Political double speak, eh?
You ask a politician for a straightforward answer and they’ll try desperately to weave their party platform into their response. Weave? Some aren’t even that subtle. They veer off into a nebulous debate about an entirely different topic.
All I wanted to know was what was the biggest issue facing Vancouver Island North? Sometimes I got a direct answer but in all cases it was considered an invitation to talk about what they wanted to talk about.
Sure it was about the economy but somehow the economy was connected to...you name it: tidal power, pharmacare, ranching.
Meanwhile, John Duncan hit me with a skill-testing question: how many election campaigns was this for him? These days I’m in a “just last week...or was it two years ago” frame of mind when it comes to remembering things. I said four.
It’s been seven election campaigns for the long-serving MP: '93, '97, '01, '04, '6, '08 and now 2011.
It began with the Reform Party’s explosion onto the scene and then morphed in the Reform-Progressive Conservative merger.
Editor’s note: the inclusion of this walk down memory lane can in no way be construed as an endorsement or a lack of endorsement of the aforementioned politician. Or politicians in general. Or specifically. Nor should this editor’s note be seen as a condemnation or support for editor’s notes as a concept or journalistic practice. Practising journalism is an inherently dangerous sport and this paper in no way encourages or discourages any young person from indulging in journalistic tendencies. Seek proper professional help. If you plan to practice journalism, you need proper professional help.
And now for something completely different...
How about them Whitecaps, eh?
Been keen to see the re-emergence of “top-flight” soccer in Vancouver. I was a big fan of the NASL Whitecaps and have kept an eye on the team as it went through various lower level leagues to emerge into Major League Soccer. I attended the Soccer Bowl when Vancouver hosted in 1983 (the last one). The Whitecaps had been eliminated and weren’t in the game between the Toronto Blizzard and Tulsa Roughnecks. My favourite moment was when the bored B.C. Place fans began the “White! Caps!” chant that alternated from either side of the stadium, which I see the current crop of Whitecaps fans have revived in the temporary Empire Field.
The ‘Caps have put on a good show so far, although Wednesday’s game against New England was an embarrassing display of incompetent refereeing. But other than that, the fans have created great atmosphere and the team has played well. I particularly like how the soccer minds in Whitecaps management have proven they know more about the game than all the North American writers who predicted the Caps would struggle to score in the MLS. Imagine.
– Alistair Taylor is editor of the Campbell River Mirror