Blog… Phlog… Phil’s Blog The writings and ventings of a 30-something in Ontario

Paul Jackson makes a good point in here. One that I have been saying for years. Brian Mulroney was the last Prime Minister we had who was an effective leader.

Now before you start pelting me with eggs let me state that:

1. I did not like or agree with much of what the PC Party and Mulroney did while in office.
2. The Mulroney Government was not without its share of scandel and corruption (when do those Senators get out of prison?).
3. Mulroney brought in the gouge and screw tax

Now if you look at Mulroney and Co. There was some semblance of leadership, at least a plan or an Idea of a plan. In 10 years of Chretien and a year of Martin, what leadership has occured? Answer:none!

How much money is missing? 2+Billion for Gun Control, 350+Million for Adscam, 1+Billion missing from the Export Development fund (EDC), Plus, Plus PLUS more.

Chrietien and Martin had/have no plans, no grand schemes and no honour or skill. A Prime Minister is suppose to lead our country... for the last 11 years we have had no leadership.

Way back in the glory days of the mid 1990's, Oasis was a good group. I might even give them that they were a great group.

I went to see them in New York City in October of 1997 with a friend from High School, Justin. Justin was a bigger fan than I was. We went to see them play at the Hammerstein Ballroom near MSG. Twice! First time we had tickets, the second we bought scalped tickets. I don't remember the concerts very much. Not due to usual reasons for memory loss, but because they were not that memorable.

I remember those concerts for the opening act, Fun Lovin' Criminals of one-hit wonder Scooby Snacks fame. The bone heads screwed up their set list in the first concert, playing their only known hit second. After playing 4 or 5 more songs that people never heard of, people started booing the group. It was only after they played "Scooby Snacks" again did the crowd calm down. At the second show, they fixed their play list and had a mediocre set.

Notice I didn't mention Oasis in that last paragraph. Because they didn't do anything interesting. Flash forward eight years and three albums later (maybe four albums, don't really care) they still sound the same.

Perhaps it is part of the bigger issue I find with groups. U2 has been around for over 25 years, everything now sounds the same. I thought the purpose of a group putting out a new album was to make NEW music. Key word, NEW!

When a group no longer produces something new, but still churns out CD's, the group is no longer making albums for fun, just for profit. Groups like REM, U2 and Oasis should follow the path of groups like Smashing Pumpkins. Lead singer Billy Corigan admitted there was nothing more that the group could do new, so it was time to let it drop and start something NEW.

Take the hint Oasis. Putting out the same crap on new CD's just to make money betrays the good songs and performances you did in the past. That just plain SUCKS. And so does Oasis!

Independent MP Chuck Cadman, from Surrey, B.C., speaks to reporters after voting for the government and helping them win a confidence vote in Ottawa Thursday.(CP PHOTO/Fred Chartrand)

I am no fan of the Liberal government or of Paul Martin. However I am a fan of this guy, Chuck Cadman. For those who don't know, when I was 18, I ran in the provincial election against Leeds-Grenville MPP Bob Runciman in 1995. I was still in High School at the time, and ran as an Independant (no party affiliation). My whole platform was that I was going to vote based on polling the residents. Chuck Cadman did the same with the vote and I applaude that.

From the Canadian Press:

Cadman chews his gum while saving the 38th Parliament

By ALEXANDER PANETTA

OTTAWA (CP) - In a deep corner of a sweltering, sweaty chamber buzzing with nervous chatter, a lone MP leaned back calmly in his chair chewing bubblegum.

Chuck Cadman for an instant seemed to be the most popular - and powerful - man in the country with a choir to sing his praises. Clapping in unison and warbling in surprisingly good tune, the NDP caucus rose to serenade the Independent MP.

"He's got the whole world in his hands, he's got the whole wide world."

The old gospel anthem represented only a slight exaggeration. At 5:40 p.m., the cancer-stricken B.C. Independent MP merely held the fate of Parliament, the minority Liberal government and the immediate future of federal politics in his hands.

A succession of Conservatives clustered around Cadman's back-row seat to greet him with a handshake or backslap.

But the man of the hour maintained the tranquility of someone who has endured infinitely greater stress.

Cadman boarded a flight to Ottawa just a week after a chemotherapy treatment for skin cancer. He entered politics in 1997 after his 16-year-old son was murdered.

He said he spent an hour napping and only decided how he would vote a half-hour before strolling through the doors of Parliament's Centre Block.

He wore the mantle of the man who would decide the fate of the government lightly.

"I don't worry about things like that," he said.

"Believe me, I honestly don't. I've carried a few weights in my life."

While Cadman serenely worked over a wad of gum in the Commons, across the aisle a man with significantly more at stake in the vote took a sip from the glass of water on his desk.

Prime Minister Paul Martin chortled and exchanged jokes with the colleagues seated around his front-row chair.

He took a peek into the standing-room-only crowd in the gallery, which included some of his own closest aides.

Peering over the balcony from one corner of the gallery was David Herle.

Like hundreds of others in the room Herle - the Liberals' campaign co-chair - would have his immediate future decided by a long-haired former rock guitarist from B.C.

