This blog is not associated with the Alberta Liberal Party or Liberal Party of Canada. This blog belongs to one person with one viewpoint.Am I Agonizing over Angelo?
December 6, 2009, 7:00 AMAngelo Persichilli says one thing and Glen Pearson says another. Susan Delacourt gives the easy, gut reaction. Joanne at bluelikeyou.com makes the quick, easy, and simple calculation that “Ignatieff is going down”. Is there a plan being concocted by the federal Liberal brass on running a coup against Iggy?
Being the young and naive man that I am I have to wonder: should I be worried about Ignatieff? I went to the convention just to vote for him and had even volunteered to go to the convention before Rae dropped out, in fact. I like the guy. I’ve read a few of his books, too. He brings out a moral compass to international affairs which I think we’ve misplaced for such a long time and, well, that is not going to be brought up again for a long, long time if he’s replaced. Again, I like the guy.
So am I agonizing over Angelo’s article? No. Not really. Carolyn Bennett and several others on twitter are already reacting to how even the mention of giving up on Iggy is disgraceful and, in Dr. Bennett’s words, ‘hurtful and wrong’. Glen Pearson goes out of his way to nullify each of the journalist’s points, refuting each single claim–all early in the morning and almost on a turn of the dime blogging.
Obviously Iggy has political backing still, the possible conspirators aren’t trying to remove Iggy, and, to crown it all, according to Angelo’s article “Rae also was critical of the performance of the leader but said he was not interested in a coup d’état.” Funnily enough, Angelo wrote his piece in such a way that the likely guessed action, of people standing behind Iggy, would reinforce what he wrote. Or is that a ‘sadly enough’?…
Anyways, there’s no issue, no problem, no plot. I’m not agonizing over Angelo.
Ignatieff could submit to a leadership review and end the speculation.
However, if Persichilli got his story that wrong, then he should issue a public apology or at the very least the Star needs to print a correction.
[...] Liberal has his own post up now – Am I agonizing over Angelo? Filed under Bob Rae, Iffy, Iggo Waffles, Iggyssiah, LPC, Liberal Party of Toronto, [...]
We should not have acclaimed Iggy as leader without a competetion, he lacks the moral authority to lead the Party, he needs to call a leadership review asap and give grass roots Liberals a say, and that would settle either way and then Bob Rae would have to stand down, that’s the only way I can see this getting solved.
A leadership review would certainly bring the whole underground rumbling movement out into the open: it would be “put up, or buckle down” time.
Unfortunately, anything less than a resounding win (probably north of 85-90%) would leave the rumblings in place, and emboldened.
The time to have been elected in an open contest was earlier this year. As with Paul Martin’s ascent, a coronation has not served Michael Ignatieff well. At least Martin had to face a convention with an opponent, even though everyone knew the game was rigged going in.
The Liberal Party is stuck with its past choices. All the behind-the-scenes jockeying does is reinforce the image that the party is not ready for prime time. Certainly, for some, a defeat the next time around works in their interest. But does it work in anyone else’s?
Rae has left the country now because he doesn’t want to get embroiled in the Liberal party HST infighting (can you say gutless). He is leaving Ignatieff to take all the flak from Liberal MP’s and since he has no solution to the problem he wants to remain above the fray. To tell the party he is “skating” on the HST issue does not show leadership and he doesn’t want to make a definite commitment or take a stand. Why hasn’t he given the media a stand on the HST instead of letting Ignatieff hanging in the wind on a very important party issue. Persichilli has it right about the daggers for Ignatieff being out there but he should comment on how Bob Rae is manipulating all this – some Liberal MP’s may be too stupid to see through Rae’s machinations. Watch his every move and you will see him distance himself from Ignatieff and watch what issues he picks to comment on – he is a snake in the grass and Liberals should wake up.
Rae’s manoeuvres speak for themselves and we don’t need Glen Pearson to give his spin to this story. Wasn’t it on this blog that someone mentioned how Pearson sits behind Ignatieff in question period and shows no emotion at all when Ignatieff speaks while others around him applaud – he sits there like a potted plant – I have been suspicious of Pearson for a long time.
Peter do you prefer the trained seals who applaud and yell faux outrage instead in the cheap seats?