I had no idea overlooking a MLA for a cabinet promotion was grounds for an entire region separating from Manitoba.
It would be an understatement to say the editorial writers at the Brandon Sun are in a black mood this morning. Their favourite social democrat, Brandon East MLA Drew Caldwell, did not get promoted to cabinet yesterday.
The lede on the cabinet shuffle story in today's Brandon Sun - ironically, right below a photo of homegrown MLA Jennifer Howard being sworn in as the province's new labour and immigration minister - read: "Western Manitoba has been denied a seat at the NDP government’s cabinet table yet again." Playing to the crowd, Tory leader Hugh McFadyen told the second city's daily paper: "I don’t know whether it’s because they don’t have confidence in Drew Caldwell or they simply don’t care about Brandon. (But) it’s a signal from Greg Selinger ... it demonstrates a lack of concern about that (sic) Brandon and that part of the province."
Not surprisingly, the opinion-givers were in high dudgeon when they wrote the editorial for this morning's paper. "Premier Greg Selinger has slapped western Manitoba in the face by refusing to include an MLA from this area in his new cabinet," they wrote. But the editorial team's capacity for hyperbole (been there, done that, have the T-shirt) reached entirely new levels when it came time to write the concluding graf:
"As for Westman, maybe we should be looking to cede from Manitoba and join Saskatchewan. While that thought is purely tongue in cheek, Selinger’s slap in the face does sting."
Vive le Westman, vive le Westman libre!
Given the invective, you'd be forgiven for concluding Caldwell's non-inclusion was the greatest tragedy that occurred in Western Manitoba yesterday -- next to this, naturally (and indeed, my heartfelt condolences go out to the Neufeld family).
So how was the rest of Brandon taking the news that its voice will not be heard at the cabinet table and that its lone NDP MLA will have to find something else to do on Wednesday mornings?
While I hate to legitimize discussion board chatter, here's a sample of what political watchers on a local website, Ebrandon, had to say about the Selinger Snub:
"The only thing that does is reaffirm what everyone already knows. "
"The Brandon East NDP association should be pretty frustrated/confused/angry. They have made Brandon-East one of the safest NDP seats in Manitoba (its been NDP since it was created in 1969), but they still can't get their MLA into cabinet."
"(Caldwell) had his chance and he blew it big time. The NDP is more vulnerable now than it has ever been in the past 10 years. They are going to run as much as possible a risk free government for the next two years because they want to get back into power. Calwell is too much of a risk. He is going to get re-elected, (and don't believe the conservatives when they say they have a chance of winning Brandon East), so there is nothing to gain and everything to lose by getting this guy into cabinet."
"Sadly as an NDP'er myself i could care less about whether or not Brandon East has a cabinet position."
"No need to reward a constituency with a cabinet minister if they're going to re-elect NDP every time no matter what. Save those posts for hotly contested seats in Wpg."
"Brandon (and all of Westman, for that matter) suffers by not having a voice at the cabinet table. If Mr. Caldwell doesn't measure up (despite being a three-term MLA and Selinger's only choice from Westman), then Westman needs a stronger representative. Drew has been judged by our new premier and found wanting. The message could not be clearer. Time for someone new."
While some people regurgitate the "slap to the face" meme, most seem to have concluded that either a) something is wrong with Caldwell that led to him not getting appointed or b) it's a matter of making tough political choices and there just wasn't enough room at the table for Drew. Either way, though, this small and admittedly unrepresentative cross-section of the broad community doesn't see this as a great slight to Westman, and they aren't exactly getting their shorts bunched in a knot about it.
In other words, it's nothing to leave Manitoba over. Move on.
Last Night's Winner: Curtis Granderson [Last Night's Winner]
11 minutes ago
9 comments:
From the EBrandon post, "No need to reward a constituency with a cabinet minister if they're going to re-elect NDP every time no matter what. Save those posts for hotly contested seats in Wpg."
Last time I checked, Elmwood, Fort Rouge and Wellington were not hotly contested seats. But I sympathize with Brandonites. Drew is a very capable man and I hope he will be a cabinet member if there is another shuffle before 2011.
Well, with CKX defunct and the BSun tightly holed up behind a subscription wall, news or concerns in Brandon don't make it to the outside world anymore (present company excepted, of course) so might as well steam the buns of those whose concerns won't get far !
Back in the day, was it only Drew in cabinet or did thy have 2 cabmins at one time ?
Fort Rouge made the NDP sweat for some reason last time. They still blew away the Liberal, but I was hearing during the campaign that they were worried. I assume this pretty much locked up that riding for them now with a high profile minister.
I see that Curtis has become another prisoner of the perimeter. Winnipeg is and always will be the focus of this province and that is just the way it is.
But sometimes benign neglect can have its advantages.
Most people posting on ebrandon couldn't find their arseholes with both hands.I wouldn't put much stock in any of the blather over there.
full disclosure: I was banned from ebrandon for posting something much less offensive than this :)
My dear Curtis, you should know better than to give merit to something from ebrandon, at least on the same level as the Brandon Sun.
Ebrandon is the same sink hole that spews conversations about nail salons and the Ms Petite Manitoba contest.
Western Manitoba angst is real, doncha know. That's what I keep getting told anyway. ;)
By the way, you can guess who wrote that particular opinion, I'm sure.
Keep the peace dude.
@ Christian: They had two with Drew and Scott Smith. Then it was one (Scott) and then after the 2007 election it was none, and I guess some folks are getting antsy.
@ Matt, the banana et al. re: Ebrandon. Fair point. But I think if you substituted a local coffee shop for that online forum, opinions would be roughly the same.
@ Don: I get accused by people in Winnipeg of being a homer for Brandon, so I'll take your Perimeter-itis comment in stride.
@ Matt: "The opinions contained in Our View reflect the corporate position of the newspaper and are not solely the views of any one person. Those are expressed in signed op-ed columns." I figured you'd have the standard company deflector line down by now! Anyway, I kinda figured - and though I wasn't overly fazed by most of the editorial, which was fine, the separation reference just seemed a more than a little over the top and worth pointing out, even if only made partialy in jest. So thank you (or someone there) for the blog fodder. Keep it real, dude.
Ah yes, Drew and Scott. The glory days ;-)
Fair point on the coffee shop talk, but the owner of ebrandon fancies himself a budding newshound and his site a source for news in the region. Unfortunately his editorial control starts and stops at his own value base. Good enough for a blog perhaps, but hardly conducive to public discourse.
But i digress...
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