I suppose it was only a matter of time that Trudeau's son would run for office.

One of these " star " candidate things eh? Maybe it will backfire...but I guess Lieberal strategy is that Emerson would lose via his traitor taint and people will " protest vote " even for a fire hydrant.

Grumpy: Not clear who you refer to ie " him "..." his riding "...if its Emerson, the article seems to indicate he won't run, and I doubt he will.

NOOOOOOO! I saw a Trudeau son surrounded by fawning Liberals at the convention (on TV) and a sick feeling came over me. Maybe the nightmare can be made complete if a Mulroney kid becomes leader of the Conservatives.

With all due respect Richard, I consider it extraordinarily unlikely that Wendy Yuan would step aside - after already having done so previously for David Emerson. Yuan, who is allied with Marissen, is not going anywhere - especially after such a bitter nomination fight with Mason Loh. This rumour, to my mind, doesn't seem feasible.

I'd like to see Justin in office myself. He backed the right candidate in the convention. I like his idealism. I'm not sure I want him running the country (with Gerharduis one that one for at least a decade or so) but I feel good about Justin voting with the conscience of the nation in mind. I like him.

I'd be happy to help by offering up a place to rent in the riding....

You're joking, right?

Please tell me it isn't so!
We need politicians who come from the grassroots, the intellectual ones have already proven that they have no idea about how ordinary Canadians live!

That's perverse, period. Kingsway is a long way from the leafy escapism of University Hill/West 10th (or the UEL or wherever it was he was living here while in school).

Yeah, he's not exactly a parachute candidate because he went to school here and his mom is from the North Shore, not a parachutist from Eastern Canada, not technically anyway (although he sounds like looks like a CBC drone/eunuch, despite the pretty-boy good looks....good looks which don't include "macho" in their corollaries, by the way).

But from the far West Side to the very guts of the East Side? What's a Point Grey brat, famous or no, got to say to the people of Kingsway. No doubt he can say some of it in Chinese (as I seem to recall he learned at least some...Mandarin?), and that's a plus. But the social and economic realities of Vancouver-Kingsway might as well be on a different planet from 10th and Sasamat. To me, he'd look decidedly out of place around there - does he even know HOW to down-dress for a stroll along Main, and what's a guy to do if he's expected to meet the working (and unworking) stiffs in the Viltmore or El Dorado? No martinis around here, not that he looks to be a drinker at all.

I can't see it. Sure, I can see the candidacy, another piece of crass politics. Other than his eulogy to multiculturalism at his father's funeral, and I'll bet cute-little-bunny environmentalist politics, what has this kid got to say that makes him electable? Is being his father's son enough? I don't think he's anywhere near as smart as his father, though apparently has a good dose of the Trudeau family ego; and his mother may have better taste in turtlenecks than Ben's or Norm's too.

Might be more fun to run him in Columbia-Shuswap or whatever riding it is that Salmon Arm is in. I don't think he has enough ennui (or style) to flip the bird with as much cool as his old man did, though....

If he was sane, he'd run screaming for the door next time someone asks him to run for politics. "Who, me?". Kid, if you're reading this, take some advice - you're being used. Go have a life. Find a beach somewhere and learn to drink and/or surf. Forget this messianic son-of-a-genius/leader thing and don't let others use you towards a destiny that's of their design, and potentially your doom. They only want you for your name and all that nice bridgework. Nice curls, too (do you look studlier than Peter MacKay with your shirt off? If not, get in the gym pronto...). But all you're gonna get from politics is a lot of enemies, more than one set of moral complications which will compromise those starry-eyed ideals of yours, not a small bit of proverbial and possibly real blood on your hands, and you'll wake up in middle age wondering where all the fun went. If you really want to do good in this country then campaign for reform of the parliamentary system to wider democracy; but the one way you're NOT going to do that is as a party hack/lapdog. Sure, you're got a headstart in the party because of Dad and Grandpa Sinclair, but by playing this game you're just entrenching this system and its implicit insider-group corruption/manipulation. You can't tell me, for instance, that the Canadian public wanted Dion for a prime ministerial candidate, and certainly you can't say that they had any say in his selection.

cont:

CBC mavens have been covering the Liberal leadership race as if it were a US primary, instead of a closed club that the rest of the country is forced to watch (like the curling championships). As if all those talking heads, who were talking about what Liberal members were thinking, were NOT talking about what the people were saying or wanting. No, they were running the oracles on Liberal entrails to forecast who would get the mantle of power; what the public wants or thinks was rarely mentioned, and never was the topic of discussion throughout the whole Liberal leadership race. The Anointed has been chosen by the Inner Circle. And he's not even a particularly interesting Anointed either. All the rest of us know is that the Liberal Party has gone and decided who they can live with; not who the public actually wants. Who we did want is a good question - nobody asked us. If the Liberals had balls, they'd run something like a primary where all their little ducks can be sat up in a row and public indifference can be fully displayed towards them at a mini-hustings. Or are you too afraid to let the public have a say?

