From Sam Sutherland’s much-anticipated Canadian punk book, I surmise:
“Our first show, this little guy comes up and stares at us for a song, and we just keep playing,” says Kinsella. “Finally he walks away, and our manager walks up to us and says, ‘Do you know who that was? That was the head of the King’s Crew.’ Apparently some of the bikers were pissed that we had taken over their bar. And he was deciding if we were going to live or not.”
Great one! So, Fratboy Tim blows up his announcement with an admission that could’ve been gotten out, quietly, way before this. The story then becomes how he’s a hypocrite, and not really tough on crime.
But we all knew that already. Didn’t we? Yep.
From the watchful Sun:
In her headlong rush to dispose of core Dipper principles, look who else Andrea Horwath is tossing overboard!
Saw Stiff Little Fingers last night, again, at Lee’s. Jake Burns and Co. are a lot older than they used to be, but I guess the Hot Nasties would look a bit older, today, too.
Back in 1979, Jake and his ‘Inflammable Material’ shook our demi-monde in the way that the first Clash LP did (the UK version). It was the most political record we’d ever heard. The Nasties started playing ‘Suspect Device’ after that, and it always blew my voice out (in the way that Jake’s does on ‘Ulster,’ in the video below).
Anyway, it was great, great to see them last night. And the opening chords still send chills up my spine, thirty years after. God, what a song.
Oh, and I feel old.
Nothin’ for us in Belfast
The Pound so old it’s a pity
OK, there’s the Trident in Bangor
Then walk back to the city
We ain’t got nothin’ but they don’t really care
They don’t even know you know
They just want money
They can take it or leave it
What we need is
(Chorus)
An Alternative Ulster
Grab it change it’s yours
Get an Alternative Ulster
Ignore the bores, their laws
Get an Alternative Ulster
Be an anti-security force
Alter your native Ulster
Alter your native land
Take a look where you’re livin’
You got the Army on the street
And the RUC dog of repression
Is barking at your feet
Is this the kind of place you wanna live?
Is this were you wanna be?
Is this the only life we’re gonna have?
What we need is
(Chorus)
They say they’re a part of you
But that’s not true you know
They say they’ve got control of you
And that’s a lie you know
They say you will never be
Free free free
Alternative Ulster
Alternative Ulster
Alternative Ulster
Pull it together now.
Rob Ford just finished a meeting with Dalton McGuinty. Here’s what one veteran reporter had to say about what happened:
First they disrupt a speech by a statesman like Bill Davis – and then they call families “ridiculous.”
Quote:
“Ridiculous.”
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think that families, and families caring for family members, is “ridiculous.”
Does Tim Hudak also consider families “ridiculous”? And, while we’re at it, will he apologize to Bill Davis for sending our three of his candidates with HQ-prepared signage to disrupt a non-partisan event?
Check this out. I would not have believed it had I not seen the photograph with my own eyes.
It is a picture of three Hudak minions, to the left – all of them sad-sack Hudak candidates, Pam Hundal (Brampton-Springdale), Sanjeev Maingi (Bramalea-Gore-Malton), Amarjeet Gill (Mississauga-Brampton South) – actually disrupting a speech by former Ontario Premier Bill Davis, to the right and onstage. They’re holding a sign that says “don’t let them fool you,” and it includes Tim Hudak and Ontario PC hash tags.
In Brampton, no less.
Davis was there to talk about health care and leadership at the local level. I don’t know (yet) how he reacted to this stunt. But I can say that protesting us is fine. But disrupting a speech by their former leader? Seriously?
What a disgrace Tim Hudak is. What a total buffoon. First he plunges a drawerful of silverware in John Tory’s back, and now he’s sending out candidates to disrespect one of his party’s true remaining statesmen.
Unbelievable.
It’s not an idle question. There are, or have been, a bunch of federal, provincial and territorial election campaigns taking place this year. In each one, the concept of “change” has or will be a factor.
The reason why you hear about change so much during election years is simple: It’s a simple, inoffensive way of saying “throw the bums out” — we want a new direction, new faces, new energy. It’s a powerful message, too.
Brian Mulroney rode “change” to a massive victory over the tired old Grits in 1984. Jean Chretien rode “change” to a massive victory over tired old Tories in 1993. Stephen Harper’s win in 2006 wasn’t massive, but it had everything to do with change. Barack Obama was arguably the most successful “change” campaign ever — he crushed Republicans across the U.S. People wanted change, people voted for it.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty also greatly benefited from change in 2003, when his campaign slogan was “Choose Change.”
