Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Full disclosure

by Aaron Wherry on Wednesday, November 24, 2010 4:54pm - 139 Comments

Michael Ignatieff, asked by a reporter after QP today to comment on recent concerns about airport security.

If you’re in my business, you live in an airport. And so I have people touching my private parts all day long.

More by Aaron Wherry

Jan

Wankers to the right of me, wankers to the left of me…

madeyoulook

Here I am, sticky in the middle with you.

Amateur Hour

Harper made light of This Hour Has 22 Minute's comedienne Geri Hall being detained by the RCMP while trying to conduct a spoof interview (saying on camera afterwards something to the effect of, "I hear you like you like handcuffs?"). It was a rare moment of good humour by the PM.

Iggy's comment should, in all fairness, be seen in the same light.

Leo

Yes – we need more humour!!!! That was funny – This Hour just may pick-up on Iggy's comment and run with it.
http://www.artzmark.com/Featured_Faces_GeriHall.h… (scroll dowm for the clip)
psiclone

Harper was joking and having fun on a comedy skit and you compare this to a serious question and the worst part is that Iggy wasn't joking ~!!! – harper haters are a weird lot and no doubt a big part of why he will be sitting in the PM's chair for quite some time :)

Jan

So the Conservatives will be standing up for passenger rights and putting an end to this nonsense? Great news!!!
Amateur Hour

Iggy was joking. Here;s the proof:
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2010/11…

bergkamp

"And so I have people touching my private parts all day long."

hahahahahahahahaha – I love that answer.

We could play guessing game – who's s touching Iggy's private parts all day long?

psiclone

Stupid is as Stupid does !!! and this quite simply has to be the single most stupid thing I have ever heard a poltician say – even Sarah Palin wouldn't have said such a thing – oh well just more gris for the mill as it were – it must really suck to be a Liberal and read this hahahahah !

danby

Oh…. I dunno

Mr. Speaker, since being elected to the House some two years ago and a bit, I will take no lessons from the member for Ajax—Pickering when it comes to presenting issues to Parliament that are not based on any factual evidence. I will take no lessons from that member.

Phil McColeman

psiclone

sorry not even close !! in fact makes no sense whatsover – Iggy has just handed the media pundits and comics a line that writes itself – just watch this one as it is perfectly stupid
Douglass

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
David_M.

Oh and wasn't that Palin throwing her full support behind North Korea on some Beck radio show?

madeyoulook

If you’re in my business, you live in an airport. And so I have people touching my private parts all day long.

There was a Republican in the States who had to resign because of that…
Emily

Sigh.

SamDavies

Disappointed that you're not part of the all day crew?

20 Characters/Less

Well, now we have definitive proof that politics is the second oldest profession, and bears a striking resemblance to the first.
tobyornotoby

Frickin work. I could have been the one making these jokes an hour ago!
PeterboroDave

Sweet Jesus, he was serious.

The rest of the quote is “That’s what we have to do to keep us safe," Mr. Ignatieff said. “… I have long ceased worrying about these issues. We have to keep this country safe and the people I feel strongly in support of are the hard-working security scanners. It’s not a great job. It’s tough. You’re wearing rubber gloves all day long."

I am NEVER voting for this idiot or his party.

kcm

Is that the whole quote? That's the best point in their favour he could come up with – they have to wear rubber gloves all day?Ignatieff should just give up even trying to identify with the coomon man. It's not who he is and he winds up looking foolish almost every time he attempts it.
Mike T.

YOu'd rather vote for the party that gutted the census?
Amateur Hour

Peterboro, you are wrong. Dead wrong. Heres the proof:
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2010/11…

Note the smiles, the laughs all around. Then the "No seriously …"

It was a joke and everyone was laughing.

PeterboroDave

Thank you Amateur. I'm not 100% convinced, but I hope you're right.

Mike T- I'm probably what you'd call a red Tory. I don't really have a party right now. The Grits were a possibility ONLY because they are not the Bloc Albertois.

psiclone

Iggy has really put his size 10 shoe in his size 8 mouth this time :) – then again it is no surprise he doesn't care who touches his private parts as he handed over what little cojonas he had to begin with a long time ago to harper – remember Your Time Is Up !!!

kcm

Pretty moronic post even by your standards.

