|
Thursday December 15, 2005
What Harper said
Well, this is a bit lame. Frankly, it’s a pretty lousy speech – Harper’s attempt at a light-hearted right-wing crash course on Canada makes him come off sort of like the poor man’s Mark Steyn. But if the Liberals are hoping it’ll throw the Tories’ campaign off course, I have my doubts.
Before long, of course, they’ll also be trying to milk this - or elements therein - for all it’s worth. Again, I’m not sure it’ll be all that effective. But this one at least makes for interesting reading – a peek inside Harper’s brain, and a relatively recent one at that.
Personally, this sort of thing mostly serves to reinforce that I have no idea what result I should be hoping for on January 23. I’d hate to see the re-election of a party so bereft of ideas that it can’t tell us why we should vote for it – only why we shouldn’t vote for Harper. But I’d be lying if I said I really want a PM who apparently thinks (or at least thought) Canada is in the midst of “a descent into nihilism” and that it’s his job to battle “a rebellion against all forms of social norm and moral tradition in every aspect of life.”
On the bright side, at least the Tories' new TV spot is legitimately spiffy.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
What Harper's saying
Fixed election dates – good. An elected Senate – badly flawed, as Wells points out, but at least good in principle. But what’s up with telling parties how to run their nominations?
Although I can see the odd case where an appointment might be justified, I’d certainly prefer that any party I belonged to required all candidates to be democratically chosen. But that’s the party’s decision to make – not the government’s on its behalf. In fact, if a party wanted to appoint all of its candidates, I still don’t see why the law should prevent it from doing so.
I understand scoring points – especially in certain ridings where local unrest might elect a Conservative candidate – by highlighting the way your party does things differently from the Liberals. But that still doesn’t justify bad policy.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
Meet PAD
Tart Cider beat me to it. But we should just start calling it People Against Drinking and be done with it.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
Wednesday December 14, 2005
Second verse, same as the first just a little bit worse
Not to pick on anyone taking the time to write for our paper. But the degree to which John Duffy pulled out all the stops in yesterday’s attack on Harper - not just Iraq, not just gay marriage, but abortion, for crying out loud – suggests that those rumours about the Liberals’ internal polling have more than a grain of truth to them. You just don’t get this nasty this early unless you’re starting to hit the panic button.
Thing is, the Liberals are starting to head onto the same turf as the Ontario Tories in ’03. Run the same campaign twice, and you’re liable to blow yourselves up rather than your opponents. The Conservatives assumed Dalton McGuinty hadn’t gotten better between elections, and they paid the price for it. I’m starting to think the Martinites might soon run into the same problem.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
Sell-out chatter begins in 3...2...1...
When Beck opened for the Stones at the ACC this fall, the baby boomers filling most of the seats had little idea who he was and clearly wanted him to be on his merry way ASAP. So I have no idea what kind of reception Metric is going to get. But big ups to them regardless. Opening for the Stones at MSG, for two nights no less, is still a pretty massive honour for a Canadian indie band. And I have a feeling they’ll make the most of it.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
And remember...list season is only getting started
The results are in at the Pop (All Love) bloggers’ poll, and Wolf Parade comes out on top. In case you’re wondering, my votes (in descending order) were Fembots, Deadly Snakes, Metric and K’Naan.
At least, I think that was the order. I might be wrong. In any event, truth be told I’m more entertained by my colleague’s willingness to engage in a little sacred cow-tipping.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
Poster boys
As part of their very noble Stop the Violence campaign, the Argos – or their defence, at least – have put out posters of themselves posing in a courtroom. They’re perfect for schools and community centres and what-not, but naturally I bought a couple anyway. If you want to do likewise, let me know and I’ll point you in the right direction.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
Monday December 12, 2005
Handguns and cheapshots
As indicated in Friday's column (now here, although it turns out this one was available free on the Post's site all along), I think Martin's handgun announcement was nothing more than a sop to his middle-class base and an insult to those actually living in violence-ravaged neighbourhoods. But that being said, the Liberals' opponents are starting to get a little carried away.
The feds may not be doing enough to stop gun violence. But they're even less responsible for it than the other two levels of government - and I'm not crazy about simplistically scapegoating David Miller or anyone else for this, either. There's something a bit gross about trying to score political points while bodies are still warm, not that that’s been stopping anyone lately.