So look, kid, take my word for it. If you think you can work for the common good by being part of a system that's built around nepotism, patronage, pork-barrel, influence-peddling, and pluralistic FPTP domination-by-minority politics, you're either a fool or you've sold out. Quit now while you've still got some self-respect, and go open a nice bookstore in Kits or a school in Asia or something.

Avicenna - if you do rent something out to a rich pup like that, just make sure you charge him top dollar.

[and that was meant to be the Biltmore rather than the Viltmore of course)

Me:

Just to clarify what I can't see is his campaign having any relevance in that riding, other than an all-about-Justin campaign. Because such a race won't be around the issues that mean something to Vancouver-Kingsway, it'll be around Justin T. Also what I can't see is his "fit" in that riding, or maybe even his electability at all there: because a big chunk of that riding's residents have no knowledge of "the Trudeau legacy" and no memories of his old man (this could be a good thing, granted), but in those terms the dollar-value of his name there isn't as strong as it might be in, say, North Vancouver or Point Grey and other country-club ridings in which he'd at least dress and talk the same as his constituents.

He's not the man for Vancouver-Kingsway. And I scarce think that Kingsway Liberals, having had Emerson parachuted in on them only to betray them, are not going to like having another golden-boy shoved onto them, as if one of their own wasn't good enough.

If Justin wants to play in the sandbox, give him a riding where all the other kids are wearing Gucci loafers too...

Excellent stuff Skookum1, glad you're back - I was getting tired being one of the few around here who's skeptical about this latest Liberal re-birth.

As to Kingsway though - there is the Emerson precedent!

Another consideration re his politics and moral background when you consider who his godfather is...I can't get the image of him and his brother hunkering down with Fidel Castro in the VIP bar-car on his father's funeral train from Ottawa to Montreal. Partly considering what that might have done for his political ego, but also for inculcating social values that not even University Hill's liberal-education flavour could have nurtured. But whatever high ideals he may have acquired from Fidel or anyone else, the reality of politics is that those ideals are gonna have to get trashed. And the Liberal Party is probably the best place for that to happen, out of all of them.

Would have been lots more fun to see him show some independence and break ranks as a Green candidate; and if he had very probably as one of the first, if not THE first, Green MP.

meant to put "social values and political ambitions"....

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/11/20/2430776-sun.html

http://www.capcollege.bc.ca/programs/global-stewardship/past-events/jan31-05.html

I can't see how anyone would vote for David Emerson after the c*** he played on Vancouver voters by jumping ship after the election. I can't see how David Emerson could truely expect to win or even run. I like Justin Trudeau for his passion and love for the environment. Unfortunately his ideas and beliefs will never be put into action in the political arena since he will be controlled (like other politicians) by the evil and insane corporations and U.S. Presidents. With that said, voters should judge Justin as an unique individual and forget about Pierre Trudeau.

i hope he has the good sense to steer clear of belinda stronach.

The very last thing we need in this country is the formation of political dynasties like our neighbours to the south are fond of. It could turn out to be a kind of political inbreeding with all the accompanying derangements.

Atta boy Skookum 1

Sic em'

Yeah I caught the "V" vs "B" in Viltmore comment , thought it was intentional.... but I also started to wonder about the Columbia - Shuswap reference in ANOTHER context (think popsicle)...then the Salmon Arm reference coalesced it and made it unambiguous.

Can't really say that Justin is a bad candidate, simply because he hasn't declared it(and not hung himself yet). If he is arm twisted to declare candidacy , he'll find a safe riding, and given some gopher tasks if elected.

He'll be deemed Daddy's boy and maybe be a liability? Or will he apprentice as a backbencher and learn the ropes to where he becomes a good candidate ?

One wonders if being so close to politics either addicted him to it or weaned him off the whole damn thing.

PS Does he have dual citizenship ie both (i) a Quebec passport and (ii) a Canadian passport ?

can't wait to see this doughead under serious election-time scrutiny. his true colours will certainly show. how about we throw jinny sims into the mix for the ndp in emerson's riding? now there's some good old cleam fun.

Since we're into unfounded allegation territory, I'd really like someone to bring up Stevo's close personal friend John Reynolds...close scrutiny is a two edged sword.