Anon Liberal

I don't know. Seems about as moronic as the others.
SamDavies

Stop selling him short. I have full faith that future posts will be even more moronic…

Crit_Reasoning

Warren Kinsella, who has a somewhat frosty relationship with the current Liberal leader, sees this as more evidence that Ignatieff is in a "downward spiral": http://warrenkinsella.com

Lighten up, Warren! It's just a joke.

Emily

No, he was serious…and stupid

YYZ

How's life in the glass house Emily?

or

Said Emily, the pot, regarding the Kettle.

or

Takes one to know one!

Emily

I haven't the faintest idea what that means. It seems to have no connection to anything.

Dot

Junk envy.

Emily

Ahhh I didn't realize you were a guy.

Dot

Pitter, patter. Let's get at 'er.
Emily

Or perhaps just confused.

SamDavies

Indeed – the Liberal party is fractured. Kinsella has been out for Iggy blood for several weeks.
I would never bother doing it, but it would be comical to contrast his current posts with the ones when he was employed to manage the war room.

Gary

"And so I have people touching my private parts all day long."

Someone needs to kick you in the privates all day long you tool!

kcm

I think you took a wrong turn – SDA is that way ->

Gary

Ah yes, the left wingnuts and their acceptance of free speech again!
Blow me!

kcm

I merely pointed out a venue where you might feel more comfortable.

Ah yes free speech…but sometimes it's just a case of pearls before swine.

SamDavies

I don't think this is the place to discuss your Iggy S&M fantasies. Now bring out the gimp…

Gary

I thought this place is a Liberal circle jerk, thus right on topic!

kcm

Heh…and you're raising the tone right?

Jan

Wearing them protects the workers, but not changing them is a real germ spreader. I wonder what they do to you if you request clean gloves?

Sigh

That's what I was wondering. Obviously the gloves are not meant to protect the passengers, but I could picture myself in line at the airport wondering when the people in line ahead of me last washed the clothes they are wearing.

Jan

I guess we should take a large bottle of Purell to wash down with after – oh wait, we're not allowed to.

JonnyBoy

It would have been far funnier if he was referring to his laptop and his keys, and it was just a hilarious slip of the tongue…

But it turns out he was actually talking about his actual private parts…!!! I agree with those who see this as more sad (Is this the sort of language politicians should ever be using?) than funny. I just wish that he would of used "hipper" slang: man-aconda? banana-mal? Mr. Dangles? Ba-habada-habadas? The Super Soaker….okay that one was too far?
A_logician

It was the hyperbole of "all day long" that sends the response into the realm of ill-considered remarks. By conjuring up that image, he quickly distracted listeners and blog commenters from the actual meaning. Now, if he had said "far too frequently" or "numerous times every week" he would have got a lot less attention. But apparently Mr. Ignatieff has no gift for hearing himself before he speaks, a true handicap in his line of work.

He might also have avoided use of the expression "private parts" and just said "patted down" or something less graphic, if he had the foresight to see what could be made of his words.

Dot

No Mr Logic – it's the fact that communication involves intonation, context, nuance, verbal and facial cues, body language – not possible in transcripts. Watch the video here and tell me he wasn't joking.
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2010/11…

A_logician

Thanks for the link. Clearly he was joking, but he still should have anticipated (rather than realized retrospectively, as apparently he did) what effect his choice of words would have in a context-free quotation.

Dot

It was a spontaneous informal scrum!

Emily

It's what he does for a living.
Dot

And if I was his handler, I'd advise him to do this more – be spontaneous, not scripted. Let the cards fall where they may. He's no dummy. A sense of humour can be attractive.
Emily

This isn't funny, Dot. Nor was it appropriate.

And it certainly wasn't very bright.
Dot

WTF are you talking about? Man, you've got problems.
Emily

It was vulgar, crass and politically insensitive.. Iggy's wetsuit moment.

No, it's not me with the problem.
Amateur Hour

Yes, Emily. This time it is you.
Emily

It never occurs to people that not everyone thinks like they do.

If you like crude jokes….why then everybody does, right?

And if comment boards light up screaming about it, why it must all be a plot, right?

And all those senior citizens, who vote, and all those other socially conservative people who faint at the very mention of sex….why they'll all think it great fun, right?

Stock thought his stunt was funny too…until he lost.
Amateur Hour

Most of the senior citizens I know tell far more saucy jokes than do my peers.
Emily

Yes,they're probably related to you.

