Unbelievable.
Minister James Moore bullying Anna Maria Tremonti
FYI, something weird with that link - I get a "You are not authorized to view this page".
The Current this morning was unusually interesting. Good piece on Syria, believe it or not. But this one takes the cake:
[url=http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2012/02/07/theatre-chill-over-stagi... about Harper censored[/url]
A Toronto theatre's recent decision not to stage a play about the the Prime Minister has some in the arts community worried politics will freeze out other controversial productions.
Great interview with Michael Healey, the ongoing victim of government funding persecution. But you have to hear the interview at the end of the hour with James Moore. If you can't catch it "live" in the western time zones, listen to the podcast after. James Moore accuses Tremonti of lying about the government ("misrepresenting") - bullies her - and (see if you can hear the undertone) basically threatens The Current's funding...
ETA: I've repaired the link (which the CBC changed in midstream!) - and the audio is now available. I haven't checked it - but please take some time and listen!
I just heard the tail end of the interview out here on the best coast. James Moore certainly is a blowhard--"culture" minister. What an embarrassment--and hostile to Tremonti. But I didn't catch the funding threat--unless you mean his parting sentence which was something along the lines of "if you want, for example, to have a show on the CBC that criticizes the Harper Government...well, you have your show."
FYI, something weird with that link - I get a "You are not authorized to view this page".
Thanks for letting me know, pookie - indeed, they re-jigged the link, and I've repaired it above - plus they've apparently put the audio up now.
ETA: Yeah, it's there, all 27 minutes - and the thuggish Minister starts at 16:45.
I believe this is the correct link. Although it will not play here for some reason.
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2012/02/07/theatre-chill-over-stagi...
But I didn't catch the funding threat--unless you mean his parting sentence which was something along the lines of "if you want, for example, to have a show on the CBC that criticizes the Harper Government...well, you have your show."
That's exactly it. Didn't you feel a chill when he said that?
Yes, but it was more along the lines of a bitter man showing his colours and open hostility toward public broadcasting. Which I suppose is exactly what you were talking about.
Ok, I did a verbatim of the end of the interview - but again, please listen to the whole thing:
Anna Maria Tremonti: So you're essentially saying that if someone chooses to criticize the government through their art, that that's all right?Minister James Moore: Well, they do all the time. And if somebody, for example, has a radio show on the CBC that's funded by the taxpayers of Canada, through the Stephen Harper government, and wants to criticize us - you have your show.
ETA: Yes, CF, that's exactly what I was talking about. But listen to the whole clip and see how many times he accuses her of lying. It's not just a bitter man.
James Moore was bullying Anna Maria. It was very shocking to listen to. He wouldn't answer her questions and basically decided what her opinion was on the matter and attacked her for it. Moore proved the point of the whole segment. Artistic, individual expression? Good luck with this gang in power.
For those who have trouble with the CBC audio link, I've uploaded the full 27 minute segment here (it's a 25 MB MP3 download):
http://www.mediafire.com/?avw5v40166t4u6j
For those who have trouble with the CBC audio link, I've uploaded the full 27 minute segment here (it's a 25 MB MP3 download):
http://www.mediafire.com/?avw5v40166t4u6j
Thanks for sharing that with us Unionist. After hearing it for myself, Moore does come across as being rather rude, though having never seen or heard him before, I'm not sure if he's always like that or not.
CanadaApple, I didn't open the discussion to assess Moore's character, but rather to draw attention to a government which uses a variety of methods to inhibit what it sees as disloyalty in the arts and the media. Whether he's like this all the time or not would certainly be relevant in a sentencing or parole hearing.
Last week - and I totally missed this story - a Toronto Sun columnist accused James Moore of being "in bed" with the CBC, and demanded that Harper remove him from his portfolio.
Is that why Moore was so eager to strut his anti-CBC colours yesterday?
[url=http://www.friends.ca/news-item/10554]Here it is[/url] - but it's Toronto Sun, so don't say I didn't warn you.
CanadaApple, I didn't open the discussion to assess Moore's character, but rather to draw attention to a government which uses a variety of methods to inhibit what it sees as disloyalty in the arts and the media. Whether he's like this all the time or not would certainly be relevant in a sentencing or parole hearing.
I know, but since you did call him a bully, I thought I'd give my take on how he acted.
This morning on The Current, there were listener responses to the Michael Healey story. They used words like "bullying" and "chill". One referred to how "frightened" the interviewees sounded, picking their words carefully.
I'm going to listen to the whole piece again when I have a minute (or more like 20 min). It says a whole lot about the direction our society is taking under the Harper regime.