The PPG Believes in Empowerment
Paul Samyn’s blog entry today features the tale of the tape on the latest “war” between the Parliamentary Press Gallery and Harper. Thankfully, Lemon Chicken’s post of a few days ago also helps us understand what went on.
While I hope the real aggressor gets pilloried in the court of public opinion be they a PPG goon or Conservative lackey, I do have a question for the indignant Samyn and Lemon Chicken - is the PPG so bereft of pointed questions for Prime Minister Harper that a camera operator is now empowered to ante up questions in the PPG journalists’ stead? And what an amazing question to ask:
He tried to ask Stephen Harper a question about whether he would accept the challenge of 18-year-old Dawson College shooting victim Hayder Kadhim to debate the Tory promise to abolish the long-gun registry.
So the camera operator wants to broker a debate between the Prime Minister and an unfortunate victim who is so traumatized that he can’t tell the difference between an assault rifle and some Western Canadian duck hunter’s gun? How very Michael Moore. If a PPG member ran up to the podium and gave Prime Minister Harper a wedgie, I bet the look on Harper’s face would be one for the ages – is this Robin Samyn and His Merry Men’s next move in their self-imposed role as “official opposition”? If you are going to paint Harper as the next Idi Amin, what better way to do it than with a picture of Harper making a funny face.
The PPG would go a long way in establishing credibility if they were to beat Harper at his own game instead of just keeping Amnesty International on speed dial. Go on the dreaded list and SHOW your readers that the Conservatives are playing favourites. Getting camera operators to act like belligerent frat boys paints PPG journalists in a light that straddles the great intellectual divide somewhere between Michael Moore and a real-life Borat. I for one expect more from our press than Gotcha! journalism…
Motivational Tunes:
Motorhead – Killed by Death
Crush – Jellyhead
Public Image Ltd. – Seattle
Loudness – We Could Be Together
posted by Unapologetic Ex-Winnipegger @ 1:37 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I am not in any way going to attempt to defend the Canadian press gallery. If they want me to do that they can hire me. The point is the conduct of the government.
The conduct of the government is less draconian when you look at the childish antics of the PPG that led to this incident. You must accordingly look at everything as a whole, not through the lens of some form of political "mental accounting".
If PPG members want to be treated as professionals in line with the likes of engineers, accountants, lawyers, etc. perhaps they should conduct themselves in a more dignified manner. Let's leave the paparazzi for Hollywood tabloids.
Beating Harper at his own game would be easy - go on the list and then do a modal analysis of which reporters get called on during press meetings. This is first year level statistical analysis. Heck, this is first WEEK stats. If they really wanted to impress the public, the PPG could go on to do a regression analysis of how frequently reporters giving Conservatives favourable press are given priority.
Politics is exziting, yes? Like da sexy intercourse. In my area of de canada in da Manitoba we have "running of NDP'rs", is like running of bulls but bureaucrats.
They no run too fast, but there are so many of them, if you trip they catch, then you become one.
benefits good.
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