My Friend Martin

Reformation Day - Today is October 31st, the 492nd anniversary of Martin Luther nailing 95 thesis to the Wittenberg Church door. This served as a catalyst for a series of events we know as the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther has always been one of my historical heroes. His courage, exemplified by his "Here I stand" declaration at Worms (the history of which is disputed, but does not invalidate the point of his courage); his theological insights -- particularly as it relates to justification by faith alone, double imputation, and the bondage of the will -- are classic; and his down-to-earth (and sometimes earthy) realism exemplified in his writings (he could eviscerate his enemies with rhetoric that makes todays politics look like child's play while also displaying a tenderness and humanity demonstrated in his Tabletalk and letters make him a man I would have loved to get to spend time with.

a
It is quite coincidental that my wife bears a similar first name to Luther's but it has provided fodder for jesting throughout my marriage to "Katie my rib." (I do realize that Luther often did also call his wife "My Lord, Katie" but that term of endearment is not used quite as frequently here.) So on this Reformation Day 2009, I am pleased to post this picture of Martin's Katie with mine, as well as a photo of a Luther beer and mug, along with one of the first biographies I read in my teens, J. H. Merle D'Aubigne's The Life of Martin Luther, all of which will combine to make this day a more enjoyable one.

Where are the Rivers of Waters?

Our morning devotion passage included Psalm 119:136: Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law." It prompted me to pick up my favourite commentary on the Psalms, Charles Spurgeon's Treasury of David. There I found this gem:

"Carnal men are afraid of brute force, and weep over losses and crosses; but spiritual men feel a holy fear of the Lord himself, and most of all lament when they see dishonour cast upon his holy name.

Lord let me weep for nought but sin
And after none but thee,
And then I would, O that I might!
A constant weeper be."

I must confess that using this standard makes me feel very unspiritual. Yet, it is a biblical theme that is worth reflecting on -- sin everywhere is something that brings dishonour to God's name and therefore ought to be a subject of grief for those who love Him.

Ottawa Catch-up.....

Some quick hits on Ottawa happenings that have made the news this week while I was too busy to blog....

Ignatieff hires new Chief of Staff - I only know Peter Donolo by reputation but his is one of competence, good-humour, and dedication. While I rarely will be confused for a partisan Liberal, I sincerely do hope that this helps put the Official Opposition on a track where they will be seen as a credible alternative to the government. The longer I watch politics, the more I am convinced that a prerequisite for good government is the existence of a viable alternative.

Cheque Scandal doesn't impact polls - Some seem surprised that the stimulus money "scandal" hasn't affected the polls, with the new EKOS poll this morning showing the Conservative lead holding. Given that the scandal amounted to Conservatives being blamed for taking too much credit for spending the stimulus money with oversized promotion cheques and aggressive lobbying by MPs for projects in their ridings, the fact this scandal did not get traction is hardly a surprise. When it comes to government decisions of spending money or making appointments etc., the public understands that when a choice needs to be made between Option A and B, both of which are credible choices, politicians are likely to make choices that favour their friends and supporters. The scandal comes when such choices are made when one of the options is not a credible option, when cronies get appointed to positions for which they are not qualified, or when money is spent on projects that are not worthwhile. To date, there has been no serious allegation that money has been misspent on projects that are not worthwhile, hence there is no scandal to get traction.

What people are talking about - A busy week has just passed in which my usual reading of the daily news and keeping up on things political proved impossible given my other commitments. It is a useful reminder for how non-political junkies take in the news. Trying to catch up a bit this morning, I notice eight columns on Nationalnewswatch dealing with the Donolo appointment. I read all of them and scanned the blogs to get the range of opinion on this and the other tactical decisions being made within each of the parties, but during the past week in which I had many conversations with many people that regarded things political, no one asked or commented except in the most obscure way on "inside baseball" aspects of politics. The economy, swine flu, and leadership are the issues which kept coming up in my day to day conversations, and after getting through the headlines on each, my conversation partners were more interested in talking about the events of everyday life, usually family, faith, and friends and change. (I suspect my sample was coloured by the fact that I attended a number of church-related meetings undoubtedly. I suspect if my sampling was less religiously biased, the topic trifecta would be family, friends, and entertainment.) It was striking reflecting on the several coffee break and water cooler conversations I had with people I know but don't see regularly, how the topics that interest them are disproportionately local (first hand connections - they talk about people or things they have personal knowledge of) and involve change (people tend to be excited by change and the opportunities it presents - most often work-related -- but also apprehensive of change.