HMM...

....how about Jinny Sims duke it out with Hedy Fry at the nomination meeting,....now there's a ticket to an event I'd pay a scalper to see.

piss off - stay out of here.

And John Reynolds connections to a certain Asian millionaire called Ramesh Saxena.

this fool is little more than an arrogant corrupt politicians rich kid. who is he?

he did film school and spent a few daddy sponsored years in vancouver. i accomplished more by my 25th birthday than this brat will in his entire life.

funny thing is - people are stupid enough to vote for him - especially in brainwashed by the ndp country - Kingsway...

Cappy, you're not talking about John Reynolds are you? I didn't know he'd been to film school.

And, on the film school thing - I think you're hitting on the wrong Trudeau. That was Sacha.

As usual you can't even slag people properly.

sure why not the 'prodigal son' from the natural governing province to lead the natural governing party?

I hope he does run in Vancouver, if only so that he can be run out on a rail...coming in dead last behind the Natural Law Party.

Bush has a son and he is much more determined then his father about wars. Trudeaus' son may be a good thing!

That's all we need. Despite all the hoopla and the Canadian media making Pierre into some kind of artificial icon, the fact is he screwed up this country worse than any one ever did. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as written, is, in my opinion, the worse thing that ever happened to this country. What about "responsibilities"? The last thing we need is another Trudeau, if the kid is anything like his old man.

The older Trudeau boy has a lot of seasoning ahead of him before he can lay claim to any sort of mantle. He's toned it down a bit, which pleases me, but in the years immediately following his father's death (and that appalling eulogy) he seemed to enjoy the limelight a bit too much. It wasn't necessary for him to self-consciously cavort around in PET's refurbished jaguar while striking poses for press photographers. I could be wrong, but I also sense a bit of emotional flightiness there - I think he's more his mother's son than the fawning CBC and G&M admit. It's a little disappointing how much the media hangs on this drama teacher's every word. They've given him a far easier ride than, say, Ben Mulroney (who was practically outted by the Canadian Press...a fate that Justin somehow avoided in spite of a somewhat more incriminating adolescence). But all this doesn't diminish the basic courtesy of taking him at face value.

Still, I wish him well if he runs, and he'll probably get it. The Kitsilano folks are none-too-happy with the Conservatives. And remember, he has both family, professional, and social roots in that side of the country too. I just hope he maintains an even keel under the spotlight.

Listen - Bush is an idiot - but before we start comparing credentials - Bush went to Yale, served with the National Guard, was an executive in a business, started his own company (which did fail), owned a MLB team and became the Governer of Texas.

He is an idiot and a terrible President. However, did accomplish quite a bit in the civil world - with the help of his daddy maybe.

This Trudeau punk has cruised through life based on a bunch of fools that pump his daddy's legacy.

As usual you can't even slag people properly.

I didn't know that either one of them went to film school. I trying to undermine the fruffiness of his background. So he may have had a proper degree - I don't even know....

The point is that this guy is not a real person.

writes cappy.

That's for sure.

As for this:

Your remarks about Bush have convinced me you aren't real. You need to come through the POTUS's CV a little more carefully.

I especially liked your comparison between yourself and Justin Trudeau - nothing I can imagine would rebound more conclusively to young Trudeau's credit.

nightbloom:
I'm surprised at you. With your affection for pomp and circumstance, lace and incense, I'd have thought you'd have been head over heels with Justin's eulogy for his dead father. Sounded a lot like the crap I hear every remembrance day about veterans that are forgotten the other 364 days each year.

Moreover, you think that stuff is important, don't you?

Last chance: Do you want that review article or not; it's behind subscription so I can't just post a link?

errata: should be " 'comb' through the POTUS's CV."

alive:

And how does that apply to J. Trudeau? The intellectual bit, I mean.

Maybe Pierre Trudeau's daughter, Sarah, who is seldom mentioned, will want to enter into politics.

Excellent point woody. Her mother, Deborah Coyne, is now married to sometime Globe and Mail columnist Michael Valpy, but she seems to avoid the limelight the Trudeau boys hanker after so aciduously.

hey has anyone heard that Emerson will run out here in South Delta-Richmond East? The Conservatives want to dump Cummins-current M P-due to his opposition to the Treaty signed here yesterday. This is a so called "safe seat". All Emerson has said is that he will run again but never specifies where.

Hmmm, good point!
Frankly I have avoided reading about that upstart, because I resent people born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
As i see it, in order to be of use in a parliament a person should have experienced how "average" people have to struggle, just to exist in todays society.
We already have too many Lawyers etc. who have more money stashed away in "petty cash" than what, say pensioners, have to subsist on.
Listening to these privileged member of various legislatures speak, often reveals they have not a clue as to what it means when more cuts or extra fees are introduced.
And YES, I see that Trudeau brat as being on a similar level.

