The Ignatieff Ultimatum: The View From the Beach

I finally got to watch Michael Ignatieff's ultimatum. final warning gentle reminder to Stephen Harper. After spending the day at the beach.

And I'm going to give him an A for strategy, but only a C+ for delivery. And only because I'm feeling so mellow I'm prepared to ignore the way he looked down and closed his eyes and practically HYPNOTIZED me with those eyebrows.

But seriously... it's good to throw the ball into the Con court, but if you're going to threaten an election and you want Canadians to get motivated. You better remember that because Canada is what it is, at this time of the year...

You're competing with this...















And the challenge is to make Canadians feel that even though our summers are so tragically short, and these are such worrying times, being bombarded by attack ads and screaming politicians coming at them from every direction is better than soaking up some rays and thinking of NOTHING.

Or just nice things. Like what shall we throw on the barbie tonight?

Which isn't easy. You REALLY need to connect....instead of just talking eloquently but boringly like Ignatieff did today.

For example....while it's good to bring in the EI issue it needs to be framed in a way everyone can understand. Like saying:

"What am I supposed to say to Fred in Fredericton, or Henri in Trois-Rivieres, or Rusty the Cowboy in Alberta? That they can't qualify for unemployment because in their areas unemployment isn't a PROBLEM?

"When everybody knows that it could happen to ANYONE in Canada no matter where they live? *points at camera* Like you and you and YOU"

Because that's the kind of thing that gets everyone's attention eh?

And as I said that's not easy in summer.
















Because there are so many distractions...
















And then there's the isotope issue....he could have said something like this:

What am I going to tell Mildrid in Victoria? That she's not going to be able to have her cancer test because the Cons fucked up the reactor...and now they want to SELL IT ?

And BTW they think cancer is SEXY?

And when Ignatieff said that Canada was abandoning the world on the isotopes issue...which was excellent and the only thing my dumbo friends remembered...he could have said it even more forcefully:

"And what are we supposed to tell the world? That although we pioneered the technology we allowed it to rundown, we can't be bothered to fix it, and now we're giving up? And furthermore that Canada doesn't care if millions of people suffer. Because our BushCon government wants to sell everything off and use tax cuts to destroy the power of government.

Followed by something like this...

"That's not the Canada I believe in. And that's why if Stephen Harper doesn't start behaving like a Canadian Prime Minister....and stops making us look like dumb redneck LOSERS in the eyes of the world, I will REMOVE him."

Which is something everyone can understand. Fuck that eh? Dumb maybe but losers NEVER.

But then what do I know? It looks like Great Desperate Leader used his extra hook-like appendages to add up what saying no would mean.

And has decided to bend over and take it.

Which will only reinforce the Canadian public's view of Harper as a weak leader. Excellent .

And BTW proves me right. Again. We WILL have a fall election.

Of course, I'm ready for an election ANYTIME.

But until it really happens. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

You know where to find me...