The headline was supposed to be ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ It did not seem right though to invoke a Deity. Considering how many Deities are promoted around Toronto these days, it could have ended up a three-line headline. This started out to be about Ontario premier Doug Ford.
Continue readingAuthor: Peter Lowry
Babel-on-the-Bay: When the Kingfish rules.
While many see him as a Trump-lite, Ontario’s premier Doug Ford is more of a politician in the tradition of Louisiana’s governor Huey P. Long (Born 1893 – Assassinated 1935). Long liked being called “The Kingfish.” This is unlike American president Donald Trump’s evident nihilism which is mainly a rejection
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Pompeo’s Rebellion.
It makes you wish you were there to see the look of astonishment on the European’s faces as American secretary of state Mike Pompeo explained his version of Donald Trump’s ‘Brave New World.’ It happened last week in Brussels. It might have contradicted the agreement Mr. Trump made with China’s
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Bitumen’s Bedfellows.
Global News and CBC News are both hung up on supporting the politicians and tar sands exploiters who lie to them about tar sands bitumen. The province of Alberta is even running ads on these networks that refer to bitumen as oil. They make false statements about what is being
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The woe of women in politics.
Last weekend there was a trifecta in political opinions in the Toronto Star that were equally wrong. The paper must be desperate for more knowledgeable opinions other than their usual scribes. To my surprise, I was appalled at the opinion expressed by new democrat Robin V. Sears, concerned at the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Singing a sad song for Singh.
What is the world coming to? Here we have a die-hard conservative such as Jaime Watt in Toronto commiserating with the new democrats over the bad choices of NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. Watt was telling us in a Toronto Star opinion piece that he was expecting liberal MP Rag Grewal
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Defectors define democracy.
One of the critical strengths of our Canadian democracy is that we elect people in each electoral district to represent us in parliament. While we might choose them because of the party they represent, they have the right to determine at any time whether or not to be a part
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Complacency is Justin Trudeau’s enemy.
With a federal election ten months away, we can ignore all polls. They tell us little. It reminds me of the first party campaign in which I was involved. It was in 1964. My friend Charles Templeton was working for the Toronto Star and agreed when I and others asked
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: If you cannot confront, confuse.
It is a desperation strategy. As one of the three programs fighting greenhouse gases in Canada, Ontario’s ‘Carbon Trust’ is certainly the zaniest. Where ‘Cap and Trade’ lets industries buy extra carbon emissions from each other and a ‘Carbon Tax’ lets the polluters pay (with a rebate to consumers), this
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Premier Notley comes to Ottawa.
She rode out of the west to plead her case in Ottawa this past week. Strangely, it is the same case as her arch rival, Jason Kenney, would have made. He would have been more strident and threatening. Let us say that Alberta has many hopes for Ottawa—mainly money. The
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Meet Ms. Mulroney and Ms. Simard.
Coventry can be described as that place in the corner of the Ontario legislature to where politicians are sent to be forever forgotten. They continue to draw their pay from the taxpayers but there are no committee perks and no opportunity to speak on motions. It is a place for
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: I, Dinosaur.
While ruminating, the other day, over something brilliant to say about the pickle the politicians are in over the unkind machinations of General Motors, I was actually more concerned about my Buick. It was selfish, I guess. It was also serious. It will probably be my last General Motors gas
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Where bullies wear blue.
Welcome to Queen’s Park. This is that island in the centre of Toronto that carries the weight of Ontario’s provincial government. The uniform of the day on this island of pecker heads is a blue suit. A white shirt or blouse is appropriate and a tie is obligatory for the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: American capitalism betrays us.
Since 1908, when Sam McLauglin started building auto bodies in Oshawa for William Durant’s Buicks, Canada has been part of what became General Motors. Through good times and bad times, in World Wars and in boom times Canadians have supported GM. Today, we stand betrayed. The relationship was always a
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Biting the hand with the handouts.
We have warned Justin Trudeau repeatedly that those so-called independent senators are going to bite him on the bum. Blame him for all those Christmas presents that Canada Post cannot deliver by Christmas this year. Every day of further delay is thousands of packages undelivered. But elitism cannot be rushed.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Doppelgangers don’t do it.
There is a tendency among political leaders to have someone very much like themselves to serve as their chief of staff. It gives them confidence that the person will react as they do and carry out solutions much the same as their principal. It is a lazy person’s solution. And
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Competing with Donald Trump?
It is unlikely that Canadians had any idea just how much American president Donald Trump would cost them. Our great-great grand children will be paying off Canada’s national debt. And if anyone could explain what good it will do, we would be rushing out to ring all the church bells
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: You don’t have to go to St. Mike’s to be bullied.
The original intent was to ignore the bad public relations of St. Michael’s College School. It amazes me that the current situation there could be handled so badly. The principal and president might have taken the fall because they might have been a few generations behind times but it is
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Bitumen Business: Not for the timid.
As much as we try to keep up to date on the business of bitumen, it is not because we want to report every dip and dive in the industry. Far from it. The problem is keeping track of what the tar sands exploiters and their public relations people at
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: And a possum shall lead them.
Are you old enough to remember American Walt Kelly’s sage words: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”? And if you knew what those words meant, there is still hope. Cartoonist Kelly died in 1973 but people still make pilgrimages to the Okefenokee Swamp to seek the wisdom
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