...and the Award Goes to...

Oscar season is upon us, and I am sure the above phrase will be abused by the media many times in the coming days. Reluctantly, I use it today to bestow a personal award. Deciding upon the lucky recipient of this award has been a tough challenge for me this year, but I believe we finally have a winner. And so close to awards night - what a coincidence!

I am talking about my award for "Most Insignificant Headline News Story". This prestigious award goes to the news item that has had the honour of gracing either the front page of a national newspaper or the headline of the website of a national newspaper, and yet is of so little consequence to anyone that it barely deserves to be called news at all. The kind of story you read on the back page of the Classifieds and then think "Slow news day eh?".

I found this year's winner just a few moments ago - listed as the top story on globeandmail.com.
But I won't hold you in suspense any longer.... and the winner is...

"Pearson's Nobel Prize left in dark"

If you haven't read the article, let me summarize it briefly. Some dignitaries from the U.S., Mexico and Canada will be holding a press conference and photo-op in the lobby of the Foreign Affairs building, where Lester B. Pearson's Nobel Peace Prize medal is on display. Preparations for the events have resulted in the display being behind the flags and backdrop for the press conference. That's it. Really.

Some Liberal clowns - Keith Martin and Mark Holland - have accused the government of hiding the medal for partisan reasons so absurd I can't bear to repeat them here. Of course, the point of this post is not to criticize these fellows for their faux outrage - we all know how the game works and partisans can find blame in their opponents for everything from cloudy days to the Spanish Inquisition. My criticism falls squarely on the media outlet(s) that actually think this is news. It is, I contend, so far from news-worthy that I would sooner read about the antics of Mr. Nibbles, the dog that can bark tunes vaguely resembling 80s pop hits.

Here's where I am confused. Where is the news here? I assume it must be in the "scandal" of the display being covered up. Right. These guys want to hold a press conference. Press conferences have flashy backdrops with flags and pictures and all matter of other camera-friendly paraphernalia. It wouldn't matter whether it was in Buckingham Palace or in a van down by the river, the medal wasn't part of the backdrop. That aside, since when did any ministry or official acquire the duty to make Pearson's medal a prominent, or even noticeable, component of their government business? To read into this some conjecture about a shift in the government's foreign affairs strategy, as Mr. Holland and Mr. Martin suggest, is nothing short of a laughable conspiracy theory. Hence, the absurdity of it making headline news. I didn't know the Globe was now competing with the National Enquirer.

I now leave this year's winner to bask in its victory. I look forward to next year's competition, though, knowing some of the stories coming out of Ottawa these days we may need to hand these things out a bit more often.

Garth Turner's Defection

Before I say anything about the matter, a hat tip is due to my friend (and also honourable political rival) Michelle for informing me that the rumours are now true - Garth Turner will be joining the Liberal caucus.

I am very curious how Liberals feel about this move. Partly because of the sheer volume of scorn that was heaped upon Mr. Khan and Mr. Emerson during their defections. Of course, admittedly, Conservatives were equally critical of the Stronach and Brison affairs. So, I wonder where we are as political rivals at this point in the game? Have we reached the point where defections have become so common, and the criticism so hypocritical, that there is little we can say besides the usual partisan cheering from each side about "winning one for the good guys"?

But, I am more interested in what Liberals have to say about the matter because I am curious how many of them are actually excited to have Garth Turner on their team. In some ways Mr. Turner demands a certain degree of respect for being to Parliament what Don Cherry is to hockey. He speaks his mind and "tells it like it is". This role is both entertaining and refreshing to those who find the whipped nature of partisan politics distasteful. The problem is that, to a significant degree, the practice of governance according to the English Parliamentary system is a team sport. And Mr. Turner is not a team player. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't define "team player" as someone who mindlessly obeys commands from upon high. Rather, I mean it in the sense of someone who understands how to convey constructive internal criticism and get their issues on the table without publicly sucker punching members of their own team (whose political well-being determines the effectiveness with which their policies can be realized). It's all well and good to congratulate Mr. Turner for "speaking his mind" when he slams the PM on his blog for not being responsive enough to his concerns; but, let's not kid ourselves - slamming your leader in public does less to get your issues on the table, and more for making your party look divided, unorganized and foolish. After all, you learn quickly in politics that the media (and the public) love a good story about political infighting. Mr. Turner has shown an innate talent for attracting just this kind of spotlight. I wonder how eager Liberals are to become the unwitting co-stars of his show.