No great surprise but a useful reminder for those of us who dabble in the political marketing game. Political "insider baseball" is important for understanding what is going on, like knowing how pistons work is important for a mechanic fixing a car. But most of us don't ask about the pistons when we buy the car.

I will be back.....

Presently in Hamilton, on the fourth day of five consecutive days of meetings, speeches, and assignments related to work and church that preclude time for blogging. Will return to this page when I am home again on Thursday.

Redeemer does well in Globe Survey

The annual Globe and Mail University report card was released this morning (click here for link to charts) and Redeemer University - a university towards which I am obviously partial towards given my role as Board Chair -- did very well.

A quick glance shows that Redeemer received top scores in its category (small universities with less than 4,000 students) in

- most satisfied students
- quality of education
- student-teacher interaction
- class size
- student services
- buildings and facilities
- student residences
- campus atmosphere

I am sure that these results will be parsed more carefully and will include some lessons as to areas where improvements are needed as well, but it is encouraging to wake up in the morning, notice Redeemer mentioned in the official media notice advertising the release of the survey, and glancing at the results, feel thankful and (if I may) a bit proud on behalf of the very hard-working and dedicated people who are responsible for these results.

When Customer Service isn't Customer Service

Consider this a bit of venting post, but I think there is a lesson underneath all of this for those of us in the customer service business (which really ends up being all of us, in one way or the other.)

Twice in the past two weeks I have had reason to contact the customer service department of AVIS, the car rental company. To set the context a bit, I rent from AVIS fifty plus times per year and on virtually every rental, enjoy unlimited kilometers for a reasonable daily rate. Hence that is has become my working assumption when I make a rental.

The first followed a rental picked up in Chicago and dropped off in Grand Rapids. In investigating the various options as to how most economically to travel one-way between these two cities, I called the Avis customer service office to find out the drop charges that would be incurred. Pleasantly surprised that there were none, I recall confirming with the representative with words to the effect, "So you are telling me that I can pick up the car in Chicago, drop it off in Grand Rapids, for $X?" I thanked her, checked my other options and ultimately booked on-line. The surprise was mine when I returned the car to discover that on bookings of this nature, there is no drop fee but there is a mileage fee applied and so the bill was a few hundred more than anticipated. When I called customer service to register my displeasure, I was given a polite lecture as to how I obviously did not read the fine print in the contract they emailed which, as they quite rightly pointed out, did specify the fee.

A second incident occured this past week when I rented, drove less than 125 km, and find out that I am being charged a minimum rate $35 more than I anticipated because I cannot produce a receipt that I filled up with fuel. Again, I had asked the agent how much the rate was for the rental and was quoted a rate, without any reference to the 125 km rule. When I returned the car, I was rushing to catch a plane, put in just over $6 of fuel and rather than wait for the receipt (catching my plane was worth more to me than the $6 of expenses) on. No sympathy from the Customer Service Agent on this one either - the fine print says that on rentals of less than 125 a receipt is needed or a minimum fuel charge is issued.

I readily concede that as per the fine print, Avis is quite right in collecting the $200 or so that I feel they are unjustly taking from me. Yet, in both cases I received quotes from their authorized representatives indicating amounts to me without reference to the fine print details I overlooked. I don't really expect to be given all sorts of special privileges simply because I am a frequent customer yet one would think that the customer service agent would, given the unique circumstances of either/ both of these cases, have some discretion to make adjustments. Apparently they don't.

At the end of the day, I feel misled by Avis and am in the process of checking out the competition in booking my next rental. In trying to sort through in my own whether my resentment is justified or whether I am simply being self-justifying, it seems to me that as a customer, it is reasonable to expect that communication from a representative indicating that the cost is X should be reliable enough a basis to proceed without having to read fine print. It seems to me that this is a case where customer service is not really customer service.

