If the Notley NDP refuses to talk to the Western Standard, it reflects poorly on her and not this publication..The ostensible reason her party gave for taking us off their media advisory and press release list is that this publication is label x, label y, and label z, blah blah blah..Let’s be clear about the real reason. The Western Standard is not NDP-friendly media. It’s not that we hate the NDP or any of the other groups the Notley NDP accuse us of being “phobic” about. It’s just that any freedom-loving publication that shows some sympathy (yea, tolerance) for traditional values, support for the energy industry, and the responsible use of tax dollars will probably not be giving puff pieces about the NDP..Alberta is headed for an election, and never will political candidates and parties ever issue more media advisories about policies and events than during an election. That also makes it prime time for media control. The NDP would rather wrap themselves in one layer of self-preservation and another layer of self-righteousness than endure a daily rain on their electoral parade..No, it’s better for the NDP to minimize their risk of an uncomfortable question from Western Standard when the cameras are rolling. Notley’s chum Justin Trudeau has already bribed the mainstream media with your tax dollars to get the kind of soft coverage that also benefits the Notley NDP. Even the initiatives meant to bolster local coverage also have their own control mechanisms on the kinds of messages their sponsorship allows. However if Western Standard provokes a damning answer, even the mainstream won’t pass it up in their news reports..Even so, Canada has never had less freedom in media than it does today. That’s why independent media, and your sponsorship of it, is so important. Shameless plug: this is an optimal time to buy a subscription for a fellow Albertan or at least encourage them to do so..As you may recall, the Western Standard applied for the federal money just to see what they would say. While they didn’t like some of our COVID coverage, the arbiters of taxpayer-funded media money fully acknowledged our legitimacy as a journalistic institution. That’s when we said thanks, but we would rather keep our independence than take your money..That means it’s not the Western Standard that’s phobic, it's the NDP. The NDP is afraid of what they can’t control. They desperately want to cancel non-woke perspectives and coverage and the people behind them. Bill C-11 is a single step on the journey of a thousand miles in that project, and NDP cancelation is right in line with it..These “phobia” labels are always loaded, and frankly, twisted. They assume that anyone who opposes the agenda of any of the “oppressed” minorities does so out of fear. Implicit in this idea is this fear is also irrational and based in misconceptions..On the other hand, if the left is afraid of something, they will tell you their fear is justified and everyone else should be afraid of it too. Moreover the object of such fears should be marginalized or eliminated as much as possible..This hypocrisy is an intentional strategy that was explicitly laid out by the new left 60 years ago. Academics like Herbert Marcuse talked about progressive tolerance (for everything the left does and wants) and intolerance for everything against it. Similarly Rules for Radicals author Saul Alinsky said the only unacceptable tactic for the left was to do nothing. The means were justified by the ends for anything the left did, regardless of its ethics or lack thereof..The tactic of calling right wingers racist is older still. The strategy manuals of Marxists after World War II said the political right should be associated with fascist, racist Nazis as much as possible because it was odious to the minds and hearts of common people. .The NDP can run (for office) but they can’t hide from Western Standard scrutiny. We might even show up for their events unexpected. If you see an orange lectern and a small crowd gathering, especially in Calgary, give us a call. Or, film the event, ask your own questions, post the video online and tell us about it..The last time an NDP leader did this in the west, it failed miserably. Sometime before the 2011 election, Dwayne Lingenfelter called former Progressive Conservative MP and radio host John Gormley “disingenuous.” However he also called him “genuous” in the next breath, which is supposed to have the opposite meaning. Gormley played the clip every weekday for months as Lingenfelter boycotted Gormley’s show. Lingenfelter didn’t even win his seat as the Brad Wall political juggernaut continued unabated..Keep going, Ms. Notley, keep going.
