Peter Ryan's Blurty
 
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Peter Ryan's Blurty:

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    Wednesday, December 7th, 2005
    9:52 am
    Week two of the election
    The second week of the election looks to have slowed the pace a bit. Quite normal for any campaign. The Tories still look strong on TV but have yet to dent the polls.

    Martin's performance seems to have picked up confidence. His endorsement by Buzz Hargrove was opportunistic and I think most people viewed it that way. Didn't his awkward hug of Hargrove smack of desperation? Please - how could the CAW ever endorse the leader who consistently slashed all the socialist sacred cows the unions have been pumping the last 50 years.

    Now, to share with you a funny story - Sunday night, I was coming out of the grocery store near my house. I bumped into none other than Foreign Affairs minister, Pierre Pettigrew. I stopped him and asked him how his campaign was going. He said pretty good. Must have been for him to be out sauntering in Outremont when his riding is miles away. For a Liberal in Quebec, he seems to be taking lots for granted.

    Anyhow, if anyone gets a chance to read the great article the Globe and Mail wrote on Stephen Fletecher, a Tory MP in Winnipeg, I urge you to do so. A great story about a courageous young man.

    Stay tuned for my next riding profile, that of Outremont, which comes your way tomorrow!
    Thursday, December 1st, 2005
    8:42 am
    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....
    Wednesday, November 30th, 2005
    10:37 am
    Day two...
    Well, it is clear that Harper doesn't really want to win this thing:

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051129.wgaymarriage1129/BNStory/specialDecision2006/

    What an idiot. I only hope that for his sake he can recover quickly. To be fair, he did propose a free vote, but I think any discussion of this topic is futile and will only serve to push voters back in the Liberal camp.

    Now, on another topic, it seems that Liberal big-daddy Warren Kinsella is calling for the defeat of his own party.

    http://www.warrenkinsella.com/words_politics_eb.htm

    Warren has been disaffected since the coronation of PM jr. This is no surprise but his arguments are extremely compelling.

    Look for this campaign to get nasty very quickly. Also, tomorrow, I will feature the first of several riding profiles, which will cover my long-time home constituency of Saskatoon-Humboldt.
    Tuesday, November 29th, 2005
    12:54 pm
    Election 2006 campaign kickoff
    Hi everyone. I am continuing the tradition of this blog by posting through this Canadian election campaign. As many of you know, my relatively heavy work/travel schedule led me to suspend blogging, but I will jump back in on occasion.

    I will update this site relatively regularily, but will accelerate toward the end of the campaign in January. I will look at the national campaign, and I hope to add local flavor from a Quebec perspective. I will also profile ridings with which I am familiar.

    I welcome your feedback going forward. Now, on to yesterday.

    If anyone thought the Liberals were arrogant before, the display from Paul Martin's gang last night just validated my decision not to vote Liberal. I was disgusted at the grandstanding and playing to the gallery by the PM. He is truly a showman worthy of PT Barnum! As per my riding of Outremont, I think Lapierre is out on his ear. The Liberals are as popular as mud in this area, and Lapierre himself is seen as a clown.

    No question, the best performance last night went to Stephen Harper, who made a terrific speech. My friend Adam Daifallah profiled Harper's performance on his blog this morning and I encourage everyone to have a look (www.daifallah.com) Harper will be the dark horse this election, and if he can control his candidates (unlike last time - Gallant, Reid, White), he is odds on favorite to win.

    Layton and Duceppe were okay, but really did little to inspire anyone. However, I still have tremendous personal respect for both these gentlemen, and am sure both will increase their seat counts after January 23rd.

    Let the games begin!
    Saturday, May 28th, 2005
    5:35 pm
    Special update - London attacks
    Once again, I am posting a blog entry in regard to a special matter. However, this update has nothing to do with trips abroad or elections. Rather, it has to do with the sad matter of what happened on Thursday in London, a city in which I lived for nearly three years.

    I do not want to dwell on the emotions of what took place. Rather, I am only going to recount how my Thursday was spent in front of the news, trying to come to grips with these awful acts.

    I was awoken at 5:15am by my wife who is still in the UK, preparing to make the move to Canada. At first I thought that it was a work-related issue by someone on another continent who factored the time zones wrong and let the phone ring to voice mail. The second series of rings I thought I should answer. It was Vicki letting me know that she was safe at her folks in Birmingham, that London was under attack and that she had been in touch with her friends residing in London and they were ok. The next thought to cross my mind was for the safety of my friends at work, a great group of people! I could not get through to London due to congestion on the phone lines, so I emailed them asking for a quick note to let me know they were all safe and sound. Within 10 minutes, Robin Goad dropped me a line confirming everyone's well being and I breathed easier. A big thanks to the London Emergency Services who showed that no one does it better in a time of crisis. These are brave men and women who risked their lives selflessly. I also want to congratulate my pal, Rob Bonniwell, of the a station chief with the Berkshire Fire Service in Reading. Rob assisted in the emergency efforts and we are all really proud of him.

