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What passes for a chattering class in Toronto gathered at U of T's Massey College Tuesday evening to celebrate the launch of Margaret Atwood's new book - a meditation on the subject of debt.
You'd have to have been living among the Taliban to have missed the various excerpts and interviews in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, and The Times of London. All this and Ms. Atwood's highly publicized forays into the federal election campaign were lauded and applauded by the assembled.
The host, former Saturday Night editor and Massey domo John Fraser, thanked the U.S. government for destroying the entire basis of the capitalist system, thereby providing Ms. Atwood both excellent timing for the book's release and status as a veritable Savonarola of the current market collapse.
“It's the year of Obama and the year of Atwood” declared Fraser, no Canadian politician rising to mind.
Ms. Atwood's remarks were brief and more or less apolitical, though she did thank various unnamed friends for "putting up with me during my crabby phase.” It's almost certain she didn't have Stephen Harper in mind.
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Michael Behiels from Ottawa, Canada writes: Canadians should thank Magaret Atwood for taking the time to clarify her take on election 2008 and Mr. Harper's secret and not-so-secret agendas.
Many Canadians, for a moment, wondered if she had lost her senses! Myself included! Québécois nationalism is alive and well and does not need to be fueled now that the secessionist dream as been set aside for the time being.
The first accounts of her plea for Québécois et Québécoises to vote for Bloc candidates who have a chance of defeated Harper candidates were very disquieting.
Yet, she need not have worried about Quebec. Harper's outburst against Quebec's spoiled 'elitist culturati' did himself in. He did not need her pleas for concerned Québécois to deep six Harperites by voting Bloc.
Indeed, the real fight is elsewhere and her explanation in the G & M addresses the political struggle in the rest of Canada.
It has been my thesis since 2006 that Harper could only win a majority if he made significant breakthroughs in south western Ontario, mostly adjacent to 905 and in certain areas of British Columbia.
Harper was well on the road to achieving his goal when the wheels came off his largely 'silent' Tory campaign when the Wall Street and Bay Street tsunami hit the shores of the US, Canada and now every continent world wide.
If today's polls are to be trusted, Harper's slowness in acknowledging the recession in central Canada have produced a drop in support for Tory candidates in Ontario.
Will Harper be able to counter this drop before October 14th?
Perhaps Not! If more people like Atwood wade into the election debate and explain so clearly and with so much passion, as she did yesterday, the enormous risks of voting for a Conservative government, minority or majority. Encourage others to speak out as eloquently as she has.- Posted 08/10/08 at 10:33 AM EST | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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Building an Ark from Eastern Slopes, Canada writes: Michael Behiels from Ottawa, Canada writes: Canadians should thank Magaret Atwood...If more people like Atwood wade into the election debate and explain so clearly and with so much passion, as she did yesterday, the enormous risks of voting for a Conservative government
Spare us the partisan "hidden agenda drivel" Mike. Atwood would chose a den of thieves in the Bloc. That says enough about her leanings, and the entitled view of the GTA "Artiste" clan - chose those whom you associate with carefully - the Bloc ? Atwood lost all credibility on that one statement...- Posted 08/10/08 at 5:14 PM EST | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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Ballin Munson from toronto, Canada writes: The secret agenda crowd indeed.
Much like the Kennedy assasignation, at some point someone, somewhere would come forth with the real story on the "conspiracy". So far it hasn't happened, because, surprisingly, what you see is what you get.
The Onion said it best. President Kenedy was shot 143 times, by the Cia, the Mafia, Casto, the Soviet Union, the KKK, etc.
The Conservatives have a "secret agenda" to sell the country to the US, to rape the forests, eat babies, wantonly pollute everything, and enshrine the Devil as King of Canada. All before supper.
Now if only someone would come forth with a copy of this, then we would know the truth....- Posted 09/10/08 at 11:42 AM EST | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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Randal Oulton from Toronto, Canada writes: Atwood is okay, but she'll never be an Alice Munro.
- Posted 11/10/08 at 4:13 AM EST | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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