Preville on Politics
A message from our political leaders: Don’t pay attention to politics
Posted on March 3, 2008 by Philip Preville
I was away last week, but before I left, the big story was a WWE-style war of words between “Pencil Neck” McGuinty and Jimmy “Hell’s Elf” Flaherty. Upon my return I find the war has “escalated.”
Has it? They’re saying the same things they were saying before, only the headlines are louder. Rumour has it that there was a federal budget sandwiched in between at some point last week, but no one can really recall. (See fellow TL blogger Doug Bell’s drive-by swipe here.)
Should have known. In retrospect, it was a foregone conclusion that the budget would be a nil document. The date itself was the only necessary clue: the budget came down on NHL trade deadline day. Political types pay close attention to the social calendar, especially when they want to be ignored. If the Conservatives had had anything interesting to say about the nation’s finances—or, more precisely, any political message they wanted Canadians to hear, particularly youngish-to-middle-aged Canadian men who enjoy sports (a key demographic, n’est-ce pas?)—they’d have picked another day.
But then, I guess that is the political message. To our most valued and trustworthy supporters, Don’t think about politics, lest you decide to change your mind. Or, put another way, Chad Kilger for a third-round pick! The future is bright!
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Philip Preville
Veteran freelance writer Philip Preville lived much of his life in Montreal and Edmonton before he was lured, like so many Torontonians before him, by the promise of more work and a better living. A National Magazine Award winner and former Canadian Journalism Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Massey College, Preville writes Toronto Life’s politics column. He lives with his wife and one-year-old son in Riverdale, just close enough to the Don Valley Parkway that he can hear it when he steps outside his house—but just far enough away that it doesn’t keep him awake at night. On his office wall hangs a 1938–39 press pass belonging to his grandfather, Elias Gannon, who wrote for the Montreal Star.
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Comments
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Shawn Micallef March 3, 2008 at 11:51 p.m.
"Hell's Elf."
I really think people who are against name-calling don't understand how lovely it can be at times.
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