Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page have concluded in a recent study that democracy has been successfully subverted in the United States. That country, they write, is now an oligarchy. The American Supreme Court has had a hand in establishing that oligarchy. In the Dred Scott decision of 1857, the court
Continue readingAuthor: Owen Gray
Northern Reflections: Stephen Marois?
On the surface, Stephen Harper and Pauline Marois couldn’t be more different. They have diametrically opposed visions of what is best for this country. But, Haroon Siddiqui writes, they are disturbingly alike: Both use phony wedge issues to consolidate their base and polarize the public. Neither cares for the long-term
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Smelling A Skunk
Eric Grenier writes that, the more Canadians learn about the Fair Elections Act, the less they like it: Opposition to the Conservative government’s proposed Fair Elections Act (Bill C-23) is widespread and growing, according to a new poll by Angus Reid Global. The survey, conducted online from April 14-15 and
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Christians Like Us
The Harper Party insists that its values are the values of the vast majority of Canadians. But, Linda McQuaig writes, Senator Linda Frum’s recent musings reveal just how narrow and inverted Conservative values really are: Frum’s adamant insistence — at a Senate hearing and later in a series of well-publicized
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Stench Keeps Getting Stronger
Geoff Norquay — Stephen Harper’s former Director of Communications — believes that, with the RCMP’s decision to drop its investigation of Nigel Wright, the Senate scandal is off the public’s radar screen. But Michael Harris asks the question we should all be asking ourselves: “Does the RCMP work for us,
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Making The World Safe For Capital
Complaints about the Temporary Foreign Workers Program keep piling up. This morning the Vancouver Sun reports: B.C. workers ranging from seasoned professionals to teenage fast-food employees are complaining about being dumped in favour of non-residents as Ottawa scrutinizes employers who abuse the Temporary Foreign Worker program. Vern Doak is a
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Worshipping Ignorance And Greed
Michael Harris writes that Stephen Harper has a future — in Arizona and several other Republican states: In that state, voters must now present proof of citizenship before they can cast their ballots. It’s the same in Kansas. Like a lot of Republican states, Arizona claims the legislation is designed
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Reading The Signs
Over the weekend, voters — in Calgary and Kitimat — made two important decisions. Tim Harper writes: In one, Conservatives in Calgary’s Signal Hill riding finally rid themselves of a six-term embarrassment named Rob Anders, handing the nomination to a former provincial cabinet minister, Ron Liepert, in a family feud
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Prematurely Old Man
Stephen Harper likes to boast that seniors are his most loyal supporters. You’ll notice that he has very little to say about the young. That’s because he really isn’t concerned about them. Take job creation — something for which the prime minister claims a special talent. Carol Goar writes: A
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Vapid Party
Conservatives, Andrew Coyne writes, believe in absolutes and reject moral relativism: Conservatives at their best disdain the lazy moral relativism that passes for sophistication in some corners of the left. There are such things as right and wrong, they insist, not right for some and wrong for others. Some absolutes
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: They’re Getting Worried
This week, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives put out a media release in which they insisted that their taxes were not too low. Linda McQuaig writes: This defensive posture — who mentioned murder? — reveals they fear others may be slowly catching on to the massive transfer of wealth
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Time To Shut This Show Down
It was a remarkable display of arrogance. In yesterday’s question period, Thomas Mulcair asked Stephen Harper if he would apologize for Pierre Poilivere’s “cowardly and baseless attack” on Marc Mayrand. The prime minister rose, congratulated Philippe Couillard on his electoral victory and then sat down. And the barking seals honked
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Democracy Itself
Pierre Polivevre has met all criticism of the “Fair” Elections Act with a mantra of talking points and — in the case of Marc Mayrand and Sheila Fraser — ad hominem attacks. It’s all been rather depressing. But, Murray Dobbin writes, those very tactics present opponents of the government with
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Gone The Way Of History?
Chantal Hebert writes this morning that the Parti-Quebecois may turn out to be a one generation wonder: One of the PQ’s worst fears has long been that it would turn out to be the party of a single generation. Over their short time in office, Marois and her team have
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Rich Get Richer — But Nobody Else Does
That’s the conclusion of a report which was recently released by the Canadian Centre For Policy Alternatives. According to the Canadian Press: The country’s 86 richest individuals and families — or 0.002 per cent of the total population — are getting exponentially richer and now have accumulated as much wealth
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Oil Barons Are In Charge
The conventional wisdom, Linda McQuaig writes, is that ordinary people don’t understand the science of climate change: It’s we ordinary people, with our self-absorption or resistance to change, who are the prime culprits in the world’s failure to act against climate disaster. But that’s backwards: By focusing on the alleged
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Sheer Stupidity
The Harperites have always insisted that their principal virtue is competent economic management. But, recently, Christopher Flavelle has been making the point that their record tells a different story: When the Conservatives took office in 2006, the median family income was $47,600. In 2011, the latest year for which Statistics
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Love And Ambition
Taken separately, both are worthy pursuits. But, when combined with the catalyst of romance, they are an explosive compound. Consider the case of Dimitri Soudas and Eve Adams. Tim Harper writes: This week, we present deposed Conservative party executive director Dimitri Soudas and Conservative MP Eve Adams, he a man
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Sore Winner
In his most recent column at ipolitics, Michael Harris recounts observations from people who have had to deal with Stephen Harper: “You have to appreciate Orwell to get a feel for Harper,” former Liberal interim leader Bob Rae told me. “His government doesn’t like alternate sources of information. It likes
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: All Is Not Well
Dimitri Soudas is gone. According to Paul Wells, it was not a graceful exit: Tonight, Hand-Picked Dimitri has become Ass-Kicked Dimitri, having resigned (CP’s first version) or been fired (CTV’s version) or been told to resign so he wouldn’t be fired (the later CP version) from his job as dynamic
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