'saucy'….my what an old-fashioned word

AH…we are discussing wives and kids being groped

People don't think it amusing.
David_M.

I disagree. There was no 'wetsuit' moment. Nor was it crass or vulgar. I think Dot and Amateur Hour have nailed it quite correctly and he should continue to be spontaneous and unscripted. I liked the exchange he had with the PPG. It was humurous and he did address the question seriously. As for politically insensitive? Good on him.
Emily

Yes, YOU think

But you are not everybody

Nor does everybody find legal child molesting amusing.
David_M.

What are you suggesting Emily? That I do? That Ignatieff does? That Dot and Amateur Hour do as well? You border on the absurd or worse.
And the 'YOU think"? I suppose now you're the -everybody- we've been waiting for to tell us all what we should think and feel and how we should interpret an impromtu scrum after QP?
Your over the top reaction sways me as much as Clement's claim of tens of thousands jobs at risk for 6 landing slots.
So, no Emily, YOU are not everybody either.
bill_y

Emily, I often agree with your comments – but not in this case.

No one is talking about child molesting, not even close. This is a discussion about ways to prevent another underwear bomber. I have to agree that your reaction is way over the top – no wetsuit moment here, no stupidity on Ignatieff's part .

I also highly doubt (although, I could be wrong) that the majority of regular G&M readers are very upset about his remarks. I just get a sense that there is some coordination, some type of astro-turfing at play. I wish I had more to rely on here than my sense (calling any investigative journalists…) (I would even appreciate knowing that I am way out to lunch on this matter). One hint is that there are many common elements to the comments. I got the same feeling reading supportive comments for Rob Ford. I got the impression that the "grass-roots" swell of support was maybe not so "grass roots" in nature but rather something more coordinated.

All the best…
JonnyBoy

Like I said…he should have gone with Mr. Dangles!
FVerhoeven

I watched the tape and I agree with you Dot, that it doesn't sound bad at all. Actually a little humour might be a nice change. What will happen though, is that he will be quoted on just the first part of his exchange and that particular one liner could be hanging around his neck for some time. But hey, that's the risk taken in spontaneous exchanges. He can handle it.
MostlyCivil

Bingo. Nice to see any politician crcking wise without a script and an audience of pre-screened supporters. Does anyone remember the outbreak of public dancing by the leaders while back. That was refreshing…it made them look human. Doesn't happen often.
Emily

Political suicide is always fun to watch.

bill_y

very true, the video does give a dramatically different impression.

I also question the "piling on" that is taking place on the G&M comment board for this story. Seems somehow coordinated.

Emily

No, just people of like mind.

That is…the majority.

David_M.

Oh great, are you going to start telling all of us 'what Canadians want' too?
I hear enough of that from our MP's.

MostlyCivil

"Seems somehow coordinated."

You'll notice a lot of those commenters where out ad about last time Ignatieff was dancing at that Muchmusic thing. Weirdly hyper-partisan.
Emily

Yer right. It's a massive plot.

Jan

I thibk we should spend at least as much time on Minister's Strahl's remarks today. He says the solution is to provide walls, behind which the groping can take place. I think I'd rather keep it out in the open where the video camera threat will hopefully keep the abuses at a minimum. He also maintains that the scannes, unlike the U.S. ones aren't harmful because the 'radiation' bounces off our bodies.
I would like a little more scientific explanation of this.

Emily

Well see, if you're wearing the Harry Potter invisibility cloak….
Blue

Sure, sure, Minister Strahl made remarks today, but did you hear what Iggy said about his private parts ?

David_M.

Ya, I gotta agree with you Bill. The apparent 'firestorm' of outraged folks submitting anti-Ignatieff comments over his response to the question at hand smells more of lame astro-turfing.
There's no doubt if you have to fly often, you get pretty hohum about the hoops you jump through at the airport. The people who have to do the job of checking passengers don't get to choose how that job gets done. They're told specifically whats required and they do it or lose their jobs.
Ignatieffs comments are not going to make me run down the street shouting OMG I can never vote for this guy or the liberals ever again! Ridiculous the pile on that seems to be happening.
Amateur Hour

Okay, enough of this. Stop.

