Come to think of it, the crowds are bigger at Tim's

A small photo comparison of the speakers and the crowds at the current session of the United Nations, as sent to me this afternoon by a UN watcher. Perhaps the audience was detained at the bathroom at around 2ish.

 Here's U.S. President Barack Obama

And here's Swiss President Doris Leuthard:

And here's our own Prime Minister Stephen Harper 

Comments

[Disinterested Observer]

Should have sent William Shatner to do it for us.

[real conservative]

That is still double the people that Chretien or your buddy Iggy would get.

[Aongasha]

No bias there Susan - typical of the media. And I know this won't make the cut - but could care less. You folks know what you are doing and we, the ordinary everyday citizens out here some place in 'average' Canada know too. You won't change our minds with these tactics. You only make us surer that we are correct in the view that a biased media and folks who think of themselves as our superiors (elites)do not have our best interests at heart.

[Canadian Queen]

Take a hint dude. NOONE thinks you have anything to say!

[tgartner]

Harper is a national embarrassment for this and so many other reasons.

[Rod Croskery]

Harper hubris graphically displayed. How long 'till CBC picks this one up?

Remind me never to offend you, Ms. Delacourt.

Beautiful!

[M. Mech]

What Delacourt omits to note is that the Swiss President spoke immediately preceding President B. Obama so naturally the plenary was packed with delegates. If she wanted to be fair, she should have shown a picture of the hall afterward, which quickly emptied of delegates. By the time the last two speakers of the session spoke before lunch - the Premier of China and the PM of Canada - the plenary was virtually empty delegates. Anyone who knows anything about the UNGA, knows that that most of the action takes place in the hallways and in private sideline bi-laterals, not listening to boring speeches that are immediately posted on-line.

Morning Session (Starts at 9:00 a.m.)

# Secretary-General of the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon

# President of the 65th Session of the UNGA
H.E. Mr. Joseph Deiss

# Brazil
H.E. Mr. Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim

# Switzerland
H.E. Ms. Doris Leuthart

# United States of America
H.E. Mr. Barack Obama

[Titeline Mike]

Nice try Susan. First, your idol Iggy announces that Canada (the Country he aspires to lead) does not deserve a seat??? Perhaps, a word or two by you about Prime Minister Harper's speech would have been more newsworthy. Who was the UN watcher who sent you the photo? Hint - look a bottom right hand. Looking forward to your comments when Canada does get the seat!

[Kevin]

Based on comments by "real conservative" and "Aongasha", I really question the amount of talent remaining in the once-mighty Conservative spin machine.

Oh, Harper has no audience, but OF COURSE he attracts a bigger crowd than Chretien or Iggy, based on evidence pulled out of your ?

Damn you, mainstream leftist media, for showing snapshots of unedited CCTV footage. Because, like, it's even more empty after midnight!! So biased.

[Renee]

Wait, Aongasha, how does Harper trying and failing miserably to be a stateman - due in large part to his party's myopic and undemocratic policy positions over the past four years - have anything to do with the media? International opinion of Canada has gotten much worse (as shown in polls) and because of our lousy recent record on human rights may indeed be in danger of LOSING our seat on the security council. This is important - this is something Canadians need to know, that Harper is no longer even taken seriously by the international community. So tell me again what is "typical" of the media?

[David B.]

I love the way the rightwing trolls treat any factual representation of this government's incompetence and irrelevance as somehow being the result of media bias. Hey guys, if it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, and looks like a duck, there's a pretty good chance it is a duck, media bias or not.

[aa]

they must be all on a washroom break

[Tom]

I love it, a Billion dollars for a photo op, thousands of dollars to fly him back and forth from New York to Ottawa for a vote he knew he would lose and a speech at the UN that no one witnessed. You sure are a lowsy steward of taxpayer dollars.

[Alberta Girl]

Well Susie Que - if you were actually a journalist you would have also reported that they scheduled his speech during lunch. And maybe you would have actually reported what he said - being that he is the Prime Minister of Canada.

But then, you are a typical left wing journalist hack who writes fluff pieces until you get your talking points from the Liberals.

You and your cohorts are a disgrace to the journalism profession.

[joe b. lowe]

ha,ha,haaa

[Gabby in QC]

My information is very similar to M. Mech's. I tried posting this earlier, but the wheelie thingy wouldn't accept it.

Objective reporting? Not quite. A few details missing.

H/T David Akin blog.
Here’s the list of speakers:

0900 – President Barack Obama, United States
[bright & early, so of course there's a full house for the President of one of the most powerful nations]

President Doris Leuthard, Switzerland
[following Mr. Obama's speech, so still a full house ... and probably before a coffee break]

President Bingu wa Mutharika, Malawi

President, Laura Chinchilla Miranda, Costa Rica

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka

President Abdullah Gül, Turkey

Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar
[the emir was still speaking when I tuned in at about 12:15 pm]

President Mwai Kibaki, Kenya

President Emomalii Rahmon, Tajikistan

President Alan García Perez, Peru

President Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine

Premier Wen Jiabao, China

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Canada

Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar was still speaking at 12.21 pm Montreal, so the PM, who was scheduled to begin his speech at 12:30 pm, was pushed back to around 2:00 pm, when all those delegates were probably still enjoying their yummy lunches.

But continue to sneer, Ms. Delacourt, but then lecture us all -- conservatives, i.e. -- on the lack of civil discourse.

[Anonymous]

Well, it ain't Harper's fault that the world doesn't love the troops as much as he does.

