Toronto has not lost a police chief. It has gained freedom. It has left an era of bad policing behind. It has new opportunities for better policing. It has new opportunities for discouraging crime, fewer gangs, fewer guns, easing of trouble spots and better relations between the police and the
Continue readingAuthor: Peter Lowry
Babel-on-the-Bay: The Hair’s ‘Politics of Division’
Asking a voter why s/he is going to vote for the Conservatives this fall can cause a rising anger. The anger is hardly directed at the voter. This person has been had. They have been duped. The anger can only be directed at the Prime Minister—he of the Hair! And
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The people wall is uncomfortable.
It is coming to a point where politicians will need to use videos of the right types of people behind them. It would certainly be better than the uncertainty of dragging in whoever is available to make up the backdrop for political announcements. It is the Prime Minister’s Office in
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Candidate: Pre-writ canvassing.
Part 3 of our series for Canada’s federal candidates. These spring days are golden times for canvassing. No political candidate worth the name can ever waste a single day without seeking out the opportunity to knock on doors. You can be relaxed, chatty and, above all, listening. This is when
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: ‘Diplomat’ Brown and his friend Narendra Modi.
What is wrong with Canada’s foreign relations is more than explained by the friendship of India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Patrick Brown MP. Yes, that is Patrick Brown, the most useless member of the Conservative back bench and the candidate for the leadership of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party. With
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Whining about Premier Wynne and wine.
Once again with feelings folks! We just found out from Ontario’s official newspaper the Toronto Star that the Ontario budget will not include selling good wine in grocery stores. We have been betrayed. We have been used. We have been had. This is unforgiveable. And what’s the excuse? It seems
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: No Cap ‘n Gown for Premier Wynne’s Cap ‘n Trade.
If you really want to screw something up, you just have to wait long enough for Ontario’s Premier Kathleen Wynne to get involved. When you know that your opponents will be on the attack as soon as you announce a new program, a little preplanning is a good idea. Ontario’s
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Legislating Ideology.
It is when you listen to the federal Finance Minister Joe Oliver that you realize what a breath of fresh air the late Finance Minister Jim Flaherty must have been in Mr. Harper’s Cabinet of Inadequate Ideologues. You can also imagine how he would have laughed at Joe Oliver’s suggestion
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Wynne works with the Arc of Political Change.
Political change is never a straight line. No politico ever wants to admit that they were not doing things properly nor do they ever want to make a 90 or, God forbid, 180 degree change. Change must be slow, incremental and loaded with plenty of political plaudits for the politicians
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Candidate: That pre-writ lit.
Part 2 of our series for Canada’s federal candidates. There are many arguments about the literature required by candidates in the pre-writ period (the time between being chosen as the candidate and the election call being official). If the Prime Minister decides to wait for the chosen date of October
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Patrick Brown is the ‘same old, same old.’
Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party is about to succumb to its worst nightmare. The party people thought they could never do worse than Timmy Hudak as their leader. They had obviously never met Barrie’s own Patrick Brown MP. Timmy Hudak made his signature promise in last year’s provincial election at the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: What’s the Senate all about Hair?
There is something of a contest going on. The Hair might draw the line at taking off his stuffed shirt and streaking the tourists gaping at Ottawa’s Confusion Square but no holds are barred in distracting Canadians from the Duffy Trial. The Duffy Trial is the big show in Ottawa
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A time and place for political deals
Election day in Ontario in 1985. On the way into a candidate’s campaign headquarters, Liberal Leader David Peterson’s executive assistant was leaving and we stopped to chat. There was no pussy-footing about the situation. “First thing tomorrow morning, you have to arrange a meeting with NDP Leader Bob Rae.” He
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Patrick Brown, we hardly knew you.
Ontario media have discovered Patrick Brown MP. Yes, that is our Patrick from Barrie. He has been our Member of Parliament for the last three parliaments. He was barely noticed. He said nothing. He did nothing. He was another mindless Conservative vote. He was your typical Conservative MP. But finally
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Alberta stumbles as the Hair’s empire crumbles.
There are at least a couple ridings in Alberta that could attract some smart Liberals for the federal election. Voters in that province are not stupid you know. They might also like to send a message to the Prime Minister after what he has helped to do to the province’s
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Candidate: “What do we do now?”
That question is never answered in the movie: The Candidate. It is the final line of the film delivered by actor Robert Redford. The bad news for any serious political candidate is that winning your party’s nomination is when the hard work begins. For all of those eager candidates being
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Ontario can have a two-day budget day.
Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa hardly needs us to tell him what to do. Premier Wynne put Ed Clark of TD Bank in charge. That way, she tells Clark and Clark tells Sousa. No comments from the cheap seats are allowed. But do they have any idea of how long
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: We’ve been goosed by Uncle Joe.
Once more the Canadian parliament has been downplayed by the Harper Conservatives. Even as simple an announcement as the date of bringing down the next budget is moved away from Ottawa. It was moved to a Toronto factory where people toil at sewing machines, assembling winter jackets for a garment
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: “Rules, shmules, we the boss:” says Brother Brown.
Canadians are usually fairly good about not mixing religion and politics. It is one of the less endearing traits of American politicos. That was why it was most unusual the other day when a B.C. member of the Conservative backbench quit his caucus and said he would sit as an
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Don’t care about politics? You’re missing the fun.
The talking heads of the news media tell us that Canadians no longer give a damn about politics. They think it is a yawn. That may be. It might also be that the talking heads are a yawn and they are failing to understand the problem. This blog seems to
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