Andre Arthur - libertarian?
The lone Independent MP to come out of this election is radio "shock-jock" (I don't know why they call them that) Andre Arthur. Andre is part of the reason why CHOI-FM was taken down by the anti-free speech CRTC. The refusal of the CRTC to reissue the licence led to a massive 50,000 strong Ottawa protest by fans of the radio station. (I interviewed the other host "responsible" for the CRTC's decision--Jeff Fillion--for the Western Standard. You can listen to the conversation here [WAV], or see the interview here)
According to the Wikipedia entry on Monsieur Arthur, he is a libertarian:
According to the Wikipedia entry on Monsieur Arthur, he is a libertarian:
"André Arthur's political views generally lie on the right of the political spectrum, and he is a self-described libertarian. He is interested in reducing statist intervention in the economy and reducing taxes in Canada and Quebec. He is also a noted admirer of the United States."If you happen to know a bit more about Andre Arthur, please email me. Also, if you know whether or not a) he speaks English and b) his contact info, please email me. Or leave me a comment.
posted by P. M. Jaworski at 10:51 p.m.
4 Comments:
I wonder if the Libertarian Party will recruit him to sit as a member. He would still be listed as an Independent, but it would be interesting.
Oh oh. You don't know why he is called a "shock jock"? You are about to find out. His soapbox was just a local radio station; now he has the House of Commons as his amplifier. Perhaps he will take his new responsibilities seriously, now that he does not need to say something outrageous every three minutes to keep the ratings up. But if he continues to aim for the shock effect, the media will be amused by him for awhile and then tear him apart. When he is being a straight-shooter, he often does say things that should be said, that everybody is thinking but nobody dares to say. But when he is just hungry for attention, he sometimes says things that you hear late at night in a run-down tavern. He will be the most entertaining M.P. in a long time, and he will say some very quotable things. I just hope he uses his head about the potential impact when he gets into one of his "shock" rants.
I think he will prove entertaining at the very least. I'm also curious about Mr. Arthur and did a wee bit of research the other night in preparation for a post about election night. I liked what I read.
An excerpt from a CBC article:
Arthur told CBC News that he is ready to be a "common-sense" voice for his constituents in Ottawa.
"I think it's quite a challenge, and I think that all things considered, this is quite fun," the 62-year-old said.
During the campaign, he said, members of the public told him "how fed up they are with rotten politics, and the disrespect they get from the political parties."
Throughout his radio career, Arthur had been the target of several defamation lawsuits, as well as reprimands from the country's broadcast regulator, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
In 2004, he was included in the reasoning for the CRTC's decision to deny the licence renewal of radio station CHOI-FM. The CRTC cited offensive on-air remarks, including Arthur's statement that international students at Laval University were the children of wealthy "plunderers" and "cannibals" from the Third World.
After the results were announced Monday evening, the federalist Arthur told reporters he would not censor himself just because he was headed to the House of Commons.
"At 62, you don't change," he said, according to the Montreal Gazette.
In addition to his duties as an MP, Arthur said he also plans to keep his job as a part-time bus driver and may even look for another gig in radio.
"I think that any member of Parliament should have a real job," he told CBC News. "Maybe if they all had a real job, they would less sound like Martians when we listen to them."
Unfortunately, my understanding of French is confined to the recognition of a few words retained from eight years of elementary public school instruction, so I wasn't able to learn much about this self-styled libertarian.
I was very much surprised to read here in comments that a self-proclaimed libertarian was opposed to the legalization of drugs. Surely this doesn't mean he supports the current draconian drug laws?
I hope instead that he understands that the state has no business regulating the choices and preferences of individuals so long as those preferences and behaviours do not infringe on the rights of other individuals.
I'm very curious now - why is Arthur not in favour of legalizing drugs?
where'd you hear about wikipedia?
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