The Passion Pit

I went to a debate the other night and saw something I don’t see every day. Passion. It was the Munk Debate on Foreign Aid, and the four speakers certainly knew their stuff. Arguing in favour of foreign aid were Stephen Lewis who is the former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, and Paul Collier, economics professor and Director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies at Oxford University. Arguing against were Dambisa Moyo, a native of Zambia and author of the book Dead Aid, and Peruvian economist Hernando De Soto.

I got intrigued after reading about Moyo and her book in the newspaper a few days before the debate. A couple calls later and I had a pair of tickets.

Regardless where one stands on the issue, there was no doubt that the four people up on that stage were passionate about the subject.

I had met Stephen Lewis a long time ago when I was a reporter and he was on the hustings during an Ontario election campaign. I remember being somewhat taken with him. He was articulate, polite, and actually seemed to believe in what he was saying – a most unusual trait for a politician.

I have read his book Race Against Time, which is about AIDS in Africa, and his passion and love for that continent came through loud and clear. I have also heard his lengthy interview with the CBC’s Shelagh Rogers about this issue, and the passion was there again. As expected, Lewis did not disappoint in the Munk Debate. He shared a podium with A-list speaker/intellectuals and probably came out as the most passionate of the group. He also showed a sense of humour when he said he’s a socialist and, as a consequence of that, knows a thing or two about theory not working in practice.

Dambisa Moyo, who holds a Doctorate in economics from Oxford University and a Masters from Harvard, is no slouch. She feels that the West is far too paternalistic in its treatment of her native continent, that aid is largely wasted and misdirected, and that it works against African prosperity. She, too, exhibited passion.

Hernando De Soto is president of Peru’s Institute for Liberty and Democracy, which is from what I gather one of the world’s top think tanks. While some of his remarks were over the heads of those who aren’t economists, it was abundantly clear that he possesses a social conscience. Economists are not normally regarded as the most passionate among us, but he acquitted himself well.

Paul Collier is a professor and curiously enough, a former teacher of Ms. Moyo. He is a very knowledgeable man to be sure, but somewhat lacking in colour. However, he wasn’t lacking in candour at the debate.

Passion can be an elusive commodity. Unless one is a skilled actor, it’s hard to fake, although a great many try. If you have it, everyone will know. Barack Obama, an intellectual and a masterful orator, has it but it’s not the type of passion that exudes in the way that a volcano exudes molten lava. His is a more cerebral kind of passion.

During the primaries leading up to the U.S. election, Hillary Clinton didn’t demonstrate a whole lot of passion. She did exhibit all the traits of a professional politician who is up on the issues, but aside from one appearance when she shed a tear or two, I didn’t see much emotion. There may have been more from John McCain, but he also came across as overly rehearsed.

What about Canada? Up here we have lots of opportunistic politicians – aren’t all politicians opportunists? – but I think it’s safe to say that our current batch of leaders is a passion-less bunch. On the passion barometer, every one of them is hopeless.

Stephen Harper is nobody’s fool – even if he has abandoned many of his conservative principles in order to try to govern this country – but the word ‘passion’ doesn’t come to mind when one mentions his name. If he has any, it’s well hidden behind his carefully crafted Key Messages.

Michael Ignatieff? The man comes across as stilted, scripted, arrogant, and boring, so boring in fact that he must have graduated summa cum laude from the Robert Stanfield Institute of Excitement. In other words, he is your classic Canadian politician.

Jack Layton I remember well from his days as a Toronto councillor when he was vehemently anti-police, anti-business, and pro-revolution. A modern-day Che Guevera, if you will, but without the passion. His offering, I am afraid, is so rehearsed as to come off as insincere.

What about Gilles Duceppe? He is yet another who tries his best to fake passion, but fails. And since we’re on the subject, remember former Liberal Leader Stephane Dion trying to portray anger in front of a TV camera?

Pitiful.

Hundreds of people, among them scores of Toronto’s glitterati society, attended the Munk Debate on Foreign Aid. When it was over, organizers brought out the gourmet foods, wine, and freebies like 10-inch tin cans full of “irresistibly smooth milk chocolate,” courtesy of the Swiss. It all went down very nicely, thank you, but hey, this was about aid to Africa, wasn’t it?

Nevertheless, the speakers were impressive. They showed knowledge and, for the most part, passion. Stephen Lewis especially. Now wasn’t he a politician at one time? I believe he was. Unfortunately, it was the wrong party.