Showing posts with label Jack Layton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jack Layton. Show all posts
Friday, February 10, 2012
Monday, December 26, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
NO! NO! NO...
...are people that niave that they don't think there weren't discussions between Layton and the NDP organization about making some political points from a sad but inevitable event.
Was Christie Blatchford unfair to skewer the Layton ‘canonization’?
118 Comments
De mortuis nil nisi bonum. This Latin phrase, meaning “Say nothing but good about the dead,” broadly sums up scores of letters that came in this week. Specifically, these notes critiqued Christie Blatchford’s Tuesday column about Jack Layton, titled, “It’s fitting his death is a public spectacle.”
Unlike other columnists, Ms. Blatchford didn’t allow the emotional impact of the NDP leader’s death to cloud her image of the letter he was credited as writing on his deathbed. In her words, “it’s remarkable because it shows what a canny, relentless, thoroughly ambitious fellow Mr. Layton was … the letter is full of sophistry … [it] is vainglorious too.”
This assessment brought in hundreds of angry notes, either as comments on fullcomment.com (the blog of the National Post comment pages) or to the Letters mailbox. Many of these notes evidently were written from the heart.
“I know Christie Blatchford’s job is to criticize and create controversy,” wrote Sharon Griffin. “But couldn’t she have taken at least one day off, out of respect? Read More »
Reality!
Brian Topp admits he's considering a leadership run to succeed Layton
Diebel Analysis: Will Olivia run for the top NDP job?
NDP leadership race effectively starts now
NDP already picking up where Layton left off — McDonough
Was Christie Blatchford unfair to skewer the Layton ‘canonization’?
118 Comments
De mortuis nil nisi bonum. This Latin phrase, meaning “Say nothing but good about the dead,” broadly sums up scores of letters that came in this week. Specifically, these notes critiqued Christie Blatchford’s Tuesday column about Jack Layton, titled, “It’s fitting his death is a public spectacle.”
Unlike other columnists, Ms. Blatchford didn’t allow the emotional impact of the NDP leader’s death to cloud her image of the letter he was credited as writing on his deathbed. In her words, “it’s remarkable because it shows what a canny, relentless, thoroughly ambitious fellow Mr. Layton was … the letter is full of sophistry … [it] is vainglorious too.”
This assessment brought in hundreds of angry notes, either as comments on fullcomment.com (the blog of the National Post comment pages) or to the Letters mailbox. Many of these notes evidently were written from the heart.
“I know Christie Blatchford’s job is to criticize and create controversy,” wrote Sharon Griffin. “But couldn’t she have taken at least one day off, out of respect? Read More »
Reality!
Brian Topp admits he's considering a leadership run to succeed Layton
Diebel Analysis: Will Olivia run for the top NDP job?
NDP leadership race effectively starts now
NDP already picking up where Layton left off — McDonough
Saturday, August 27, 2011
REALITY...
Opinion
Editorial: A politician, not a saint
He was little more than the leading salesman for a discredited brand of politics. Despite the prolonged rending of hearts in Ottawa and Toronto over the death of Jack Layton, that - and a buck-fifty - would buy you a coffee in most parts of the rest of Canada.
Layton turns into a legend
John Ivison: How did this happen? How, in the space of a week, did Jack Layton become a Canadian icon — Tommy Douglas and Terry Fox all wrapped in one?
...and from the public; "Oh please John, Layton's purported status as a legend and/or an icon is an invention of the Canadian media, many of whose employees are clearly in need of an aging pop-pol to go gaga over. Layton's iconic stature will fade within a couple of weeks of his burial as you and your colleagues find other newsworthy flashes in the pan to blabber about. Dress him up however you like, he was at the end of the day an opportunistic politician who stood for whatever might get him another photo opp. If anything, this bizarre adulation is putting more people off than it is bringing over to Layton's cause - whatever that was."