The room fell silent shortly before 6 p.m. It was time for MPs to vote on C-48, an amendment bill to the federal budget.

If it collapsed Martin was to visit the Governor General the following morning, and campaign buses would be rumbling off Parliament Hill by afternoon.

Martin took another sip of water. Cadman continued chewing at a brisk pace.

The Liberals were called by name and they rose one after another in support of the budget. All parties had made sure their MPs were there by counting heads as they walked into the chamber.

Ontario Liberal Peter Adams skipped the vote to make up for Tory MP Darrel Stinson, who is undergoing cancer surgery.

Once the Liberals were all done Carolyn Parrish rose in support of her former colleagues. She was booted from caucus last year after her persistent bashing of U.S. President George W. Bush.

Seated next to her was another former Liberal, David Kilgour, and he remained seated. He had sent out a press release earlier in the afternoon outlining numerous frustrations with the Liberals.

Then it was Cadman's turn.

At 6:02, he unfolded his lanky frame and stood for a long moment, his hands crossed over his belly as a shower of applause rained down on him from the Liberal benches.

Gleeful Liberals shredded sheets of paper and tossed them heavenward.

Grim Tories wore the long faces, slumped shoulders and blank stares of a squad that had just lost in overtime.

Cadman eased back into his chair and pumped the hand of his seatmate, the Bloc Quebecois' Marc Boulianne.

The Liberals swarmed around newly minted Human Resources Minister Belinda Stronach before a single Conservative rose. After being plucked from the Tory bench and catapulted into cabinet, her vote kept the Liberals in power.

The Tories made a brave show of support for Stephen Harper when the Conservative leader cast the first 'nay' vote against the budget. But after Cadman's action, there was no denying the futility of the Conservative opposition.

Conservative MPs bobbed up and down to register no confidence in the government, but tensions slackened instantly. MPs went back to chatting or thumbing messages into their ubiquitous blackberries.

The vote result, a deadlocked 152-152, was read out by the Commons clerk.

"Speaker! Speaker!" the Tories began chanting.

But Commons Speaker Peter Milliken's keen sense of parliamentary history made him the last man who would have broken political convention to vote with the opposition. A few Conservatives laughed scornfully when he said his vote would be blind to partisanship.

"I don't know why the honourable members keep doing this to me," Milliken began balefully. He became the first Speaker to vote in a confidence showdown.

As he began explaining the logic for his vote, a crowd milling outside the Commons door began to cheer.

They could see on TV what everyone inside the sober chamber could discern even before Milliken finished speaking.

The governmenty had - by the narowest possible margin - maintained the confidence of the House of Commons.

A few Tories aimed catcalls at Martin and Stronach.

"What are you gonna do, buy another one?"

The prime minister crossed the floor to shake hands with the most powerful parliamentarian in Canada.

The one still chewing gum while Liberals tossed up papers, Tories fumed and a Speaker propped up a federal government for the first time in Canadian history.

One of these things just doesn't belong...

Now you, the average voter can generate your own Liberal campaign sign. Show Team Martin what you really think.

With Belinda Stronach bolting to the Liberal Party, the last hope for a moderate leader within the Conservative Party is gone. Harper might as well just rename the party back to the Alliance, or perhaps a more fitting name CCRAP!

The only bad thing here is that Belinda did lose some credibility by jumping parties. Leading a caucus revolt against Harper from the Opposition side of the house would have given her a real boost from the more Progressive minded Conservatives (former PC Party people).

Next election I will be holding my nose and voting Liberal, better a corrupt individual than Harper!

OH NO... Canadian Tire has lost millions this quarter.. here is a thought. DUMP THE DAMN ANNOYING COUPLE IN YOUR COMMERICALS.

Like enough already. Everytime I see that stupid guy go on about some lame tool or that woman annoy me about how easy it is to do something with the new "Craftsman" BLAH tool, it makes me want to NOT shop at Canadian Tire.

If I need bolts or a heater or something, I go to Home Hardware, Home Depot or even Walmart before going to Canadian Tire. Hell even my car runs like shit on gas from the Canadian Tire gas bars, do they cut it with water or something.

CT Sucks, but it would suck less with that "Power-Couple" gone from the Ads.

Wow look at this article from the BBC. People seem shocked around the world that Canada has Political scandels. - Funny though, Canadians aren't shocked by this.

When I was in High school in the early 1990's, the Hip were just taking off. Because of the close proximity of my high school to Kingston (home of the Hip), everyone was into the hip. There were CD's in classes, cars driving around with it playing. It drove me NUTS!

Not that I was a prude when it comes to music, I was into the groups of the time, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam and so on. Just I didn't think that the Hip was all that... well... Hip!

I am sure a lot of it was that I hated where I grew up, and the people I went to school with. Having been the chubby kid who was picked on, you tend to not like the things that your tormentors like. Its just human nature!

There was more to it. I just didn't like their sound. They didn't do anything creative. Just rehash the same blues type of rifts, overkill on Gord Downie's lyrics and a monotonous bass line that makes one think of Gregorian Chants (not a favourite of mine either).

Again this morning, I heard that same fucking song... Blow and high dough! Overplay! Enough!

I hate the Tragically Hip!