When the term “national security” crops up, our thoughts usually turn to things military. Indeed the dictionary on my Mac defines national security as “the safety of a nation against threats such as terrorism, war, or espionage.” But the security of a people is often threatened by things other than
Continue readingAuthor: Bill Longstaff
Views from the Beltline: Canada finally accedes to Arms Trade Treaty
Ottawa has finally announced that Canada will become a party to the UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) later this year. The government has introduced Bill C-47 which amends the Export and Import Permits Act to ensure full compliance. In a press release on June 19, Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign
Continue readingNotes on Democracy: Is Democracy Unnatural?
Today is an exceptional time for democracy—the first time in history that most nations in the world may be called democratic (assuming we are generous with our definition). Democracy has, throughout history, been an occasional thing. Governments have in all times and places tended to autocracy. This isn’t surprising. Males
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Canada: relatively equal in an unequal world
The world is a very unequal place. As can be seen graphically on the figure to the right. The world’s lowest ten per cent of income earners average $266 US per year, the highest 10 per cent average $89,703 US. The average wage in Canada is $51,000. Not only is
Continue readingNotes on Democracy: Whither Sudan?
The prospects for Sudan brightened considerably last Friday. The military and pro-democracy forces reached a power-sharing agreement that should end a three-month political crisis that has paralyzed the country and led to dozens of deaths following a brutal assault on peaceful protesters by the authorities. The two sides will form
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: The irony of Italy’s immigration policy
Italy has a baby problem. Apparently Italians aren’t making enough of them. The country’s birth rate is the lowest it’s been since Italy itself was born in 1861. With deaths now greatly exceeding births, the population is shrinking. “We are in a terrible state,” says Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini,
Continue readingNotes on Democracy: Do People Really Want to Hear the Truth?
One of the most common myths about politics and politicians is that people just want to be told the truth. Unfortunately, that isn’t the truth. Donald Trump was elected president of the United States and it certainly wasn’t because he tells the truth. On the contrary, he is a compulsive
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: How much crap should Iran be expected to take from the U.S.?
Iran under the Ayatollahs is hardly a model nation. Domestically, it is repressive and, due largely to sanctions imposed by the United States, impoverished. Its foreign policy is aggressive. It supports groups that Canada has labelled terrorist, such as Hezbollah and Hamas, aids President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war,
Continue readingNotes on Democracy: The Democrats Reinvigorate Their Party and American Democracy
While there is much to despair about American democracy these days, there are also rays of hope, at least in the Democratic Party. If I had been an American during the 2016 election, I would have been an unhappy voter. Obviously, I couldn’t vote for the buffoon, but Hillary Clinton
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Are we capable of creating a sustainable future?
Reading an intriguing book the other day, I was reminded of our species’ inability to restrain our use of technology. The book is Bison and People on the North American Great Plains and contributors include historians, archeologists, anthropologists, paleontologists and Native American perspectives. It describes the history of the buffalo
Continue readingNotes on Democracy: I Am a Democrat … and an Elitist
There is much talk about populism these days. The term has a variety of definitions, but the general idea is that society is separated into two groups at odds with one another—the mass of the people and a corrupt elite. The populist leader claims to represent the will of the
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: What’s wrong with our Conservatives?
If this country were any example, one might conclude that Conservatives cannot, or will not, grasp the severity of the global warming threat. In Alberta, for example, the UCP has trashed what was a decent climate change program and set a course for all out expansion of the tar sands.
Continue readingNotes on Democracy: Putin Fails Liberal Democracy 101
Vladimir Putin is perhaps first among the anti-democratic strongmen that have emerged to soil the world. At the recent G20 summit he couldn’t resist taking a shot at liberal democracy, suggesting that it is becoming obsolete. The fact is that while the system he so loved, and faithfully served—Soviet Communism—lies
Continue readingNotes on Democracy: I’m Not a Socialist, Just a Discerning Citizen
If I bundled all my views on various issues, the bundle would probably be labelled social democrat. I am certainly a democrat, but I don’t think of myself as tied to any particular political philosophy, socialist or anything else. I am as much an atheist politically as I am religiously.
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Alberta merchants maintain $15 minimum wage
One of the first things the new UCP government in Alberta has done is lower the minimum wage for young workers from $15 to $13. Some Alberta merchants are having none of it. A growing group of companies has committed to paying their employees at least $15 an hour regardless
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Alberta should learn from the Trump tax cuts
The new Alberta government has promised to reduce the corporate tax rate from twelve to eight per cent over four years. This may seem arbitrary considering the conservatives have complained loudly about the province’s debt. Nonetheless, the UCP insists the cut is necessary to promote investment and create jobs. This
Continue readingNotes on Democracy: Is Anglosphere Democracy Becoming an International Joke?
Not long ago, if one were asked to name the world’s two leading democracies, the answer would probably have been the United States and the United Kingdom—the United States largely due to its power and the UK because of its long democratic traditions. Today, both of those countries are becoming
Continue readingNotes on Democracy: Democracy Speaks and Turkey’s Strongman Takes a Hit
A list of strongmen leaders running pseudo-democracies to justify their autocratic rule usually includes Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He has expanded the power of his presidency and increasingly curbed human rights and suppressed the media. His government uses financial and other leverage over media owners to influence coverage of
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: The minimum wage creates jobs—who knew?
With the election of conservative governments in Ontario and Alberta, progress on minimum wages in those provinces came to a screaming halt. In Ontario, the planned increase to $15 an hour was cancelled and capped at $14. In Alberta the minimum wage of $15 an hour was reduced to $13
Continue readingNotes on Democracy: The Spirit of Democracy Shines in Hong Kong
The condition of democracy is much in debate these days as fascist-tinged populism manifests itself from the United States to South America to Eastern Europe. It is, therefor, encouraging to see people in some places at least rising up against arbitrary rule in the name of democracy. In Hong Kong,
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