I have to say that over the last two years, I have found myself agreeing with Don Martin and Andrew Coyne less and less. These were two of my favourite pundits in Canada only a few short years ago that I frequently agreed with, but nowadays I don't find myself in agreement with their analysis. Andrew Coyne can be downright nutty sometimes, though I acknowledge him to be a very intelligent man. BC Blue asked yesterday if Andrew Coyne has officially lost it, which I believe to be a very valid question.
My question is, what happened to these two pundits that I used to value? I don't know if Don Martin started attending too many Liberal cocktail parties when he was writing the Stronach book and fell into that world, or if he's someone who writes better when he's complaining about the government. I suspect that some writers are better when they are complaining about government and power. Or maybe the media does higher ratings in unstable minority governments than in majorities, such that it would be in the media's own self interest to keep it close?
All that being said, Coyne and Martin take more shots at the Liberals than a Taber or Delacourt. I don't think Don Martin is a partisan Liberal, nor do I think Coyne votes Liberal. Rather I think it is more pragmatic, that if they dedicate X amount of their time attacking the government they will appeal to a larger audience. It is likely a traffic maximization formula; similar to when Warren Kinsella criticizes the Liberals and Blogging Tories jump on it as unhappiness within the other team's ranks. Or were Coyne and Martin always Liberals, pretending to be right of center when it benefited their careers?
They are pissed they didn't get Senate appointments this last round and figure they have no hope as long as Harper is PM so........
ReplyDelete“What Happened To Don Martin & Andrew Coyne? “
ReplyDeleteNothing! It’s what has happened to you? You’ve probably concluded they don’t know any more than the average Tea Partier about what is going on and what we need. Those guys are elitists who think they “know”. But they don’t, in fact they are so out of touch with the average plumber they know less about what kind of government we need.
Coyne has amazingly fooled most that he is a conservative. He’s not. He’s a Big Government centralist who has not evolved in his thinking about Ottawa’s role beyond that of Upper and Lower Canada.
That the CBC chooses to have Coyne on as a token gesture to the right is all the proof needed that he’s not right. When they get Ezra Levant or Mark Steyn on to represent us then we’ll have a fair and balanced CBC.
nomdeblog
Coyne was on the Adler Show last week pitching his new idea that we toll all the major roads in Canada to discourage people from driving; all so he can get to work faster.
ReplyDeleteI concur Don Martin has been on a steady slide, becoming more & more liberal for a long time now (central Canadian assimilation?) but Coyne's criticisms of the Conservatives are mostly for them not being conservative (libertarian) enough. ie the huge Deficit spending & the protectionist Potash decision. Coyne has also been praising Bernier for his pro-freedom, free market , libertarian outspokenness.
ReplyDeleteCoyne and Martin are like the majority of "Journalists" in Canada... closet Trudeauvian cultists... that pretend their not.
ReplyDeleteFrom http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2011/01/transcript-stephen-harper-the-mansbridge-interview-part-one.html
ReplyDeletePeter Mansbridge told the PM that some of his "ardent supporters" -- Mansbridge referred to Gerry Nicholls after this reply from the PM -- think he's not conservative enough, to which the PM replied:
"... You don't stand up and do a policy that's inappropriate because somebody says it's not their dictionary definition of conservatism. But I think we've done it in a way that is consistent with our views and consistent with the promotion of the kind of Canada we want to see over time."
When the PM said that, I thought immediately of Coyne, who insists on conservatism-by-the-book -- HIS book.
Don Martin has been on an anti-Harper binge, but at least his writing style at times shows little glimmers of humour.
I must say, though, that his relaxed interviewing style on Power Politics is a refreshing contrast to Evan Solomon's at times fevered & intrusive style. Mind you, I've only watched a couple of Don Martin's Power Politics, whereas I watch Solomon daily. I've been having to turn off the second hour lately though 'cause Evan's dramatic pauses followed by an emphatic accentuated word is beginning to really grate on me.
-- Gabby in QC
Don Martin was never my favourite columnist.
ReplyDeleteMurphy, Fulford, and Jonas, on the other hand, are always worth reading.
Which brings up another point: Why are the columnists in the G&M so wretched, even ignoring their leftward tilt?