THE CONSERVATIVE HIPSTERS

Rejected Campaign Poster No. 4

I very much enjoy political satire. I think Canadians in particular are very good at it. I also have an appreciation for politicians who don't take themselves too seriously and can poke fun at themselves through political satire.

Which brings me to Danny Williams, the Premier of Newfoundland. I was watching This Hour Has 22 Minutes (for the first time in a long time) last night and they had a good piece on Danny Millions. They were doing a spoof interview with Williams, and every time the 22 Minutes dude would aks him a question about reserves, transfer payments, etc, Danny would get up, walk out of the interview and hold a press conference. He even went to his dry cleaners and when they didn't have his suit ready, he held a press conference saying "The people clearly told me my suit would be ready on Tuesday... they have lied to the people of Newfoundland"

Hardy har. Good stuff.

But I'm wondering--does this help or hurt Danny Boy? Sure, he looks a little bit more human by trying to poke fun at his flap with PM Martin. But my question is this: If you're serious about the issue at hand, and really want to show that your actions (like being an idiot and taking down the Canadian flag) aren't just a stunt, then why participate in bringing it down to that level?

Is it a question of timing? It would be hilarious if he did that piece after the issue was resolved. Maybe its just me. I'm thinking if he was that pissed off to do it in the first place, he wouldn't feel like joking about it with the CBC. Not at least until after the dispute is resolved. So, it undermines his credibility on this issue, in my view.

My two cents.