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Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Offensive charm
Val Ross in The Mop and Pail: Dion's gamble on culture
The Liberal leader is on a charm offensive with Canadian artists and arts leaders and has had face time with artists and leaders from the music industry, theatre, museums and dance in Montreal, Winnipeg and Toronto.
A Liberal charm offensive with the "I-live-on-government-grants" crowd; well, that should be like shooting ducks in a barrel. This is just a bribe to get celebrity party goers like that mediocrity Atwood to up the volume on their slagging of the Conservatives.
Posted by Kevin Steel on July 11, 2007 in Canadian Politics | Permalink
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Yeah, we see him a lot on tv these days. Wasent he at the Stampede as well...?
Posted by: Marc | 2007-07-11 12:14:07 PM
As a Citizen of the Republic of France Citoyen Dion
known as Pinocchio in most Liberal circles is into
French Culture from Paris and Toulouse (home of EADS Airbus). We don't have no culture in New Brunswick
so he won't make much headway here. Maybe he should try the Republican State of Maine (next door) this latest move would have been generated by Saint Gerard Kennedy and Second Hand Rose from Toronto
-Toronto ain't got much culture either, ever since they found out Brokeback Mountain was made in or near Consort Alberta. Harper got lucky when the ragheads elected Dion. MacLeod
Posted by: Jack Macleod | 2007-07-11 12:42:18 PM
As a Citizen of the Republic of France Citoyen Dion
known as Pinocchio in most Liberal circles is into
French Culture from Paris and Toulouse (home of EADS Airbus). We don't have no culture in New Brunswick
so he won't make much headway here. Maybe he should try the Republican State of Maine (next door) this latest move would have been generated by Saint Gerard Kennedy and Second Hand Rose from Toronto
-Toronto ain't got much culture either, ever since they found out Brokeback Mountain was made in or near Consort Alberta. Harper got lucky when the ragheads elected Dion. MacLeod
Posted by: Jack Macleod | 2007-07-11 12:42:46 PM
Daily News Halifax NS (known locally as the Daily Snooze) recalls today the arrival of several hundred illegal immigrants from India on the shores of Nova Scotia in 1983all of whom were Sikh's who promptly vanished from rural sea coast Nova Scotia and ended up it is thought, in beautiful B.C. where they promptly assimilated into the local Culture and have unquestionably contributed to violent Sikh Militancy in sleepy BC. But this story is calculated to focus
on cultural issues which include the illegals whom the Liberals in particular as well as the Socialist Horde sign up with Party Membership at
two Loonies per head. Mulroney made a feeble attempt to find these downtrodden well financed refugees but quickly gave up. This article fits into Dion's game plan to secure more voters by cultural assimilation and recognition. Don't matter to the Liberal Party that many are illegals
subject to prosecution and deportation. Mulroney bears a lot of responsibility for Sikh Militancy
and Chretien for the Air India bombing. Macleod
Posted by: Jack Macleod | 2007-07-11 1:18:42 PM
You remember when Trudeau would arrogantly do a pirouette?
Well, Dion liked that so much, he had to emmulate him. But he runs around with his hands up by his arm-pits, with his wrists flapping about like saggy loose breasts, skipping while singing "Tip-toe, through the tulips"...what a waste of good tulips!
Posted by: Lady | 2007-07-11 1:21:15 PM
Dion is just practicing smart politics. There IS an Arts' community who will be influenced by this. There's no risk. Dion stands to gain votes and support he might not otherwise enjoy, and is very unlikely to lose votes over the issue. Harper has not helped his cause through his funding cuts; even if they have been cheered by some who would support him anyways.
Derogatory commentaries about the arts won't sway anyone to the neocon cause and, if those who are engaged in the work read these attacks, it may only serve to motivate them to ensure neocons have no influence after the next election. That's not smart politics.
Posted by: munroe | 2007-07-11 3:03:08 PM
Would someone please define "Neocon" and it's origin.
Dion is a rather pathetic figure, I know "that's not fair", but that's how I see it. Actually the poor guy isn't aware of the fact he's being used by the likes of motor mouth Kennedy who has a bead on the next leadership contest. That's the reason Kennedy supported him as opposed to Iggy who might have done something to boost the Libranos and leave Keener Kennedy out for a much longer spell.
They aren't fooling anyone but themselves and maybe a few trolls on this site who should be out working for their own pathetic cause. Then again, they perhaps realize it's a lost cause.
Posted by: LizJ | 2007-07-11 3:15:56 PM
Is he offering cash bribes for their 'Liberal loyalty'? The millions of dollars stolen by the Liberal Party of Montreal has to be somewhere.