I don't care what you think of Iggy, but the D-bags and party hacks on this and other boards claiming, "OMG — he was serious!" are flat out LYING. Watch the video:
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2010/11…

He's smiling. He's chuckling. And then after he makes the humorous comment, he continues with a "No, the serious point I make is …" Everyone there is laughing along with him and he even makes a reference to everyone laughing. He gives a balanced answer following this about the tough job security folks have and how it's tough on the public, too.

Get it? He was joking, then said the equivalent of "But seriously folks …"

Anyone contending that Iggy was doing anything but joshing with reporters in a scrum is LYING. Full stop. So please stop.

Emily

He was also vulgar, crass and politically insensitive.

It's his wetsuit moment.

Amateur Hour

What's vulgar and crass are people who don't support a politician blatantly lying about what he did or did not do; did or did not say. When it's on freakin' film!

I'm sick of it.

And how is it politically insensitive to engage with reporters in a scrum? To be accessible? To try to give some sense of balance and perspective while adding a bit of LEVITY? When was the last time you saw the PM or even a government minister interact with the press?

Move on to something real, please.

As for the wetsuit comparison, what made that a career killer is it was PLANNED and scripted. Stock was seriously tying to cast himself as action man. Your comparison is weak. Get real.

Emily

So be sick of it….but it was a vulgar, crass, politically insensitive thing to do.

Iggy's was planned and scripted too….he's grinning ear to ear, just waiting for the right question to slip that in.

Scrums are fine, joking is fine….crudity is not

Amateur Hour

What you see as crudity, others view as jocularity.
Emily

No, most see a TV discussion of 'private parts' …..from the Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition…. as crude and ill-bred
FVerhoeven

First of all, it was not a TV discussion. The reporters asked the LoHMO an opinion. He gave one by starting off in a jocular way, as an ice-breaker if you will.

I haven't seen Ignatieff as relaxed for quite some time as how he appeared in that particular segment.

Now, in a knowledge-society, people would know that he was breaking the ice, perhaps letting off some build-up of tension from days, weeks or perhaps months gone by. Who can blame the guy.

Look, in a knowledge-society, the general voter is expected to understand this: to understand the difference when expressions are crude and ill-bred and when they are not. In a knowledge-society, our leaders are not supposed to speak down to the lowest common denominator but are supposed to lift it up a notch.
Emily

It was on TV….therefore it was a public TV discussion.

He was not being jocular, he was being crude.

And since you know nothing about a knowledge society, you can give that game a rest.
FVerhoeven

And Emily keeps proving my point: that knowledge-society will be out of sight for some time to come!

Tell me what game you like to play.
David_M.

And now you're telling people they know nothing simply because they don't agree with you.
Brilliant commentary.

Dot

Clearly, as MLE demonstrates, Iggy today lost the prude vote.

Adjust the third decimal place in all polls accordingly.

FVerhoeven

THAT is funny!

Emily

A good rule to follow in politics is….if the Queen wouldn't say it in public, then the PM and the OLO shouldn't either.

Dot

Victoria or Elizabeth I?

Emily

What year are you in?

Elizabeth II wouldn't discuss her privates on TV, and neither should anyone else.

Dot

Tell me. What have you found funny in this world? Wayne and Shuster? Red Skelton? Carol Burnett? Laurel and Hardy? Am I close?

Emily

Why are you discussing ME at all? This is about Ignatieff, and things you don't say in public.
Dot

Because I believe you have NO sense of humour. Therefore, you should excuse yourself on topics related to this subject.
Emily

This is not about me, this is about Iggy…the OLO…remember?

I find it interesting that Libs argue in the same bizarre way that Cons do.
john g

Says the person who as of this writing has made 27 out of the 95 posts on this topic alone.

Emily, if you don't want people to talk about you, I've got a simple solution. Don't post so much. But if you continue to occupy 30% of the bandwidth here, don't be surprised if you suddenly become the topic of conversation.
Emily

I answer posts others make to me.

Points for having so much spare time you counted them all.

PS…and this is just another way to tell me to shut up, because no criticisms are allowed.
john g

Hey, talk as much as you want…but don't be surprised that when you consume 30% of the bandwidth people notice.

By the way, Chrome does the counting; if I had to do it I wouldn't bother.
Emily

Lots of people on here post hundreds of threads.

It's only my criticisms you worry about. Interesting.
FVerhoeven

Well, I, for one, do worry about your criticisms, Emily.

You see, I don't really enter this MaCleans Blog Central out of political interests. Sure, it's interesting to find out what our politicians are up to. But what's much more interesting to me is to find out how the general public acts out in response.