    The rest of the day was a wash. In front of the TV, in front of the computer the news was grim.... death toll kept rising as did injuries. Rumours started circulating about a suicide bomber in Canary Wharf who had been shot dead by police. Tony Blair rose to the occasion as he always does in times of crises by conveying the feelings of the UK - they have tried to break us, but we will not be broken. Ken Livingstone was equally eloquent in his statement. These two men are politicians whom I have been especially critical of over the past few years, but there is no doubt in my mind that both are true patriots and in this time of national crisis, the UK is lucky to have them. I also want to say that in my view, our own PM, Paul Martin did a fine job in conveying Canada's thoughts and sympathies.

    Since the attacks, a couple of things are clear. These acts of terror do not reflect the peaceful nature of Islam and Muslims the world over are as shocked and horrified by this as anyone. Second of all, if Al Qaeda wanted to pick a fight, this time they really chose the wrong enemy! Having lived among the British for a number of years, I can attest to their strength of spirit and to their resiliency. They will not be broken and they will serve justice.

    Last point - I wanted to keep this brief and focused. There are many more people who were in London and are better qualified to comment on what took place 'on the ground' than myself. But, as a recent Londoner, it made me sick to see what terrorists did to this beautiful city and its citizens. For the next little while, while the UK regroups they will have the support of peace loving people the world over.

    God save the queen and her people.
    Monday, May 9th, 2005
    8:23 am
    The winner is....
    The right guess for the UK election contest was a tie between Sean Webb and Chris Macleod who both guessed the same vote percentages that were closest to the end resu;t. The prize will be a bottle of Moosehead at Thursday's Pub on Crescent Street when either are in Montreal.
    Friday, May 6th, 2005
    2:26 pm
    Aftermath....
    Well, looks like TB finally got his comeuppance. No tears for Blair, as far as I am concerned. His days are limited, and expect Gordon Brown to take over sooner, rather than later.

    The big news is that Michael Howard will step down, and and soon be replaced by a new face. The odds are posted here:

    http://politics.guardian.co.uk/election/story/0,15803,1478074,00.html

    Luckily for the Tories, Oliver Letwin has ruled himself out.

    Anyhow, that is it from me for the time being. Next stop, Montreal.

    I will alert you if this blog becomes active again, should the Canadian election occur.

    All the best!
    Peter
    Thursday, May 5th, 2005
    12:55 pm
    Polling day.....
    Right off the top, look at this link to the Mirro's front page... Hilarious!!!

    http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/front/

    Thank god this election is over. It has been boring to the hilt! Tomorrow morning, Tony Blair will be firmly esconced in 10 Downing Street once again, ready to do nothing about the serious issues facing the UK, including crime, illegal immigration, taxes, health care and transport. However, at least George Bush knows he will have his minion ready to jump.

    Also, for all you bargain hunters out there, this book should be appearing on the sale rack at Waterstones and WH Smith tomorrow morning:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743268296/qid=1115294361/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/202-3022206-8098266

    So, my prediction is 38% Labour, 32% Tory, 24% LibDem and 6% other. Now, for whom would I vote if I had registered in time/ Good question. I will say the LibDem candidate in my riding for the fact that he is the former chief economist of Shell Oil. The Tory is a crackpot who has never had a real job, save for working at Conservative HQ, and the Labour classifies himself as a 'social activist'. Besides, I cannot endorse Blair for another four years, as he is simply not up to the job.

    Tonight, watch for the following:

    Tory front-benchers to lose seats to the LibDems;
    The return of Malcolm Rifkind to the Conservative front bench;
    LibDems to make solid gains in London, Birmingham and Manchester;
    Labour to lose a negligible amount of seats.

    OK, election recap tomorrow. For my friends in the UK - happy voting! For those abroad, stay up late and watch the results on CNN!
    Wednesday, May 4th, 2005
    3:57 pm
    One more day.....
    Today is the last campaign day until polling......

    I was acosted by the Richmond Lib-Dem candidate this morning at the train station, who badgered me to vote for her, despite the fact that I don't live in her riding.

    The big news today is the fact that we could see a Florida-style vote scandal in the UK that has the potential to delay full results for awhile - read on:

    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,19809-1597391,00.html

    As well, the polls seem to have tightened up in the last day or so.... the latest puts labour at 36%, while the Tories are at 32%, with the Lib-Dems climbing to 25%.

