Russian president Vladimir Putin is on record as saying that the collapse of the Soviet Union was one of the 20th century’s major geopolitical disasters. Some might say this suggests he is an unregenerate communist but that, I suspect, is not the case. He was comfortable enough in the USSR,
Continue readingAuthor: Bill Longstaff
Evidence for Democracy
Our current federal government’s aversion to facts is now, unfortunately, well-established as a fact itself. Examples are legion, but I will just mention one. Health Minister Rona Ambrose has assured Canadians that her government is a firm believer in science-based policy. Unfortunately, in a recent CBC interview she went about
Continue readingCalling the bluff on "we must compete in the global marketplace"
The soul-numbing mantra “we must compete in the global marketplace” is much heard these days. Conservative politicians and business groups toss it out tirelessly as an argument to reduce taxes, and weaken labour and environmental laws. Unfortunately, their argument is valid. Trade agreements have so reduced the ability of national
Continue readingWho would you believe—Stephen Harper or Willie Nelson?
Apparently the $24-million of our tax money the federal government spent on an ad campaign to promote Canadian oil and the Keystone XL pipeline in Washington has gone down the drain. According to experts on Canada-U.S. relations, the campaign was a bust. “Buy our oil because we’re nice people—that doesn’t
Continue readingRIP—and thanks for the beer, Ed
The inventor of my favourite beer died this week. Ed McNally, former lawyer and barley farmer, who founded Big Rock Breweries in 1985 and introduced Traditional Ale (Trad to us aficionados), the world’s finest beer, a year later. Ed was a pioneer in craft beer. Unimpressed by the pale, fizzy,
Continue readingHillary Clinton—a very dangerous lady
During the Democratic nomination race for the 2008 U.S. presidential election, my preference was torn between a woman president or a black president. I was leaning toward the woman, Hillary Clinton, when, watching her on a TV interview, she stated that if Iran attacked Israel with nuclear weapons she would
Continue readingWhy is Purolator tackling hunger?
I confess that one of my minor pleasures is watching CFL games on TSN. Among the endless game interruptions is an ad/public service announcement in which genial Chris Schultz, member of the TSN football panel, hosts a presentation about the Purolator Tackle Hunger program. According to its website Purolator, the
Continue readingWhat keeps Canada together?
The above is the title of a survey commissioned by the Association for Canadian Studies and carried out by Leger Marketing earlier this year. The answer to what unites the country, from the 1,509 Canadians included in the survey, was clear. Of the 11 possibilities offered, the top two choices
Continue readingPR tops journalism in U.S.
If Americans often seem uninformed or misinformed about current affairs, it may be because they get more propaganda than news. There are now five times as many public relations experts at work in the U.S. than reporters. Furthermore, the difference is growing. While the number of reporters in the country
Continue readingHarper—not a man for our time
Vladimir Putin is a corrupt bully and I don’t like the guy. Nor do I like the mischief he’s up to in Ukraine. Nonetheless, I am not impressed by Stephen Harper’s self-righteous ranting about him. I find Harper very hard to agree with even when he’s on the right side
Continue readingLibya—another dictator replaced with chaos
Political use of the term “blowback” first appeared in the CIA’s internal history of the 1953 Iranian coup. Orchestrated by Britain and the U.S., the coup replaced the democratically-elected Mosaddegh government with the Shah. The term proved most appropriate as the big power mischief ultimately led to the Iranian Revolution
Continue readingIsrael vs. Hamas or Likud vs. Gaza—framing the issue
A major goal in a propaganda war is to frame the issue on your terms. For example, in labour disputes, businesses (and their political and media allies) often claim the argument is not with the workers but with the “union bosses.” The objective is to convince the public and perhaps
Continue readingFrank’s 10 happiness tips
Pope Francis may still be immersed in a certain amount of traditional Catholic misogyny, but he is nonetheless a breath of fresh air for the church, and for that matter, Christianity. In a recent interview he offered 10 tips to achieve happiness. The tips are worth repeating not only because
Continue readingWhy a lifelong Dipper is disappointed with Thomas Mulcair
Born and raised in Saskatchewan, I’ve been a supporter of the CCF/NDP since before Thomas Mulcair was born. The major reason is simply that Canada’s social democratic party has always been the voice of the vulnerable and the oppressed. And that is also the major reason I am uncomfortable with
Continue readingCanada Revenue Agency snubs Parliamentary Budget Officer
It may be hard to believe, but Canadians don’t know the difference between what the government is owed in taxes and what it collects. And we aren’t going to find out. That is the decision by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in response to a request from the Parliamentary Budget
Continue readingGermany stands up for democracy
Finally, someone has said enough to the erosion of democracy brought about by “trade” agreements. From NAFTA to the proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union, these agreements have eroded the power of governments in favour of investors. International agreements are, in themselves, a
Continue readingNHL is worried about global warming—listen up, Mr. Harper
Surprising perhaps, but the National Hockey League now produces a sustainability report. And it’s worried about global warming. According to League Commissioner Gary Bettman, “Our sport can trace its roots to frozen freshwater ponds, to cold climates. Major environmental challenges, such as climate change and freshwater scarcity, affect opportunities for
Continue readingHamas more legitimate than Harper’s Conservatives
Discussions on the Palestine issue are usually framed as Hamas vs. Israel. This suggests Hamas is merely an organization when in fact it is the democratically-elected government of Palestine, having won the last all-Palestine election in 2006. Or at least it was. That government collapsed after violent assault from Israel
Continue readingI’ll answer your question, Mr. Cameron
British Prime Minister David Cameron, like our PM a cheerleader for Israel, posed a rhetorical question this week: how would those criticizing Israel’s actions expect their own government to react if hundreds of rockets were raining down on their country’s cities? Well, Mr. Cameron, if hundreds of rockets were raining
Continue readingWho loves the US of A?
The answer to the above question, according to a Pew Research survey of 44 countries, is mostly everybody. Well, outside of the Middle East anyway. Not surprisingly, most Middle Eastern countries hold an unfavourable view of the U.S., led by Egypt where only 10 per cent of the population is
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