Before I left on my trip last Friday.. , I chanced upon the TRUDEAU article . And glimpse at the comments .
I was struck by the snide remarks surrounding the EULOGY given at this young man's FATHER'S Funeral*..

All the way , while I was travelling , I kept hearing the comments various posters? made and let me tell you .. I felt that the belittling that seems so prevalent at times .. needed to be challenged..*

I mean snide remarks surrounding the EULOGY given by this young man .. who found himself and was able to deal with the loss of a father.. under glaring lights and clearly having understood the importance of that EULOGY... , for not only the grief his familly felt..but he had the understanding that the EXTENDED FAMILLY.., ( the PEOPLE OF CANADA )..were also in grief..,( not everybody of course.., but a clear display of affection was genuinely captured and the very train ride.., of his father to his last place of rest brought it all , to a crescendo of feelings , emotions and HUMANITY itself., we were one ,all who could feel the chaper of a great and strong leader ... pass into history.. JUSTIN did us all proud .., as he attempted , as a young man, to capture those feelings., as he sought within his very core existence the meaning of life itself..*.. ( imagine the struggle of dealing with one's father's death ).. the calousness of the comments left me seething , I wanted to challenge this snide remarks ,but I had to wait until my return..,

And all the way , on this trip , I could feel from afar..,the CANADA , of my youth , of my adult life and the CANADA of the moment.. ( distant.. and yet secure for the kind of leadership that we've manage to create over centuries.. )

( let me tell you a side story to make my point.. )

At the announcement of Pierre Elliot Trudeau's death , I'd kept an eye on how the country ( back east ) for the most part at first were reacting to the news..

Then , as the funeral approached and sensing the feelings within me .., growing , on the day of the funeral itself.., I was doing a contract in West Vancouver and over hearing the news , all day long , I came away wanting to witness this for myself..

So , I approached some people who were near by - strangers - and inquired of the time when the son would give his EULOGY.. ( I wanted to witness it and I wanted to be part of a turning chapter also of our Nation )..., for make no mistake about it , whether you liked him , loved him , or hated him.., PIERRE ELLIOT TRUDEAU left his imprint and signature as a LEADER that the PEOPLE OF CANADA elected over and over again..

( continued ...)

And yes , he did it with flair and with a PHILOSOPHER KING like approach.., which obviously rubbed certain people the wrong way.., ( nevertheless , he gave of his life to a vision and a dream and a nation*.. trying to ensure that we would survive , that we would grow ..

THUS WE HAVE NOW A YOUNG MAN .. WHO WITH FEELING AND WITH PAIN ,CARRYING THE WEIGHT OF ''HISTORY '' ALSO ON HIS BACK..,

I must say I felt the energy , I felt the feelings , I felt for the TRUDEAU FAMILY and THE SINCLAIR'S.., there was compassion in his EULOGY , there was A CHILD'S MEMORY .. : as he recounted the DAD.. that he'd experienced as a child..

there was MARGUERITE radiating with pride , as she intensely took in every word that JUSTIN conveyed to the attendance .. and there was FIDEL CASTRO , who was quoted as saying that he would but have that kind of son and eulogy..., ( He clearly was moved .. FIDEL , by the power of the moment )..

As was many who were able to witness that powerful moment in a changing of the guard .. indeed, a light was flickering out , and we , as a people..
we as a nation had paid our respects to a great man.. who had had the courage to spell out a vision and a strategy .., ( by repatriating the constitution ), I would say .. was the greatest achievement .. of his ...,

there was great risk and great peril..,and yet as he so clearly stated in rationalising the need for such an act.., : was.. '' if we do not define ourselves , somebody else will ''... and with that thinking , I instinctively knew that there was somehow who loved his country..

And so the Son..,having at the time of the death of his father , at a time when a country was in a turning of it's history.. he JUSTIN , managed to capture the moment .., for all of us.., in a collective memory now archived...,

THIS IS THE STUFF OF GREATNESS.. NOW ,WHETHER HE RISES TO THE NEXT GOALS HE SETS FOR HIMSELF.. REMAINS TO BE SEEN.. ( BUT I AM ONE , WHO LOOKS WITH GREAT INTEREST TO SEE WHAT WILL BECOME OF THAT YOUNG MAN .. SEEKING TO FIND HIS WAY IN LIFE.. , AS WE ARE ALL ..., WITH WHAT WE'VE BEEN GIVEN.., SKILLS ,FAMILY AND WHAT HAVE YOU... )

I care not how a child inherits ,nor how much wealth is behind him at the onset of his journey... it is more... the inner strength of any individual that interest me.., that makes me believe in HUMANITY..*.., this is the stuff of leadership.. this is the very fabric that makes or not.. a warrior *

and so , I would say that that EULOGY given for his father ..and for the NATION itself.., needs to be applauded .., and not belittled..,

As to what effects politics will have on this young man .. remains to be seen.. but I personally wish him well in his journey of life..*.. ( I refuse to prejudge how he will grow.. and how he will make his way through life ).