In other words: I'm people watching.

And believe it or not, such practice yields a lot more insight than any skilled politician can deliver.
Emily

Really? Gosh, I guess no one else on here ever thought of doing that.

But if you're going to do people-sampling, you should check other sites as well.
FVerhoeven

Of course.

But MacLeans Blog is important because I'm keeping an eye on Coyne in particular. You see, he's the editor of MacLeans but he also speaks out regularly on CBC's At Issue, and from that point of view he gets to throw around an awful lot of weight.

It's like watching a ball game: Who's throwing, and who's catching, that sort of thing.

Never mind, people watching can get rather complicated.
Emily

Everybody needs a hobby.
FVerhoeven

If only it were a hobby!

Reading people within a knowledge-society is hard work……….. :)
Emily

It is when you're crazy, I'm sure.

Perhaps if you stopped making lunatic assumptions, and wasting posts on your absurdities…
FVerhoeven

Goodnight, Emily
Dot

Actually, I will retract my last comment. I have since remembered comments from you that contradicted my statement. In any event. on this topic, you seem to be an outlier. Nothing further to discuss. From me, anyway. You might have better success over at the G&M based upon earlier comments.
Emily

I'm in the majority, actually.

Sorry, you won't dismiss Iggy's faux pas that easily

SamDavies

The long and short is the insinuation that you are an ancient prude from a long gone era. I'd have to agree – you really are boning this out of proportion. Penis.

Emily

I know what the insinuation is….however we aren't discussig me at all….the topic is Ignatieff.

Amazing how both Libs and Cons wander off topic into personal attacks when they're losing an argument. LOL
SamDavies

I don't recall arguing with you about anything. But let me be clear – I do not agree with your little rule for politics. I think such an outlook is both ancient and prudish. How's that?
Emily

It doesn't matter what YOU think…it matters what the majority of VOTERS think.

How's that?
SamDavies

Pretty lame and delusional actually. Thanks for asking!
Emily

What's delusional is judging all the voters in Canada by your personal opinion.

That leads to lost elections.
SamDavies

"What's delusional is judging all the voters in Canada by your personal opinion."

Exactly.
Emily

Well look around the web….you'll find your personal opinion is the minority one.

SamDavies

Zing!

Blue

Here`s the problem with Iggy: He`s so conscious of his handlers telling him he should maintain that silly grin on his face that he`s unable to get the proper signal from his brain to his voice box. The silly grin interferes with the the signal.

He`s like the pimply-faced Grade Niner approaching the cute girl in the cafeteria, thinking only about what would be cool to say, then forgetting how to walk, tripping over his feet, falling hands-first right into her boobs—yeah, I just made that up; it didn`t really happen to me.

Fido

Blue — that DID happen to you! Lucky landing on tissue paper!

That's the thing though. The distance between our dreams and our real experience is the abject disappointment we feel when we find that our heroes and heroines are fallible.

Emily

Adults don't have heroes and heroines. Everyone is human, and everyone is fallible.

Fido

Thus, it is eminently healthy to look askance at our leaders and would-be leaders.
Fido

Yet, in the absence of heroic leadership, can we condemn the profane?

Emily

To be or not to be….that is the question.

Fido

After all, tissue paper padding a bra is more desirable than no need for a bra at all.
Fido

Emily,

To be is a given. Not to be is a choice.

Fido

Politics is the art of choosing sides in a world crying for unity.

– Fido

FVerhoeven

You must play darts because that's a comment sitting deep within the bull's eye.

Man, I miss playing darts!

Fido

@Blue

Came back to re-read — something nagging at the base of the neck that holds my head erect.

" Here`s the problem with Iggy: He`s so conscious of his handlers telling him he should maintain that silly grin on his face that he`s unable to get the proper signal from his brain to his voice box. The silly grin interferes with the the signal. "

I think you are bang on.
Emily

The story isn't different….everyone saw it on TV….he still said the same words in public, and people don't like either the words or the cavalier attitude.

kcm

I never suspected you for a prude Emily…lighten up on this.

mmmm

I've been reading McLeans blogs for about 2 years and this is the first time that I have had enough.
Emily – please SHUT UP…..or find some humour, or some tact, or some insight, or some self-control.
I am sure that I will now get jumped on, but to be honest it was worth it.