Anyway, bad enough that the violence blame game is in full throttle. Worse that the Tories are spreading misinformation with lines about the Liberals having "overseen an increase in crime rates across the country". The numbers don't lie, although I expect I'll be getting 25 different explanations as to why they do.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
Fun with Dollah Bill, Sheriff Gonna Getcha and the rest of the people living in Clinton Portis' head
In recent weeks, I've unexpectedly become a bit of a fan of the Washington Redskins - not for the racist name or the washed-up quarterback, but because of the truly unusual Clinton Portis.
I'm not sure if Portis is a genius for coming up with a way of making weekly media conferences entertaining, or if he's just out of his mind. But either way, I'm kind of wishing I was a sports reporter in D.C. right about now.
For a short version of what he's up to, Deadspin is your friend. But if you want to experience Portis' evolution in all its glory, go to the Redskins' multimedia page, start with his media address on October 12 - when he was still completely, boringly normal – and then watch what's become of him each week since.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
Grammys, you've been served
Interested in the Grammys? Me neither...which is why you might find Friday's column on the subject of interest.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
Friday December 9, 2005
Harper dodges a bullet
Much as I'm generally good with gun control, I wasn't a fan of Martin's handgun announcement yesterday - mostly because I don't like seeing residents of down-and-out neighbourhoods used as props to woo middle-class voters. I could go on, but today's Post column covers it pretty well, and I really should be encouraging you to buy the paper so I can keep my job. If you refuse to do so, I'll post it here in a day or two.
The one thing I didn't get into the column, though, is this: As much as he has any other time so far in the campaign (and he's generally been pretty good), Stephen Harper proved yesterday that he's smarter than the Liberals think.
Clearly, the handgun ban was supposed to be a wedge issue, which the Liberals desperately need since gay marriage is pretty well over and done with. But for it to work for them, they needed Harper to respond to their announcement by aligning himself with gun owners - rambling about property rights or government intrusion. Instead, he implied that he more or less supports a handgun ban, then leveled the very legitimate criticism that the Liberals' proposal is all show, since handguns are already pretty close to being banned now.
There'll be more traps along the way, and Harper may yet fall in one. But the Liberals are going to have to work a little harder than they evidently expected.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
Does this mean the next album will be more overblown?
The one upside of yesterday's Grammy nominations: Coldplay isn't up for much.
This raises an interesting question. Is Coldplay too cool for the Grammys, or are the Grammys too cool for Coldplay? Discuss.
Personally, I'd have thought they deserve each other. But that's just me.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
Thursday December 8, 2005
Housekeeping
Tuesday's brief column on why the NDP should be thanking Buzz Hargrove - kind of an extension of a posting here a few days ago - is now here. And on the music front, the same day's similarly brief piece on The Duke Spirit is here. Get 'em while they're hot.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
Wednesday December 7, 2005
Hot Aussie action
So last Friday, I had both a column critical of Stephen Harper (now here) and a review of the new, reality TV-approved INXS album (now here) in the Post. Which one do you suppose elicited the most hostile e-mail?
You guessed it. It was a little long, so here's my favourite part (aside from being called "semi-deplorable"):
"And with Fortune handling the sexy part (his ageing bandmates, not so much..." Whoa, hold on there a minute! Since you are a guy, I'm gonna give you a little slack, but how in the world can you say that the rest of the band isn't sexy? Have you even bothered to do a survey of females on that score? Have you checked out any of the meet & greets, autograph signings, mini-concerts, television shows, to note that women are falling all over the place for the rest of the band? Go online sometime and check out the INXS chat boards (there's quite a few of them now) and note how many women are stating that the rest of the band is all kinds of hot! Even moreso with age. Sure, they're not so hot if you are in your early 20s or a teenager, but that's not really their audience now is it? Each and everyone of those lovely gentlemen is totally sexy and hot. I've had the pleasure of meeting them twice recently and can tell you from first hand experience...Jon, Garry, Kirk, Andrew and Tim could make any woman melt. (Especially Kirk...ictures have never done him justice)."
