WE NEED NEW POLICY

i heard jim harris, leader of the federal green party, today on 570 news, a kitchener-waterloo radio station owned by rogers communications (i tuned in online of course from my shady toronto enclave). i can't remember the name of show, but it's supposedly a news/talk gig with "glenn and gary: two guys on the radio". it was somethin' else, let me tell ya.

the lead in was laughable:

"hey glenn or [gary, i can't remember which one of this rosencrantz and guildenstern pair was which] i just read that this guy jim harris is a management consultant and co-author of '100 best businesses to work for in canada'. i mean, wow, this definitely changes the stereotype in my mind that i had about the green party."

"ya, i thought they were all make-your-own-granola sunflower dress wearin types yknow?"

"no, i mean these guys are not the natural law party or the rhinocerous party! we're dealin with a serious bunch here!"

well, shit, i mean, really? they're serious?

c'mon, wake up already! you're a news man, yet you have no idea what's going in the world beyond your happy whacky studio environment.

the greens in germany are part of a coalition government that runs the country with the SDP. ralph nader ran in the 2000 US elections as green party candidate with a national support base. in canada, the party represents about 800,000 people's voting preference, as recently stated by the latest ipsos-reid poll.

where have you been, glenn and gary, while all this has been going on?

they gave him 6 minutes on the phone, called him "jimmy" and went through a series of questions that barely skimmed the surface. no questions about his platform (only one about his disapproval of the expansion of a highway in the area, met with stern cynicism and condecension in the hosts' tone of voice). no questions about the values of the green party and what they represent in current politics. gems like this one, however, stood out:

"so jimmy, you're business consultant. how come you're not a liberal or a conservative?"

tops to jim, however, for pushing as much as he could. his answer?

"i used to be a member of the PC party until i realized that a species goes extinct every 25 minutes around the world. i used to think that reduction of government debt was the main issue. but that can be corrected by help from economists. the debt we owe the earth, however, requires a huige change." he also made note that while 6% of national support seems little in compariosn to the 30odd% the liberals and conservatives have, the NDP elected 9 MPs in 1993 with 9% or popular approval.

the weather and traffic were reported twice, before and after the interview, and there was no followup discussion. jim harris, in probably one of his few opportunities to appear on a mainstream news outlet, was pushed aside...to make room for what? the latest information on gridlock? traffic accidents?

(maybe at this point we should all direct our attention towards the party's policy on this matter regarding walkable communities, rail rescue and public transit.)

i'm so sick of this marginalization of a major national party. one of the reasons i'm voting for them has to do with their proposed limitations on broadcast ownership. maybe then we don't have to cringe whenever we turn on the radio. stations like 570 news, owned by rogers communications, are so prevalent within this country that there's no proper recourse to provide adequate counter coverage. programming is all mandated from a head office and timed and scripted without care for the issues. it's like handling a baby with a machine.

it's time we start investing in the quality and conviction of community-based media and oust clown-puppets like gelnn and gary from the control rooms of this nation.

i'd like to see what jim harris has to say about today's interview. i'm going to go see him tomorrow as he greets subway riders at pape station on the danforth line. it'll be an early rise for me, but hey, i spent the last 8 months getting used to losing sleep over the media.