GO Stockwell

[ivbinconned]

Straight news on 'fresh' faces
Stockwell Day
National Post

Wednesday, January 07, 2004


Stephen Harper and Peter MacKay have too much "baggage." The new Conservative Party needs a "fresh" face. This "mainstream" media mantra is pervasive and monotonous. It is grudgingly accepted by many simply because it falls from the mouths of the high priests and priestesses of Canada's cloistered newsrooms.

Am I talking like this because I am biased and somewhat jaded from my leadership experience? Of course.

However, the points I raise are valid in spite of my bias. For instance, why are the "baggage" and "fresh face" indictments never applied to my friend (I say that sincerely), Paul Martin?

He reduced the deficit by horrendously slashing the provinces' health care payments and raising taxes over 60 different times. He supported and presided over every Chretien boondoggle and policy disaster.

His team reluctantly and half-heartedly withdraws from serious conflict of interest charges only when exposed. Patronage remained the order of day when he jacked his supporter's salaries almost 30% while freezing public servants. These items, and others, should be enough "baggage" to sink a steamship line.

Yet in spite of his record, and the fact he's been a fixture on the Hill (to his credit) for decades, the media rarely apply the terms "baggage" or the need of a "fresh face" to him.

It is neither reactionary nor paranoid to point out that the vast majority of national media admit to being philosophically liberal and far more to the left than mainstream Canadians. That's not a problem in itself. The problem is their pretense of neutrality. It beguiles the public into thinking they're getting straight news.

What are conservatives to do? First, realize when you can't win the air war, you must get out and fight the ground war. When people get to see leaders like Harper (or MacKay for that matter) without the media filter, they will not see "baggage". They will see "fresh faces." They will see competence and capability. So we must "get out from under the dome" as Ralph Klein says.

Secondly, as nomination and leadership races unfold, we conservatives and reformers absolutely must stifle our historic and destructive impulse to publicly trash one another if our horse doesn't win.

The problem is media love to magnify our infighting and minimize similar Liberal antics. Witness the lack of media magnification when a former deputy prime minister and long-time colleague of the new Prime Minister, trashed him for his alleged anti-woman behaviour.

Had that accusation come against Harper or MacKay, the national bards would have ranted for weeks. That's life, folks. No sense crying about it. But it does make sense to realize what we're up against.

Conservatives can win this battle. But we must have focus, discipline and endurance. And who knows, maybe we'll all get a refreshing break one day when the demand for less "baggage" and more "fresh faces" applies to some of the lead ducks in the national media.

Stockwell Day is the Canadian Alliance MP for Okanagan-Coquihalla, B.C.


http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/comment/story.html?id=c5b64a59-dcd2-4f06-900e-2a2adedd0133

[Muttley]

I stongly supported Stockwell in his last leadership. I have been ticked at the Alliance ever since dropping because certain members had to stay Preston's way.
I will probably vote Conservative in the next election no matter how much they tick me off. The one thing the new Conservatives must do is elect a leader from the east. (a hard thing for a Sk. person to say). Without a eastern leader the party will go no where federaly. Like it or not the west can not elect a government, we need the east, and then can only hope the party keeps to some of it's western beginnings.

[cowman]

Well Muttley, I'm going to vote for Jack Layton! I like his style even if he is a radical little commie! Well I should say if they even bother to run a candidate in my riding...redneck Alberta!
Basically it will be a protest vote as the NDP has about as much chance of forming the government as I have of winning the Super 7! Or less?
I suspect Harper will get the nod for the Conservative/Reform?Alliance party and I also suspect he will go nowhere? I do believe he will carry too much "baggage" after all he was one of the authors of the Alberta Agenda? Won't sell too good down in the heartland of Ontario? Is there anyone from eastern Canada even running for the NEW Conservative party?

[ivbinconned]

I have yet to hear a good explanation as what it is that we "need" from the east.

That an elected Canadian government would ever be sensitive to its western voices is realy beyond hope. That is not how the system works. Remember Brian Mulronys second win also was won without the need of any western seats!

No matter who forms the government in Canada those areas with the most represtentation IN the government will ultimatly call the shots. There are NO built in checks to this.

This is what Preston thought, that the west with a strong voice could say "we want in" and our eastern masters would say "your right, you have a legitimate agenda, we will change the system."
16 long years ago!

Now western MP's know the truth of this, but don't tell us how useless they realy are....cause the pay is so darn good.
I'd rather be an MP now, than a cattle man right.

And as Stockwell so perfectly points out, the media, our eastern mental mind molesters, as they have done for many years, keep telling us what we have to do to be accepted. But nothing, of course, will ever be good enough.

This is exactly what they did to Hermanson after the election here. Endless speculation, suggestions, and quiries about his "future" and he is hounded out of office.