Now, normally I don't use this space to link to pictures of hot celebrities; you can find those on your own time. But for Kirk Pengilly – who, as I'd hoped, is indeed the one with the soul patch - I'll make an exception. So here you go. Ladies, try not to all melt at once.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
Tuesday December 6, 2005
Ignatieff, Take 2
I've generally assumed that Paul Martin sticks around if the Liberals win, even if it's just a minority, and heads for the hills if they lose, even if they could return to power relatively soon. So I wouldn't have thought there was much use for him in derailing potential challengers; either he's gone or he isn't. But based on a bunch of e-mails I've received the past few days, some Liberals are evidently of the impression that he's busy derailing them anyway - or at least that Littler & Co. are doing so on his behalf.
Is it true that the Martinites deliberately found Ignatieff a disastrous riding, or at least refused to find him a good one, so that his would-be leadership campaign would be dead in the water? There's no way of knowing for sure. But an awful lot of Liberals seem to think that's the case.
I'd like to think they'd be smart enough not to undermine the party's interests by letting their paranoia get the better of them in the middle of a campaign. But Lord knows it wouldn't be the first time...
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
Sunday December 4, 2005
Addition by subtraction?
New Democrats probably don't feel this way right now, but I wonder if Buzz Hargrove's abandonment of their party isn't a blessing in disguise for it. Beneficial though it once was, the NDP's relationship with organized labour probably does it more harm than good at this point.
Truth is, union leaders have little influence on how rank-and-file members vote - and since those members are now mostly middle class suburbanites, they're not really the NDP's demographic. So really, the only thing unions can deliver is manpower, in the form of assistance from hard-core members during campaigns.
Meanwhile, unions maintain a disproportionate share of control over the New Democrats' internal decisions, especially when it comes to choosing new leaders. And the party's affiliation with organized labour is a turnoff to other voters who might consider supporting them.
Obviously, the shift by Hargrove - who's been heading in this direction for years anyway - isn't going to abruptly end the longstanding relationship. But it helps get the ball rolling in that direction, which means the NDP might eventually owe him a debt of gratitude.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
The joy of low expectations
For reasons I won't bore you with, I didn't make it to last night's Fembots event at the Royal Cinema. But I did get a chance to give Brendan Benson a second chance at the Horseshoe, which turned out better than expected.
Benson's gig at Lee's earlier this year seemed half-assed, which was pretty disappointing since I'd been looking forward to seeing him since hearing Lapalco years earlier. But last night's was exactly what I'd been hoping for the first time - tight, energetic, intermittently light-hearted power-pop. Maybe it helped that this was the final show on their tour, but he and his band were in a whole different zone than they were last time.
As a side-note, the one constant between the two shows was the same exuberant fan at the foot of the stage hopping up and down, pumping his fists, waving his arms, clapping his hands and generally acting like he was witnessing the Second Coming. Full credit to the dude for good taste and all, but I've rarely seen an act light on testosterone earn such a frenzied male response.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
Friday December 2, 2005
Givin' that high-falootin' perfesser the what-for
As per yesterday's posting, much of Michael Ignatieff's current woes are the result of the Martinites getting far too cute with the nominations process. That being said, I find the degree of glee over the rough ride that he's getting embarrassing.
Yeah, yeah...I get it. Snooty Harvard guy comes back home and the locals take him down a peg. Bully for us.
It'd all be very cute if we were some small town in the American south and he'd just arrived from New York thinking he was all superior. But are we really so insecure as a country that we need to make life difficult for smart folks who've made a name for themselves abroad and want to return home to make a difference here?
Hey, if you're happy with the quality of representation we currently have in Ottawa, then no worries. But if you're prone to wondering aloud why most of our politicians are so mediocre...well, here's your answer.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
When did I stop hating country music?
Maybe I was just in a keep-it-simple kinda mood, but I much preferred Wayne Petti's acoustic, country-folk opening set to Islands' more orchestral headlining one at the Drake last night.
On a semi-related note, to the hipster guy ironically wearing a trucker cap and his hipster girl ironically wearing fur, both ironically hooting during Petti's set: You are, as Willie Brown once said of Elvis Grbac, an embarrassment to humankind.
>> Send your comments to
Adam Radwanski
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
Site best viewed using Internet Explorer
Reproduction of material from any AdamRadwanski.com page without prior explicit permission is strictly prohibited.
© Design and Content 2004
All rights reserved.
|
