthy. But no matter how touchy the subject matter, I hope for his sake he won't tie himself into such knots answering questions on the hustings. Random music notes Great minds, Pt II As promised here's yesterday's column on why the meek shall inherit the Liberal Party. Original analysis when I wrote it, at least, and something I may or may not stand by nine-odd months from now. Friday March 24, 2006 Blast from the past The much-discussed Sheila Copps event at the King Eddy was a bit of a nostalgia trip for me...so many faces I hadn't seen in years, some since my Liberal days - and those ended six years ago. Anyway, you have to give Dennis Mills credit. He constantly comes up with these wacky schemes - SARS concert, anyone? - and shocks everyone by pulling them off. In this case, did anyone really think a couple months ago that the way to bring the Liberals back together was by feting Sheila Copps? And yet, it worked out pretty perfectly...unless you were a staunch Martinite, I guess, in which case the casual Martin-bashing (even by some of his former supporters) in virtually every conversation I encountered would've hurt. As for the leadership contenders, all of them were doing pretty much what you'd expect, except Belinda who was doing whatever it is she does somewhere else. Scott Brison, whose decision to soldier on looked a bit better after an endorsement from the Young Liberals of Canada president yesterday, probably looked the most comfortable working a room. But amazingly, Gerard Kennedy wasn't all that far behind. I still haven't quite wrapped my head around why he's running, but he certainly seems to be. The more I look at all these guys, the more I have a sneaking suspicion Ken Dryden could easily emerge as the consensus choice at the convention. I'm not saying that'd be a good thing. Just that, as McGuinty proved a decade (!) ago, inoffensiveness is a huge asset when you get to the third or fourth ballot. >> Send your comments to Adam RadwanskiProgramming I've plugged these guys before, but I'll do it again. If you're at loose ends in Toronto tomorrow night, head down to the Horseshoe and check out The Old Soul. Way more fun live than on disc, and they're still pretty fun on disc. And wherever you are, track down the M's' Future Women (the track, not the album), the Cribs' The Wrong Way to Be and the Duke Spirit's Hello to the Floor and The Elected's Not Going Home. Completely unrelated songs, except that they've all been stuck in my head since SXSW. Oh, and the entire Two Gallants album. Get that. Go seem them at the Silver Dollar next month, too. Just about the best two-person band that's not candy-coloured. >> Send your comments to Adam RadwanskiPaging Frances Lankin Sitting in the provincial budget lockup yesterday, I had a couple of moments of moderate guilt. Dwight Duncan had addressed reporters, John Tory had done likewise, and I thought we were done with the Q&As. Then they started setting up the podium again, and I realized I'd completely forgotten about Howard Hampton. Then Hampton started talking, and I remembered why I usually ignore him. One of the great mysteries of Ontario politics is how, even with the NDP's thin supply of talent, this guy is headed into his third election as leader. Hampton has only one tone - shrill - and after about a minute-and-a-half the only option is to tune him out. In one particularly embarrassing sequence yesterday, Hampton - who, like John Tory, is trying desperately to piggyback on the federal income trust scandal - called on Duncan to bring in the OPP to investigate budget leaks. When a reporter asked precisely what criminal offence they'd be investigating, he was flummoxed. After considerable stuttering, he finally blurted out that the government should be taking the initiative by bringing in the OPP as an independent body to investigate. Huh? Put it this way: If you don't understand what a police force does, you probably shouldn't be leading a major party. As for what the budget meant for the two parties not run by Howard Hampton, today's column covers that. I'll have it up here eventually. >> Send your comments to Adam RadwanskiRadwanski's Ramblings from March 10-23, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from February 24-March 9, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from February 10-23, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from February 3-9, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from January 27-February 2, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from January 20-26, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from January 13-19, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from December 30, 2005-January 12, 2006 Radwanski's Ramblings from December 16-29, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from December 2-15, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from November 18-December 1, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from November 4-17, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from October 28-November 3, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from October 21-27, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from October 7-20, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from September 23-October 6, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from September 9-22, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from September 2-8, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from August 19-September 1, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from August 5-18, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from July 22-August 4, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from July 15-21, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from July 8-14, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from July 1-7, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 24-30, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 16-23, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 10-16, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 3-9, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from May 20-June 2, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from May 13-19, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 29-May 12, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 22-28, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 8-21, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 1-7, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from March 25-31, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from March 18-24, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from March 11-17, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from February 25-March 10, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from February 11-24, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from January 28-February 10, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from January 14-27, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from December 31, 2004-January 13, 2005 Radwanski's Ramblings from December 17-30, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from December 3-16, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from November 19-December 2, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from November 5-18, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from October 22-November 4, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from October 8-21, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from September 24-October 7, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from September 17-23, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from September 3-16, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from August 20-September 2, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from August 6-19, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from July 23-August 5, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from July 16-22, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from July 9-15, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 25-July 8, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 18-24, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 11-17, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from June 4-10, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from May 28-June 3, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from May 21-27, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from May 14-20, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from May 7-13, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 23-May 6, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 16-22, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 9-15, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from April 2-8, 2004 Radwanski's Ramblings from March 26-April 1, 2004 All rights reserved. |