The Price of Hypocrisy

I am a fan of David Wells. In the nineties, he wrote four books (No Place for Truth, God in the Wasteland, Losing Our Virtue, Above All Earthly Powers) which in combination provided as insightful and thorough an analysis of contemporary culture and contemporary evangelicalism as any I have come across. Last year, he wrote The Courage to Be Protestant: Truth-lovers, Marketers and Emergents in a Post-Modern World.

What prompts this post is noticing a brief interview in Boston Globe with Wells this morning in connection with a conference at Gordon-Cromwell on evangelicals in the public square. (h/t Justin Taylor.) His quote people who act inconsistently with what they proclaim are far more damaging to the Christian faith than the attacks that atheists launch" struck me as particularly valid. Our morning devotions this morning were based on Ephesians 4:17-18 (we are using the devotional 365 Days with Calvin)in which the point was emphasized how our walk speaks louder than our talk.

Hypocrisy is not just a private matter in which we fail to live up to the standards we profess to believe in; it is a public matter in which the credibility of our confession is brought into disrepute as a result of our behaviour. An awareness of this reality gives us reason to take care regarding the claims we make in public, and double care that we do everything we can to live consistently with those claims. A sobering but valuable thought with which to start Monday morning.

Putting the Olympics in Perspective

The Olympic PR machine must be revving itself up. This morning's National Post contains a lengthy feature detailing the torch relay; yesterday driving in Ontario I heard a Bay ad focusing totally on their Olympic involvement (more on that in a moment); and driving to the airport last night, the debate on Prime Time Sports regarded who should be selected to light the flame at the opening ceremonies. Lest what follows be misinterpreted, let me provide a few caveats first.

- The Olympic games have always been a highlight sporting event on our family calender where, for a few weeks every other year, we follow reasonably closely, usually ending up on the bandwagon of a previously unknown Canadian who is doing surprisingly well in some sport whose rules we barely understand. While the routines of life continue and we try not to get too carried away, we quite consciously suspend our usual limits on television watching in order to take in this bi-annual spectacle. I fully expect to continue in that pattern from February 12-28, 2010 and given Calgary's timezone proximity to Vancouver, this will be a project made a bit more convenient than usual.

- I am fully aware that the history of the Olympics is intertwined with religion but my assessment of the modern games is that the primary religion involved is commercialism and secular pride. I have little idealism about the "amateur" nature of this competition and frankly, am skeptical about the technical distinctions made between amateur and professional. But when I watch these athletes compete, I don't think too much of this. I enjoy watching their accomplishments, respect the dedication and work they have put into their trade, and get a thrill out of watching the intensity and drama of competition, riding the emotional waves of victory and defeat.

- My concerns about the Olympics are very different in character than those described in the post article, which describes the anti-Olympic movement as "a mix of aboriginal rights activists, environmentalists, anarchists and anti-poverty, anticapitalist, anti-globalization and anti-war groups." I am not part of an anti-Olympic movement nor does my concern have to do with anything of their thinking.

So, having armed myself with all these caveats, what prompts this post?

The Bay radio ad (which I heard only once while driving and cannot find an on-line link in order to refresh my memory) consists of a female voice narrating the long association of the Bay with the Olympic movement and amounted to a message of "Buy at the the Bay because we are the official store of the Olympics." What I found striking, however, was the almost religious identity appeal that was being made. The virtues of the Olympics were cited and implicit message was, "Of course, if you share an appreciation of these virtues, you will buy from us." The appeal had almost religious overtones and identity feel about it.

The round-table discussion on Primetime was a thoughtful one in which the various possible criteria and the social significance of this choice were debated. It led me to reflect on the social need we have for heroes and that what gives the Olympics social power and influence is the unique mix of nationalism (we root for our flag), athleticism (we all can identify with faster, stronger, higher at some level), and celebrity (the fact that the entire world is watching and this is a global stage; hence not to participate is to mark oneself as an unsophisticate or social illiterate.) The marketing folks have this figured out well and so the Olympic rings remain a powerful marketing tool, even though many events of recent years have given cause to tarnish it.