The triumph of the covereage and what it meant to the PEOPLE OF CANADA..as conveyed by the front pages of the papers at that time.. said it all.. but more important , was the fact that the VANCOUVER SUN.., chose the very moving and well understood headline..

( and in the very language the son spoke when he said these words..:

JE T'AIME PAPA... ! ..

I was not only pround to be a CANADIAN
( having also roots to Les Canadiens* )

But I was cognisant that BRITISH COLUMBIA was maturing as a PROVINCE..,having the instinct , - the media - to convey these thoughts and feelings.. dans la langue de Molière.., imagine.. ! .. in BC?

at the very limits of comprehension.. of what the HOUSE OF CANADA could become.. when it fully realises it's history and heritage...

Thanks for giving me an opportunity to express my views .. and thanks - for those who read this - for listening..

It feels good at times to simply get something off one's chest. , fully cognisant that it will perhaps rub certain people the wrong way..,but so be it.. This is not about politics but
familly.. And certain things should be respected..,

Good luck Justin..

village,
I think the remarks about Justin's speech at his father's funeral were over the top.

Trudeau was a public figure and his son's remarks were not inappropriate.

But, the assumption that Justin Trudeau is somehow automatically heir to his father's legacy (whatever that may be) is facile and uncalled for.

Those who say the young pup is far from being ready for any kind of political adventure have him dead to rights. And, given his inheritance, I won’t be worried about his future if he never stands for election – surely we are not so bereft of talent and ambition here in Canada that we have to look to dynastic families for our leaders.

However, he's a much more rounded and complete individual, in my view, than the other political offspring currently disgracing himself on the CTV network

Gwest ,

the issues I'm attempting to address is the ''disconnect'' that people create between themselves and the POLITICAL CLASS itself.., which when one thinks about it , is there.., by the good grace of the electorate ..
in principle , and yet , we all know that because people feel alieniated from that particular environment .., *
( having in a way participated in it's creation.., through at times a full engagement in the process of elections and simply staying informed on the issues and especially keeping an eye on the very ground of their NEIGHBORHOODS and CITIES .., which invariably are the breeding grounds ..., for emerging POLITICO's to arrive on the scene.., so to speak.. ,

and at other times having created , as I was saying earlier , the very opposite.. by standing back and complaining without ever having really fully understood or grasped the role they were playing creating the very outcome they were complaining about..,

There is also those who simply choose to stand apart and stay not only uninformed and even more so..IGNORANT of the process itself.., that they become part of the problem .., rather then part of the solution..

A CASE IN POINT.....

Resulting voting percentages .., : when comparing the turnout in FEDERAL ELECTIONS .., to MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS themselves.. ( the very best and closest place for anyone who really wants to understand the way POLITICS is excersised.. at their very local level.., AND WHAT DO WE GET..Â*? ,

15,.. at times 20 percent turnout.. whereas .., 60 percent turnouts and more seems to be the norm..in FEDERAL ELECTIONS.. * ( [I]as if people understood more the complexities of the nations then their issues and government in their own backyard.. of cities , villages and NEIGHBORHOODS .. themselves..)..[/I]!

THIS IS MY CONCERN.. THAT FOR REMARKS THAT ARE SO SHALLOW AS THOSE I'VE WITNESSED CONCERNING THE YOUNG MAN.. JUSTIN TRUDEAU.. tells me clearly that we've got a long way to go.., in bridging that very gap of IGNORANCE.. as I call it .. to being able to understanding what politics and GOVERNANCE in general is really all about..,

I ask you Gwest ,

IS IT NOT .. A TOOL WHICH WE , AS A SOCIETY HAVE GRADUALLY REFINED .. TO IN EFFECT ARRIVE AT SOME KIND OF CONSENSUS BUILDING SO THAT WE CAN ALL GET ON WITH OUR LIVES..,. ?

( continued ) ..

