…unless you’re a journalist who broke a story the Cons would have preferred to keep under wraps.

From the conference agenda for March 9:

9:00 pm - 12:00 am
Manning Rocks the Capital
(Empire Grill (47 Clarence Street)

A social evening with music, food and drink. Note: presentation of a conference badge gets one free admission. All others are welcome at a cost of $20. Entertainment by The Claytones.

Several journalists were in attendance. Then someone spotted Stephen Maher of Postmedia.

He was booted out.

His brother-in-arms Glen McGregor left in solidarity.

Here’s journo Susan Delacourt, who did not attend:

Susan Delacourt ‏@SusanDelacourt I listened all day at #mnc12 about democracy and advocacy “truth”. If @stphnmaher was kicked out, that talk is a joke. #cdnpoli

A Con apologist weakly tried to take her on:

Fraser Macdonald @macdonaldfraser @SusanDelacourt There’s a difference between democracy and reporters entering private parties. Standard procedure and not unfair at all.

Note the wording of the invitation above—the party was open to anyone with a $20 bill in their hand, a bit like the polling-place of the future. Delacourt notes:

@macdonaldfraser I got the invite to that party. I didn’t get the “if you did a story that makes us look bad” caveat. Not subtle.

Indeed. All in all, pretty odd, defensive behaviour from a crowd of Cons whose collective response to Roboscam thus far has been “it wuzn’t me.” And also a prime example of the innate thuggishness of those who share that ideology.

[H/t Big City Lib]

UPDATE: The whole story—including the fact that the CBC’s Kady O’Malley left in protest as well.

[H/t Marlawd]

UPPERDATE:* The wholer story? Stephen Maher is a man with great generosity of spirit. If he says the whole thing was a misunderstanding, who am I to argue?

[H/t commenter Holly Stick]