When I watch the Olympics, I am not conscious of this. I get caught up in the heat of the moment, excited that the Canadian Joe Smith, who has worked so incredibly hard to get here and overcome such obstacles, is going to round the track or land his ski jump 1/100 second faster than the Swedish Lars Smith, whose story is really just as compelling but isn't told to me with the same patriotic spin. (To confirm this point, I realize that watching the Olympics on American channels does not provide me the same rush as watching it on Canadian channels - a clear sign that the maple leaf cheer leading is an essential part of the appeal.)

Haven't really thought about this too much before but as the Olympic PR machine does it thing, it may be interesting to reflect on the role these games play in our collective lives. What are the appeals of this event? How this has changed / is it changing over time? Do these appeals amount to an attempt to elevate the games into a new role (or perhaps reverting to an old one), namely that of a secular religious festival?

Wisdom from Edwards

In an essay published in today's on-line Comment, I reflect on the ministry of Jonathan Edwards and identify four insights from his ministry which have relevance to contemporary discussions regarding the Christian calling in the Great Commission as well as to seek the peace of the city.

My simple purpose here is to argue that Jonathan Edwards has something to say into our present discussion on seeking the advancement of the church and the peace of the city. Understanding that human happiness can only be properly achieved in the context of God's glory; that there is a close relationship between God's glory and His happiness; that the present world matters in itself as well as points to an unfolding future history; and that this glory is not only expressed in the "spiritual" things of life, but also in the "ordinary" things of everyday life—these all speak to the fact that the cultural mandate and the Great Commission are inextricably connected. John Piper has summarized the effect of this well when he says "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

You can read the entire article here.

Patronage not always bad

There is a flurry of articles in recent days regarding Conservative patronage. Barbara Yaffe is pretty well bang on in her column this morning noting that the Conservatives deserve a bit of heat given the inconsistency between what they said they would do and what they have done on the file. I agree, although part of me thinks the challenge may have been in overpromising, rather than in the bad delivery.

Government appointments - and there are thousands of them made every year -- should be given only to competent people. Curiously, there has been relatively little complaint that any of the Conservative appointees are totally incompetent. Given that there are more competent people then available positions, it only makes sense that the government would provide appointments to people who share their perspective. Government appointments usually deal with positions that are involved in implementing government policy. Most that I have met, be they Liberal or Conservative appointees, tend to do so with a commitment to the public good. But where subjective judgments come into play, I am not surprised when Liberal appointees tend to think more like Liberals and Conservative appointees like Conservatives. In fact, that sort of makes sense in a democracy.

The irony is that those who are doing the critiquing today hardly have a better record when it comes to patronage, and if given the opportunity to make the appointments, are unlikely to do much different themselves. Maybe the debate ought not to be so much about the appointments but why patronage has become such a dirty word in Canadian politics.

What to blog....

The topic I address on my blog each day is hardly a matter of careful deliberation. I typically read the morning papers / websites, find something that strikes my fancy, and put down my thoughts -- with the only criteria being a self-imposed time limitation of 30 minutes (hence not a lot of attention to editing, as regular readers will undoubtedly have noticed.)

For some reasons, this morning I was struck with indecision and put off this entry til lunch. I briefly considered several options but none seemed quite right. It is the one-year anniversary of the fortieth federal election so a quick retrospective on the year gone by could be considered. Don Martin did something of this in his column today but it didn't really grab me one way or the other.

The other option I considered was the speculation regarding the Harmonized Sales Tax and what it might imply for an election. A bit of NDP grandstanding here, me thinks, and a chance to turn the tables on the Liberals. If the NDP oppose, the Liberals will find a way to avoid an election on this issue. The provincial Liberals in BC and Ontario are parties to this deal and Mr. Ignatieff has enough challenges on his hand without trying to fight an issue that has such awkward dimensions.

There are various options about logos on cheques etc. but that all seems to much "inside baseball" to bore readers with on a week when Parliament isn't even sitting.

Speaking of sports, in previous years I have done one entry gloating about the Toronto Maple Leafs since, at least at the beginning of the season, there is hope within the hearts of Leafs fans. I clearly blew that opportunity this year.

So, since nothing really comes to mind and since I have various deadlines to meet before heading out on a 36 hr trip tomorrow morning, I think I will pass. No blog entry today.

Starting the week.....

A few quick responses to items making the news....

