Placeholder poster until Bjorn gets bailed out.
“Warren Kinsella's book, ‘Fight the Right: A Manual for Surviving the Coming Conservative Apocalypse,’ is of vital importance for American conservatives and other right-leaning individuals to read, learn and understand.” - The Washington Times “One of the best books of the year.” - The Hill Times “Justin Trudeau’s speech followed Mr. Kinsella’s playbook on beating conservatives chapter and verse...[He followed] the central theme of the Kinsella narrative: “Take back values. That’s what progressives need to do.” - National Post “[Kinsella] is a master when it comes to spinning and political planning...” - George Stroumboulopoulos, CBC TV “Kinsella pulls no punches in Fight The Right...Fight the Right accomplishes what it sets out to do – provide readers with a glimpse into the kinds of strategies that have made Conservatives successful and lay out a credible roadmap for progressive forces to regain power.” - Elizabeth Thompson, iPolitics “[Kinsella] deserves credit for writing this book, period... he is absolutely on the money...[Fight The Right] is well worth picking up.” - Huffington Post “Run, don't walk, to get this amazing book.” - Mike Duncan, Classical 96 radio “Fight the Right is very interesting and - for conservatives - very provocative.” - Former Ontario Conservative leader John Tory “His new book is great! All of his books are great!” - Tommy Schnurmacher, CJAD “I absolutely recommend this book.” - Paul Wells, Maclean’s “Kinsella puts the Left on the right track with new book!” - Calgary Herald
I only have 9 letters at the end of my name (LL.B, B.J Hons.), so I bet Kellie Leitch thinks I’m mentally retarded, pretty much. To wit:
Please God, please God, make the Cinservatives elect her leader, so Liberals are in power until Justin Trudeau is getting the seniors’ discount at Shoppers. Please.
I’ll be hosting, and these fine folks will be on the panel:
Tickets are just $10, and $5 for students with ID. There’s reserved seating, too. What’s it all about? Well, basically, it’s a recognition that the world has changed (for the worse) since the start of November – as seen here and here and here and here and here and here, in Canada, too – and that we need to start talking about it, and doing something about it. I think it’s going to be an important discussion. And I think you should come if you’re in or near the GTA that night.
…of using a dangling preposition. (It’s also an auxiliary verb verb, so maybe there’s no need to contact the Grammar Commissioner just yet.)
“Offered us the use of.” Gadzooks! I hate dangling prepositions. Sometimes you have to use ’em, though. Helicopters, too. Was Trudeau supposed to swim to his destination? Hitch-hike? Canoe? Walk on water? Now, now, I know what you are going to say (and God knows I’ve heard enough of it on the various radio panels I’ve done this week): “But, Warren, the Conflict of Interest Act says he can’t do it! Read section 12, you Lie-beral Leftard!” Well, okay. Here’s what the Act says.
Let’s not bother debating whether the circumstances were “exceptional” (although they probably were: he was going to, you know, an island). Let’s also not debate whether a Prime Minister ever stops being a “public office holder” (because they probably never really do, do they?). Let’s just say this was, say, sponsored travel. “Sponsored travel” is done a lot by all of our federal politicians. It usually drops off in election years, for obvious reasons. But in non-election years, it happens a fair bit. It happened 85 times in 2012; 110 times in 2013; and 87 times in 2014. All the political parties take sponsored trips, which are defined by the Commissioner as any travel costing more than $200 that isn’t totally or mostly paid for by the MP, his or her party or a House of Commons-recognized association. So what does the Commissioner say about this sponsored travel stuff, which I presume includes rides on someone’s helicopter?
So. For MPs, which Trudeau is one of (oops!), it is “expressly permitted,” quote unquote. It is exempted from the rules on gifts and benefits, too. And it needs to be “publicly declared” within 60 days of the end of the trip. This being the middle of January – and the now-infamous helicopter jaunt having taken place in late December – my calculation is that Trudeau is okay. Should he have cleared it with the Commish before he left? Sure. But most folks won’t see that as a big problem. Instead, there are a couple problems don’t include “sponsored travel.” One problem is that PMO needs to stop being so frigging clandestine about where the big guy is going, with whom, and for how long. The Americans always know where their president is (except when there’s a surprise visit to the troops somewhere, I guess). Why can’t we do likewise? It would probably avoid teapot tempests like this one, which someone will almost certainly brand as “Copter-Gate” any minute now. Two, I have never liked it when politicians hang out with rich guys – whether it be on a private golf course or in Davos. Populist-type politicians remain popular when they keep their feet on the same gritty ground upon which the rest of us eke out a meagre existence. So, Ralph Klein would hang out at the Calgarian, and buy me and my punk rock pals drinks. Mel Lastman would come right up to someone on the sidewalk and just hug them: I saw him do it when I volunteered for him. Bill Clinton: jogs, then decides to pop into the Golden Arches for a Big Mac (his pal Jean Chretien told me about that.). And my political Dad, Chretien? He’d go to Harvey’s when Madame was away, sit with Joe and Jane Frontporch and their kids, and tell jokes. He’d buy the RCMP burgers, too. Sorry, chattering classes: Justin Trudeau’s mistake wasn’t being a passenger on Air Aga Khan. It was hanging out with a billionaire, and trying to keep it a secret. Now, Justin, remember: this is the kind of nonsense up with which we will not put.
There you go. National Front leader Marine Le Pen in Trump Tower, sitting next to “Citizens for Trump” founder George Lombardi. And they insist she didn’t meet with Trump or any of his people. Welcome to the new Reich, folks. If you think this isn’t really happening, still, you need to get your head out of your ass.
This is a good bit about the BC NDP leader, who – on the big policy issues – seems to be whoever spoke to him last. It’s from an attack site called Say Anything John, found here.
I take a look at the once-mighty Conservative Party in next week’s Hill Times. What do you think is my diagnosis about the relative health of the CPC? What’s yours?
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