On 'selling out'

Written by Maclean Kay | 30 December 2010

As you may or may not know, I recently accepted an offer to become a Caucus Communications Officer with the BC Liberal Government. It’s a great job, one I’m both lucky and happy to have, but there was a small cost.

I had to give up my columns with the Times Colonist, Troy Media, and The Westcoaster. Not to put to fine a point on it, but that part sucks.

But while I miss having such widely-read forums, the sad fact is they just don’t pay very much. And I gots to eat.

I mentioned to one inquiring reader fan stalker interested party that I’d still have my blog here at The New West, which was and always will be my baby. But that didn’t seem to satisfy, for the following three reasons.

(a) You can’t say what you want anymore.
Oh, come on. That’s just not true. Why not?

(b) Because everything you do say must be filtered through a BC Liberal lens.
Sigh. That’s exaggeration at best. And even if that were true…is it really a big deal?

Two points: first, it’s not like the BC Liberals are a big ideological stretch for me. While I met, interviewed, and continue to personally respect quite a few NDP politicians, I always believed most of their economic policies border on insanity. I still do.

Second, while I will be diplomatic, I’m still allowed to think for myself. For example, several leadership candidates have mused about lowering the voting age down to 16. While I understand the reasoning – encourage young people to participate in politics – I don’t think this is a good idea.

18 is a perfectly reasonable age of majority, where a person can join the military, drink (in civilized provinces) and get married. It’s the age of adulthood, recognized as such both culturally and legally, and thus a logical time to receive the franchise. Plus, I don’t think it would improve voter participation; the same 18-year olds not voting today also wouldn’t have voted two years ago.

See? Nothing happened. I’m still here. I picked the team that enjoys debate and conversation, not bloodbaths.

And besides, if you think I was 100% free to comment on the Times Colonist’s coverage, or the merits of their other columnists – one of whom I think is about two levels below “twit” – you’re dreaming.

That’s not because editors Dave Obee or Lucinda Chodan are particularly difficult – quite the opposite, actually. If anything, I had more latitude there than with the Calgary Herald, where I once caught heat for joking about a front-page story praising a rich couple demolishing the house next door to build a bigger one.

Can’t question the paper’s “news judgment,” you see.

(c) But you’ll have much less free time.
Well, you have me there. But the learning curve is starting to angle down.

A bit.