Bob Rae using Brian Mulroney's Playbook? -- There have been a few items, including Lawrence Martin's this morning, over the past few weeks speculating that Bob Rae is undermining Michael Ignatieff even while he professes the opposite to be true. Reminds me of Brian Mulroney, after he lost the leadership to Joe Clark in 1976, publicly supporting the leader while his organization actively undermined him. That timeline took nine years, but both Mulroney and Clark were much younger men when they fought their battles. Mr. Ignatieff has, I suspect, a relatively short-time frame within which he is prepared to stomach the unpleasantries of leadership politics and at 61, Bob Rae can't play this game too long either if he still hopes to have a chance at the Prime Ministership. Stay tuned.

Crime Stats - Both David Asper and Greg Weston have columns this morning with variations on the theme that being tough on crime plays well as a retail politics strategy, but may not be borne out by the current numbers. I concede their point that sometimes the issues are over-simplified and simply advocating longer sentences and a tougher approach will not in itself serve as a magic bullet. However, I would caution about taking all of the statistics which suggest things are not as bad as they seem with a grain of salt. There is a significant difference in the number and nature of crimes reported these days, as many of the "minor crimes" which were reported as such even a decade ago are no longer even reported to the police, since it seems a waste of time. Crime stats over time are hardly an apples to apples comparisons.

Law Enforcement Silliness - In Calgary, there is a bit of a hub-bub over zealous by-law officers issuing tickets at the Transit lots because cars were parked facing out rather than in. These tickets have since been rescinded. In Windsor, a trucker is fined under a law that prevents smoking in the workplace, even though he is the only one in his cab. We rightly rail against our lawmakers for the silliness that often characterizes our politics, but their job is hardly made any easier when those we empower to enforce the law do so without any semblance of common sense.

Thanksgiving Worship

Our Thanksgiving worship service this morning was led by Pastor Hans Overduin. Together we noted the theme of of thanksgiving in the Psalms as we sang versified versions of Psalms 103,108, 116,117, 118 and 136. The sermon was based on Luke 17:11-19, the account of Jesus healing the ten lepers but only one Samaritan returned to give thanks. In his first point on how rare thanksgiving is, Pastor Overduin quoted from J.C. Ryle noting that our tendency is often to put our mercies under a bushel but our trials on a hill. The second point focused on the rightness of giving thanks in which both the negative and positive aspect were highlighted. It is right to give thanks as the fact of our sins make every misery we are spared is a sign of God's grace; it is also right to give thanks for the abundance of blessings which are undeserved. In his final point, on the richness of giving thanks, we were reminded how the act of giving thanks is something that we never regret and in itself provides spiritual blessings. The service concluded with a prayer of thanksgiving led by the office bearers in which our national, family, and church blessings were enumerated. A thanksgiving offering was also taken and in that too, we are reminded of the privilege of worship and blessings we have been given.

"Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits." Psalm 103:2

Misc. Reflections on Thanksgiving Weekend

A few quick comments on some loose ends and items that attracted passing attention this week.....

Obama and the Peace Prize - I don't have much to add to the extensive analysis and mostly negative reaction to Obama being awarded the Nobel Prize. It seems even Obama himself was surprised and most of his supporters agree that this is premature at best. When Al Gore was awarded the prize two years ago, I opined that it was time to rename the prize in order to preserve the honour that previous worthy recepients deserved. Yesterday's events simply confirm the validity of that argument.

Ignatieff down but not out - There is little doubt that the past month has been tough for the Liberal leader and for the many reasons I have repeatedly outlined here, I think he has made significant mistakes in his strategy. All that being said, I am a bit surprised skimming the columns on Newswatch today to see how the tone of the columnists is coming close to writing him off. I think it is a bit premature. I would guess he is learning well at the University of Political Hard Knocks and soon will have a much better literacy in political gamesmanship. It is hardly a sure thing, but the electorate is quite fickle and the outcome of a 2010 /11 election is quite up in the air.

Alberta in the News - I notice the Globe today has a feature on Danielle Smith and the Wildrose Alliance which follows an op-ed on the same general subject by yours truly they published earlier in the week. This national attention is following a poll released earlier this week which suggested the WRA was in a statistical tie with the Liberals for second place against the struggling Tories. There are lots of "buts and maybes" that could cause this plot to go in almost any direction, but given the stature of some of the players involved, this is no ordinary "fringe party" uprising - something significant is happening in the politics of this province and it will be interesting to try and monitor it. Given the significance of the Alberta economy in the national scene, it is not simply a matter of provincial significance either.