    We will all be put out of our misery tomorrow.....

    Wait for the official Peter Ryan endorsement, as well!!
    Tuesday, May 3rd, 2005
    1:48 pm
    Blair endorsement
    I leave you with this today, which is the endorsement of Tony Blair and Labour by leading publication, The Economist.

    http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3910189

    Note The Economist's lack of enthusiasm for this decision, however.

    More bad news for Blair yesterday as another UK serviceman was killed in Iraq. It looks as if several parents of dead troops are planning on suing Blair over the Iraq war.

    On a lighter note, please click on the following link and meet the gentleman who married Vicki and I last year (Hint - he looks like a certain current PM):

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4497347.stm


    Only two more days until this circus ends.

    Don't forget to enter the online prediction game!!
    Monday, May 2nd, 2005
    1:08 pm
    Peter's UK Election Sweepstakes.....
    Hi all:
    I thought that I would launch a game for everyone to predict the outcome of the UK election on May 5. All you need to do is predict the total percent of the vote for:

    Labour
    Conservatives
    Liberal Democrats
    Other (Welsh/Scotttish Nationalists, Sinn Fein, DUP, Ulter Unionists, SDLP, etc....)

    Just post your prediction in the comment section of this posting, and whoever comes closest wins!

    Happy projecting!
    12:50 pm
    Back in the blog....
    After a few days off due to a business trip to India, I am pleased to be back reporting on the UK election, albeit with a case of 'Delhi Belly'.

    Upon returning to London last night, I have been bombarded by a series of conflicting polls.

    The Times is reporting that Labour is up to 42%, the Tories at 29% and the LibDems at 21%. However, The Telegraph says that the Tories sit at 33%, Labour at 36% and the LibDems on 24%. The interesting thing to note is that there seems to be divergence among all the polls over the last week or so. Check it out on the BBC poll tracker and see what I mean - either the polls show Labour up 8-9 points, or the race is ultra tight withing 2-3%.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/polltracker/html/polltracker.stm

    My own thought is that there is no way that Blair is sitting so high up. Ask anyone you meet in the UK, and they will tell you that they are thoroughly angry with Labour. My guess is that many will stay home on election day, a phenomenon that hardly ever helps the incumbent. I think that Blair will win, but his majority will be reduced to less than 70 seats, with more than a few upsets. Expect the LibDems to come out with the most gains, especially in significantly Muslim areas, where Charles Kennedy is making a huge effort based on his opposition to the war.

    More to come......
    12:50 pm
    Back in the blog....
    After a few days off due to a business trip to India, I am pleased to be back reporting on the UK election, albeit with a case of 'Delhi Belly'.

    Upon returning to London last night, I have been bombarded by a series of conflicting polls.

    The Times is reporting that Labour is up to 42%, the Tories at 29% and the LibDems at 21%. However, The Telegraph says that the Tories sit at 33%, Labour at 36% and the LibDems on 24%. The interesting thing to note is that there seems to be divergence among all the polls over the last week or so. Check it out on the BBC poll tracker and see what I mean - either the polls show Labour up 8-9 points, or the race is ultra tight withing 2-3%.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/polltracker/html/polltracker.stm

    My own thought is that there is no way that Blair is sitting so high up. Ask anyone you meet in the UK, and they will tell you that they are thoroughly angry with Labour. My guess is that many will stay home on election day, a phenomenon that hardly ever helps the incumbent. I think that Blair will win, but his majority will be reduced to less than 70 seats, with more than a few upsets. Expect the LibDems to come out with the most gains, especially in significantly Muslim areas, where Charles Kennedy is making a huge effort based on his opposition to the war.

    More to come......
    Saturday, April 23rd, 2005
    10:10 am
    Tightening polls
    Hmmmmm.... the two violent crime tragedies that struck the UK and showed Blair up for the soft-touch on crime that he is may be affecting the polls. Things seem to be getting better for the Tories.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/polltracker/html/polltracker.stm

    Am in the Austrian Airlines lounge in Vienna as I write this. Next stop - Delhi!
    Friday, April 22nd, 2005
    10:45 pm
    UK election plods....
    No news, nothing changes. Blair is coasting, Howard is grim and Kennedy stands to make gains.

    Off to India for a week.... Expect little in the way of postings!
    Wednesday, April 20th, 2005
    1:59 pm
    More of the same.....
    I think the link below says it all.....

    http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5703044&cKey=1113994246000

    On a more humourous note, let's head out to Bethnal Green, where RESPECT candidate and former Labour MP George Galloway was attacked. Too bad, so sad:-(

    http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/topstories/display.var.589275.0.no_respect_for_gorgeous_george.php
    Tuesday, April 19th, 2005
    8:10 pm
    Snooze.......
    This has to be the most boring election I have seen in politics since I started following it in 1988.

