06.02.2011 11:00 AM

Fourteen years ago!

20110602-115939.jpg

The NDP’s Karl Belanger, of all people, just indirectly reminded me that, fourteen years ago today, I got beaten (soundly) in North Vancouver. The above pic is the cover of the Vancouver Sun on the day after the campaign kicked off.

Sometimes I think about that race, which was a privilege to be a part of. I lost, in part, because some said I was a parachute candidate (I wasn’t – I competed for the Liberal nomination), and because the local rag (which published Holocaust denier Doug Collins) detested me. Also a factor: the worry that I’d be a trained seal, and that I wouldn’t ever dissent with my party.

For those of you who know me, that last one is kind of amusing. Me being reluctant to oppose the party’s leadership? That’s funny.

Anyway. Hard to believe it’s been so many years. Congrats to all MPs, from all parties, who are celebrating the anniversary of their victory today. I would’ve like to be there celebrating with you, but that’s politics (and life).

24 Comments

  1. Paul says:

    Who is that young go getter? And look at that hair! Can’t wait to see you on the campaign trail in 4 years.

  2. Transplanted Doerite says:

    Maybe it was the paucity of proper punk attire WK? What’s wrong with a black suit, white shirt and skinny black tie?

    • Warren says:

      Gap shirts were in vogue, back then.

      • The Doctor says:

        Yeah, and Warren was running in North Van, not East Van/Commercial Drive. Target marketing, my friend.

        • Transplanted Doerite says:

          I disagree. It’s never wrong to dress in proper punk attire.

          • Warren says:

            Which is what, exactly? That’s the paradox: as soon as you can describe a punk uniform, it’s discredited. Punks shouldn’t have a uniform!

          • The Doctor says:

            Warren’s comment re a “uniform” reminds me of a night many years ago at Ye Olde Brunswick House in Toronto — I was at a table with a bunch of fellow U of T students, and we were wearing more or less standard student garb, varsity shirts with the U of T logo, etc. At the next table were four people all with severely spiked hair, tattoos, nose & lip etc. peircings, black leather and huge black Doc Martens boots. And one of them was berating us for being “conformist”.

            Go figure.

  3. wannabeapiper says:

    Ya well next time, you will win!

  4. Domenico says:

    Warren, did you have to remind me/us about the late lamentable Doug Collins?

    I seem to remember him having some sort of dispute with Preston Manning back in the early Reform days.

  5. Attack! says:

    Well, looking at the numbers, you did pretty well for a para… er, newly arrived resident in that pretty well-heeled riding, and it took a star (to the area) candidate to temporarily win it

    With about 18,500 of the 55,000 votes, you received the middle of the range of the votes (from 13.5 to 25.5 thousand) that all the LPC candidates have received in that riding over the past 23 years*…

    the same amount as the LPC candidate who ended up winning that riding for a couple of brief terms in the mid-2000s did, in his first crack at it…

    and he was a known commodity (a former mayor of that City of North Van.).

    the ’88-’08 results are at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Vancouver_%28electoral_district%29

    (* with the latest, 2011 LPC candidate rcving 17,665 votes: 1,000 less than you got in ’97: http://enr.elections.ca/ElectoralDistricts_e.aspx

    the 2 term LPC’er there: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Bell

    • gg says:

      I’m a Dipper (shock! horror!) but voted for the great LPC candidate in North Van this time around, Taleeb Noormohamed. Grad degree from Oxford, speaks five languages, etc. etc. Early polls suggested something like a five percent difference between him and the Con; the Green candidate from last time endorsed him; yet he lost by 11,000 votes! The NDP candidate increased his vote, but only to about 8,000. Obviously the overall LPC collapse affected things, but I frankly wonder whether Noormohamed’s loss had something to do with the fact that he was the only brown candidate…

  6. Craig D says:

    Too weird. We have a front page story on a candidate who just happens to be about the only political player who’s hobby is playing in a punk band and right below it in an presumably unrelated story headlined by something very close to a line from Janie Jones by the immortal Clash. “Show the politicians exactly how we feel”. The line from Janie as everyone knows is: “He going to really tell the boss. He’s going to really let him know exactly how he feels”.

    Can’t resist. If the politicians are wondering how we feel….”it’s pretty baaaaaadddd!!”

  7. Dave says:

    Also a factor: the worry that I’d be a trained seal, and that I wouldn’t ever dissent with my party.

    = = =

    And now those people who complained about “trained seals” vote for Conbots. Funny old world.

  8. Mike London says:

    Seeing you in that picture, I’m reminded of how we all need to respect and appreciate people who put themselves out there, regardless of party affiliation. The media, bloggers, and others will tear apart people who run for office. Every one of these people really deserves appreciation for just doing it.

  9. gretschfan says:

    Oh man I needed a laugh today (really). That last comment was just what I needed.

  10. MattMcD says:

    If the guys who got elected are so great, how come none of *them* have a not-blog that is this popular?

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