Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Why August 22, 2011 was an important day for Canada, despite the sorrow
.
Something important happened yesterday, beginning with Peter Mansbridge simply walking into the CBC studio to interrupt Heather Hiscox on CBC Newsworld ... he read the announcement of Jack Layton's death ... and then it was two Canadians talking, rather than News anchors announcing. It was real. And it stayed real all day … all day!
As Mansbridge and Hiscox talked ... they brought in others, each talking about what Jack Layton meant to them.
Gradually, panels of newsmen, groups of M.P.s, the NDP management team, faces from the past and others sat in and gave their views of Layton the politician, Layton the friend, Layton the force for progress. It included Stockwell Day and Stephen Harper, everyone (except Tom Flanagan) talking about the positive force for good, which was Jack Layton.
It was still going on 12 hours later. Next day, still going on!! Sad? Well, yes. But something else, something really important: I'm feeling joy ... yes, joy because of this reassurance that Canadians have got it right, after all. This is what I saw and felt, because of the CBC tribute to Jack Layton's work:
* Bravo CBC, to have summoned up the courage to do a flat-out, full-day tribute to someone from the NDP (unheard-of!), and I'm impressed!
* it's the first time in YEARS that I've seen CBC in its role of nation-builder, and I'm feeling better, stronger, more grounded in things I do believe in, that is: Canada; and yesterday that included the plane crash in Nunavut. It was pure CBC.
* So CBC is still strong, still attuned to this nation, and still able (as no private-for-profit broadcaster could be) to serve the country well.
* Nobody needed to say a word about U.S. "similarities" ... it was All Canada, All the way, All Day Long (and it's still going on).
* The massive public outpouring of sympathy and appreciation means that the usual hard-nose rulers won’t risk kicking CBC around on this point, and I hope that the public will remember to thank and support CBC forevermore ...
* The public has had their first chance to actually see the heart and soul of a party dedicated to making things better. And this is a good thing … a long overdue thing. It could make all the difference.
I love it that Jack Layton's funeral will be held in Roy Thomson Hall. Not "Lord" Thomson but Roy Thomson Hall. All Canadian, all the way, in the heart of Canada's biggest city.
One spot of nastiness (and only one occurrence) came from Tom Flanagan who simply couldn't find his humanity or any respect for what Canadians feel; Flanagan alone said snarkily "It isn't up to Harper to make the Opposition feel comfortable". I'd like to vote Flanagan off the continent immediately for that vulgar attempt to keep playing the politics of division (so beloved of the Manning/Harper gang).
Grateful thanks to everyone at CBC for remembering who you were always supposed to be: the heart and soul of an honourable nation. Blessings!
Something important happened yesterday, beginning with Peter Mansbridge simply walking into the CBC studio to interrupt Heather Hiscox on CBC Newsworld ... he read the announcement of Jack Layton's death ... and then it was two Canadians talking, rather than News anchors announcing. It was real. And it stayed real all day … all day!
As Mansbridge and Hiscox talked ... they brought in others, each talking about what Jack Layton meant to them.
Gradually, panels of newsmen, groups of M.P.s, the NDP management team, faces from the past and others sat in and gave their views of Layton the politician, Layton the friend, Layton the force for progress. It included Stockwell Day and Stephen Harper, everyone (except Tom Flanagan) talking about the positive force for good, which was Jack Layton.
It was still going on 12 hours later. Next day, still going on!! Sad? Well, yes. But something else, something really important: I'm feeling joy ... yes, joy because of this reassurance that Canadians have got it right, after all. This is what I saw and felt, because of the CBC tribute to Jack Layton's work:
* Bravo CBC, to have summoned up the courage to do a flat-out, full-day tribute to someone from the NDP (unheard-of!), and I'm impressed!
* it's the first time in YEARS that I've seen CBC in its role of nation-builder, and I'm feeling better, stronger, more grounded in things I do believe in, that is: Canada; and yesterday that included the plane crash in Nunavut. It was pure CBC.
* So CBC is still strong, still attuned to this nation, and still able (as no private-for-profit broadcaster could be) to serve the country well.
* Nobody needed to say a word about U.S. "similarities" ... it was All Canada, All the way, All Day Long (and it's still going on).
* The massive public outpouring of sympathy and appreciation means that the usual hard-nose rulers won’t risk kicking CBC around on this point, and I hope that the public will remember to thank and support CBC forevermore ...
* The public has had their first chance to actually see the heart and soul of a party dedicated to making things better. And this is a good thing … a long overdue thing. It could make all the difference.
I love it that Jack Layton's funeral will be held in Roy Thomson Hall. Not "Lord" Thomson but Roy Thomson Hall. All Canadian, all the way, in the heart of Canada's biggest city.
One spot of nastiness (and only one occurrence) came from Tom Flanagan who simply couldn't find his humanity or any respect for what Canadians feel; Flanagan alone said snarkily "It isn't up to Harper to make the Opposition feel comfortable". I'd like to vote Flanagan off the continent immediately for that vulgar attempt to keep playing the politics of division (so beloved of the Manning/Harper gang).
Grateful thanks to everyone at CBC for remembering who you were always supposed to be: the heart and soul of an honourable nation. Blessings!
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Comments:
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Thanks, Mary. A pleasing antidote to Christie Blatchford. http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/08/22/christie-blatchford-laytons-death-turns-into-a-thoroughly-public-spectacle/
# posted by 
: August 23, 2011 at 4:09 p.m.
: August 23, 2011 at 4:09 p.m.
Anon 4:09,
Your comment is especially pleasing to me,
because
I had written to Christie Blatchford, saying much the same things. Only ... honest to gosh, I don't understand Righteous-Right people who think nothing of trashing the grieving process others are going through.
Well ... it's a compliment, in a way. The Righteous-Rights are petrified at the thought of a genuine grass-roots party coming on-stream.
Hand-in-hand with that, is their fear of CBC allowing people to communicate and understand one another.
Thanks for taking time to comment. It really made my day.
.
Your comment is especially pleasing to me,
because
I had written to Christie Blatchford, saying much the same things. Only ... honest to gosh, I don't understand Righteous-Right people who think nothing of trashing the grieving process others are going through.
Well ... it's a compliment, in a way. The Righteous-Rights are petrified at the thought of a genuine grass-roots party coming on-stream.
Hand-in-hand with that, is their fear of CBC allowing people to communicate and understand one another.
Thanks for taking time to comment. It really made my day.
.
I watched a lot of this coverage this day as I was very upset upon hearing the news. Heck I'm still watching!
What a loss!
And a curse upon those who think it was all to much and over the top by CBC to present us with so much airtime over Jack's death. Cold hearts love money IMHO.
islandcynic
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What a loss!
And a curse upon those who think it was all to much and over the top by CBC to present us with so much airtime over Jack's death. Cold hearts love money IMHO.
islandcynic
# posted by : August 24, 2011 at 5:55 p.m.
: August 24, 2011 at 5:55 p.m. << Home
