Politics from North of the 49th Parallel
IanGillespie's Articles In Politics
January 26, 2004 by IanGillespie
From The Globe and Mail
January 27, 2004 by IanGillespie
Can't buy me love : "In a clear demonstration that money in politics can speak louder than words, Belinda Stronach — who showed last week that she is virtually helpless in French — is poised to carry Quebec in the campaign for the leadership of the new federal Conservative party."
January 27, 2004 by IanGillespie
Don't you wish Tony Valeri had this much class ? "Beth Phinney, a veteran backbencher, said Tuesday she had offered to abandon her Hamilton Mountain seat and give Ms. Copps an unobstructed shot at the party nomination there for the next general election." This story just won't die. Fantastic! The Paul Martin Liberals deserve every bit of what their getting. Sheila Copps, Raymonde Falco, Marlene Catterall -- and who knows how many other Liberal women -- are being chall...
January 27, 2004 by IanGillespie
I'm a huge Franken fan, but this seems a little weird : "Wise-cracking funnyman Al Franken yesterday body-slammed a demonstrator to the ground after the man tried to shout down Gov. Howard Dean..." "'I was a wrestler so I used a wrestling move,' Franken said."
January 27, 2004 by IanGillespie
These people have no shame , do they? "At best — to borrow the already classic language of the State of the Union address — [Bush's] administration is engaged in deficit reduction-related program activities."
January 27, 2004 by IanGillespie
Business leadership can certainly be one qualification for political leadership. Taking on positions of great responsibility -- to rise or fall based on the harsh realities of success and failure -- can test one's mettle. No argument there. But yet, it isn't Belinda Stronach's lack of political experience that bother's me, it's the quality of her business experience. Stronach didn't rise to power based on business realities, harsh or otherwise. She became CEO of a major corporation, ...
January 29, 2004 by IanGillespie
Clark and Lieberman falter : "For the first time the country is hearing sustained criticism of President Bush -- and though the Democratic presidential primaries have been going less than two weeks, the effect has been immediate." Should Howard Dean fall to defeat in the coming weeks, progressives everywhere should realize the debt we owe him. The campaign rhetoric from Kerry, Edwards and Dean has melded into one seamless attack against not only the incompetence, but fundament...
January 29, 2004 by IanGillespie
Never dies: "'I said, yes, unequivocally,' said the prime minister."
January 29, 2004 by IanGillespie
Will Martin get a taste of his own medicine ? "Martin has only been in the job for a little more than a month but already there are those within Liberal circles who are contemplating potential scenarios for a post-election review of his leadership."
January 28, 2004 by IanGillespie
Sure , Ms. McLellan, I'll bet there wasn't: "This situation has involved many ... twists and turns. There is no one single event that led me to make my recommendation." -ellipsis in original
January 28, 2004 by IanGillespie
Perhaps the greatest political picture I have ever seen: What was she thinking? Maybe she just didn't have the heart to tell some old guy to go stand in the back of the room. But she's certainly surrounded by enough political hacks. What were they thinking? Maybe they like this kind of publicity, but could they really be that stupid? Moving closer to substance, the underlying article has at least one interesting quote: "[Tony] Clement dismissed suggestions that he will...
January 28, 2004 by IanGillespie
I'm a fellow Newfoundlander, but this man should make us all feel proud .
January 28, 2004 by IanGillespie
It never dies: "Martin was personally involved in a deal offered yesterday to Sheila Copps that would see her abandon her fight with Transport Minister Tony Valeri for the riding of Hamilton East-Stoney Creek and be hand-picked by the Prime Minister as the candidate for Hamilton Mountain." -empathesis added
January 27, 2004 by IanGillespie
For years we insisted that the Liberals weren’t really liberals. Silly us. Canadians looked around, they saw a pretty liberal country: universal health care, public education, progressive taxation, the best immigration record in the world. "If New Democrats think this is conservative then they must really be pinko-commie-bastards, right?" This stuff nearly destroyed the party. It only made us look extreme. My, though, how the tables have turned. The Tories are the new New Democrats...
February 12, 2004 by IanGillespie
Chantal Hébert has this : "The Quebec federalist network is a tightly knit clan. As in every family, very little happens without everyone eventually getting wind of it — especially when it continues, like the sponsorship program, over so many years and on such a costly scale." "In time, Canadians will have to choose between believing that Martin — who cultivated every Liberal grassroots connection in sight during his multi-year bid to unseat Chrétien — existed in a bubble when it...