Editorial: A politician, not a saint
He was little more than the leading salesman for a discredited brand of politics. Despite the prolonged rending of hearts in Ottawa and Toronto over the death of Jack Layton, that - and a buck-fifty - would buy you a coffee in most parts of the rest of Canada.
Layton turns into a legend
John Ivison: How did this happen? How, in the space of a week, did Jack Layton become a Canadian icon — Tommy Douglas and Terry Fox all wrapped in one?
...and from the public; "Oh please John, Layton's purported status as a legend and/or an icon is an invention of the Canadian media, many of whose employees are clearly in need of an aging pop-pol to go gaga over. Layton's iconic stature will fade within a couple of weeks of his burial as you and your colleagues find other newsworthy flashes in the pan to blabber about. Dress him up however you like, he was at the end of the day an opportunistic politician who stood for whatever might get him another photo opp. If anything, this bizarre adulation is putting more people off than it is bringing over to Layton's cause - whatever that was."
Thursday, August 25, 2011
You Have To Wonder Why Mother Nature Is Not Mourning?
So far "she" has sent down two deluges of rain to wash away people's messages of mourning...
John Moore: Why people are mourning Jack Layton
Jack Layton’s death has precipitated an outpouring amongst Canadians. In Toronto, the public square in front of city hall where he served as a councillor has been blanketed in a rainbow of chalk-written tributes. People who never met the man have wept. They will likely turn mourners away at his laying in state.
For some this is all a little overwrought. Ground zero for that perspective would be my friend Christie Blatchford’s column in Tuesday’s National Post. Christie’s greatest skill is her ability to not only take the public pulse but to interpret it. She’s one of the few print columnists who can prompt you to say “Exactly!” out loud while you read her. But her column on the keening accompanying Jack Layton to his final rest has provoked a ferocious pushback. True, the column was “liked” on Facebook by thousands but it has also drawn a record number of flaming online comments and countless emails to Christie, many she tells me opening with the salutation “Dear C–t.” Read More »
John Moore: Why people are mourning Jack Layton
Blatchford is right that our society overflows with false sentimentality. But she missed that, this time, it’s not false.
For some this is all a little overwrought. Ground zero for that perspective would be my friend Christie Blatchford’s column in Tuesday’s National Post. Christie’s greatest skill is her ability to not only take the public pulse but to interpret it. She’s one of the few print columnists who can prompt you to say “Exactly!” out loud while you read her. But her column on the keening accompanying Jack Layton to his final rest has provoked a ferocious pushback. True, the column was “liked” on Facebook by thousands but it has also drawn a record number of flaming online comments and countless emails to Christie, many she tells me opening with the salutation “Dear C–t.” Read More »
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Jack Layton’s letter to Canadians???
Before his death, Jack Layton wrote a letter to Canadians. Here it is in full.
...The letter was first presented as Mr. Layton’s last message to Canadians, as something written by him on his deathbed; only later was it more fully described as having been “crafted” with party president Brian Topp, Mr. Layton’s chief of staff Anne McGrath and his wife and fellow NDP MP Olivia Chow. IMHO it is meant as a message to the faithful that will be involved in electing the new leader.
Dear Friends,
Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.
Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.
I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.
I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election.
A few additional thoughts:
To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.
To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.
To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.
To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.
To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.
And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.
All my very best,
Jack Layton
...The letter was first presented as Mr. Layton’s last message to Canadians, as something written by him on his deathbed; only later was it more fully described as having been “crafted” with party president Brian Topp, Mr. Layton’s chief of staff Anne McGrath and his wife and fellow NDP MP Olivia Chow. IMHO it is meant as a message to the faithful that will be involved in electing the new leader.
Dear Friends,
Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.
Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.
I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.
I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election.
A few additional thoughts:
To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.
To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.
To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.
To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.
To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.
And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.
All my very best,
Jack Layton
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Spectacle Is An Apt Comment...
