Much has been written and said about David Letterman, after Ellen Page’s January 3rd visit to his show. Her frank and funny interview with the TV legend has resulted in numerous top-10 lists. CBC’s Don Connolly and Liz Logan have been airing “lists” sent in by listeners of Information Morning. The Golden Globe nominee’s revelation of Lockport’s Canada Day celebration and the mayor’s greased pole, makes us want to be there next July 1st.
Back to the lists. Some are quite good but none can be compared with the performance of Premier Rodney MacDonald, on a video posted on the Internet and shown on television across the country. I have driven through Shag Harbour and Ball’s Creek and never gave the names of these communities a thought. Thanks Rodney, it was a tough week and I needed a giggle.
MacDonald did more than send out an invitation to Letterman, he showed his true character. The Mabou musician is a seasoned performer who, until Friday, has been hiding his light under a bushel.
From the time he was elected Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party and became our Premier, Rodney has come across as tense and strained - especially during periods of crisis. And a series of unfortunate circumstances involving members of his caucus, battles with Ottawa and matters personal have provided him with more bad days than good in his two years in office.
So it was refreshing to see a lighter side. As a onetime political junkie I would offer three words of advice – build on it. Some have all but annointed friend Darrell Dexter (we once worked together at the Daily News) as our next premier. It could certainly happen, but I don’t think it is a given.
Speaking of Darrell, when he was at Dalhousie he was a member of the Young Liberals. A fellow student of the day, a chap by the name of Mike Savage, was a Young NDPer. Reminds me of another time when “Mr. Liberal”, Arnie Patterson challenged Edmund Morris for the Halifax Federal PC nomination.
What Fiddlin’ Rodney and the Tories need is time. Time to recover from the “Fage Rage” and the fallout from the failed Immigration Program, two of the biggest thorns piercing his hands. He needs this time to restore confidence in himself and his government, bring it back to where it was under Dr. John Hamm.
As is the case in all minority governments, he cannot control the agenda and buy the time needed.. He has to hope that Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil, whose party trails the pack in the popularity polls, isn’t ready to gamble his future by bringing down the government this spring. He too needs that valuable political commodity – time.
In addition to wanting to put some distance between these and other stumbles, both the Tories and Grits need to find a way to attract metro voters. As it stands now, MacDonald and McNeil are tilling the same ground – rural Nova Scotia. It is my sense that McNeil will pick up a seat or two in that domain which would make reelection all but impossible for the Tories.
Yep, Rodney needed a turnaround and he got it from Ellen Page, a perky and talented actor who claims she lives in a “haunted whorehouse.”
(Al Hollingsworth is a retired journalist who has previously never used the words Balls, Shag and whorehouse in one column)
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