Saturday, March 20, 2004
Conservative vote predictions
I'm going to be either very gutsy or very stupid (likely the latter) and make some vote predictions for today's Conservative leadership race. The speeches last night, which I saw live, were all good but are unlikely to really sway party members one way or another. So, here we go:
1st ballot results
Stephen Harper -- 58%
Belinda Stronach -- 30%
Tony Clement -- 11%
With 1% spoiled. Harper 1st ballot victory.
Back tonight or tomorow with a post-mortem.
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I'm going to be either very gutsy or very stupid (likely the latter) and make some vote predictions for today's Conservative leadership race. The speeches last night, which I saw live, were all good but are unlikely to really sway party members one way or another. So, here we go:
1st ballot results
Stephen Harper -- 58%
Belinda Stronach -- 30%
Tony Clement -- 11%
With 1% spoiled. Harper 1st ballot victory.
Back tonight or tomorow with a post-mortem.
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Thursday, March 18, 2004
Curling tidbits
So at the Bobcat Donspiel charity event on Tuesday, our team, skipped by the FAN 590's Don Landry beat Bob McCown's team 5-1. It was quite a thrill, especially with curling titan Wayne Middaugh on the other team (in fairness, we had Middaugh's third, Graeme McCarrel, on our team, who's arguably just as good a shooter. I played second and Rogers Sportsnet's Darren Millard was lead.) A good time was had by all and some decent dough was raised for charity at Bayview Country Club. They're hoping to make it an annual event.
Also, I see that the Conservative MP for Portage-Lisgar, Brian Pallister, has qualified for the Ontario Mixed Curling championship next month. Pallister was the 2001 Manitoba provincial mixed champion. Good luck.
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So at the Bobcat Donspiel charity event on Tuesday, our team, skipped by the FAN 590's Don Landry beat Bob McCown's team 5-1. It was quite a thrill, especially with curling titan Wayne Middaugh on the other team (in fairness, we had Middaugh's third, Graeme McCarrel, on our team, who's arguably just as good a shooter. I played second and Rogers Sportsnet's Darren Millard was lead.) A good time was had by all and some decent dough was raised for charity at Bayview Country Club. They're hoping to make it an annual event.
Also, I see that the Conservative MP for Portage-Lisgar, Brian Pallister, has qualified for the Ontario Mixed Curling championship next month. Pallister was the 2001 Manitoba provincial mixed champion. Good luck.
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So glad to see another blogger...
...is a curling fan! My National Post colleague and ubiquitous newsman, Colby Cosh.
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...is a curling fan! My National Post colleague and ubiquitous newsman, Colby Cosh.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2004
The future of the Daily Telegraph
The sage and recently-retired editor of the Daily Telegraph, Charles Moore, has an important essay in the latest issue of Britain's Spectator magazine (registration is required) about the inevitable sale of the newspaper he formerly edited by its owner, Hollinger International. Moore has banded together with four other senior editorial staff from the Telly to offer a gentle admonition to the investment bank handling the auction, Lazards. Their message: do not, in the rush to sell the print property to the highest bidder, forsake the historical political leanings, the unique editorial voice or the quality of the paper. I hope Lazards will heed that advice.
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The sage and recently-retired editor of the Daily Telegraph, Charles Moore, has an important essay in the latest issue of Britain's Spectator magazine (registration is required) about the inevitable sale of the newspaper he formerly edited by its owner, Hollinger International. Moore has banded together with four other senior editorial staff from the Telly to offer a gentle admonition to the investment bank handling the auction, Lazards. Their message: do not, in the rush to sell the print property to the highest bidder, forsake the historical political leanings, the unique editorial voice or the quality of the paper. I hope Lazards will heed that advice.
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Monday, March 15, 2004
Good eyes
Paul Tuns points out the irony of US-based leftist rag The Nation using a Canadian writer to write an article bashing outsourcing. Good one!
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Paul Tuns points out the irony of US-based leftist rag The Nation using a Canadian writer to write an article bashing outsourcing. Good one!
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Sunday, March 14, 2004
What a Brier final!
Well, it may have been a boring week of curling but the final was far from it. That might have been the best Brier final ever! What a comeback by the Mark Dacey rink. For those who didn't watch it or don't like curling, the underdogs (Dacey) were down four points with three ends to go against the three-time defending champions and favourites (Randy Ferbey) and they took three points in the 8th end, and then three in the tenth for a huge, shocking come-from-behind win. Great to see a new team hoist the tankard, especially after losing the final to the same team last year. Congrats to Team Dacey.
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Well, it may have been a boring week of curling but the final was far from it. That might have been the best Brier final ever! What a comeback by the Mark Dacey rink. For those who didn't watch it or don't like curling, the underdogs (Dacey) were down four points with three ends to go against the three-time defending champions and favourites (Randy Ferbey) and they took three points in the 8th end, and then three in the tenth for a huge, shocking come-from-behind win. Great to see a new team hoist the tankard, especially after losing the final to the same team last year. Congrats to Team Dacey.
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Rod Love calls the kettle black
If this isn't the biggest joke of a newspaper column I don't know what is. Rod Love, writing a puff piece promoting Belinda Stronach in today's Calgary Herald, writes of "The Club" that has overtaken Ottawa.
The Club's membership is made up of lifers -- people who have spent almost their entire adult lives playing the federal political game. Liberal MPs, entrenched bureaucrats, media conglomerates, lobbyists, and of course the constant parade of experts and analysts on TV and radio talk shows who comment endlessly on the Ottawa scene, but who are, of course, part of it....While the faces of the members in the Club change over time, the Club culture and its raison d'etre remain the same: to preserve and defend the Ottawa Way of Doing Things....That is why I am voting for Belinda, and have been proud to assist on her national campaign team....She is running against the Club.
Please. He's voting for Belinda because she's paying him the big bucks. Rod Love does not work for free. This is what he does for a living. The irony here is that if the Conservatives ever win power in Ottawa, Love will be (or will at least try to be) the Conservative equivalent of Earnscliffe Group. He's pretty much the Alberta version of Earnscliffe right now because of his closeness to Ralph Klein.
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If this isn't the biggest joke of a newspaper column I don't know what is. Rod Love, writing a puff piece promoting Belinda Stronach in today's Calgary Herald, writes of "The Club" that has overtaken Ottawa.
The Club's membership is made up of lifers -- people who have spent almost their entire adult lives playing the federal political game. Liberal MPs, entrenched bureaucrats, media conglomerates, lobbyists, and of course the constant parade of experts and analysts on TV and radio talk shows who comment endlessly on the Ottawa scene, but who are, of course, part of it....While the faces of the members in the Club change over time, the Club culture and its raison d'etre remain the same: to preserve and defend the Ottawa Way of Doing Things....That is why I am voting for Belinda, and have been proud to assist on her national campaign team....She is running against the Club.
Please. He's voting for Belinda because she's paying him the big bucks. Rod Love does not work for free. This is what he does for a living. The irony here is that if the Conservatives ever win power in Ottawa, Love will be (or will at least try to be) the Conservative equivalent of Earnscliffe Group. He's pretty much the Alberta version of Earnscliffe right now because of his closeness to Ralph Klein.
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