    NOTHING has happened in the past 24 hours worth noting. Blair looks to be headed for another big win.

    I called the Tory candidate's office to ask for him to ring me so I could complain to him personally about the disgracefully patronizing brochure he sent around. I think that he definitely has the grey vote sewn up, as the 100 year old woman answering his phone asked me to send him one of those '....email things' and he would answer it. I told her that the Liberal candidate had come straight over to my house when I called their office, and she freaked, promising that she would get him on the phone iwith me the next day.

    By the way, the Lib was NEVER at my house.... I just wanted to see what it would take to get the Tories to actually work for a vote.
    Monday, April 18th, 2005
    11:55 am
    Conflicting polls and Pringle versus Jackson
    Well, over the weekend political news involved mainly Michael Howard's announcement of his tax cuts and private pensions policy. Please see this article from the 'Tory-graph' for more details:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/04/18/utories2.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/04/18/ixportaltop.html

    The usual claptrap from Blair and Kennedy's minions followed. This election is becoming more of a sniping match each day. Also, polls are giving completely mixed messages. One on Saturday claimed that Labour was at 40%, with the Conservatives on 33%, while a new one today puts Blair up by only 1 point. Who knows.....

    On the ground this weekend, disgraced Labour MP and former film actress Glenda Jackson (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0413559/) was confronted by Hampstead's own resident Toryphile, Tom Pringle outside a supermarket. As Tom was walking into ASDA, a 'middle-aged' woman handed him a leaflet. Tom, who was speaking to his Mom on a mobile at the time, took the leaflet, read it, and handed it back to the 'middle-aged woman. However, he did so after making a snide remark about Glenda Jackson's chances. Then, the penny dropped. He swung around and realized that he had made the comment to Jackson herself, whose glare was enough to send Tom scurrying for his milk and eggs. Nice one, TP!!

    Finally, for all you political junkies, have a try on the BBC interactive electoral map. This is a great time waster!!
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/flash_map/html/map05.stm
    Friday, April 15th, 2005
    11:59 am
    Campaign cruises....
    This week, I have to admit, the UK election has moved into a cruising speed, and is getting boring. No one will dispute that this campaign is actually getting to be somewhat dull, but what is being seen is that Labour seems to be moving ahead.

    New polls from the BBC seem to show Labour solidifying at around 38-39%, with the Tories stuck somewhere in the low 30s, while LibDems hover at the 20%-mark. Charles Kennedy has not gotten the 'baby-bounce' that many predicted a few days back, but time will tell. Lord know, he made a cock-up of his election manifesto launch yesterday, when he could not explain his tax provisions. But, due to the fact that he is a new dad, many are cutting him some slack, given the lack of sleep associated with a newborn baby in the house.

    On the ground, the LibDems were outside Richmond station this morning, pumpimg up their transport policy. I was acosted by a middle aged North American whom I quickly learned is the husband of the LibDem candidate. The candidate, incidentally, used to run th Chicago transport network, so she may know something about how to fix the mess of a privatized rail network. Needless to say, her husband certainly knew more about this than the Tory candidate did last week.

    By the way, sorry for no post yesterday. The news was rightly dominated by this:

    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1569915,00.html
    11:59 am
    Campaign cruises....
    This week, I have to admit, the UK election has moved into a cruising speed, and is getting boring. No one will dispute that this campaign is actually getting to be somewhat dull, but what is being seen is that Labour seems to be moving ahead.

    New polls from the BBC seem to show Labour solidifying at around 38-39%, with the Tories stuck somewhere in the low 30s, while LibDems hover at the 20%-mark. Charles Kennedy has not gotten the 'baby-bounce' that many predicted a few days back, but time will tell. Lord know, he made a cock-up of his election manifesto launch yesterday, when he could not explain his tax provisions. But, due to the fact that he is a new dad, many are cutting him some slack, given the lack of sleep associated with a newborn baby in the house.

    On the ground, the LibDems were outside Richmond station this morning, pumpimg up their transport policy. I was acosted by a middle aged North American whom I quickly learned is the husband of the LibDem candidate. The candidate, incidentally, used to run th Chicago transport network, so she may know something about how to fix the mess of a privatized rail network. Needless to say, her husband certainly knew more about this than the Tory candidate did last week.

    By the way, sorry for no post yesterday. The news was rightly dominated by this:

    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1569915,00.html
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