...but let's revisit his loss in a couple of months after parliament resumes and his legacy is exposed to the reality of being the "official opposition."
Layton’s death turns into a thoroughly public spectacle
Christie Blatchford: Reporters who would never dream of addressing any other politician by first name were proudly calling him 'Jack'
Christie Blatchford: Reporters who would never dream of addressing any other politician by first name were proudly calling him 'Jack'
Saturday, July 30, 2011
We Wish Him Well But The Reality...
...is that even if his cancer goes into remission it is questionable whether the "old" Jack Layton will rise from the ashes.
NDP tries to quell rumours of a coup in Layton's absence
Jesse Kline: After a frail-looking Jack Layton temporarily stepped aside at a press conference on Monday, it’s hard not to start wondering if someone will not try to take advantage of the power vacuum he left in his wake
Peter Worthington:Does the NDP need Jack Layton?
Jesse Kline: After a frail-looking Jack Layton temporarily stepped aside at a press conference on Monday, it’s hard not to start wondering if someone will not try to take advantage of the power vacuum he left in his wake
Peter Worthington:Does the NDP need Jack Layton?
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
HMMM...
Chris Selley’s Full Pundit: Take back the night, Vancouver!
WEEKEND ROUNDUP
The big decisions
Three days of punditry on remaking the NDP, resisting the goons of Vancouver, the future of Canada Post and the CBC, and, uh, a potentially deadly industry that employs all of 200 people part-time.
The Toronto Star‘s Chantal Hébert post-mortems a weekend of touchy debates at the NDP convention in Vancouver over topics like ruling out cooperation with the Liberals (defeated) and eliminating the word “socialism” from the party constitution’s preamble (also defeated). The Dippers don’t need to figure all this out immediately, says Hébert. But keeping Quebec on board is going to be a full-time job. “Should the NDP turn out to not to have the stomach to go the extra miles to recast itself as a competitive contender for federal power,” she warns, “it will quickly lose the allegiance of its more recent fellow travellers.” After all, as Hébert notes, there were more Quebec delegates at the recent Conservative convention than there were at the New Democrats’.
Mark Milke, writing in the Calgary Herald, doesn’t see how the NDP can continue to appease Quebec nationalists — on language laws, on the Clarity Act, on the province’s over-representation in the House of Commons — without greatly offending supporters and potential supporters in other provinces. “It would be amusing to watch the NDP leader defend his call for more Quebec seats to voters in under-represented British Columbia or in southern Ontario,” he suggests. (Well, people in southern Ontario don’t care about such things. But B.C., we agree, would be highly amusing to watch.)
Read More »
WEEKEND ROUNDUP
The big decisions
Three days of punditry on remaking the NDP, resisting the goons of Vancouver, the future of Canada Post and the CBC, and, uh, a potentially deadly industry that employs all of 200 people part-time.
The Toronto Star‘s Chantal Hébert post-mortems a weekend of touchy debates at the NDP convention in Vancouver over topics like ruling out cooperation with the Liberals (defeated) and eliminating the word “socialism” from the party constitution’s preamble (also defeated). The Dippers don’t need to figure all this out immediately, says Hébert. But keeping Quebec on board is going to be a full-time job. “Should the NDP turn out to not to have the stomach to go the extra miles to recast itself as a competitive contender for federal power,” she warns, “it will quickly lose the allegiance of its more recent fellow travellers.” After all, as Hébert notes, there were more Quebec delegates at the recent Conservative convention than there were at the New Democrats’.
Mark Milke, writing in the Calgary Herald, doesn’t see how the NDP can continue to appease Quebec nationalists — on language laws, on the Clarity Act, on the province’s over-representation in the House of Commons — without greatly offending supporters and potential supporters in other provinces. “It would be amusing to watch the NDP leader defend his call for more Quebec seats to voters in under-represented British Columbia or in southern Ontario,” he suggests. (Well, people in southern Ontario don’t care about such things. But B.C., we agree, would be highly amusing to watch.)
