Tag: michael ignatieff

Larry Summers nods off

US President Barack Obama’s economic adviser Larry Summers is seen here dozing off during a press conference with reporters while his boss explains what he learned about interest payments on borrowed money from the credit card companies.

Michael Ignatieff is said to have met with Summers later on for a private dinner.

If the most exciting political leader of our generation™ put an economist into snooze-mode, I can’t imagine what sort of responsive state Summers is in today after his meeting with Dr. Michael life-of-the-party Ignatieff.

The Liberal leader’s new book is titled True Patriot Love wherein Ignatieff recounts four generations of his family. One wonders if Ignatieff presented Summers with a copy for bedtime reading. Early reviews indicate that it’s no Dreams from My Father. But, who knows, it still could be a sleeper hit.

Justin Trudeau on Michael Ignatieff

“…je pense qu’une des grandes différences entre Ignatieff et mon père et là, je vais sûrement me mettre un peu dans le trouble, c’est au niveau de la force de son jugement.

I think that one of the big differences between Ignatieff and my father, I’ll be surely getting myself in a bit of trouble here, it’s a level of the force of his judgment.
…

Avec Ignatieff, il est un peu partout des fois. Il dit ceci, il dit cela, il se contredit. Il n’a pas la clarté que mon père a pu avoir

With Ignatieff, he’s a bit all over at times. He says this, he says that, he contradicts himself. He doesn’t have the clarity that my father could have.

…

Il a peut-être l’intelligence, mais il n’a peut-être pas la sagesse nécessaire.

He maybe has the intelligence, but he does not have, maybe, the necessary wisdom.

h/t: lesbleus

Ignatieff was once arrested…

…for trying to overthrow the government and install a dictatorship?

That’s the rumour according to the New York Times. And that’s a little bit of a fun history for you this Thursday afternoon. Who knew that about 100 years later, another Ignatieff would be wrapped up in crafty political games?

Here’s the story from the December 14th 1905 edition of the New York Times.

Planned to Dispose Czar?
Rumor in St. Petersburg that Ignatieff has been arrested

LONDON, Thursday December 14 — The correspondent of the Times in St. Petersburg says a wild story is in circulation there that Gen. Count Alexis Ignatieff has been arrested by order of the Emperor for plotting to establish a dictatorship.

Inquiry at Count Ignatieff’s house, the correspondent says, failed to elicit either confirmation or denial of the story.

Of course, that’s Count Alexis Ignatieff that’s referenced in the New York Times piece.

Things do change and thankfully we favour ballots, though today’s Ignatieff now insists he was a reluctant party to the coalition takeover plan of the government in an attempt to circumvent the ballot box and overturn the result that came from the election just six weeks earlier.

Oh, that and the Times might be selling for a penny again sometime soon.