Riding profile #1 and musings
Yesterday, I walked through the riding on my way to buy a TV stand and coffee table for our new apartment. I noted that Jean Lapierre already has signs up, but the idiot must be using the ones from last year, as they all have Team Paul Martin emblazoned across them. Idiot. He is dumber than I thought.
So, apart from insider trading allegations, Harper getting raked over the coals for SSM and an anti-Ukrainian getting the Grit nod in a Toronto seat, not much new today.
Now, for my first profile, I chose the constituency where I had my political baptism, Saskatoon Humboldt. This seat has been very ably represented in the past by members of all parties. In fact, parts of it were once the fiefdom of former PMs King, Laurier and Diefenbaker. In the past 20 years, it has had the honor of being the riding of Otto Lang, Don Ravis and Bob Ogle, all of whom are not just partisan representatives, but also community leaders second to none. Sadly, however, once 1988 rolled around, it has gone through a spiral of medocrity, starting from the nocturnal Stan Hovdebo to the shrill Georgette Sheridan, followed by the obnoxious Jim Pankiw to now where it is represented by Brad Trost, a man who's handshake is an wet and lifeless as is his personality.
Last election, Trost pulled off a narrow win, barely placing ahead of New Democrat Nettie Wiebe and Liberal Pat Wolfe. Wolfe and Wiebe are two people much more qualified to be an MP than Trost. By toadying to pro-lifers and and evangelical Christians, Trost succeeded in winning to Tory nod from a former Mayor, and then managed to squeak in to become the MP. I expect that he will be re-elected easily this year, due to a much weaker slate of opposition candidates as well as the fact that Jim Pankiw is not likely to be on the ballot as a right-wind independent this time. Too bad, but this is the state to which politics has become the last 20 years in my hometown. I have had many people in Saskatoon Humboldt indicate support for the Greens. I guess time will tell....
(Read comments)
|
