Memo To Doug Finley......

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.....Would You Like A Little Gasoline For Your Pathetic Little Fire?

StopTheConflation
ForANeoConNationVille


So, HarperCon Campaign Headboy Doug Finley has decided to exploit the Tempest in a Mulroney/Schreiber Ethics Committee Teapot as an opportunity to conflate the CBC with the Liberal Party of Canada in a blatant attempt to jack more money out of the pockets of the faithful:

Let's face the facts.

Running as a Conservative in Canada is never easy....

{snip}

....In the coming weeks and months Canada could be headed into an election forced by Stéphane Dion's Liberals.

We may not have the support of the Liberals' powerful allies. (As Campaign Director, I can assure you that the CBC will not be writing Stephen Harper's questions for his debate with Mr. Dion). But we do have the support of people like you. Proud Canadians who work hard, pay their taxes and play by the rules.

I would ask that you make a contribution - $200 or $100 – whatever you can afford to ensure the Conservative Party has the resources it needs to take on the Liberal Party and its vested interest allies.

We will need all of the money we can raise in order to fight back with paid advertising, direct voter contact and candidate support when the Liberals - and their vested interest allies – begin to attack our record, our leader and our plans for Canada's future.

Which, of course, has resulted in all sorts of handwringing and cringing from the usual quarters, including the current head of CBC News, a fellow by the name of John Cruickshank:

Dear Mr. Finley,

I have reviewed your pre-Christmas fundraising letter.

I write this public response to you because I believe that by its inaccuracy, innuendo, exaggeration and expressed malice towards hundreds of Canadian journalists you risk damaging not just your target, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, but also public faith in our political process......

{snip}

.....No other news organization in the country operates within such a demanding ethical regime. For you to sully the reputations of so many dedicated Canadian professionals is utterly unacceptable. Your denigration of our ethical standards can only contribute to the public cynicism about public life that is already far too pervasive.

Yours sincerely,
John Cruickshank,
Publisher,
CBC News

*****

Now, never mind the fact that Mr. Cruickshank is a former David Radler/Conrad Black man that was hired by the CBC in Sept 2007, which is more than 18 months AFTER the Conservatives came to power.

Why?

Because I have no interest in defending the current version of the fast slumping CBC.

Instead, I want it to be expanded.

Yes, that's right.

And then I want its News division to be completely unleashed.

And I want them to hire a million new Joe Schlesingers and Rick Macinnes-Raes and Karen Wells.

And then I want them to get rid of all the fluffies and all of the Cluffies and all of the Sports (at least on the radio).

And then I want them to dump the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and to get rid of all of the commercials.

And to do that I want the Canadian government to give them long term, stable funding at a level that allows them to all of that without having to look over their shoulder.

Why?

Because I don't want CBC News to have to worry about any commercial or political pressure points squeezing them so that they can go completely berserk telling us seven days worth of stories every single hour backed with unfettered critical analysis and absolutely no press poodling whatsoever.

In other words, here is what I would like to say, straight-up, to Mr. Doug Finley and his 'letter':

"Mr Finley, you will get no money from me to destroy the CBC. Instead, I will send twice as much to any party, or even any candidate, who promises to dramatically expand the CBC immediately."

OK?

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Oh, and of course, the new CBC would have no cringers in the executive. And while Anthony (not-so-saintly - which is why we like him) Germain would get to stay on as the Mainland guy, we would most highly recommend they hire The Reverend (who is also a member of the International Santa Conspiracy and one kinghell headline writer) as the new chief of the greatly expanded Far Eastern Bureau.

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