Sunday, December 09, 2007

Western Standard Goes Levantless

Got this email yesterday afternoon. Looks like Ezra is quitting the Western Standard:

Dear friends,

As you know, the Western Standard stopped publishing our print edition last month.

But I'm happy to announce that one of the Western Standard's founders, Matthew Johnston, has assembled a small team of our former staff, and they're going to revive our magazine's websites.

Working with other long-time Western Standard staff like writer Kevin Steel and sales manager Josh Frederick, they're going to try to make a go of it online — and I wish them good luck. They loved the magazine and I'm sure they'll do a great job of the new venture.

I'm moving on to other projects, but Matthew and his team have invited me to continue to blog from time to time on the site, and I'm sure I will.

So make sure to visit www.westernstandard.ca to see what the new team is up to — and keep an eye peeled for their e-mail updates.

Join with me in wishing them good luck!

Yours truly,Ezra Levant

Don't bother visiting the site yet, as it hasn't changed much in the past couple of weeks.

I wonder if the remaining bunch will be able to attract the same calibre of right-wing heavy, or whether it will turn into just another Conservative blog.

And interesting, in that Ezra hasn't written a column for the Sun Chain since October when the whole "bus driver in a hijab" thing blew up in his face and Canoe.ca pulled his column. Maybe he's being "Zuber Linked" (ie put out to pasture).

Pity, in a way, the Right loses its dorkiest looking gun-slinger.

15 comments:

Ti-Guy said...

And another voice is silenced.

I'm tearing up...*sob*

Anonymous said...

Another one silenced!

bigcitylib said...

And Steyn is NEXT, anon, Steyn is next.

bigcitylib said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Silenced? He said he is moving on to other projects. Somehow I doubt Ezra will ever be silenced unless you Libs pass a law making conservatism illegal.

bigcitylib said...

Right after I silence Steyn, MC, that's on the agenda. That and making gay marriage mandatory in Alberta.

Anonymous said...

ti-guy as long as there are those of us out there that a healthy democracy needs differing pov's you'll not silence us.
As for Ezra if he is silenced as you say I would be concerned if I was a Liberal, for at least while he was writing yo could keep an eye on him! Now it'll be up to your imagination to try and figure out what evil doings he's involved in,Ha ha ha ha ha!

Ti-Guy said...

ti-guy as long as there are those of us out there that a healthy democracy needs differing pov's you'll not silence us.

Oh, how noble. You must be the main figure in the heroic drama that is your life. *clap, clap, clap*

I think you're confusing reality with one of your computer games.

A healthy democracy needs different POV's and shit-fligging from dishonest rightwing gasbags and hate-mongers is a marginal point-of-view. Therefore, marginalising it meas "all is right with the World."

Now it'll be up to your imagination to try and figure out what evil doings he's involved in,Ha ha ha ha ha!

Well, that certainly says it all. As we all know, the genius of neoconservativism is to hide everything in plain view.

In any case, The Western Standard's failure is its own. It was just too crappy.

Reality Bites said...

ti-guy as long as there are those of us out there that a healthy democracy needs differing pov's you'll not silence us.


Somehow I imagine if farts could talk, this is what they'd say.

Ti-Guy said...

Well, you need farts in order to appreciate perfume.

Oh, waitaminute...no, you don't.

Anonymous said...

Did he jump or was he pushed? I would guess he has somewhere to go: look for him to rise like scum to the top of what? Canadafreepress? Do they pay their writers? Maclean's? Maybe he could replace Steyn.

Or maybe he's going back into politics. I guess there's an opening in Craig Chandler's constituency; maybe Stelmach would okay Ezra if he got nominated.

Or maybe Harper would let him run, and make him the next Minister of the Environment; after all, he wrote an anti-Kyoto book which came out a little late, after Canada ratified it.

Reality Bites said...

Much as I'd like to describe him as a rat deserting a sinking ship, considering the current state of the standard and how it got in that state, it's more like an iceberg deserting the ship it sank.

I can't see him as wanted in either the federal or provincial Conservative parties. He's not exactly an asset. Sure, he could win a nomination by taking over a riding, but he'd never be put in cabinet or, indeed, ever be allowed to speak in public again (hey, maybe they WOULD want him to run).

I wonder if the timing has anything to do with the Wild Rose Party finally getting enough signatures to register as a party. Imagine a leadership race between Levant and Chandler. "I hate Muslims more than you." "Well I hate gays more than you." "Thank goodness we both hate women equally."

Anonymous said...

Or is Ezra busy buying farmland in Saskatchewan? Gonna jump into that great big ethanol trough Harper appears to be building, which is gonna take lots of our tax dollars and produce a few litres of biofuel for us and lots of moolah for Harper's greedy friends?

I hear Ezra sent another email talking about Amcapita. There's a Freudian name choice for you, almost as good as Amway. And what's this about water markets?

berlynn said...

Well, farmland in SK isn't so out of the question. I mean, what with the uber-rightwing Wall now in charge here, everything will be up for sale.

Ew, bad thought! Ew! What if Ezzie's planning to move to SK? Ew! Ew!! EW!!!

Anonymous said...

Watch Wall and see if he starts giving money to biofuel companies like the feds are doing; and a biofuel company got a free trip to Bali along with Baird.