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Blog of Adam Daifallah -- author, journalist, law student. Lover of politics, writing, golf, curling, fitness, fashion, bacon and maple products -- not necessarily (but probably) in that order. Partisan of the Anglosphere. Contact me via email at adam@daifallah.com. This summer I am joined by Keir Wilmut and Omar Soliman.
Monday, March 29, 2004
The latest Conrad Black profile
"Black narcissi," a 7,000 word blow-by-blow account of the Conrad Black saga in London's Sunday Times by journalist Domenic Rushe is probably the best recounting of the whole thing I've read yet. Especially good considering it's published in a newspaper that Black has waged war with since he became the proprietor of the Daily Telegraph in the mid-1980s. Of course this piece isn't fair. Of course it is slanted against Black. Of course he quotes his enemies and even some supposed "friends" trashing him off-the-record. But that's par for the course these days. As far as a factual, chronological examination of what's gone on is concerned, though, this piece is well worth a read and seems reasonably straight up.
The main thought I have coming away from reading this is: What kind of "friend" is Hal Jackman supposed to be? This is about the third or fourth piece on Black I've seen where the former lieutenant-governor of Ontario is quoted. He's assailed Black each and every time with considerable gusto. Here are his contributions to the article:
-- "It was always going to end like this," says Henry Jackman, a former lieutenant general of Ontario. He has known Conrad Black for 30 years and the two are close. (Ed: I doubt they are now.)
-- "There is something very self-destructive about Conrad," says Jackman. "Why, I don't know. It's his central mystery."
-- "I think what we see is a pattern that caught up with him. He was a little too arrogant, too careless. He thought he was above all this pedestrian stuff, all these bloody lawyers. But he has a great sense of history — he should have known all this was predictable."
--"It's an odd thing to say," says Jackman, "but Conrad has all the characteristics of a parvenu. He needs to impress the people he is impressed by; everybody else can go hang. That, I think, is what has brought him down. Very odd, because, you know, he was not born above a shop."
-- Even now, said Henry Jackman, it appears Black believes there is a way out, a solution that will leave him on top. It's not a belief Jackman has much faith in. "Hitler in his bunker was moving around paper armies and talking about making a comeback," he says.
Hitler? Hitler? With friends like these...
Geesh.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:49 PM
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