For all his puritan talk, Jim Sinclair shelves out $200 for a Liberal fundraiser. What a hyporcite!!

This guest list is very hard to accept. For one thing, given the new Federal prohibitions on business and union contributions, all these major labour and business leaders must have purchased the $200 tickets themselves.

Second, it would be really unprecedented to have labour and NDP personalities, such as Sinclair and Peppard, to say nothing of Williams and Clark, attending a Liberal Party fundraiser. For one thing, the standard Liberal Party line would be that these people are unwelcome, anti-business economy wreckers, and while Federal Liberals like Emerson are more discrete in their use of this rhetoric than people like Gordon Campbell or Colin Hansen, Emerson is still one whose federal speeches as part of the "BC Team" are routinely sprinkled with unflattering references to Glen Clark, Nanoose Bay, Fast Ferries, etc., as are those of his Senate counterpart, the redoubtable Jack Austin.

I am especially surprised that Glen Clark was in attendance, since his obvious return route to elective politics would be to run federally in the Vancouver Kingsway riding. Perhaps he is thinking of next time, or maybe he doesn't want back in at all. But I would find that surprising, since he has unfinished business in politics, not the least evening the score with the Liberal Machine that jack-hammered him from office with fake police interventions.

I'm starting to think a change is afoot in federal politics.

While there is still polarization at the provincial and municial level, a lotta hands are on deck for Paul Martin in BC nowadays.

Guess that is the effect of having five Cabinet Ministers here

If true, this guest list would be quite controversial. Jim Sinclair, donating money to the federal Liberals?

Great to see the province's elite in fine backslapping form...

People like Sinclair (who cares about Clark?) can support whomever he wants -- and it's okay by me if he's established some sort of personal relationship with Emerson. But Sinclair's kidding himself if he thinks appearing at a public fundraiser with the federal Liberal industry minister doesn't make some of his BC Fed rhetoric seem particularly hollow.

Tell me Drummer, what's more hollow. Sinclair complaining that Gordon Campbell is too far to the right? Or the entire Gordon Campbell Cabinet claiming that labour is trying to wreck the economy while labour leaders attend a dinner featuring heavily pro-business Liberal Minister David Emerson?

What better way to find out what's cooking with the federal Liberals than have Jim Sinclair go listen to them? Jim represents a great number of workers so he is doing his job. and of course all union memebers are not left of center.

I wonder how many of those working people that Sinclair represents could afford a $ 200 dinner? I bet they are the one’s who paid for Jim. Maybe Sinclair is looking to follow his old buddy Ujjal onto the federal pork barrel. Typical hypocrisy of big labor.

When guys like the Glenster, Bernie Simpson, and Jim Sinclair attend Liberal fundraisers, there is definitely something to takw away from that. The Federal NDP is down to its historically low level of 15% nationally and is more pre-occupied with windmills, kyoto, social housing, marijuana, and bongo drums than any issue that affects working people. The only Federal NDP MP earning his money is Pat Martin, who's been great on the gun registry, on crime, and on that workers first bill.

Looks like the only option for WORKING people (not freaks and drug smoking bums) is the Liberal party. I have real worries about this -- Labour and ordinary people have to join in droves and really bring the noise to make that whole one work. But I suspect there's a lot of people saying 'fuck it' in terms of the Federal NDP. I'm willing to stick it out a bit longer as a long-suffering New Dem, but even I have my limits.

Don't suppose any of the pundits noticed Sinclair attended with a bunch of TWU people? Might have given them a clue about his agenda!

Last fall I attended a roast of Dave Haggard, which also attracted a number of prominent Liberals, Minister Emerson included. Ken Georgetti sent a very entertaining speech on videotape making gentle fun of "my other friend Dave", i.e. Dave Suzuki. I recall the remarks by the regional VP of the Steelworkers union which included this gem :"I'm sorry that bastard Jack Layton couldn't be here tonight. They oughta call him Jack Van Layton, cuz all he cares about is windmills and dikes". General hilarity ensued.

That's pretty awful stuff, the part about dikes. Not very nice.

Too bad, too, because the first part of the joke was funny. Maybe he could be Jack Van Layton because all he cares about is windmills and legalizing marijuana. There, that's better.

I just came from he BC Fed website and oddly there are no pictures or bulletins posted of Jim Sinclair defending real working peoples interests at the $ 200 plate Liberal fundraiser. I wonder why ?

Kevin, as you well know, under the new Federal laws prohibiting business and labour donations beyond very small amounts, the practical effect is that all these business and labour attendees would have had to pay their own way. Except of course, that it will now be a useful tax credit for them personally. If you want to stop being dishonest, you could make a useful point, ... that the tax credit system which has been in place for thirty years now effectively made all political parties largely publicly funded institutions, and that the taxpayer is therefore entitled to improved standards of conduct.

And Dagmar, I don't know why you are opposed to legalizing marijuana. That would be a hard sell with the Americans, but everyone I talk to, including most middle aged people who have never used pot think the present situation around grow ops and biker organized crime is a complete mistake. Jack Layton is headed in the same direction as Judge Gerald Le Dain was thirty years ago, and it's about time.

Bush and Co. wouldn't like it, ... but rank and file Americans would think it's a great example. Remember how many of their states have legalized medical marijuana, ... only to have FBI and DEA types interfering in order to preserve their bureaucratic sinecures???

I'm opposed to legalizing marijuana because we already have enough people on welfare as it is.