[Stan]

Instead of riveting stories like this how about reporting on Judy Sgro stealing $100,000.00 from us?

Oh, wait... she's a liberal....

[D. Peturk]

Susan Delacourt is a Liberal troll. After writing a biography of Paul Martin, just before he was expected to win a 200+ seat majority(it had to be true since the MSM predicted it), Martin almost lost it all and ended up with a thin minority.
So how are the book sales for that loser Susan? Not so good?
Earht toSusan....your beloved Liberal Party has:
NO leader
NO policies
And NO money

Good luck in the next election

Oh that's right, the Star came out in support of Dion.

How did that work out?

[Island Man]

Harper would be a joke if he was not damaging Canada.

[Kim Philby]

Harper you make me grieve for my country and its veterans who sacrificed their lives for our democracy.

Please resign, you are the worst PM in our country`s history and the greatest danger to our nation.

After spending months campaigning to abolish the gun registry you cannot even make a government motion on the issue, or bury it in a budget document, like the selling off of AECL. On losing the vote, you then rally your troops by holding out the illusion that the gun issue gives your party the chance of a majority. Shake your head and look in the mirror. You will see a failure.

Election please.

Kim

[Percy]

No one more deserved the audience he had than Stephen Harper.

[ck]

I see the Conbot trolls are out in full force pumping their sunshine. Give it up! We're a laughing stock on the world stage! Not the first time Harper clears a room at an international affair. Remember last year?

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20091012/kyoto_091012/

77 people walked out on him.

Politicians, scientists and many others even called for Canada to be suspended from the commonwealth last year.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/26/canada-criticised-over-climate-change

I could go on, but I must get read for work now. But, I will leave you with this.

Thanks to "our man Steve", Canada is just no longer one of the cool kids. The social outcast of the party.

My grandfather, who was a UN man, I'm glad he's not alive to see this. What an embarrassment!!

[Ontario Voter]

I guess PMO could make the following observations:

1. Following his address to the UN delegates, PM Harper received a very warm applause from every single one of the crowd, or
2. During PM Harper's passionate address, the crowd was so quiet and attentive that one could hear a pin drop, or
3. The hall was packed with delegates when Obama and the Swiss President spoke. PM Harper's electrifying speech came after and it could be seen that more delegates drifted in as he was speaking.

Oh yeah, and for good measure, Canada's back --- yeah, way back !!!

[RunnertheFirst]

This post by Susan Delacourt has to one of the biggest shams committed in the name of news gathering I have had the displeasure of reading. Ms. Delacourt knows as well as anyone else who took the time to actually watch the UN proceedings the Swiss leader got a huge crowd as she was taking Mr. Obama's place. He was apparently delayed in traffic. Mr. Obama's speech, which followed the Swiss leader's, was well attended as you can see. However the crowds cleared out immediately afterwards starting with the Malawi representative. The Chinese leader who immediately preceded Mr. Harper was speaking to a basically empty house. Ms. Delacourt should know better than to report just half the news. Sham Ms. Delacourt sham.

[RunnertheFirst]

This post by Susan Delacourt has to one of the biggest shams committed in the name of news gathering I have had the displeasure of reading. Ms. Delacourt knows as well as anyone else who took the time to actually watch the UN proceedings the Swiss leader got a huge crowd as she was taking Mr. Obama's place. He was apparently delayed in traffic. Mr. Obama's speech, which followed the Swiss leader's, was well attended as you can see. However the crowds cleared out immediately afterwards starting with the Malawi representative. The Chinese leader who immediately preceded Mr. Harper was speaking to a basically empty house. Ms. Delacourt should know better than to report just half the news. Shame Ms. Delacourt shame.

[MJH]

The Toronto Star just loves to trash Canada. Put the country down, that is very patriotic!!

[Jimbo]

Wait ... Gabby ... are you honestly saying that delegates wanted lunch more than they wanted to sit and listen to the PM?

Not sure your statement refutes the perception all that much if your man can't compete with lunch.

[FE Dup]

Shhot the meeanger...can't you cons get a new schtick?

[Anonymous]

Lies. Lies. Lies. Susan Delacourt is planning on lining up a plum gig in Iggy's PMO after a career of shilling for them at the "Red" Star? Fact is China had about the same turnout, and they're um, pretty important.

[Gabby in QC]

Posted by: Jimbo | September 24, 2010 at 11:59 AM
"Wait ... Gabby ... are you honestly saying that delegates wanted lunch more than they wanted to sit and listen to the PM?
Not sure your statement refutes the perception all that much if your man can't compete with lunch."
Well, at least you used a sense of humour, unlike most lefties who usually rag on me and my comments.
I didn't anticipate that droll take of yours ... what I WAS hinting at was that well-fed UN delegates never would consider losing out on a free lunch. I guess I should have been more direct. I hope I've learned a lesson.

[Margaret]

Well, he's boring in the extreme.

It's bad enough having to listen to that high-pitched, tight voice here in Canada, in brief shots -- but to have to sit there and listen to a long one, when you don't have to? I'd leave for coffee too.

The guy has nothing at all interesting to say. Ever. He's a crappy speaker to boot.

[Helen Macpherson]

They say a photograph is worth a thousand words, not when the words are from neocon parrots who can't think or spell and can only repeat the propaganda taught them by their trainers. Keep up the good work, Susan Delacourt, you are a welcome wise owl among the parrots!!!

[johnnyk]

Less compelling than a tuna sandwich.