While I am still anxiously waiting for my first invitation to one of these infamous Liberal Cocktail Parties, it is evident that Don Martin gets invited quite a lot. He makes frequent mention in his columns and televised bits of his conversations with Liberals. It seems that his new shtick is reporting from behind Liberal lines. On this particular issue of the Ignatieff mutiny, I don't really disagree with him. I don't expect Iggy to be overthrown before the next election, as exciting as I think that would be. Bob Rae is nuts.
I have blogged in the past about Martin's evolving modus operandi, but clearly his motivation is to gain the confidence of people who feed him his story ideas. I am not suggesting that they are choosing what Don Martin writes about, but rather that they carefully choose what they say to him at these Gala-lite gatherings of Liberals. There is a reason Don Martin is invited into that room. This is the same journalist who proclaimed Ignatieff the big winner of the week right at the precipice of Iggy's personal polling number collapse. Good call, Don.
I think it would be a fascinating exercise to attend one of these Cocktail Parties. What does it take to be invited? Do I need to write what they tell me to write, or do I need to write what I know they want to hear?
Er, "Liberal Cocktail Parties"--would they be like those Hollywood Parties we've heard about? :P
ReplyDeleteIgnatieff speaks to reporters on Monday afternoon Dec. 7
ReplyDelete"I think it starts by not taking Angelo Persichilli too seriously. Look, this is a tempest in a teacup. This is not serious business. There's journalism -- and you're all reputable and thoughtful journalists -- and then there's gossip. And this is gossip. I'm continuing to do my job. "We've made some tough decisions, the caucus has held together through those decisions, I'm proud of the decisions that we've been taking, sometimes they're not popular but they're in the national interest. I've made them. The caucus has stuck with me."
Yea the caucus has stuck with him except for the 26 that didn't show up to vote for the HST last week . I wonder what they were plotting and where.
How many Liberals stayed away from the whipped vote Monday night?
It is reported today that B.C. Liberal MP Keith Martin says Ignatieff has "given me permission" to miss the votes. How many other Liberal MP's have been given Papal dispensation and is this the indication of "the caucus has stuck with me"
Isn't it convenient that Bob Rae is miles away while the party and Ignatieff deal with this crisis?