Posted by: philanthropist | 2007-07-11 3:21:13 PM
The so-called "arts" community will never vote Conservative, so Dion is doing nothing more than preaching to the choir.He's wasting his time unless he's afraid of a revolt to the Greens or NDP.
Posted by: Atric | 2007-07-11 3:44:45 PM
Atric, I think you hit the nail on the head. I have some specific knowledge of this from the Left Coast (through my wife and her community). The Arts community is not a hot bed of Conservatives. It has been Liberal, Green and NDP for the most part. The vote loss for Dion would be to these other parties, not the Harperites.
It's still good politics on his part. There are a few Conservatives on very shaky ground in B.C. and every vote counts.
Posted by: munroe | 2007-07-11 4:22:15 PM
That's so true Atric, but he has no guts, he'll only attend safe Librano events to avoid bad press.
I think it was Robert Frost who said "Hell is a half filled auditorium", Dinky Dion's handlers are afraid of Hell, you won't see them book a large venue.
Posted by: LizJ | 2007-07-11 4:27:44 PM
The real Liberal establishment have already written off Dion and so has Kennedy who I agree sees himself as the great white hope - but his lack of academic credentials and hs bird like approach to real issues
will finish off his bid to be "leader" he will be elected along with Second Hand Rose in Toronto, but the Arts Community that I am familier with in Canada are like affable whores who will take money from anybody that has a bag full. Chretien used to laugh at them, but he is a basic beer and pool guy, one of da garcons - got real problems right now though, and could end up in a Federal resource in Quebec for a sojourn. Macleod
Posted by: Jack MacLeod | 2007-07-11 4:52:40 PM
Murnoe,
"Derogatory commentaries about the arts won't sway anyone to the neocon cause and, if those who are engaged in the work read these attacks, it may only serve to motivate them to ensure neocons have no influence after the next election. That's not smart politics."
I quite agree with this line of arguement.
However, it would be nice if the arts community would stop producing derogatory commentaries and works against the neocons. Viewing this does nothing to sway me and others to their way of thinking. It motivates us to work against them.
That's not smart politics either.
Posted by: h2o273kk9 | 2007-07-11 5:03:00 PM
LizJ,
A neocon is a new conservative, formerly a liberal or even, in many cases, a Trotskyite. Irving Kristol, the self-proclaimed Godfather of neoconservatism, defined one thusly: A liberal who's been mugged by reality.
Not mugged brutally enough in my opinion. The key word in Kristol's definition is "liberal", as the neocons tend to be in favor of BIG government. My definition of a neocon is a liberal warmonger with utter contempt for every nation in the world (including Canada) save the US and Israel (or Mexico, in the case of George "Amnesty" Bush).
In my opinion the neocons have hijacked mainstream conservatism. They are in favor of multiple wars overseas and mass immigration. They believe conventional liberal groupthink that all peoples and cultures are exactly the same, so that it will be easy to democratize and Westernize foreign nations, like Afghanistan and Iraq for instance. They also believe that the West should welcome tens of millions of Third World immigrants, and that they will all give up their own cultures and easily assimilate into Western society.
Those of us who have always been conservatives should be very wary of these "converts" from liberalism and Marxism. Their stupid policies at home and overseas are giving all conservatives a bad name. I would characterize them as the "Invade-the-world, Invite-the-world" crowd. Real conservatives aren't warmongers, and think we in the West have a specific culture worth preserving, not throwing away through mass immigration. Neocons should go back to the Left, where they belong.
Posted by: JP | 2007-07-11 5:40:42 PM
JP, that's strictly an American definition. Generally, the reference to "neocons" in Canada refers to the Reformers-Alliance types who joined the Progressive Conservative Party and morphed it into the Conservative Party.
Posted by: munroe | 2007-07-11 6:07:27 PM
In his first para, Val Ross tells us that these artsy types were in an unaccustomed state of cheer because Stéphane had just told him that if he became Prime Minister of Canada, he would reverse the Conservative government's $11.8-million cut to cultural diplomacy, and add another $11-million to promote and tour Canadian artists abroad. Wow! and all the whores cheered Stéphane.
Stéphane also told the various pressure group network that he would re-instate the court challenge program. Wow! and all the single-issue crackpots cheered Stéphane.
Stéphane needs a good communications manager and some thinking types who would tell him that the majority of Canadians are not members of the "art community" or of the "single issue community".
He should step up to the plate and tell us his priorities and give us good reasons to vote for him.
Canadians need "cultural diplomacy" like we need a hole in the head. A good artist doesn't need government grants to stimulate his creativity.
