Categories: Capital Read, Inside the Queensway

The First Meeting of the ITQ In and Out Book Club starts now!

by kadyomalley on Friday, September 19, 2008 9:00am - 12 Comments

“Nonsense!”

- Dan Dugas, New York Times Conservative Party War Room Book Review

We can only hope that Sam Goldstein is even now putting the finishing touches on his autocandidography, but for now, check out Sixty-six Said Yes: A Personal Account of a Campaign and Scandal [PDF] by former Conservative candidate David Marler, who refused to take part in the Perfectly Legal Scheme to Transfer Money Between Party and Candidates That Everybody Else Does Too (Especially Libby Davies) And Now Elections Canada is Just Picking On Us Because It’s a Nest of Secret Liberals, and was subsequently dumped as the nominee for the next election.

Alert readers will recall that Marler was a guest of the Ethic committee earlier this summer at Camp In and Out, as chronicled by ITQ. At the time, he was relatively reluctant to speak out, but since then, he has definitely found his voice — much, ITQ suspects, to the horror of the Quebec Conservative organizers whose backroom machinations are described in distinctly unloving detail.

(H/T to the Montreal Gazette’s Elizabeth Thompson.)

Tags: david marler, horror stories, in-and-out, memories of conservative party election financing schem, william corbett take note

More by kadyomalley

TobyornotToby

I have work to do, couldn’t he just skip through all this “it started in a log cabin on the shore” stuff?
http://www.macleans.ca Kady O’Malley

But that sets the scene! Actually, having just finished reading the whole thing, I’m going to post a few teasers, like his first meeting with the then-leader of the opposition, his experience as a warm body at various Conservative events, and – as a special treat – the story of how one Liberal MP restored his faith in parliamentary democracy during last summer’s committee hearings.
Paul Wells

He admits he’s “more generally inclined to liberal attitudes in thinking.” So basically he’s Alfonso Gagliano. Case closed. Move along!
Mike

Although I have not yet finished reading David Marler’s account, these two paragraphs struck me as crucial:

“The government policy was not illegal as such. The ad agents were not government employees and thus broke no law to which the civil service is subject and there is no evidence that AdScam was conceived or approved by the Liberal Party organization. Nor was there evidence that the then Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, and his chief of staff, Jean Pelletier, were involved or had any knowledge of the scam. Any implied suggestion of impropriety by Messrs. Chrétien and Pelletier was rejected without qualification by Judge Teitelbaum of the Federal Court in his judgment reviewing the Gomery report. AdScam was the work of individuals, not of a political organization.”

“In contrast, the RCMP raid appears to have revealed that in-and-out was a scheme organized, discussed and approved at the highest levels of the Conservative Party, with the knowledge and complicity of future cabinet ministers and others who wished to be elected, some of whom were. However, at least it can be said that it conformed to the Conservative Party platform. It was so “transparent” that one could see right through it and, no doubt, the party will be happy to be held “accountable” whether by the courts or by the public.”

Though most Canadians equate Liberals with corruption, post adscam, they doubtless fail to make the distinction offered by Marler.

An important distinction IMHO.
http://liberal-arts-and-minds.blogspot.com/ knb

Isn’t that riding Harper’s first stop today?
Mike

Paul Wells:

“…He admits he’s “more generally inclined to liberal attitudes in thinking.” So basically he’s Alfonso Gagliano. Case closed. Move along!…”

Find a rotten apple? Remove it before it spoils the bunch. And if the bunch is rotten? Don’t let your reputation as a nation of good apples become tainted by the rot.
Wascally Wabbit

Despite Colleague Wells’ dismissive posture – I imagine this will have legs – and dominate the editorial pages (and possibly Newman and Duffy’s Hours this evening) for the next few days…

But of a stretch Paul – to equate Marler to Gagliano…diametrically opposed ethics…

I’m no fan of Gagliano – and David Marler is no Gagliano!
seaandthemountains

it was sarcasm dude
http://caiti-online.blogspot.com/ Transcanada

It’s sad that Harper muzzles his MP’s the way he does.

They are such an interesting bunch of fellows and gals.

Kind of like a circus but without the perfectly legal big tent and perfectly legal elephants.

Side note: The rumour that Harper wears Depends to guard against gaffe-induced incontinence is greatly exaggerated.
Steph C

And they would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for them meddlin’ kids!
BOB WARD

Um Kady

Maybe the reason the Cons did not want him AFTER the resurgence of the Cons in Quebec was due to the following two quotes by the “candidate” himself

“I could not run for the tired Liberals, even though I am more generally
inclined to liberal trends of thinking”

and
“I had, in fact, been the Green Party candidate from November 2004 until March 2005 but had no choice other than to resign when I realized that the party had no organizational ability and was nothing more than an idea without political structure”

ya see kady as Areosmith would say:

“the dude….. the dude….looks like a LIBERAL

er …he IS a liberal!!

nice try though
Maybe there is another conspiracy somewhere else….good luck with that

bob
Siobhan

I agree with Kady! I could not put this book down. It does two things- shows up the Cons party as being hypocritical. Yes, all parties may have engaged in this money laundering BUT Harper promised accountability and transparency. Plus, the portrayal of Harper is quite revealing. Should it not be the right of local ridings to select their own candidates, not come sub committee vetted on high? That sounds like dictatorship to me! I think this book needs wider coverage!