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.
Indeed, Andrew was one of the last remaining holdouts. We're actually reaching a point now where almost all of the original Post staffers are gone. Yet the paper continues to publish what can only be considered a miraculously good product given its tight budget constraints (and I'm not just saying that because they still publish an occasional article by me.) But Andrew, having done this same job for nine years, was obviously ready for a change.
I'm sad for the Post, as I am when all good staff leave it. Two of my former bosses, who are amongst the best people I have ever worked with, Natasha Hassan and John Geiger, are both at the Globe now, as are my former colleagues Gerald Owen and Adam Radwanski. When you have worked at the Post, you develop an intense loyalty to it. That feeling is present amongst almost almost all former staff. That paper has been through so much and beaten the odds for so long. Most people thought it would have closed years ago, but it trudges on.
Anyway, I'm happy for Macleans and especially for Andrew, because he'll be reunited with many of his good friends there, like Paul Wells. If you aren't a subscriber yet, you're missing out.
Last Saturday I attended the annual Press Gallery Dinner for the first time. I had not expected this to be a great event, since there was a unofficial boycott by the Conservative Party (in the end, two cabinet ministers and about five MPs showed up) but the evening exceeded my expectations. Stéphane Dion's speech, which was characteristically poorly delivered, was actually pretty self-deprecating and funny. His writers deserve some credit. It was only mildly well-received -- that was clear from reading the body language of some of the Liberals sitting near me, including Justin Trudeau and Senator Jim Munson. The best act of the evening was the Quebec group Les Zapartistes, who did a hilarious impression of Stephen Harper speaking in French.
Despite the Conservative's stance on this dinner, I think it is a fun event and an important tradition and I was glad I attended.
Watching Canadian Conservative parties lose elections is like a young child watching his favourite tragic movie: Despite the sad ending, he hopes that this time, it will turn out differently.
Here's how the story goes: the Conservatives pick a leader deemed moderate and likeable. Said leader is expected to cruise to victory in the next election. Said leader will not propose much policy and will not draw clear distinctions with the Liberals. Said leader will win based on personality. Said leader runs on the "vote for me, I'm like the Liberals but nicer" mantra. Said leader loses.
John Tory's defenders have identified a new culprit for Oct. 10's disastrous election results: his senior advisors. That would be John Laschinger, Harry Near, et al -- the men who elected Bill Davis all those times. According to MPP Lisa Macleod:
"We need to keep John around as leader. Our priority as a party should be replacing some people around him who have not served him well and we need to put together a plan, between the caucus and the party, to move forward for the next four years," she said.
With respect to Lisa, Mr. Tory was the man who chose to put those individuals in place. Leaders are responsible for the people they surround themselves with. If those people prove to be bad, we do not exonerate the leader for having chosen them. The bucks stops with him.
I understand that Mr. Tory inspires a great deal of loyalty amongst those who know him. I can understand why, as I've worked with that kind of person a couple of times myself. He's the rare kind of politician who is nice, works hard and cares a lot about the team rather than just himself. That said, one of the main factors I'm hearing for why people want him to stay is that they just don't want another leadership race.
That seems odd. If there were ever a time when the PCs could afford to go through a bloodletting, it would be now. They have four years of majority Liberal government to endure. They can afford to spend six months or a year tearing themselves apart, talking policy and electing a new leader and will have plenty of time to recuperate in time for 2011. These processes tend not to be pretty, but now is as good a time as any.
Last week was the first week of Drew Carey as host of The Price is Right. Interestingly, the show is remaining virtually unchanged. The theme song is a bit different, but not that noticeably, and the games and entrance and format all identical. I think he's going to be a great successsor to Bob Barker.
Another attempt to create good news for the Liberal Party: After months of speculation and rumours, Stephane Dion is finally going to appoint Marc Garneau in Westmount Ville-Marie.
As an inhabitant of the riding, I admit to being ambivalent about this (although there were many worse choices) but I sort of pity the local Liberals, who have seen Ottawa impose on them a "star" from on-high twice in a row now. Alas, several good people were lining up to run for a contested nomination. At least Garneau actually lives in the riding. Lucienne Robillard, who in more than a decade as MP, never moved there from Chambly.