Posted by: andré | 2007-07-11 6:09:03 PM
Monroe, haven't you refered to "Bush", "Harper" and "Neocons" in the same sentence before? Haven't you drawn that conclusion in other threads? I seem to recall that you have.
You note that the meaning in Canada is reserved for Reformers that joined with the Tories to form the CPC; where is this written? Seems as if ANYONE whom has beliefs that differ from "polite" society (i.e urban lieberal belief systems) is a nasty old neocon. I've never seen such a distinction in print or visual media.....
Posted by: Hoser | 2007-07-11 6:51:13 PM
Silly me, I thought a Neocon was a Liberal who saw the light. There are a few Liberals who have seen the light and there are some others seriously considering the jump, but let's just call them smart people. The term Neocon more likely came from US politics. It's use as a derogatory moniker by the desperate Liberals has lost all clout. It's considered juvenile nonsense in the minds of most with a thought process beyond a begonia.
There were some Liberals in the Reform/Alliance Parties as well. Progressive Conservatives were decimated to a shadow so it made sense for them to join the largely Conservative Alliance and form the Conservative Party.
It's interesting how quickly the word progressive was latched onto by the Left after the Progressive Conservatives were finished. They love that word progressive, exactly the opposite to anything coming from the Left.
Posted by: LizJ | 2007-07-11 7:07:19 PM
munroe,
I agree with Hoser. "Neocon" in Canada is just a slur used by folks like yourself against anyone to the right of Jack Layton. For a complete explanation, check out Wikipedia's entry.
Posted by: JP | 2007-07-11 7:12:02 PM
JP wrote: I agree with Hoser. "Neocon" in Canada is just a slur used by folks like yourself against anyone to the right of Jack Layton. For a complete explanation, check out Wikipedia's entry.
JP. Your definition of a neocon is spot on.
Posted by: St Albion Parish News | 2007-07-11 7:47:31 PM
Back on topic; my wife and I know more than a few people whom are considerd by themselves and others as "artists", "progressive", "thinkers", "journalists" and the like. They number in the 2 dozen or so. Not a SINGLE ONE OF THEM would EVER vote much to the right of Taliban Jack (there's a slur for you that surely fits) much less for Harper.
In fact a few of them took me seriously to task for displaying my GPC signs during the last election, and for so brazenly voting Green; "you're splitting the vote, you're letting HARPER slide in" or words to that effect.
Why it was news that deyawn was sucking up to this demographic is well beyond my simple brain; truly he was preaching to the converted. He should be trying to win over the unconverted if he's looking for new votes, so it isn't really smart politics after all.
One should try for maximum effect from the smallest effort after all......
Posted by: Hoser | 2007-07-11 8:00:14 PM
You gotta wonder about who writes these Globe headlines. Yesterday, their front page had Day "pleading" with the RCMP, and now Dion is "gambling" on culture.
I'm sure Day wasn't down on his knees, so perhaps "encourages" would have been a better description.
And here, what kind of "gamble" is Dion taking ? He's just reinforcing the support from one of his client groups. There's no risk here for him. He won't be losing any votes from, say, the redneck crowd, because obviously that crowd was never going to vote for him anyway.
The mediocre reporting from the MSM never ends.
Posted by: Calgary Junkie | 2007-07-11 8:01:07 PM
St Albion,
Thanks. Totally off topic, but extremely interesting is that an Iraqi Shi'ite writer living in the US named Khudayr Taher (sp?) has come out and called for not only a ban on all further Muslim immigration, but for all Muslims living in the West to be deported, INCLUDING HIMSELF!!!!!!!! This was on a liberal Arab website and translated by MEMRI. Khudayr Taher is the greatest Muslim of all times, the Prophet be damned.
Posted by: JP | 2007-07-11 8:03:30 PM
Just learned from SDA Blog site of the resignation of Liberal Gary Merasty, who won under controversy in Desnethe-Missinipppi-Churchill over Conservative Jeremy Harrison who had the election won until the TREMENDOUS turnout of Indians to vote.
Dippy Dion said he made tremendous contributions to his constituents and all Canadians, talk about over the top silly banter. Now he was only elected in January of 2006 with no experience so it appears he's a fast learner. Guess we can assume he's a huge loss to the Liberals.
Time will tell if he's scuttling before shit hits the fan concerning the election controversy.
Posted by: LizJ | 2007-07-11 8:08:08 PM
I can agree that neocons go beyond just that small reform group, but I wouldn't want to tarnish real Tories with the label. Strange how most of the people on this website are the only ones who don't know who they are.