Thanksgiving - I was asked by an American colleague this week about the origins of the Canadian Thanksgiving Day (and implicitly, why we hold it on the second Monday of October rather than the third Thursday of November.) I did not know and so just looked it up. Turns out Canadian Thanksgiving started 43 years before the American Pilgrims landed although it wasn't til 1879 (just 12 years after Confederation I would point out) that the holiday was formalized by Parliament. It also turns out Martin Frobisher's thankfulness for safely landing in Newfoundland in 1578 also has something to do with it.

Whatever the historical reasons, it is an important holiday to celebrate as the giving of thanks reminds us that what we have is not deserved but a gift from God. We will be spending Thanksgiving Day worshipping with our local congregation to be followed by an intimate family meal with the three of us, and then some visiting with friends later in the day.

Blogging is unlikely to be on the menu. Have a enjoyable Thanksgiving. See you next week.

Time by the Watch and by the Bible

I have been building off some insights prompted by Os Guinness in Prophetic Untimeliness as I prepare a speech outline for next year. (Preparing speech topics and outlines ten months before the speech is due is a bit daunting but I understand the organizers need to prepare marketing materials etc.-- I have been on the other side of the fence often enough. Hence my present musings....

Guinness describes the invention of the mechanical clock as "pivotal to the rise of the modern world....It is precisely this modern view of time, which I will refer to as 'clock time,' that we must understand if we are to escape its worst effects while simultaneously reasserting the importance of humanness as well as faithfulness." (28-29) Guinness goes on to elucidate how precision, coordination,and pressure are consequences which, if left unchecked, becomes a tyrant.

I have been reflecting on the contrast between this view of time and the biblical view of time. My sketch outline includes

- The beginning of time (Time began at the creation and God built into the creation itself the rhythm of night and day, work and rest, seasons etc.)

- The fullness of time (The central event in human history is the life and death of Jesus Christ, whose coming was anticipated from eternity in the eternal counsel of redemption.)

- The redemption of time (With these biblical givens, what ought to be the believers attitude toward and use of time consist of?)

- The end of time (when eternity comes and the "neither sun to light by day nor moon by night" reality is upon us, how will we enjoy what comes in the place of time.)

Not that I intend to continue my speech preparation on-line, but as I clean up the last bits of this week's work before a long weekend, intended as a time of rest and thanksgiving, it seemed appropriate to reflect on the tyranny of time and obligations of modernity. Among the things to be thankful for, will be the fact that we are unlikely to be wearing watches or checking calendars in the new heaven and the new earth.

Watching baseball and hoping Cubby Jack's sales call went well....

My travels the past few days have provided interesting opportunities to people watch. On Tuesday evening, I arrived in Grand Rapids mid evening and after checking into my hotel, went to the attached restaurant for dinner. Turns out the Detroit Tigers were playing the Minnesota Twins in a one-game playoff and the restaurant was overflowing with Tiger fans, with the 2009 fate of their heroes resting on every pitch. Since I was alone at my table in an overflowing restaurant, a fifty-ish gentleman asked if he could join me. He was from Chicago and a Cubs fan so we ended up as two dispassionate observers, taking in an interesting ball game, recounting the baseball playoff races of interest in our living memories (which for this Blue Jays fan growing up in SW Ontario in the eighties and nineties, included quite a few disappointments and two world series,) and ending up philosophizing about the role of sports in society.

I shared similar observations to those on which I have previously blogged as to how modern sports functions like civil religion did in a previous era. There is something about the shared experience of cheering at the same event, taking place at stadiums which define our cities like cathedrals once did, which builds an identity and a shared sense of belonging. My table-mate on Tuesday nite pushed back a bit, arguing that sports were a social good. "Michigan needs this" he told me, trying to suggest a Tigers win on Tuesday would increase the chances of success on his Wednesday sales call. At first he tried his case with numbers -- playoff games means money coming into the economy which provides stimulus to the hospitality industry which spills over into other sectors. We did a bit of "follow the money" logic and concluded together that this was probably less significant than usually advertised, especially if the baseball playoffs prompted fans to dig out their credit cards to partake in a sports fix to soothe the pains of especially tough economic times. His second argument was the positive feelings that would flow to many who had lost self-confidence and self-esteem, suggesting that the baseball success of their heroes would provide an impetus for participants in a depressed economy to keep going. I concede there is some validity to this argument.