Pity may be a strong word, but it's the best one I can think of. I also pity Stephane Dion. No schadendfreude here. OK, maybe it's a bit comforting to finally see someone on the Liberal side going through what he's going through after seeing it so many times on the right. But I sympathise with the plight of any political leader who is constantly being hounded by the media, day after day, as they search for a new story to continue pushing their "he can't do anything right" narrative. Stockwell Day is the best example of this. Stephen Harper was there in 2005 for a bit. Harper pulled through, and so will Dion.
Great Throne Speech. (Except for the self-congratulatory babble about "sharing across regions" being a national virtue that should be exported abroad.) A few things that particularly stuck out: how this government has mastered the use of language to its advantage, the emphasis on our men and women in uniform, the tough-on-crime stuff and the emphasis on the North as a symbol of national pride. If they follow through on these commitments, this session of parliament should produce some solid results. If there isn't an election, that is.
I wanted to wait a few days before posting anything in-depth about the Ontario election results. My comments on election night might have been construed as being a bit harsh, and I thought with the benefit of some sober second thinking I might change my mind. I've been surprised to see amount of support popping up for him, although most of it is from predictable sources. Even pro-Tory websites are popping up. But I haven't changed my mind.
John Tory is a great man and an outstanding citizen. But his results on election night are indefensible. He did worse than Ernie Eves in 2003 and didn't even win his own seat.
There are cases of leaders losing badly and staying on for the next election (Dalton McGuinty, Robert Stanfield and John Turner come to mind) but these leaders didn't lose their own seat. If memory serves, Alberta Premier Don Getty lost his own seat in an election once, but he still won government. I'm trying and failing to think of a Canadian example that mirrors what happened to John Tory where the leader subsequently stayed for another election. He could stay on for a while to get things in order -- particularly given his superb fundraising abilities -- but he should not stay on for the 2011 campaign.
News of the Standard's demise had been rumored for some time, but intensified when editor-in-chief Kevin Libin left for the National Post and when his replacement, Joe Woodard, lasted a matter of weeks before being replaced by Ezra himself. (The final editor of the magazine ended up being Matthew Stuart, whose reign was quite short.)
Enemies of balance in the media will cheer this news, others like myself with mourn.
Each time a conservative publication starts, you hope that this time it will be different; that, unlike every other one before it (Alberta Report, From the Right, The Next City, etc.) this one will last beyond a few years. I thought the Standard had a fighting chance, but I was wrong.
I think the future of print publications on the right in Canada is dead. There just simply isn't the will to fund them now, and there probably -- sadly -- never was. There aren't enough people ready to fund them, nor are there enough advertisers. Even the benchmark conservative publications like National Review survive due to the grace of philanthropic donors.
The only hope is the Internet, which is why I'm so excited about c2c. Online publications are fun, low-cost ways to reach a whole lot of people.
The Western Standard website will remain and there's talk it may turn into a Canadian version of Townhall. Let's hope it does.
Yesterday and Saturday I attended the President's Cup golf matches at Royal Montreal Golf Club. It was a great experience, regardless of the fact that the international team got obliterated. Mike Weir's stunning Sunday performance against Tiger Woods will undoubtedly go down as a Canadian golf history highlight.
It was a big event for Montreal and Quebec and Canada and the players were all raving about the hospitality and the support from the fans. This was the first time I had watched a professional tournament live since the 2003 Masters, which was won, of course, by Weir.
However, those who were watching on their TV sets unfortunately missed what I think was the best part of the weekend: the closing ceremonies. I can't find much media coverage except for this; suffice it to say, it was a very emotional event. An amphitheater was set up near the clubhouse. Jean Charest spoke, but the speeches by team captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player were absolutely outstanding.
In his remarks, Nicklaus remarked that Gary Player was his best friend in golf, and that it had been an honour to be opposite him in three straight President's Cups. Jack's voice was cracking and Player's eyes welled up with tears. These two men, two of the five individuals ever to win all four of golf's majors, realized that this could be their last showdown.
You could have heard a pin drop in that amphitheater. The appreciation and respect these greats have for each other was palpable. Player remarked that one of the great things about golf is that unlike other sports, you can play it past the age of 30: These two have known each other since 1958, and they're still going!
In my humble opinion, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus are two of the greatest sports personalities of the 20th century. I fear the sports personalities of today will not have this same kind of rapport 25 years from now. It is sad to think the sun is setting on the careers of these giants, and I'm grateful I was able to see in person what was quite clearly one of their proudest moments. You just felt you were witnessing something special.
