Remember in 2013, I wrote a rather lengthy post explaining the parallels between the Harper Government and fascism? Yeah, that. In the last week or so, the Harper Government has passed Bill C-51, which more or less turns the entire RCMP-CSIS-CSEC establishment into the PMO’s private police force. It grants
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The Cracked Crystal Ball II: What Happened, Alberta?
On Tuesday, May 5 2015 Alberta did the unthinkable – it elected an NDP majority government. For most who grew up in the province, this was an almost unimaginable change in government. Since the 1930s when the Social Credit party swept to power under “Bible Bill” Eberhart, Alberta has consistently
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: What Happened, Alberta?
On Tuesday, May 5 2015 Alberta did the unthinkable – it elected an NDP majority government. For most who grew up in the province, this was an almost unimaginable change in government. Since the 1930s when the Social Credit party swept to power under “Bible Bill” Eberhart, Alberta has consistently
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: What Happened, Alberta?
On Tuesday, May 5 2015 Alberta did the unthinkable – it elected an NDP majority government. For most who grew up in the province, this was an almost unimaginable change in government. Since the 1930s when the Social Credit party swept to power un…
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Brian Jean: WildRose’s Second Lake Of Fire?
Newly minted WildRose party leader Brian Jean is running around the province trying to drum up votes like every other politician in Alberta these days. His latest “fear” seems to be that the PCs are going to start sliming his party. “I think they’ll even claim our ethnic candidates areracist.
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Brian Jean: WildRose’s Second Lake Of Fire?
“I think they’ll even claim our ethnic candidates are
racist. I wouldn’t be surprised.”
The interview is over but a couple minutes later Jean phones back. He wants to add something.
He says the PC run the same kind of playbook as the federal Liberals tried on Stephen Harper. Remember, Jean served in the Harper government, as did Prentice.
“They tried to demonize him. They said we had a secret and hidden agenda. They claimed we were theocrats and racists and bigots and there were going to be soldiers on the streets of Canadian cities.”
“The PCs do this because they have taken over the space of the Liberal Party of Canada in Alberta. The PCs have taken that ground.”
For the record, Jean says he “has no interest whatsoever” in pushing social agenda issues. Gay-straight alliances will stay with Wildrose.
I suspect most Albertans know very little about Mr. Jean, except that his son passed away recently. I certainly hadn’t heard of him before myself.
The Cracked Crystal Ball II: WRP, The ISS Just Saw Your Reality Cheque Bounce Past Them
When newly minted WildRose leader Brian Jean spoke on the party’s budget plank, he demonstrated just how unrealistic the neoliberal model of government is. “We believe that any Albertan that goes into any government service will see inefficiencies and …
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: WRP, The ISS Just Saw Your Reality Cheque Bounce Past Them
When newly minted WildRose leader Brian Jean spoke on the party’s budget plank, he demonstrated just how unrealistic the neoliberal model of government is. “We believe that any Albertan that goes into any government service will see inefficiencies and things they would actually see to change themselves. We are bringing
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Why The "Fight Against ISIS" Is A Farce
Prime Minister Harper’s current political “divert the public’s attention” strategy is to beat on the war drums over ISIS. Yes, ISIS is a brutal lot, and they are doing a lot of horrible things. Should they be held accountable for their actions? &…
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Why The "Fight Against ISIS" Is A Farce
Prime Minister Harper’s current political “divert the public’s attention” strategy is to beat on the war drums over ISIS. Yes, ISIS is a brutal lot, and they are doing a lot of horrible things. Should they be held accountable for their actions? Absolutely. Are the western powers the right people
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Canada’s Economy: Not Exactly Healthy
If you are a worker, you already know that Canada’s economy is a mess. The only people who don’t seem to know it are at the top. Press Progress published a very detailed analysis of how messed up our economy is today. A few of the highlight…
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Canada’s Economy: Not Exactly Healthy
If you are a worker, you already know that Canada’s economy is a mess. The only people who don’t seem to know it are at the top. Press Progress published a very detailed analysis of how messed up our economy is today. A few of the highlights: First, the good
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Harper’s Slide Into Fascism Is Complete
With the tabling of Bill C-51, Harper has completed his slide into fascism, with a healthy dose of totalitarianism added to it. Effectively, Bill C-51 not only creates a PMO-controlled police state, but it also effectively criminalizes any form of political dissent by leaving the decision of what constitutes a
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: The International Game Of Chicken
The current low oil prices have been characterized as a high stakes game of “chicken” between OPEC countries and “non-conventional” producing countries like Canada and more recently the US. I don’t pretend to know the state of the books for OPEC’s countries, but I imagine they have a significant chunk
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: A Little Heresy – Alberta Style
So, according to Premier Prentice, the downturn in oil prices is going to create an $11 Billion hole in provincial revenues, and is now talking about putting the brakes on all kinds of infrastructure spending, including a new cancer hospital in Calgary. Okay, that’s a significant chunk of change. Let’s
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: On The WRP Collapse
Much has been made of the WRP’s collapse in Alberta this past week. Everything from speculation about the role of various people, to Ms. Smith more or less admitting that she was being undermined by the Social Conservative rump of the party. Back when the WRP was just getting
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Bishop Henry, Bill 10 … Lies, Lies and More Lies
If there is one thing that I find infuriating, it is when grown men like Bishop Henry lie. In today’s Calgary Herald, there is a copy of a pastoral letter that Bishop Henry has had distributed through the churches of his diocese. In it, we find the following little gem:
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: _THIS_
I was never a fan of Bush II and his malicious sidekick Cheney, and even less so of their misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq. Yesterday’s revelations of CIA Torture are crimes. These people abused prisoners in ways that all Western powers should be horrified by, and they knew damn good and
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Prentice’s Bill 10: A Legislative Trojan Horse
There is little doubt that the Prentice government is getting its ass handed to it on the editorial pages of newspapers across Canada with respect to its hastily written Bill 10 counter response to Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman’s Bill 202. After looking at Bill 10 for a little while, I
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: An Open Letter To Jim Prentice
Dear Mr. Prentice, In responding to MLA Laurie Blakeman’s Bill 202 as you did, you have just thrown LGBT students under the political bus AGAIN. Let me be abundantly clear here. Clause 11.1 one of the Alberta Human Rights legislation does not “protect” the rights of anyone. It creates an
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