Analyzing a sports event through a social or economic lens does admittedly miss the attraction of the game itself. There is little doubt that this game was one of the more interesting that either of us could remember. It was fun to take in a game with a knowledgeable baseball fan, together predicting and second-guessing the various managerial moves, admiring the athletic plays, and chuckling at the irrational opinions of the fans around us, even though both of us knew if it were "our team" that was in the game, our response would probably not be all that different. For me the difference was most evident by the fact that my dinner done, with the game heading off to yet another extra inning, I was able to excuse myself and head to my room to get some needed work done -- a departure that admittedly would have been unlikely if the Blue Jays of the early nineties were playing (my baseball passions have subsided significantly since the strike of 94, so not sure today's Blue Jays would still spark my passionate interest but a moot point given their performance over recent years.)

I did check the score before I went to bed that night and had to admit a twinge of disappointment to learn that the Tigers lost, not because I am suddenly a Tigers fan, but just being in the room of Tigers fans provided some sympathy and also for Jack, the Cubs fan, who had an important sales call in Grand Rapids yesterday. Hope it went well for him.

In Today's Globe and Mail....

I opine about the challenges facing Alberta's Conservative Party. A few days ago I noted here the reflections of Prof. Bliss who suggested a scenario in which the federal conservatives may the be moving towards a "natural governing party." The Alberta experience shows it is not always all it is made out to be. On the other hand, I suspect there are many partisans who would say that if a big internal renewal process (as happens every 30 years or so in Alberta when the governing coalition reinvents itself, and then continues governing for the next 30 or so years) is what is required, they would take it.

Anyways, that's fodder for another day. The consensus needs to be rebuilt before we need to figure out what to do with it. As I note in my column, " The ability of the victor to hold the party's fiscon-socon consensus/coalition together and then broaden its appeal is the key first step if a real revolution in Alberta politics is to take place."

Image Advice

I am hardly an expert regarding how to connect to popular culture, image management etc., but it takes no degree in public imagalogy to know that this is a smart move....



while this response looks petty. Would've been wiser for Mr. Ignatieff simply to make a light-hearted or even self-depracating comment and move on to another topic.

Conservatives poised to be Natural Governing Party?

An interesting column in yesterday's Globe along with various Ottawa conversations this week prompted a few airplane reflections this week as we try to game play the Ottawa chess game over the longer term.

The combination of the polls, Liberal infighting in Quebec (which must deliver more seats for the Libs if they are to have any chance at power), and the too great risk that the Conservatives will be punished for prompting an election that at this time, would only benefit them and the Bloc, make it a fairly safe bet that next years budget is the next time the election talk will be serious again. Four by-elections are being called, none of which are seats that were held by Conservatives last time, and in at least two of them, the Conservatives have at least an outside chance. Good opportunity to test the waters and if the Conservatives increase their numbers from last time and perhaps even gain a seat or two, it will provide further confirmation to Mr. Harper.

The strategic thinkers in the other parties are going to be faced with a dilemma. If the Conservatives put in a "stay the course budget" in late January (perfectly defensible one year after the last one), voting down the budget will mean an election during the Olympics - not generally seen to be a welcome prospect for anyone and likely to cause voters to be more grumpy with the parties that caused it. On the other hand, if the Conservatives succeed in getting another budget passed, the narrative of Stephen Harper not being able to work with opposition parties and being a mean guy who needs to be replaced starts looking ridiculous.

This all sets up the narrative that Michael Bliss referenced yesterday in his Globe column, where the Conservatives might be in a position to become the Natural Governing Party in Canada. There are lots of ifs, buts, and what-ifs to factor in that I have not mentioned but my guess is Stephen Harper would be quite satisfied with the legacy of having been the Prime Minister who took a divided right to a Natural Governing Party in this country.