Eight Alberta United Conservative Party MLAs, five of them cabinet ministers, now admit they’ve been interviewed by the RCMP in the federal police force’s ongoing investigation into the curious goings on during the party’s 2017 leadership race, from which Premier Jason Kenney emerged victorious. Every time another UCP Caucus member
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Montreal Simon: The Rancid Racism of Andrew Scheer’s Cons
Two days ago Andrew Scheer was finally forced to answer questions about what he thought of Donald Trump's racist remarks, and it wasn't a pretty sight.He hummed, he hawed, he fidgeted like a fish on a hook. He looked really uncomfortable.And now we know why.For while Scheer called Trump's comments offensive,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Jim Stanford calls out corporate apologists for blaming workers for deteriorating working conditions and stagnant wages which have resulted from deliberate policy choices: Unemployed workers on the dole for months at a time? Clearly they aren’t looking hard enough for work. Low-wage workers
Continue readingMontreal Simon: The Racism of Trump And Our Con Bigots
There can now be no doubt now that Donald Trump is a foul bigot, who is disgracing himself and the office he holds.There is no doubt that whatever he says he is racist to the bone. But what I also find interesting is how political leaders in this country reacted to
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A house divided or a leaderless nation?
There was an excellent discussion in Progressive Bloggers the other day by the gentleman who writes under the nom de plume of The Mound of Sound. A very small quibble you might have with the article was there were a couple times that you might be confused as to whether
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Alastair Campbell discusses how the latest group of right-wing demagogues has progressed from being post-truth to being post-shame. – IMFBlog examines how the perpetual slashing of corporate tax rates has eliminated needed public revenue – particularly in lower-income countries – without producing
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Trudeau should listen to McCallum.
John McCallum was building a very solid career as a professor and as an economist when he took a misstep into politics in 2000. While it took him a while to learn the ropes, his greatest political success was in Justin Trudeau’s government as immigration, refugees and citizenship minister. He
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Andrew Sheer would let Canadians rot in foreign jails before giving up an electoral edge!
I rarely paid much attention to John McCallum during his years as a federal Liberal cabinet minister under three prime ministers and, on the few occasions I did, he never left much of an impression one way or the other. But I was shocked last week both by the specious
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Robert Reich points out that the most significant political divide is the one between the wealthiest few and the rest of the population: In reality, the biggest divide in America today runs between oligarchy and democracy. When oligarchs fill the coffers of
Continue readingAlberta Politics: We need an honest inquiry into foreign political funding – unfortunately, Jason Kenney’s ‘witch hunt’ inquiry isn’t it
In truth, Canada needs a thorough and honest inquiry into foreign political funding, online manipulation and influence. Unfortunately, the $2.5-million probe into “foreign funded defamation” of Alberta’s fossil-fuel industry announced by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s government yesterday at a news conference in Calgary isn’t it. How could it be? It’s
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Another week in the Annals of Diplomacy: in stormy times, half a loaf is better than none
From the sublime to the ridiculous, it would appear, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government will do anything to keep Donald Trump sweet. Consider the dissimilar cases of Meng Wanzhou and Stephanie Clifford. The first we won’t allow to leave Canada, the second we won’t allow to visit. Both, obviously, because
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Now pinch hitting for Canada: Donald Trump.
We really need that. Can you think of anyone less able to speak for Canada to the Chinese? Donald Trump was grandstanding with Canada’s prime minister in the Oval Office in Washington the other day. The media had been allowed in for some quick questions and to get their pictures
Continue readingAlberta Politics: TMX gets the nod from Justin Trudeau’s cabinet – masterstroke or master blunder?
With his cabinet’s second approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project yesterday afternoon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has either proved the Liberal Party of Canada’s old mojo is still intact or blown it all to smithereens. It’s too soon to tell. Alberta Conservatives and their legion of media cheerleaders
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Evening Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Farhana Yamin discusses the need to answer the imminent threat of climate breakdown with direct action to force politicians to develop an adequate response (which, to be clear, does not include new pipelines or other subsidies for fossil fuels). Peter Armstrong reports
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Mr. Trudeau goes to Washington.
Frank Capra’s 1939 movie, Mr. Smith goes to Washington, is not only a classic but it was the film that made James Stewart a movie star. And if Mr. Trudeau plays his part properly, his trip to Washington this week could help him keep his job as prime minister. First
Continue readingAlberta Politics: U.S. brags about targeting Russian power plants with cyber-attacks – have they lost their minds?
Back in 2011, not long after Barack Obama had been sworn in as president of the United States, a Pentagon spokesperson warned that henceforth and forevermore, the United States intended to treat cyber-attacks by other nations as acts of war. “A response to a cyber-incident or attack on the U.S.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Nick Hanauer discusses the futility of “educationism” which treats schools as the only factor in social outcomes without recognizing the importance of inequality and precarity in restricting opportunities for far too many children. And PressProgress points out that Brian Pallister’s Manitoba PCs –
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Guest Post by Olav Rokne: Since all political careers end in trivia, here’s the scoop on America’s would-be presidential candidates
Guest Post by Olav Rokne British statesman (and repugnant racist) Enoch Powell once famously remarked that all political careers end in failure. While there may be some truth to his observation, I would suggest that it might be even more accurate to say that all political careers eventually become trivia.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: If it seems as if Canada’s Conservatives have lost it, guess again: They’ve just adopted the Trump playbook in its entirety
“Huge pothole on #StAlbert Trail right now! This is a preview of Canada’s future if Justin Trudeau is re-elected as prime minister, as he continues to implement his terrible anti-automobile agenda.” Were I to take to Twitter and say such a thing, dear readers, presumably many of you would conclude
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: “Send in the Clowns.”
“There ought to be clowns – Well, maybe next year” are the haunting words at the end of the Stephen Sondheim song that is a lament using a circus metaphor. We were reminded of the song as we were reading and hearing about the American president’s travels this week. Is
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