Categories: Andrew Coyne

Ask Andrew: Read this afternoon's live chat

Andrew Coyne answered questions about free trade, abortion, the penny and more

by Andrew Coyne on Thursday, October 29, 2009 3:32pm - 29 Comments

Ask Andrew

Join us for another live chat with Maclean’s National Editor Andrew Coyne at a future date.

CLICK HERE to read today’s conversation from start to finish.

Tags: Andrew coyne, ask andrew, Canada, economy, live chat

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Lord Kitchener's Own

How is it that I can ask Andrew Coyne questions again?

http://intensedebate.com/people/jmckinnell Jonathan McKinnell

There will be a link coming on Monday, it will be a web based chat like you've seen on other media site. We're just letting people know when it's going to happen.

Looking forward to hearing you questions.
Lord Kitchener's Own

Man, I was really hoping someone's irony detector would be on.

ANDREW COYNE was supposed to answer my question (here on Andrew Coyne's blog) on just where it is that I can ask Andrew Coyne questions.

http://www.macleans.ca Jonathan McKinnell

Irony!? not on this website. Never!

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

Interesting. Is there a theme in mind, or is it going to be a free-for-all?

http://intensedebate.com/people/jmckinnell Jonathan McKinnell

Pretty much a free-for-all. Though there will be moderation, so the better written the question is the higher chance it has of being answered.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

It's good to see that Maclean’s is keeping up with the Joneses. I look forward to the live chat.

Dot

Yeah Macleans scooped At Issue once again…by three days.

http://intensedebate.com/people/jolyon jolyon

You better decide over weekend what your favourite cookie is, Andrew. Have been following PM Brown and his pummeling at the hands of moms after his inability to say what his fav biscuit was during web-chat with moms website. You have got to watch out for those tricky mother types, they are always looking to wrong foot you.

I am actually looking forward to this. I think there should be regular Ask … feature where we get to ask the different columnists questions about politics or media.
http://carnewsandviews.com jwl

You better decide over weekend what your favourite cookie is, Andrew. Have been following PM Brown and his pummeling at the hands of moms after his inability to say what his fav biscuit was during web-chat with moms website. You have got to watch out for those tricky mother types, they are always looking to wrong foot you.

I am actually looking forward to this. I think there should be regular Ask … feature where we get to ask the different columnists questions about politics or media.

http://intensedebate.com/people/jolyon jolyon

Something is going on with ID – where is my avatar and why did it list me as 'jwl'. Weird.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Nich Nich

The system was feeling nostalgic.

Mike T.

Dude, is your name Andrew Coyne? You're being rude fielding questions meant for him! :)

Foreigner

Talk to the audience? Ugh, that's always death.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Lord_Bob Lord Bob

Shall we take the inevitable "boxers or briefs" questions as read, guys?

http://intensedebate.com/people/psiclone psiclone

no way he's commando all the way

Frank Martens

I’d like permission to quote directly some of the comments Mr. Coyne made in Macleans in the artcle, “The cheques aren’ the real scandal”. May I?
Frank
McB

As I will be at work on Monday afternoon (imagine that!), I would like to leave a comment for Mr. C, the National Editor of a news / current events weekly, not the TV political panellist. It seems to me that Maclean’s rarely addresses issues related to animal welfare in a serious manner. I could have done quite nicely without the photo of the tabby jumping through a ring of fire and the entire page devoted to a book about training cats in today’s Maclean’s; a more in-depth piece about Lucy the elephant and the issues involved would have been appreciated. I don’t recall seeing anything of substance in your pages over the last year or so about the fight for tougher animal protection legislation in Canada, not to mention the seal hunt or the horse slaughter in Alberta. Thank you, and best of luck on Monday.
Mulletaur

Huh, Wells promised us yogic flying, not a low rent version of Stephen LeDrew.
Lord Kitchener's Own

I can't believe I'm the only one who grinned at the notion of using one's blog (designed to allow readers to interact with the writer) to announce one's upcoming scheduled online event designed to allow reader's to interact with the writer.

I realize this event will be "live" (such as it is on the internet) and there's at least some chance of my questions receiving answers, but read this sentence: "You’ve read his columns and seen him on TV—now’s your chance to ask him your own questions".

Uhhh, isn't RIGHT HERE my chance to ask him my own questions? Can't I do that on any random afternoon? Don't a whole bunch of people do that very thing, right here, ALL THE TIME? (lol)

Of course, as my first comment above illustrates, "chance to ask questions" does not necessarily equal "chance to get answers". (lol)

Still, I thought the ironing was delicious.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

I smiled too. But Maclean's will get more of a publicity/buzz punch by scheduling and announcing it. Also, it's fairly hit and miss as to when the scribes descend to interact with the masses (particularly in the reclusive Mr. Coyne's case), so I'm at least intrigued to see what happens when a conversation is promised.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Jack_Mitchell Jack Mitchell

Why in God's name would anyone bother asking Andrew Coyne anything? Once you've heard him five times, you've heard him every time.
http://intensedebate.com/people/OntarioTown OntarioTown

Globe and Mail have done this many times. It's not new – could be interesting and hopefully "balanced?

Lord Kitchener's Own

The Simpsons already did it , eh?

F.Verhoeven

Here's to hoping that Andrew (now that he's on a live chat roll) will be able to be out in front of the news rather than just follow it.

On At Issue last night, Andrew seemed to finally understand that Ignatieff needs to take some personal blame as to why people don't seem to warm up to the Liberal leader.

From the beginning Ignatieff had been dubbed the 'intelligent' one, but evey common man and woman understands intuitively that that sort of intelligence is artificial. One can write volumes about human rights and the likes but taking power by illigitimate means (making sure the party crowns him king and then trying to force an election shortly after) speaks directly against what common sense understands: it's a bunch of bs. And warm fuzzy feelings evaporate quickly. The public was way out in front of Andrew on that one.
Edrico A

Andrew, if you've drunk the cool aide, which I suspect you have, tell us about how its warming here out west.

If not, then tell us your understanding about the real reason for global warming; aka Lord Monkton and Mark Steyn.
http://intensedebate.com/people/frenchie101 frenchie101

I would like to ask him what he thinks about CBC hiring an American to design their new set.After all, we all hang on every word the at issue panel has to say. Not!
http://www.premieretreeservices.com/ tree cutting

Thanks for sharing this conversation. I really appreciate and enjoyed reading this.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Ed_Sweeney Ed_Sweeney

Yeah -
Democracy = Tyranny of Majority.

Most federations try to make some accommodations for regional interest. In Canada's case, though, we tend to greatly over-represent the Atlantic provinces, and under-represent the West.