First snarky comments of the New Year

While I haven’t made any official resolutions this year, blogging-wise I would like to try to a) not feed the comment trolls, b) bring more snark, and c) do more rum and coke blogging when covering Liberal setbacks. Since the latter isn’t advisable during the work day, I’ll start with the snark.

*NDP applies new internal checks to guard against blunders: I’ll let readers come-up with their own punch line here; I’m refraining in solidarity with the striking tv writers. You don’t need to be a professional here though; I think the joke would write itself. But seriously, it’s interesting to see Jack Layton is still the leader of the NDP. You’ll have to forgive me for being confused, because when these two apologies were being made he was nowhere to be seen. And, knowing how much Jack loves a camera, that’s so small feet.

“But guess what? The NDP is human. We make mistakes that some people will judge as errors – and we acknowledge were problems – and we'll apologize when that happens.”

To err is human, and to forgive when required to by a legal settlement after being taken to court is divine…and by we, he of course means dear god, anybody but me... But that raises the question though, just who in the NDP was actually responsible for the Oliver smear? And is one of these ‘internal checks’ going to be showing them the door?

On a more positive note, let me say kudos to Jack for apparently going an entire interview without taking a gratuitous shot at the Liberals. Is this a New Year’s resolution, an oversight, or an editorial decision by the Globe editors? Time will tell.

*Ottawa hands $150m tax break to EnCana: Hey, if the average family is going to save $150/year on the GST cut, isn’t it only fair to give $150m to an oil and gas company?

A one percentage point cut in the Goods and Services Tax that kicked in at midnight will be one of the few new tax cuts Canadians should expect to see in 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Monday.

Unless you're an oil and gas producer, that is. After all, these are tough times in that industry…

Oilsands and natural gas company EnCana Corp. on Thursday pumped its dividend as the company recorded the biggest annual profit in Canadian corporate history.

For 2006, EnCana made $5.65 billion US, or roughly $6.41 billion Cdn, based on last year's average Canada-U.S. exchange rate, a new Canadian record. EnCana's 2006 profit topped the previous record of $5.46 billion posted by BCE Inc. back in 1999.

Must be nice to have friends in high places, no?

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On apologies

A short blog entry, I apologize for that. And I haven't had time to write much of late, it's been a busy time at work, and with work related parties by some of the vendors and media relations firms that we work with. So, apologies for that, although it has been fun.

In other apologies news, I think Liberal MP Karen Redman owes me one (and one for James too) for jumping on this dumbass James Moore story the other day, and therefore not allowing me to get on my righteous high horse and savage the NDP for trying to be our self-appointed morality police. Good on the NDP for their apology on that thing though, although really, what a very stupid incident that whole thing was. It's a hard knock life for Jimmy Moore.

It's days like that I'm glad I don't make a living in politics because honestly, having to pretend to be all indignant and care about crap like that would have to eat away at the soul.

And speaking of apologies, nice to see the NDP correcting a long-term wrong, albeit by court order, and apologize for their smearing of a Liberal candidate in the last election:

NDP House leader Libby Davies formally apologized Thursday on behalf of her party for spreading allegations that a Liberal candidate in the last federal election tried to bribe his NDP rival to drop out of the race.

“The New Democratic Party admits we seriously erred in making the allegations public and in putting a young and inexperienced candidate in a position where he felt justified in making those allegations and to repeat them on some 40 occasions to media across Canada,” Ms. Davies told the Commons.

Rather overdue, I think. It would be nice to see Paul Martin apologize as well for joining the mob, bowing to the pressure and punting the guy overboard. Failing that though, as the current leader Stephane Dion could certainly step up to the plate and right a wrong here.

Just one question though. I see the NDP put up Libby Davies to offer the apology for the party. I like Libby. As a student journalist back in the day she always had time for the student media, and I appreciated that. I have to wonder, where was Jack Layton?

Apoligiupdate: I need to withdraw my "good on the NDP" for apologizing over GirlfriendPictureGate, and for that withdrawal I apologize. But it seems the NDP's Irene Mathyssen is turning her apology into a non-apology apology. At least in her hometown paper, not knowing they have the Interweb out there now too.

And so the stupidity continues. I think clearly Moore needs to post these photos of his significant other so we can judge ourselves the appropriateness of the pics for the commons chamber. Failing that, perhaps the NDP could publish a hand of acceptable photo standards. Skirts ok, but hems not higher than the knee, etc.

I'll leave with this quote from the first episode of The West Wing, when President Bartlett takes on some conservative morals types:

John Van Dyke: When our children can go to any street corner in America and buy pornography for five dollars, don't you think that is too high a price to pay for free speech?

President Josiah Bartlet: No. On the other hand, I think that five dollars is too high a price to pay for pornography.

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