Posted by: munroe | 2007-07-11 8:13:05 PM
JP wrote: St Albion, Thanks. Totally off topic, but extremely interesting is that an Iraqi Shi'ite writer living in the US named Khudayr Taher (sp?) has come out and called for not only a ban on all further Muslim immigration,
Along the same lines here's a link to a real conservative, Pat Buchanan, talking about immigration. http://www.buchanan.org/blog/ 9th story
Posted by: St Albion Parish News | 2007-07-11 8:21:37 PM
Munroe: An American definition of "neo-con" is fitting because it's an American concept. Kristol said its adherents tend to be fiscally and socially conservative.
In Canada, "neo-con" is mostly an empty, anti-American insult hurled by lefties at their opponents.
For example, Dion loves to refer to Harper as a neo-con, even though Harper has advocated no social changes, has presided over massive fiscal spending and absolutely no tax relief.
Posted by: fred | 2007-07-11 8:59:09 PM
fred wrote: Kristol said its adherents tend to be fiscally and socially conservative.
Like just about everything else Kristol says it's half true. Neocons in the US are fiscally liberal, interventionalist and big federal government.
Posted by: St Albion Parish News | 2007-07-11 9:09:58 PM
I'd certainly put Harper into the neocon category. If you want reminders f a bit of history, google the Harper Index.
Fred, how'd you spend your 1% savings on the GST. Massive spending, you bet, ....on the military - another neocon indicator.
Posted by: munroe | 2007-07-11 9:10:34 PM
St Albion,
The one where Pat debates Guttierez? Yes, that was brilliant. Are you also familiar with Lawrence Auster, Steve Sailer and Peter Brimelow? The websites Vdare and View from the Right are also excellent.
I think this news about Khudayr Taher is huge. Apparently he was an associate of Iraqi PM Maliki, and says that privately Maliki is an anti-American Islamist. I wonder what the neocons will do about their boy in Baghdad in that case? But for a Muslim intellectual living in the West to call for a ban on Muslim immigration coupled with mass deportations of ALL Muslims in the West, well, it doesn't get much bigger than that.
Maybe all the "conservative" writers like Mark Steyn, Daniel Pipes, Robert Spencer, Melanie Phillips, etc. who rightly warn about the inherent threat of Islam, but never say a peep about immigration, will be emboldened by Khudayr Taher's absolute clarity of thought. I hope his brave statements receive maximum publicity.
KHUDAYR TAHER IS THE GREATEST MUSLIM IN HISTORY!
Posted by: JP | 2007-07-11 9:11:12 PM
leftwing nutjob indicator - "munroe".
Posted by: leftwing fanatic | 2007-07-11 9:15:03 PM
JP: The one where Pat debates Guttierez? Yes, that was brilliant. Are you also familiar with Lawrence Auster, Steve Sailer and Peter Brimelow?
Yes and yes. Pat massacred him.
Posted by: St Albion Parish News | 2007-07-11 9:15:20 PM
I personally think Deyawn is awash with culture.
Unfortunately for him and his kool-aid drinking followers, it is the culture of corruption.
Posted by: deepblue | 2007-07-11 9:47:25 PM
Dion is Soooo done... I have no idea how he even rates a line of news copy these days...lame duck leader and major reason for the coming decade of Librano obscurity.
Next up to get a public reflex vomiting will be the Trudeau brat...who will totally gag the nation with his preposterous insulated world views and lack of gravity.
Posted by: WL Mackenzie Redux | 2007-07-12 8:07:10 AM
The Trudeau spawn is really not mature enough to be getting into politics, even his name demands he have something more to offer than political jiffy quips.
His world views are a fit with the Liberal Left, time will tell if the people of his chosen riding want his services or not. He may find the cruelties of political service very challenging, he was a mere kid when papa Pierre served.
The Artsy Fartsies are really desperate hanging around Dion, he has no power and no money and the chances of his fortunes changing are remote.
He better stay clear of the hot dogs!
Posted by: LizJ | 2007-07-12 8:45:13 AM
LizJ,
Neocon is a shortened version of Neoconservatism. Neoconservatism is a political movement that emerged as a rejection of liberalism and the New Left counter-culture of the 1960s. It coalesced in the 1970s and was influential in the Reagan administration, George H. W. Bush administration, and George W. Bush administration. It has received so much attention because it represented a realignment in American politics and the defection of "an important and highly articulate group of liberals to the other side."
Because the neoconservatives knew liberalism from the inside, they were more effective than previous conservatives at criticizing the failures of liberalism, and one of their first accomplishments was to make criticism from the right acceptable in the intellectual, artistic, and journalistic circles where conservatives had long been regarded with suspicion.
