repolitics
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by Royce Koop on
I’m not a big fan of B.C. premier Gordon Campbell, but am consistently surprised at what an excellent campaigner he is. For example, how cool is this?:
"The premier started his day at an event with the stunning backdrop of the $143-million Park Bridge, part of a $972-million project to widen one of B.C.’s most dangerous stretches of highway.
…
by Royce Koop on
Andrew Steele has written a strange article describing potential successors for Stephen Harper as Conservative leader should the government be defeated in January. I doubt that Harper is in any real danger even if he does lose a confidence vote – there are no formal mechanisms to remove him as leader in the short term and no other candidate has anything resembling Harper’s rock-solid base of support within the party.
by Royce Koop on
Winner: Stephane Dion. The snide comment he got off at CTV and Roger Smith ("…you understand?") was great, almost as good as Smith and Lloyd Robertson’s breathless, wounded indignation afterward.
Loser: CTV. While results were pouring in from B.C., the network cut to a lengthy, chummy interview with Bob Rae, followed up by a simultaneous interview with Michael Ignatieff. I watched the B.C. results at the bottom of the screen while Rae and Ignatieff complimented one another and played coy over their leadership intentions. Lame.
by Royce Koop on
Awk-ward! Hoo boy, this exchange between a sneering Mike Duffy and a smirking Geoff Regan has to count as the most uncomfortable moment of the campaign. You have to fast-forward to the 04:40 point see it.
by Royce Koop on
Since the English language debate, the media have essentially handed Stephane Dion and Jack Layton free passes to attack Harper for "not having a plan," despite that they are somewhat lacking in this respect themselves. This has led to some amusing episodes as the two leaders have tried to keep the spotlight focussed on Harper, and away from themselves. Failure to do so has led to disaster, at least for Dion.
by Royce Koop on
My first thought after watching the clip is that it’s hardly as bad as many are making it out to be. He’s obviously tired and there’s something about the question that is throwing him off. And he doesn’t exactly come across as petulent or annoyed – I’ve seen much worse from Dion, especially in interviews from the 1990s. He actually comes off as somewhat likeable near the end of this video.