Funny business

Who says politics isn't funny? The nominees were announced yesterday for the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour and two political books are among the finalists.

One is The Best Laid Plans, by Terry Fallis, a former Liberal aide who now co-owns the Thornley-Fallis communications consulting agency

The plot of the book revolves around a "cranky and reluctant" political candidate who is recruited to run in a race he's supposed to lose.

Fallis also produced the Michael Ignatieff podcast during the 2006 Liberal leadership campaign and, interestingly, his potential medal-winner started out as a podcast.

The other book is God Created Manyberries, by Ron Wood, a former communications chief for Preston Manning in the early days of the Reform Party, who also served as right-hand man to John Reynolds, a veteran  MP and acting leader of the Canadian Alliance while it was getting its act together with the Conservatives.

Wood's much-praised book is about a cast of characters who frequent a saloon in small-town Alberta.

Those of us who remember Wood fondly from the days at the now-defunct National Press Club will probably recognize where he got some of his inspiration.