A taste of politics to come the www.com way

Mike Behan
Moving with Mike

“Grassroots for the Canadian Alliance,” which wants to dump Stockwell Day as party leader, officially unveiled itself yesterday in Ottawa.

Of course, they’re not to be confused with “Grassroots for Day,” which is the movement launched last month to keep Stockwell Day as leader of the Canadian Alliance.

Neither one of which should be confused with “Grassroots for Who Cares?” which is how 95 percent of Canadians feel about the whole thing.

Unfortunately, it’s painfully clear we’re going to be stuck with the Stockwell Day saga until at least next April, when party members gather at their annual convention to vote on whether to hold a leadership review.

Then, and only then, will we learn if “Grassroots for the Canadian Alliance” carries the day (no pun intended) over “Grassroots for Day,” or vice-versa. Unless “Grassroots for Let’s Form Another Party in Hopes of Uniting the Right” springs up before then and scuttles the whole Alliance experiment once and for all.

Which still will leave us with “Grassroots for Who Cares?”

None of this farcical soap opera would have happened if Stockwell Day had done the smart thing and resigned on the spot in the wake of last November’s federal election, which, as we all know, saw the Liberals under Jean Chrétien win their third-straight majority (and with more seats than they had going into the campaign).

Ujjal Dosanjh did it in B.C. So did William Hague, leader of the Conservative Party in Great Britain, after last week’s loss to Tony Blair’s Labour government.

Did Stockwell not see the writing on the wall? Did he not realize taunting the prime minister to call an early election had backfired? Did he not know supporters of former Reform Party leader Preston Manning would turn on him as soon as he failed to deliver the goods?

Evidently not, otherwise he wouldn’t be clinging so stubbornly to whatever little power he still has left.

Still, as Canadians are left to bemusedly watch the Canadian Alliance implode, one has to wonder if all this is a sign of things to come on the political front.

As everyone knows, practically any Tom, Dick, or Harry can post a Web site on the Internet these days, which likely will spawn the following as Liberal leadership hopefuls cool their heels waiting for Jean Chrétien to finally join the Senior PGA Tour:

  • www.theotherPMforPM.com
  • www.anybodybutSheila.com
  • www.voteforSheilatokeepTobinout.com
  • www.Rockrocks.com
  • www.PrinceGeorgeforHedy.com
  • www.noneoftheabove.com

Then there’s the NDP, who, oh joy, also undoubtedly will face a leadership race between now and the next election. Likely Web sites include:

  • www.Alexawho.com
  • www.Svendisourman.com
  • www.thebuzzonBuzz.com
  • www.we’renotdeadyet.com

Hmmm, sounds like it’s time for www.letsheadforthelake.com


Okay, okay, so the Times foursome didn’t “kick butt” at the annual Confederation College scholarship golf tournament last Friday at Kitchen Creek. In fact, after limping in at +2, we couldn’t even beat the Fort Frances General Supply “Deodorizers,” who somehow managed to finish at even par.

Evidently I did too good of a job last week outlining to our fellow competitors how to conquer Kitchen Creek while forgetting to take my own advice (yep, I plunked one into Bug’s Pond).

Oh well, there’s always next year!