MUCH LIKE , THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS .. WHICH WE've enginuously created.. that permits.. all of us .., whether we be full participants or observers or very indifferent to any of this.. nevertherless , to get on to getting going to where we want to go..., _

Politics and the political GOVERNANCE models that we've given to ourselves..could best be understood if we stopped..( as in a red light ) and considered that it is much like our transportation system itself.. at most times helping us being able to get to where we want to go..)..

Hence we only need to ask how many drivers.* ( citizens , really ) are fully qualified to even consider themselves as drivers..

DRIVERS OF IDEAS.. OF INFORMATION AND ACTUAL ENGAGEMENT ... as to , much like the vehicles we've created for ourselves as a society to be mobile.., we need to better understand the ...other VEHICLES we've created.. (that ensure the kind of MOBILITY OF NOT ONLY IDEAS.. but DECISIONS.. that makes or breaks our potential.. of social innovation... of consensus building and what have you *.. )

All the while .. ( in a world of governance.. :

HAVING A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING THAT A RED LIGHT , MEANS TO STOP.. AND A YELLOW.. TO BE VERY CAREFULL AND .. GREEN.. ETC.. AND ON AND ON.., '' GOVERNANCE '' and CONTROLS that we've become accustomed to .. and that we've found workable..

( indeed , would we all grasp that the other governances ..,we've created are as clear.., would we but do our homework and fully grasp , at the neighborhood and Village and City level.. the rules of the road , so to speak.. of POLITICS.*

and with a better understanding and a clearer showing of respect of ... ''THE RULES OF THE ROAD''.. and furthermore.. of having the ability of showing respect for other ''drivers '' on the political road of life.., by being better educated about what these governance structures we've inherited.. were really all about..,

I suppose ,I would have , that we become more respectfull of the tools ..( governance tools themselves..).. and then ,by seeing the erratic and irresponsible drivers.., for what they are.. and deal with them.. as needed.., but more fully respective of the earnest '' drivers '' who are just begining the experience ..

but it is the other ''drivers '' on the road that bothers me.., those that have no clue about the rules of the road.. and chooses to make comments on a world and environment that they have absolutely no clue of .., in the HUMAN CONDITIONS DIMENTIONS that shape our politics and at the same time , shapes our participation or not.., herein..

* it is much like this in the POLITICAL WORLD and ENVIRONMENT that encourages ideas and movement .. DECISIONS really , that helps , the '' TRAFFIC '' of legislation to move forward..

at the best of times.. , and it is also the very same '' ignorance '' of what the rights of citizens are.., and eventual '' disconnect', that brings about .. bottlenecks and gridlock itself...

( continued )

THEREFORE ATTITUDES PLAYS INTO THIS .. THUS MY REACTION TO SUCH SHALLOW COMMENTS SURROUNDING A YOUNG MAN'S EULOGY ..,

ATTITUDES that put on display the ignorance itself , IN WHICH PEOPLE GO ABOUT SIMPLY MAKING OBSERVATIONS WITHOUT REALISING HOW LITTLE THEY REALLY KNOW ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL .. WHO HAS BECOME THE FOCUS OF INTENSE SCRUTINY.., without any real knowledge or understanding of what's really going on , in the minds of our young adults ., ALSO , . who are simply attempting as all generations that preceeded them did .. to make sense of all of this..!!

*I had to get it off my chest.. and GWEST , I thank you for responding to my earlier observations .. and am happy that you tune in to my thoughts , now and then.. giving me the opportunity to think even further on the questions at hand..

I suppose I'm very concerned that we create the very things we critisize at times.., ( not fully understanding that we are.. THE GOVERNMENT.. that we are the electorate*..,the very people that creates the kind of political class that we then , so often , like to bitch about..*

I say , let's get our act together.. at the very local level of our very own Municipalities.. villages and cities and let us make sure we understand ..
'' the rules of the road'' of GOVERNANCE .. so that we can effectively ENGAGE not only THE POLITICIANS themselves.. but the system.. the administrations that are there for our progress..and engage also our fellow citizens , for our betterment of our individual and collective lives.., if we but could open our eyes and see the role we need to play.. , in all of this..,

A HUMAN THEATRE.. needing a cast and characters who are not afraid to admit that they have a lot to learn.. about SOCIETY and HUMAN NATURE's tendencies and LIFE itself!

Take Care ,
Village

Village
So, you'd like my opinion about those who cavalierly criticize someone like Justin Trudeau, right?

Well, first off I don't think it's fair, as I already said. But, I'm not very concerned about it either. There is, and I suppose there always has been, a certain element in Canadian society that expresses its feelings about others in a negative way - virtually all of the time. And, as the objects of this ire move up the food chain to a level such as Justin Trudeau has reached, not by virtue of anything he has done but by virtue of who he is, it becomes a bit of a pathology.

