Blatchford writes:
How fitting that his death should have been turned into such a thoroughly public spectacle, where from early morn Monday, television anchors donned their most funereal faces, producers dug out the heavy organ music, reporters who would never dream of addressing any other politician by first name only were proudly calling him “Jack” and even serious journalists like Evan Solomon of the CBC repeatedly spoke of the difficulty “as we all try to cope” with the news of Mr. Layton’s death.
On the death bed letter:
The letter was first presented as Mr. Layton’s last message to Canadians, as something written by him on his deathbed; only later was it more fully described as having been “crafted” with party president Brian Topp, Mr. Layton’s chief of staff Anne McGrath and his wife and fellow NDP MP Olivia Chow.
Its the Michael Jackson Syndrome - everyone is kissing his ass for their own personal gain after his death. It was a nice gesture for Harper to give him a state funeral, but it also means that it will now be an epic specticle with news coverage that will be both offensive and boarderline absurd.
ReplyDeleteIt's shocking that the the letter was coauthored by political staffers. A cynic might say that they were trying to turn Layton's death into political advantage. I think Blatchford was right to point that out. The media seems to have overlooked it...
ReplyDeleteFace it - any public action by politicians that can possibly be perceived to be for one's own gain will be looked down upon as such.
ReplyDeleteCan we not celebrate and remember the life and times of Jack, er Honourable Mr Layton, without the politics?
I doubt very much any public statement by such a prominent Canadian goes to the public/press without certain 'drafts' being distributed to close and trusted individuals, the fact that the letter was crafted means little to me.
The fact is, the letter was written by the leader of the NDP, and it was meant to be political. Didn't seem to me that Jack was hiding that fact.
-TG
Can we not celebrate and remember the life and times of Jack, er Honourable Mr Layton, without the politics?
ReplyDeleteSo here's the flaw in that argument, IMO. You admit that the letter was "meant to be political."
So, if it's meant to be political, then we are playing politics, and if that is the case, then we can stop pretending it is just about "celebrating his life"