The term neoconservative was first used derisively by democratic socialist Michael Harrington to make clear that a group, many of whom called themselves liberal, was actually a group of newly conservative ex-liberals. The name eventually stuck, both because it was reasonably accurate, and because neoconservatives came to accept that they were, in fact, conservative.
The idea that liberalism no longer knew what it was talking about became one of the central themes of neoconservatism, and by the 1980s, being considered a conservative was far from an insult.
Those who wish Liberals were still in vogue in Canada, make attempts to deride neoconservatives, by using the shortened version, because conservative is removed, and there is emphasis on "con" instead.
Fact remains, we neoconservatives know the errors of the Liberals, and know that what they have done has actually made a mess of things. We critisize the Liberal movement, with inside knowledge, and this drives them crazy--because they fail to be critical of themselves, and look out for the best interests of us all.
Posted by: Lady | 2007-07-12 10:34:07 AM
Actually LizJ, I am more inclined to neo-Jacobinism than the neo-conservatism--or perhaps a combination of the two.
Posted by: Lady | 2007-07-12 10:40:43 AM
Lady wrote: LizJ, Neocon is a shortened version of Neoconservatism. Neoconservatism is a political movement that emerged as a rejection of liberalism and the New Left counter-culture of the 1960s..............
A complete cut and paste job from Wikipedia. It's one thing to be stupidly obvious but in your case its the other way round.
Posted by: St Albion Parish News | 2007-07-12 11:14:48 AM
Ah yes, the old Internet google search--yet another lazy method.
You remind me of the little girl at Church, who runs to the Pastor and says, "Pastor, Al was not in sick last Sunday--he lied, he was at the waterpark", to which the wise Pastor would respond, "Now, now, there, there little girl, that is quite the claim. How do you know he was at the waterpark and not sick as he said he was." To which the little girl would respond, "I know! I saw him!"
Busted!
Posted by: Lady | 2007-07-12 12:19:06 PM
Ot:
Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Hear ye, St. Albion Parish News, free copies, come and get 'em!
Calling names is the last refuge of losers.
Scuttle off and try a turn at your own crank.
Posted by: LizJ | 2007-07-12 4:58:58 PM
SAPN,
I see an END quote leading me to believe this may have been a botched attempt to not take credit herself for the definitio. A mention of the source would have been appropriate but this is not a published journal so all in all, I give Lady the benefit of the doubt.
Play nicely.
Posted by: h2o273kk9 | 2007-07-12 5:08:36 PM
Another nasty comment from the Saint Alabaster Parochial News -aside from all this down townToronto bullshit, Harper is and will remain focused on the logistics of a Federal election, which means finding electable Conservative Candidates, which in Ontario will be predicated by the results of a Provincial Election where the less than Honorable Dalton the
Doubter may find himself out of work. There will be no shortage of potentially electable Conservative Candidates in Atlantic Canada despite the media hyped quarrels between Rodney the Fiddler and his Country Bumpkims and Uncle Stephen.Millions Williams -self defined saviour of :Da Rock. In the Picture Province several prominent
Tory MLA's ahve defected to the Howdy Doody Liberals -which has ensured their very short political careers. President Ronald Reagan would have laughed at the expression "neocon" His Diary's were published this week which will create
new life for many Republican politicians in the
United States of political reality. And Joey Slinger admits he throws rocks at cats in his back yard - Gay Activist Throws Rocks at harmless pussies. now on the international SPCA Web Site
-MacLeod laughing at Saint Alabaster in Tiny Perfect Moncton
Posted by: Jack Macleod | 2007-07-13 7:26:40 AM
Thanks for the kind words Jack.
Here's a link for you. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6897023.stm
Posted by: St Albion Parish News | 2007-07-13 7:40:36 AM
Anyone ever read the magazine "Private Eye"?
It had a section called "St Albion Parish News", whose main function was to undermine Tony Blair.
So, there is no doubt in my mind, that this blogger has used this name to hoodwink people, especially those who may be Catholic, into thinking he is what he is not.
It is no coincidence that he/she has without question, been at the defence of Iran and Iraq, and been vitriolically against whatever freedom movement, including the American war against terror, that is out there.
In fact, I am willing to hedge, that he is not even Canadian, but an islamofascist.
Posted by: Lady | 2007-07-13 10:10:07 AM
Lady wrote: In fact, I am willing to hedge, that he is not even Canadian, but an islamofascist.
Are you suggesting I'm a terrorist?
Posted by: St Albion Parish News | 2007-07-13 10:14:43 AM
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