Reality TV

There's a lot of hype building over the Health Summit in September and I tend to think that's a bad thing for those of us who want to see a Health Deal reached.

First of all, while it might have been smart to do during the election, running around saying that he was going to "fix health care for a generation" and "shorten waiting lists come hell or high water" may not have been the wisest move for Paul to make. Since, you know, if he doesn't fix health care for a generation, he's going to look like a complete tool. And since all that will likely come out of this summit is a few extra billion for health care and nothing more dramatic than Chretien's Health Accord of last summer, I fail to see how the Incredible Martin and his side-kick Ujjal the Health Crusader will cure health care for a generation.

That's mistake number 1. Mistake number 2 is waiting so long for this Health conference. Yes, I know Ujjal the Health Crusader needs time to get his cool privatization fighting weapons ready but he's just giving his enemies, the League of Evil Premiers, time to join forces. As we speak, Dalton the Fork tongued, the Incredible Martin's sometime foe, sometime friend, depending on the situation, is traveling the country banding the League of Evil Premiers together. Sure, Trudeau broke up the gang of 8 but Paul Martin ain't no Trudeau and this ain't the constitution. With the League United, it's going to be very hard for the Incredible Martin to crush them and get what he wants.

Mistake number 3 was letting cameras into the bedroom. By doing so, Martin has turned the conference into some sort of low-budget CBC reality show. Hell, why not have Canadians vote out a Premier after each day? The problem with the cameras is that the entire purpose of the conference becomes appearing like you are on the side of health-care, not actually fixing it. It becomes more about showmanship than ideas. Everyone will try to make sure it looks like someone else's fault that no deal could be reached and because of that, failure will likely become a self-fulfilling prophecy. In negotiations, you need to be blunt and say things you'd never ever want the public to hear you say. Sure, there will still be behind the scenes negotiations but if that's where the deal is reached, why bother with the cameras in the first place.

So there you have it. Three mistakes. Oh well, like most Reality TV shows, people enjoy watching a good disaster. That's likely what they'll get.