One can either be appalled by the clown show that is now British politics, or one can cultivate and embrace a wry sense of humour. M.G. Duggan chooses the latter: A new door has been fitted at number ten. Recommend this Post
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Northern Reflections: The Blame Game – A Social Nightmare
Post Brexit Britain is in a bad way. Nesrine Malick writes: For all of the leading participants in our long national nightmare, everyone else is to blame. The rhetoric of the right is an upbeat blend of buck-passing for today’s crises – caused by Labour governments of the distant past,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: They Just Can’t Help Themselves
Every time they speak, they show their absolute contempt for ‘the people’. Who am I referring to? The British Conservation government. As a companion to yesterday’s post about the hapless Dominic Cummings, please enjoy, or bear witness to, the witless Cabinet Minister Michael Gove’s ‘defense’ of Cummings: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Village Idiot
I suspect few regard British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as anything other than a village idiot. If you have been following the scandal surrounding his Chief Adviser, Dominic Cummings, you will also see that like attracts like. Boris has been twisting himself out of shape defending the hypocritical Cummings; after
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Creeping And Very Real Threat
I am currently reading Linda McQuaig’s latest book, The Sport & Prey of Capitalists: How the Rich Are Stealing Canada’s Public Wealth. As with most of her books, despite her very clear, accessible writing style, I am having a hard time with it, disturbing as it is in so many
Continue readingmark a rayner: An Open Letter to Boris Johnson’s Hair
Dear Boris Johnson’s Hair, It’s really not going very well, is it? But it’s not your fault. It really isn’t. In the history of British… Continue ReadingAn Open Letter to Boris Johnson’s Hair The post An Open Letter to Boris Johnson’s Hair appeared first on mark a rayner.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Why Canadian media won’t call post-Brexit protests ‘pro-democracy demonstrations’
If there are riots in Britain after the hard Brexit Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party cronies have scheduled for Halloween, will mainstream media in Canada describe them as “pro-democracy demonstrations” as they do when similar violent outbursts take place nowadays in Hong Kong or Moscow? On the
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Happy Canada Day! In a troubled world, Canada stands out as a genuine triumph of bureaucracy
Happy Canada Day! One way or another, our Canada always seems to end up on every list of the world’s Top Ten economies. Granted, we are almost inevitably No. 10 of 10, which may leave the intensely competitive dissatisfied. But, realistically, this also means we’re No. 10 of 193, if
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Rick Strankman out as UCP candidate, latest Horner Dynasty scion in, deep in Alberta’s dinosaur country
Even if you’re no fan of Rick Strankman, United Conservative Party MLA for Alberta’s dinosaur country, you have to feel a little sympathy for the poor guy, skidded from his nomination by a candidate more appealing to party leader Jason Kenney. Mr. Strankman, 65, may not have been the sharpest
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Yesterday’s floor crossing won’t make much difference, but at least the Tories are getting their drama lessons
One way or another, as of yesterday 143 politicians have crossed the floor of the House of Commons or a Canadian legislature since Confederation. If you can’t name any or many of them offhand, there’s a good reason. A successful floor crossing usually generates a bit of excitement for a
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Fallout from Klein Government mismanagement two decades ago drifts in on the winds of the Carillon collapse
PHOTOS: Winter driving in Alberta (Photo: Wikimedia Commons). Below: Alberta Transportation Minister Brian Mason and Opposition Transportation Critic Wayne Drysdale. That Carillon bankruptcy … did it ring any bells with you? It certainly should have. The spectacular collapse of the U.K. construction giant Carillon PLC has not just shaken the
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The election of Jeremy Corbyn to lead Labour is proof that, sometimes, hope triumphs over fear mongering
PHOTOS: Jeremy Corbyn on Sept. 5, campaigning in Margate. (Photo by Chris Beckett.) Below: A young Mr. Corbyn, always true to his principles; the catastrophic Margaret Thatcher; 1970s Labour prime minister Harold Wilson; NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair. If you’re one of those who imagines Alberta has embarked on a “dangerous
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: This Is What Real Protest Looks Like
All Canadians could learn a lot from the Brits: London, United Kingdom – Activists and trade union leaders have called for a general strike and a mass campaign of civil disobedience to bring down the country’s new right-wing government as hundreds of thousands took to the streets of London and
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Sign I Would Live To See In Canada
This is how a politically disgruntled Brit is dealing with his frustration over the Tories. Anyone in Canada up for a little creative protest? Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Must Be His Eton Background
In the lead-up the May 7 British election, Prime Minister David Cameron, I guess, thought it was time to masquerade as ‘one of the people.’ He was photographed at a barbecue eating a hot dog: His mode of consumption elicited a flurry of responses from some Twitter wags: Hahhaa, David
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Mark Blyth: The Return Of Class Politics In The UK
Mark Blyth: The Return Of Class Politics In The UK. For David Cameron, cutting spending in a highly unequal society works because it doesn’t affect those who matter to him. This used to be called class politics. The prime minister’s speech at the lord mayor’s banquet last year was notable in part
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Our favourite Miliband | Red Pepper
Our favourite Miliband | Red Pepper. Our favourite Miliband Hilary Wainwright reveals which Miliband caught her fancy August 2010 I’d better come clean. For some time now I’ve been a closet Milibandite. No, not the renegade Westminster branch of the tendency. It was the late Ralph Miliband, father of current
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: A conservatism is spreading that the Tories can’t fathom | John Harris | Comment is free | The Guardian
A conservatism is spreading that the Tories can’t fathom | John Harris | Comment is free | The Guardian. A month or so ago, when the public’s opposition to any intervention in Syria was revealed, the stock explanation of their views was pretty simple – boiling down to Iraq, the unhinged premiership
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Appeasement at the BBC
Whenever I travel, especially when a Canadian television station is not available, I tend to tune into the BBC, which generally practises the kind of hard-hitting journalism that the CBC was once known for, before embarking upon a policy of trying to appease the right-wing. Sadly, that virus of appeasement
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: Brian Mulroney is going to be part of Canada’s official…
Brian Mulroney is going to be part of Canada’s official gaggle of groupies at Maggie Thatcher’s Bukkake party on April 17, 2013 in London, England. Yes, that Mulroney; the disgraced former prime minister who took bribes, defrauded Canadians of millions of dollars, cheated on his taxes and resigned under a
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