Colby Cosh

Maclean’s man in Edmonton writes about everything. Follow Colby on Twitter: @colbycosh

Categories: Colby Cosh

A friendly suggestion

by Colby Cosh on Saturday, February 6, 2010 3:15pm - 31 Comments

Wildrose Alliance leader Danielle Smith might want to get the word out to her supporters that likening Alberta’s Ukrainian premier to the architect of Ukrainian genocide is probably not too cool.

Tags: Alberta politics, Ed Stelmach, stalin, Ukraine, ukrainian-canadians

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http://intensedebate.com/people/colbycosh colbycosh

You can bill me personally for the ten or so seconds if you like. I won't pay for the time you spent typing that comment though.

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

Thanks! Where should I send the bill?

http://intensedebate.com/people/colbycosh colbycosh

You can collect it from under the cushions of your couch. :)

http://intensedebate.com/people/Scott_Tribe Scott_Tribe

There are supporters of every movement/party out there that go over the top or say things not officially approved by the folks they purport to support.

If this guy was a WildRose MLA or someone running for office, or if every single one of her supporters at the grassroots level started chanting "Stelmach = Stalin" at their party convention, you'd have a better argument, methinks, for asking Danielle to disavow this guy.

http://intensedebate.com/people/colbycosh colbycosh

Where'd I say anything about "disavowing" someone? That'd be pretty ridiculous, mealsothinks. I mention it only as the first example I've seen of a potential message-control issue–in a brand-new party where everything's up for grabs–best handled in exactly the way I actually suggested.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Scott_Tribe Scott_Tribe

When half the membership starts chanting it, I agree. With one isolated ranter, I'm not sure it makes a big difference.

Toporious Tony

Now this is interesting, Scott Tribe White Knighting an ostensibly far right politician, and a Palinesque girl one at that!

Sort of confirms what I've suspected all along: scratch a Danielle Smith supporter and you'll get a beet red Liberal, crypto or otherwise, every time.

http://intensedebate.com/people/M_A_N M_A_N

He is, in act, the constituency contact for he riding of banff-Cochrane, and allowed his name to stand as a delegate for election back in July of last year. A quick googling will confirm this for you.

http://wildrosealliance.ca/contact-us/constituenc…

Dot

How about also suggesting to Danielle that claiming that Stelmach is spying on her sounds a lot like Ross Perot who claimed Bush Sr. was doing something similar in the runup to his daughter's wedding.

Smith tackles Tories at Manning forum
Wildrose leader says premier spying on her

http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Smith+tackl…

http://intensedebate.com/people/Scott_Tribe Scott_Tribe

Heh.. so maybe paranoia runs thru this bunch right up to the leader.

Holly Stick

Well, when she was on the Calgary School Board, it was reported that one of the two new rightwing trustees went into the garbage to find notes that other trustees were writing about the newbies. I've always assumed that Danielle was the one who searched the garbage.

Holly Stick

Here's the story about the notes; it wasn't just the newbies who were talked about…

http://daveberta.blogspot.com/2009/10/smith-v-boa…

http://intensedebate.com/people/Jenn_ Jenn_

Hopefully, the Calgary School Board now understands that Trustees, ideally, should have graduated from elementary school. Both the letter writers and the trash-divers/website posters.
Holly Stick

I've always wondered if the new trustees deliberately caused so much disruption that the Klein government closed down the board. The tactics would not unlike Harper's style of disrupting government.

JimD

I'd be surprised if Bush Sr., wasn't spying on him. After all, he was formerly director of the CIA.

Jens Andersen

Maybe we should just rename democracy as knottedshortsocracy? Okay, okay, don’t get yours all twisted too…
mclea

I like how Edmontonions try so hard to make Ukrainians distinguishable from other white people.
mclea

Seriously though, when I think of persecuted minority groups, I think Albertan Ukrainians. They've had a rough ride.

Dot

And here I thought Vegreville and its painted egg was a cultural tribute…silly me.

Rick Bonsteel

If politics was a clean sport, then Scott_Tribe would probably be right. Icome from Ontario, though: anything this clown says will show up during the next campaign.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Scott_Tribe Scott_Tribe

I doubt it; I can pick out a few ridiculous/outrageous things that folks over at the Blogging Tories aggregate say (and other Conservative supporting blogs not of that affiliation) on a daily basis. How many times during the past federal election campaigns did you ever see those things show up as controversy? Not many, if any.

It has to be pretty outrageous and the person/blogger pretty prominent for anyone to even bother asking. I can think of 1 specific example of a controversy in Saskatchewan.. but again, it's rar

Unless Wildrose Party supporters start chanting en masse publicly about Stalin and Stelmach being comrades. i bet this guy's comments wont even be remembered.

Paul

Wow Colby you are really fishing for something aren't you.

Perhaps what Russ is referring to is the similarities between the Progressive Conservative cabinet and the Central Planning Committee of the USSR. They have similar economic management styles.
mclea

Growing up in Calgary, I was raised on a steady diet of Anti-Ukrainian slurs.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

Is Russ Lyster somebody important? If not, who cares? Sure, the nickname "Stalinmach" is dumb and possibly offensive, but it only has 10 google hits (11 now that I wrote this). Are we so bored that we're policing twitter for cretinous content?
Iain G. Foulds

… A friendly suggestion for Ms. Smith.
… As the Conservative party returns to the Right- thanks to the Wildrose; and the economy rebounds- thanks to the price of oil, the Wildrose will only fade away- having fulfilled it 's purpose.
… Join the Conservatives, become the leader, and let's get Alberta going!

tobyornottoby

Here's another suggestion for Ms. Smith and her Rosebud supporters: Next time you collectively fall into a pile of prosperity resist the tempation to believe it was a result of your piety or personal politics and seek to contribute to the commonwealth instread of clamouring for more.

Mark R

One Of Colbys tweets
"I've found the solution. Trade Moreau to ME! I'll take him out back, put him in a bag, and hit him with a shovel until the noise stops."
About as relevant as this guy russ.Only Colbys is much more threatening.
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mclea

Wasn't District 9 a metaphor for the Ukrainians plight in Edmonton? I can't remember.
http://intensedebate.com/people/colbycosh colbycosh

First link in the entry is broken; here's the tweet it originally pointed to.
http://www.autismrecovery.ca Valerie McIntyre

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Perhaps if Crohn's sufferers posted full page adds in Macleans like the milk marketing board your article could get its full recognition for the ground breaking piece it is.
Stay strong.