Here, on the need to question both the importance of trade agreements compared to other forms of interjurisdictional cooperation in general, and the Cons’ warped priorities in particular.For further reading…- Again, here’s the Council of Canadians’ n…
Continue readingTag: columns
Accidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, following up on this post as to the public returns Saskatchewan stands to lose if Brad Wall insists on giving away liquor profits to private operators rather than working within the proven SLGA retail model.A few footnotes to the columns…- The …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the Republicans’ electoral strategy once again included a failed attempt to prioritize fossil fuels over mere people – and how the Harper Cons look to be on the verge of making the same mistake.For further reading on the developing resourc…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the Saskatchewan Party’s unprecedented attack ads against the participants in another party’s leadership race represent an attempt to silence all political debate that isn’t pre-approved by the marketing departments of its own resource-industry backers. As an addendum to the column, I’ll note that the leadership candidates have
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on the increasing attempts of executive government at all levels to declare democracy irrelevant – and how strong grassroots party structures may be the key to reversing the tide. For further reading…– Again, Andrew Coyne’s column remains the definitive discussion of the issue at the federal and provincial levels.–
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on the dangers of allowing corporate voices and employers to dictate what citizens are permitted (or required) to say about political issues. While I didn’t include a direct comparison in the column, I’ll point out the rather stark contrast between the employer abuses exemplified by Murray Energy Company and
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the Regina Chamber of Commerce is taking election misdirection to new lows in this fall’s municipal campaign. For further reading…– Vanda Schmokel pointed out the same issue earlier this week.– The Chamber’s Regina Votes site is here. The City of Regina’s official site with the same theme
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how Mitt Romney’s attacks on 47% of American voters is an all-too-natural consequence of rhetoric about taking citizens “off the tax rolls”. For further reading…– Chuck Marr and Chye-Ching Huang discuss the real tax rate faced by people who bring in less than the income-tax threshold here.– For
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, taking a quick look at the early-campaign strategies of Saskatchewan’s NDP leadership candidates. For more analysis on the race…– Pat Atkinson offers her take on what the NDP needs to do while building through the leadership campaign and beyond.– Murray Mandryk focuses largely on Trent Wotherspoon’s crowd as defining
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on the importance of substance over spin in politics – and the counterproductive effect of dedicating a party’s resources to the opposite effect. For further reading…– As I’ve previously noted, the observations of Allan Gregg and Winslow Wheeler are here and here respectively.– Joe Klein discussed the impact of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the Saskatchewan NDP’s leadership rules (PDF) are nicely set up to encourage a broad outreach effort by candidates. For further reading…– The NDP’s leadership page is here. – Buckdog is running a dedicated blog for leadership news. – And Cam Broten is the first candidate to formally
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, expanding on my previous post as to why we should be wary of Brad Wall’s plans for potash royalties. For further reading, I’ll again recommend Mitchell Anderson’s Tyee series contrasting how Norway has handled its natural resources with Canada’s laissez-faire system. (And the lesson seems all the more applicable
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on the tendency for political parties to try to glorify past leaders by plastering their names and faces on the map – and the potential for Jack Layton’s legacy to be based on a far more direct connection to citizens. For further reading…– Politico documents some of the Republicans’
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the Canadian Medical Association’s new focus on inequality and the social determinants of health may be nicely timed to shape Canada’s political future. For further reading…– Some of the CMA’s history of advocating for increased privatization can be found here, here and here.– By way of comparison,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the mixed-riding proposal of Saskatchewan’s federal electoral boundaries commission offers at least some improvement over the current all-rurban mess when it comes to recogizing communities of interest. For further reading…– Joe Couture covers both the initial proposal, and reactions from parties and academics.– Kelly Block’s acknowledgment that
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the Gateway pipeline serves as a prime example as to why governments shouldn’t be too quick to minimize environmental assessment processes. For further reading…– Robyn Allan’s latest discussion of the Gateway pipeline is here.– Kevin Logan documents Christy Clark’s position prior to her latest desperate call for
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how Regina City Council’s attempt to use the same old spin to sell yet another stadium plan (which leaves most of the cost and all of the risk with the city) might be the breaking point for public trust in then current Councillors. For further reading… The provincial
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on Mitt Romney’s nine-figure individual retirement account – and the lessons we should learn for our own tax policy. For further reading…– D.M. Levine and William Cohan are among many who have speculated as to how Romney may have amassed his IRA.– Eugene Robinson comments on how the U.S.’
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, expanding on a previous blog post as to how the Etobicoke Centre appeal heard by the Supreme Court this week may affect future Canadian elections. For more, see the coverage from Macleans, Postmedia, the Hill Times and CBC, as well as columns from Susan Delacourt and Adam Goldenberg (who
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the most important labour reform Saskatchewan could pursue would be a guaranteed annual income that allows workers to plan for the long term rather than being stuck in low-income traps. For more on the Mincome project discussed in the column, see here and here. And anybody interested
Continue reading