The late Keith Davey explained it that the point of the Truth Squad that got a great deal of media coverage in the 1963 election campaign was not to correct the meanderings of the creative mind of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. The point was to show that there was a
Continue readingAuthor: Peter Lowry
Babel-on-the-Bay: The pheromones of political power.
You can listen to the man but study the wife. Too many people think of politics as a man’s game but the real answers are from their women. Laureen Harper tells you more about Prime Minister Harper than he will tell you. Sophie Grégoire tells you a lot about her
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Reports from the Toronto mayoralty marathon.
A visitor to Toronto could only suppose that the election for mayor is to be held next week. The air is charged with the accusations, slurs, gutter language and snide reporting as though it were the final weeks of the campaign. And that is just in the social media. But
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The perseverance of Pierre Poilievre.
In a caucus of drones, Prime Minister Stephen Harper must have searched hard for one with the traits and training of a pit bull. He found that he had just the one in the person of Member of Parliament Pierre Poilievre. Harper made him a Minister of State less than
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: But can we get President’s Choice Scotch?
Can you not just admire these Ontario politicians? They are so brave and forward looking that they are going to try some liquor kiosks in a few of the bigger grocery stores. These are the super stores that have dry cleaners, wine kiosks, mini-banks, children’s wear and women’s dresses, pharmacies,
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Pot prices plummet.
Who said that nobody benefits from the Conservative’s mismanagement of the country? Look at what they have done with growing marijuana. By trying to regulate the growing of everyone’s favourite toke, the Tories have driven the street price for a nickel bag down to as low as $2 per gram.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Does Harper have to show you how Justin?
No Justin, you do not have to listen to some cranky left-wing liberal from the boonies of Ontario. When we first met four years ago, you were as easy to read as an open book. You had a direction and you were on your way. And we wish you well.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Morning Line: Quebec Election 2014.
Every election should have a morning line. As the polls are already open for advance voting in Quebec, this is a bit late but the situation in Quebec is still fluid. While the polls are showing the Quebec Liberal Party in the lead it is only marginal. As happens in
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: He lies, you know.
It was a critical moment. It was not quite an epiphany. It was the realization that the much acclaimed panel on CBC late night news is not as smart as we thought it was. This is the panel with the Toronto Star’s Chantal Hébert, Post Media’s Andrew Coyne and pollster
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Is the White House burning?
The last time Canada and the United States went to war on some pretext, our British troops went to Washington and set fire to the White House. That was 200 years ago. The current campaign against the American capitol is being run by the Ottawa office of a communications company
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Please do not leave it to Timmy.
For years in the 1900s when the Ontario Liberals were out of office and during the few years they were in, they refused to consider certain moves. The first of these moves was to amalgamate the City of Toronto. Right or wrong, that was done by former Premier Mike Harris.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Crockatt competes for CRAP crown.
Calgary Centre Member of Parliament Joan Crockatt has taken an early lead in this year’s CRAP Awards. In an award category usually dominated by party leaders and cabinet ministers, this year’s winner could easily be the Conservative backbencher from Calgary. Fondly referred to as Crappies, CRAP awards are named for
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Péquistes are in panic mode.
Quebec Premier Pauline Marois seems to be losing her overconfident grip on things political in her province. She picked the timing. She picked the star candidate. She set the agenda. She screwed up. It started with Marois’ Charter of Values. That was the most bigoted, ill-conceived, corruption of secular values,
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: On a play date with the Hair in Holland.
The Hair and friends are not going to let that kid Vladimir play in the G8 sandbox this time. The newly described G7 are meeting in The Hague this week and all the talk is about the member who is not there. It is all about Vladimir the Victor: He
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Making a ‘do-nothing’ look good.
This is embarrassing. The Ontario Liberal government has a cabinet minister responsible for next year’s Pan Am Games who makes the Conservative MPP from Barrie look good. The Liberal cabinet minister is the MPP for Markham-Unionville Michael Chan. English is obviously not his first language. To add the usual rudeness
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Popularity versus notoriety in Quebec.
In a news conference the other day, Quebec Premier Pauline Marois was accompanied by her star candidate Pierre Karl Péladeau. She was quoted as saying to the news media that nobody is perfect. Those are likely to be the definitive words of the current Quebec election campaign—along with the visual
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: You can do better Justin.
Now the kids are fighting. Ontario Liberal campaign organizer David MacNaughton is rejecting potential candidates. You get the bellicose complaints of Zach Paikin in Hamilton who is obviously trying to make a name for himself (other than his father’s). And you show up in Trinity-Spadina to try to smooth the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Premier Wynne aspires to be aspirational.
We are not entirely sure whether Ontario Premier Wynne is just breathing hard or seeking to achieve new heights. She told reporters the other day that the Liberals are going to have an aspirational budget. And just because Microsoft’s Canadian spell checker does not recognize the word, the Oxford dictionary
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Fighting the good fight against the Beer Store.
Martin Regg Cohn of the Toronto Star knows how it feels. He has been on the front lines for the Toronto Star long enough that he is showing the tedium of fighting the Beer Store. It is like punching your pillow. It just surrounds your fist and nothing happens. And
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: There’s a hard-ass on the lily-pad.
It would be better to note the resignation of Prime Minister Harper but a change of guard at Finance is a small start. At least we will not have Jim Flaherty croaking from the lily pond any more. Flaherty has been on divergent paths with the big frog Stephen Harper
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