On the other hand is an equally troubling tendency on the part of the sons of famous men (doesn't seem as much a problem for daughters) to think they ought to fill some nominally public role. I think Justin Trudeau is a perfect example of this, as is, although in a different forum, young Ben Mulroney.

This is, I believe, an equally unfortunate tendency.

G West

I think Michael Ignatief should run in Canada er Vancouver. Much more than Justin who was simply born with a silver spoon u up his nose. Ignatief is a real live, media built, instant,import superstar, who might become a con after he cons the Kingsway gullibles, who last voted for the Province declared "saviour" of the forestry industry.

dgb - Michael Ignatieff already has a seat in Parliament.

Just noticed my one phrase touching on the Trudeau eulogy has drawn fire (namely, that I found it appalling).

I don't want to belabour the point, and neither should anyone else, but for the record: a lot of Canadians felt the same way. It was a public event that skirted very close to the edge of being an over-dramatic gaffe (though luckily he brought it back around). A lot of people reacted to it like nails on chalkboard. He shouldn't have taken swipes at Mulroney (sitting right there in the pews with Mila) nor brought up the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords (not part of his Father's legacy, and obviously a tender feud for all concerned). It was pretty inappropriate. It just didn't come off well, neither in content nor tone, and Justin himself acknowledged in interviews long after the fact that he didn't mean to present himself in the manner it was perceived. As I said, I don't want to belabour the point, and I certainly wouldn't throw it in the kid's face, but my remarks are in no way out of line or beyond the pale. A lot of mainstream, fair-minded Canadians reacted the same way when they heard it.

It was a typical eulogy-style statement by a young man who had a remarkable father.

Did you listen to Mulroney's hagiography at Reagan's funeral?

Now that was bathetic.

I think your reaction, just like the idea that young Trudeau is somehow going to save the next generation of Liberal hopes, is over the top. People are allowed to be idiots at their parents’ funerals.

Afterward, not so much.

...and be indulged by 35 million people without comment or criticism, apparently. That's fine. I just didn't like it, that's all. My reaction (and others') is was what it was; take it or leave it.

But what you compare it to (the idea that young Trudeau is somehow going to save the next generation of Liberal hopes) is something else entirely.

Too bad the Canadian political landscape is so lacking in verve and sex appeal that the Canadian press must hang on every statement this neophyte happens to make (albeit a well-intentioned neophyte). Peter and Belinda are a distant and disappointing second.

Again, no animosity here. I'm sure he's got a great career ahread of him whatever he does. But let's not treat him like an Aristotle or a Canadian Germanicus until he's at least earned a few grey hairs and gone through the paces.

Just like Remembrance Day nonsense every year. Sound and fury, a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing - to badly mangle a metaphor.

The problem is a mindless, hoped up media in my view.

Cheers - I'm never sure you got my message about the file from the New Republic - did you?

I absolutely agree with your last para. by the way. But, that being said, if we have to have a parvenu as leader of this sorry place we call a country, I'd rather it were Justin than Ben.
Somebody mentioned a Jaguar – I thought Pierre’s car was a Mercedes?

If you want the file, you need to let me know –

Thanks nightbloom , Thanks Gwest .

The point I was trying to make was that invariably we know very little about these people.., who decide at a phase of their lives to run for office...*

We know that some do it out of desperation .. others out of events that impacted on their personal lives .., which then prompted them into life long commitment to change whatever it was that affected them..,

There are also those who ''inherit '' an environment and family settings that mould them into a career or a role if you will.., in how they will live out their lives.., when they grow up ..

There are the dispossed and the poor who decide either earlier on in their lives due to their parents struggle ..or later on in their adult lives.., as they experience the same situations as their parents did.. or realise all of a sudden.. that: THE MORE THINGS CHANGE , THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME.... that awaken to an activist role in our society.., engaging with a learning curve of how the system works and trying to transform and change things..

and on and on. I'm sure that either of you could add to the categories .., for indeed , it is as varied as HUMAN NATURE herself..

What I would like to see.., is that much like children are taught at an earlier age that they have a role to play in Society... such as getting along.. ( given the tools of communication .. in school., language, mathematics , belief systems and on and on..)..., why could we not look at GOVERNANCE ,as a day to day reality and ensure that children grasps the concepts and the principles that DRIVES this part of our society?

We expect kids to grasp concepts as sophisticated as the theory of numbers is.. and yet we fail to give them an understanding of .. GOVERNANCE theories.. and protocols that comes with these models we've created for ourselves..

