ࡱ> @B?5@ (bjbj22 "@XX84$bLL"nnnnnn$0Rh%nn%%nn%nn%8IIn@ K')I20bI0IIn*l nnn (Transcript CBC Radio Review of The Last Liberal by Dave Carley Friday, April 29, 2005 CBC Radio One: Ottawa Morning Lucy Oldenbarneveld (Host), Dave McGuinty, MP and Richard Mahoney (Guests) LUCY: Pre-election drama seems to be spilling off the hill and into an Ottawa theatre. Dave Carleys play The Last Liberal opened at the Great Canadian Theatre Company last night. The plot revolves around an Ontario cabinet minister named Ron Bloom. And all around him at Queens Park is the swirl of a minority government trying to drum up votes before an election call. Now the next two guests have seen the play but I suspect the plot was already vaguely familiar to them. David McGuinty is the Liberal member of parliament for Ottawa South good morning - and joining me by phone is another member of the federal Liberal Party, who also plays the voice of the Premier in the production. CLIP FROM PLAY: Gentlemen drop your writs. Im smelling blood Ronny. Tory blood. LUCY: And many of you may know that to be the voice of Richard Mahoney, who joins us from an airport in Washington DC. Good morning to you. Now Dave, lets start with you. How was opening night? You were in the seats last night. DAVE: It was terrific. I have nothing but praise for this play. The human dynamic was terrific. I thought it was very funny. There were moments that cut a little too close to the bone. But I think if I was to sum it up it really does capture well what a political person has to live every day in the job. I thoroughly enjoyed it. LUCY: Well get to some of that plot in a minute and the struggles between a politician and family life and how you make those sacrifices in many ways. Now Richard Mahoney, without giving away too much of the plot, can you fill us in a bit more on the story, because youre very familiar with the script, having a part in it. RICHARD: Yeah, as you said, the Last Liberal is an almost Trudeau-charter Liberal Minister of Education named Ron Bloom, who becomes a Minister of Education in a minority liberal government. He has an executive assistant who was a former New Democrat but who believes in him as a reformer. And the play is about the conflict both personal, professional and political that he has to make, and his government has to make, as it moves towards an election. And that doesnt give away anything at all. LUCY: Howd you get the premier part? RICHARD: You know, I auditioned for a long time. Truth is, Ive actually done a lot of work with the Great Canadian Theatre Company over the years. And my wife and I have been subscribers for years. The part of the Premier wasnt particularly onerous. You got most of that in that clip. It didnt take a lot of work from the real actors. LUCY: Well, well done it was very believable. Now, Dave McGuinty knows about premiers. I want to ask you about sitting in the audience. And we talked a little about the plot and the sacrifices a politician makes, and balancing that out with family life. What was running through your mind as you were sitting in the audience? DAVE: In some parts of the play fear. Its funny it was a very accurate depiction of the forces that play on someone like myself. In fact, at one point in the play I thought I was sitting in the west block. It talks a lot about the staff, the executive assistant and the ambitions of that executive assistant forces on that executive assistant, and the lobbyists and the forces that play, that they bring on an elected politician. The family, the children, the spouse all of these were very realistic, in terms of what someone goes through every day living this job. What I thought was very interesting as a golden thread running through the play was the whole question of the art of the compromise how far could you go in compromising, and remain a liberal. All in all, I sat there at one point I was laughing very hard and at other points I was very nervous. LUCY: What made you nervous? DAVE: There are scenes that involved family and children that touch someone like me and Richard very closely. Because there are stresses and strains and pushes and pulls and it is very difficult for the central character the elected minister of education - to deal with those things. I started getting worried about my own kids. LUCY: Richard youre reacting there RICHARD: Yeah. Its exactly as David says. The Minister of Education has to make those compromises and take them both as what in terms of what he believes as a politician, and where that comes in conflict with the concern he has with what he has for his son. It is as David says something that people even people who arent particularly interested in politics will find it will hit home. They will understand, as every parent will understand that its one thing to have your beliefs at the office and its another when those issues hit your own family and your own home. LUCY: I want to ask you both about a quote form the director of the play, Mr. McFarland. He said, A play like this will have no appeal for those on the right. Its for big and small l liberals and is really confronting questions of idealism versus pragmatism. Is it better to compromise and government or be pure and ideological in eternal opposition. DAVE: I met Mr. McFarland last night. We didnt have a chance to exchange that way. But I disagree. I think this plays for everybody, especially for this city, where most of this city is about government. Its got something for everyone. A great piece of fiction. All political types will enjoy this because it is the real dynamic. Its the most accurate depiction of the dynamic that I have ever seen or read and Ive seen a lot of plays and read a lot of literature, read a lot of political books. This really captures the essence of what it is to be a politician today, in a very complex world. As somebody once said, If truth is the first casualty of war, the complexity has got to be the first casualty of politics. And sitting there and watching the play and the complexity of what I have to deal with now theyve really captured it well. LUCY: Richard: youve never been a sitting politician yet. RICHARD: Yes, with the acting I need to cover myself, make sure I have another option for a day job. LUCY: How did this speak to you personally? RICHARD: I rarely disagree with Dave McGuinty but I think Charles has a point in the sense that the play does hit the nail right on the head for progressive people. That sometimes when you get in government there are many other forces in society that take your very good idea and push up very, very hard against it. And I think the age old question of politics applies Can you get 65% of what you care about done because theres opposition internally, in the electorate, in your own party, or in your government or in society - Can you get 70% of what you want done, done? And thats the question of the main character of the play How much of the issues of the principles he cares about how much did he have to compromise to be the minister of education? LUCY: OK David McGuinty last words to you what words of wisdom or message from the play will you take to your leader. DAVE: One of the catchy quotes that was quite humours in the play, from the play, without giving too much away, has to do with the notion of Of changing course and the quote is basically She says, quite humourously, Wer liberals. We shift easily. I thought that was quite funny. And a little bit of a dig. I would recommend that to all my colleagues to look at, and to stay true to what we are, and where were going. As the Richard says, Its the art of the possible. Trying to accomplish what were accomplish. LUCY: Should Paul Martin be shifting more is that the message you mean? DAVE I think its a question for Richard. LUCY Should Paul Martin be shifting more that was a quote from the play. RICHARD: I think the play is the play, and its about human conflict. One of messages I wanted to repeat though, and say off the top off the play was this is not a play brought to you by either the federal or provincial liberal parties - 30 - PAGE  PAGE 1  /0>OUVst   ! % + ; h }  ! % 4  ! * K L Y t u v ӻӷ׻ӷӫӷ׷ӷ׫ӧӣӛhh*9hUkYhY1hrhchh3W6hh3WhM"h5h1hahHwahrXGheY heYheY heY6h5hW6hWhY-hW5CJaJ< ?Vtu v BCLhij9:@'(    5 ? 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