by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Mike Arnot

Age: 24

Occupation: President of Liberal McGill

Bio: This spirited buck of a downtown resident has been involved with Liberal McGill for the last three years. Currently studying law, he has a part-time gig assisting federal Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew in Ottawa one day a week and was inspired to become politically active after being introduced to the constitutional writings of Pete Trudeau as an undergrad at the Royal Military College. "I've always had an interest in politics and serving my country, so I thought I would start at the lowest possible level - which is, of course, partisan politics."

Words of wisdom: "Political parties are kind of like hockey teams. With the Montreal Canadiens, for example, you've got 18,500 people sitting in the stands, cheering and waving their banners or whatever, and six people on the ice. Some people fit by sitting in the stands and others fit by skating on the ice or by sitting on the bench. But everybody has a role. With politics, there just happens to be [an inordinate amount] of flag-waving yahoos."

Does he find that, much like hockey, many people eager to hook up with the Liberals just want to get behind a winner? "Like anything, there are people with strong principled backbones and there are opportunists. But then again, why would a person want to back a loser - like the Conservatives?"

One thing he feels might compromise the "strong principled backbones" of many Liberals: A leadership race and party members anxious to align themselves with candidates for personal gain.

Do the ladies swoon when he casually lets it slip that he is, indeed, El Presidente of Liberal McGill? Not really.

One important difference between the Progressive Conservatives and the Liberals: "The Conservatives tend to attract a lot more losers."

Liberal McGill's fiercest competitor for the hearts and minds of politically conscious McGill students: The NDP.

Something he is rooting for: The Free Trade Area of the Americas.

Does he believe the leftists on campus might simply dismiss him as a misguided pawn of "the Man?" "I'm not sure, maybe. But frankly, I don't even care. I'm sure our club is concerned with the same issues as they are."

One policy initiative Liberal McGill is working on: Trying to make university textbooks tax deductible.

Are there a lot of fine arts students involved with Liberal McGill? No.

Where you might find him boozin': Thompson House on McTavish, with his law student buds.

Something he does for fun: Plays on the Liberal McGill soccer team.

Musical preferences: Gotan Project, U2.

Last book read: The Paradox of American Power, by Joseph S. Nye Jr.

Television preferences: CBC's The National.

Newspapers read: The Financial Times, The Globe and Mail, the National Post, Le Devoir, The Economist.

One newspaper he never reads: The Gazette. "Come on, are you serious?"

Childhood ambition: To become prime minister of Canada.

Current ambition: To become chairman [emperor?] of the World Bank. "The World Bank gets a bad rap but it's a place where you can really make changes and help people." :

Comments? dimwit@openface.ca