Read More »
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Champagne Image With A Kool Aid Mentality...
...it is human nature when you get invited to a party at the house on the hill to go out and rent a tuxedo and mingle with winners sipping cocktails and chatting but the reality is that you have to return the tuxedo the next morning and go to work wearing your Goodwill suit and Walmart underwear. Champagne tastes but KoolAid budget.
Jack Layton goes too far
We all know the New Democrats are pleased with their new status as Official Opposition, and Jack Layton is feeling his oats after vanquishing the Liberal party and moving into Stornoway.
But doing the Saturday Night Fever dance in front of the whole party is really pushing things a bit too far. What next: Jack eats two slices of pizza, one on top of the other?
Jack Layton goes too far
We all know the New Democrats are pleased with their new status as Official Opposition, and Jack Layton is feeling his oats after vanquishing the Liberal party and moving into Stornoway.
But doing the Saturday Night Fever dance in front of the whole party is really pushing things a bit too far. What next: Jack eats two slices of pizza, one on top of the other?
Friday, May 27, 2011
Monday, May 09, 2011
Aftr Four Years Of This Type Of Publicity...
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Rumors Are Flying....
...that in order to help replenish the parie's campaign fund Dressup Jack is going to run a lottery where you pick the date and the time that Brosseau will do/say something that reincarnates blonde jokes.
Elusive NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau speaks out
07/05/2011 1:59:06 PM CTV.ca News Staff
The NDP's headline-grabbing MP has finally broken her silence, telling a newspaper in her riding that she's never been there, but plans to go soon.
Let's play Dead or Alive
It's Mike's favourite party game
Granatstein: Ruth Ellen Brosseau devalues politicians
The federal election last Monday has turned my world upside down.
The party might suck but some of the members will give them a glimmer of sanity...
Andrew Cash: From punk to politics
Elusive NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau speaks out
07/05/2011 1:59:06 PM CTV.ca News Staff
The NDP's headline-grabbing MP has finally broken her silence, telling a newspaper in her riding that she's never been there, but plans to go soon.
Let's play Dead or Alive
It's Mike's favourite party game
Granatstein: Ruth Ellen Brosseau devalues politicians
The federal election last Monday has turned my world upside down.
The party might suck but some of the members will give them a glimmer of sanity...
Andrew Cash: From punk to politics
Friday, May 06, 2011
PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF THE LOYAL OPPOSITION-Seperatists Enclave
...LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT jACK
Graeme Hamilton: Thomas Mulcair, deputy leader of the NDP, has promised to take under his wing the raft of New Democrat rookies elected in Quebec Monday. But who is going to keep an eye on Mr. Mulcair?
Adler: Separatism lives on
His name is Pierre Luc Dusseault. He is a newly elected NDP member of Parliament from Quebec. And he is only 19, and still without NDP training. So he is to be forgiven, I suppose, by the mainstream media for letting the cat out of the bag.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
sad He Had To Lower His Expectations...
...unless this is Layton's job creation program at work.
Teenager becomes youngest-ever elected MP
MONTREAL - Nineteen-year-old Pierre-Luc Dusseault planned to work a summer job at a golf course if his foray into federal politics didn't work out. 3 May 18:20
Teenager becomes youngest-ever elected MP
MONTREAL - Nineteen-year-old Pierre-Luc Dusseault planned to work a summer job at a golf course if his foray into federal politics didn't work out. 3 May 18:20
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About Me
- Unhypentated Canadian
- I lean to the right but I still have a heart and if I have a mission it is to respond to attacks on people not available to protect themselves and to point out the hypocrisy of the left at every opportunity.MY MAJOR GOAL IS HIGHLIGHT THE HYPOCRISY AND STUPIDITY OF THE LEFTISTS ON TORONTO CITY COUNCIL. Last word: In the final analysis this blog is a relief valve for my rants/raves.