NO, we rather have them submit to the authorities .., ( then have them fully understand and grasp their uses and applications..).. such as the RULES OF THE ROAD analogy I was making..

TRAFFIC LIGHTS.. , what is so complicated about grasping that concept and principle.., ( we tell our children that when it's green it's safe to cross the street.., at the cross walks , they grasp that concept very quickly.

Why do we not explain further the principles and the reasons these CONTROL SYSTEMS were created to begin with.? .. let's go deeper in the EDUCATION of our children.., so that we can have a level playing field.., in the representation that we so yearn for.. in POLITICS.. ( traffic lights.., transportation challenges , systems and what have you )..

IDEAS , INFORMATION AND THE ''DRIVERS '' ON THE ROAD OF GOVERNANCE .. AND EVENTUAL GOOD GOVERNMENT.. if we but could have .., people who '' drive '' the process of democracy.. the very electorate , we often speak of.., or for that matter the POLITICAL CLASS.. the emerges amongst the citizens,.. all having , at one point in their lives.. reached a moment of decision and a moment of determination.. to get a handle on how the system works..

IS THIS NOT WHAT EACH AND EVERYONE OF US IS DOING.. WHILE PARTICIPATING IN MANY AVENUES OF RESEARCH AND DIALOGUE.., ( FORUMS SUCH AS THESE , AS A CASE IN POINT )?

( continued.. )

As to your very last sentence .., actually nightbloom as to a parting thought within that sentence .. until he's at least earned a few grey hairs and gone through the paces., I say .. hear! hear !

I don't believe anyone was suggesting the intro to that thought .., you know the..: But let's not treat him like an Aristotle or a Canadian Germanicus , and I wanted to say I agree with the sentiment of not doing that very thing.

The point being ,is that the EULOGY was my point of contention..,in how people belittled an effort by a YOUNG MAN.. who had to rise to an occasion.., saddled with great expectations..,

can you imagine how he would have been torn to pieces .. had he not even wanted to do what was expected of him..from his family.., or what others expected of someone within that family?

It's interesting how we focus or remember .. because the only thing I recall very movingly ,of that occasion, was the fact that a young man had been able to rise to the occasion itself..,
with dignity , with respect for his dad , and more to the point .., with LOVE on his heart and on his mind...and grief obviously..

THESE WERE THE HIGHLIGHTS THAT I RECALL ,AND I'M SURE MANY CANADIANS .. and yes QUÉBECOIS , and those who root from LE CANADIEN specifically .., were proud and fulfilled.., ( as they looked on and saw .., not only this young man.. but MARGUERITE TRUDEAU , a wife and mother radiate.., also , along with , dignitaries ..such as FIDEL CASTRO.. who also was taken aback by this very young man.. WHO MANAGED TO RISE TO THE OCCASION*...

that's my take on this EULOGY,and I stand by my remarks and comments.., fully realising that others could have focussed on and gotten different things out of the occasion..

DID YOU PERSONALLY EXPERIENCE .., THE EULOGY BEING GIVEN .. AT THE MOMENT OF IT'S BROADCAST .. nightbloom? , Gwest? ..,

I would be interested to know in what way and how you might of gotten wind of that particular chapter closing in the history of our collective lives..* , you know , in what way did you get wind of the occasion or were you witness to the broadcast itself.. - being the way modern ''tribes '' attend historical moments of their collective lives..

It's at the human level of compassion that I sensed this young man was able to , not only share his wonderment and love of his dad.., at the moment of grief , faced with the reality that death was visiting his family.., and a passing away that could not be simply personal ,but a death that was larger then life itself.., in it's collective dimension*..

His interest in theatre and English literature not withstanding.., there was in his delivery of his EULOGY and the moments he chose to share with the NATION.. a moment of pride that was felt..In that we have been able to produce this kind of emotion , this kind of quality in our children.. (*

THAT's what I believe many people experienced at this occasion, I Know , I personally did ) and if others experienced feelings such as nightbloom and Gwest did ..then I simply wanted to let them know that there were those - and I believed they counted in the many - who experienced it in another way. ..

Thanks for exchanging thoughts , ideas and feelings.., the very fact we are discussing this moment in our collective history.. makes me proud to be CANADIAN..* in the sense of it's past , present and future works in progress.. journey..*

village,

D'UN CANADIEN.. from a Village..,
far far away...
Once upon a time.. IL ÉTAIS UNE FOIS..
UN VILLAGE ET UN PAYS..*

the above paragraph , by the way is a signature I have and often use .. as a story teller *

Thanks once again ,
take care,

Village