Every once in while, we look in on the New Democratic Party’s sputtering national leadership discussion. It is really more of a crawl than a race. And when you look at the four remaining candidates in the selection process for this fall, you wonder why they are bothering. The basic
Continue readingAuthor: Peter Lowry
Babel-on-the-Bay: The NRA’s ‘Call to Arms.’
Anywhere but America, this would be considered an act of treason. Why anyone involved in directing the National Rifle Association of America is not locked away at this time is the question? Instead the argument rages as to the truth of a recent advertisement created to support the NRA. To
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Rule of law beats bigotry.
We should all get down on our knees and thank whatever God we worship that we live in a land ruled by law. This argument over a multi-million-dollar settlement and an apology for Omar Kadr is a disgrace. It is not a political decision. It is a legal settlement for
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Getting to know Patrick Brown.
Thank goodness for Newton’s third law. It is the law of physics that says for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. It also seems to be a law of politics. It just works differently. It is like those commercials being given intense exposure on Ontario television recently
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Are these the summer doldrums?
Why do the talking heads of television shut down for the summer? While we know that it is just our hardcore readers who drop by during these months, we are not going to let them down. There is lots to discuss. That takeover by Jason Kenney in Alberta has yet
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A land big enough for a rubber ducky.
That churlish little man, Conservative leader Patrick Brown, stood in the Ontario legislature a while ago to make fun of a rubber ducky he had never even met. That rubber ducky has now arrived and that silly man can quack all he likes, that rubber ducky adds something to an
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Expo 67: A sharp turn for Canada.
It was 50 years ago that the wife and I went to Montreal and camped for a week at my brother’s house while we spent our days at Expo 67. It was in glorious summer weather and we had a wonderful time in line at exhibits with people from all
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The tremors of Trump.
Each year at this time, we do a little introspection. While Canada Day 2017 is as joyous as ever, we feel it is the impact of the American President that causes those ground tremors we are feeling. The man seems to stomp a lot. At first, we were under the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: ‘Chuckles’ Scheer is no attack dog.
It was two Regina MPs who helped Vassy Kapelos to wrap up her West Block show on Global TV for the summer. As she had Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the week before, she brought on the new Leader of the Opposition Andrew Scheer this week. She also took another shot
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Duking it out over hydrogen power.
Smart politicians stay out of arguments over technology. This was the point we were trying to make in our June 20 comments on the multi-billion-dollar plan to electrify Ontario’s Toronto-area commuter train services. It was never our intent to put down the idea of hydrogen-powered trains. It is very important
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Inviting President Trump.
In politics, you are not always able to dine with people you like. All to often you have to deal with the position rather than the person. And in the case of someone such as the President of the United States of America, the position outranks the person. And what
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Harry says nobody wants the crown!
That was the good news the other day. In an interview with American Newsweek Magazine, Prince Harry of the House of Windsor said that nobody in the royal family really aspires to being King or Queen. What Harry probably meant was that it would be unseemly for any royal to
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Spring clean out for Ontario booze.
Have you got it figured out yet? Every few years, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) thinks it will be a good time to clean its warehouses. To facilitate this house cleaning, it tries to clear all its warehouse shelves. It makes it easier to dust them. But you
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Granny Wynne knows best.
The current argument between Ontario’s New Democrats and the Ontario Liberals is like a school yard spat over who did what. It is not only childish but it makes both sides of the argument look foolish. They are arguing over who thought of having a mediocre pharmacare plan first. Neither
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The political position in public protests.
One of the most important classes you attend in the reality school of politics is that of the public protest. You have to learn your lessons fast. You learn how people can organize and lead and maximize the media value. You also learn to find the other guy’s organizer and
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Trials of Trump’s Translators.
The news that there is a serious search underway to replace President Trump’s loyal White House spokesman Sean Spicer is sad. That poor befuddled man has become something of a favourite of the media. And where else would you find someone with the experience required, stupid or vain enough to
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The anger factor.
A reader on the west coast asked the other day if we are seeing anger in Liberal ranks directed at Prime Minister Trudeau’s disrespect for the party? What was strange about the question was that most of that anger is building on the west coast. The flash point will be
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Gambling with losers.
You find by being observant that the people in a hurry to get to the cashier at a casino are usually the ones wanting to get more money to gamble. Why a casino would extend credit to people is a question that is hard to answer. The question was partly
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The attention span of four-year-olds?
You sometimes wonder about the Ontario Liberal government. The kids in the cabinet are too easily distracted. Just the other day, we were reading about transportation minister Stephen Del Duca bragging to a newspaper reporter about the regional express rail expansion—a $13.5 billion electrification program to quadruple commuter train service
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The wonder of Wynne’s waffling.
They tell us that Premier Wynne is wondering why she has failed to connect with Ontario voters. She thinks she won the last provincial election as a politician. In truth, she was given a conditional go-ahead because her opponents fell on their faces. She won a chance to prove herself.
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