Democracy is all about choices, deciding which individuals and which parties we want to represent us in government. There has been some concern that Stephen Harper might not accept the rules of our democracy if he were to be leading a minority gover…
Continue readingTag: gilles duceppe
Debate post script
For the second night in a row, I didn’t watch the Leaders’ debate (there was an all-candidates debate in York Centre tonight which featured an equally jarring Tory candidate, but that’s for another day).Radio-Canada’s coverage of the post-debate was re…
Continue readingTattered Sleeve: French Debate Kicked Ass (mostly Harper’s)
I hope people were watching, because tonight’s French-language leaders’ debate was lively, passionate and substantive. After fighting sleep at about the half-way point in yesterday’s English-language debate, tonight I found myself riveted.
This is in no small part due to Gilles Duceppe’s fiery energy tonight, after being content to sit quietly on the side-lines for much of the previous night. But also, because Ignatieff really came across, and contrasted strongly against Harper, who himself seemed unsure of his French, and off his game generally. I found Harper did not seen strong tonight, which is the worst thing for the guy who is the current PM to convey.
Layton was taken off his game again by Duceppe’s jabbing on the Bill 101 question. Harper’s only really good moment was when he pointed at the two of them and asked the audience to imagine them working together in a coalition. That’s not saying all that much.
Duceppe went whole-hog on his separatist cred tonight, and that is perhaps a sign he may be setting down some touchstones for a potential jump to provincial politics. He may be positioning himself to take the Parti-Québecois mantle from Pauline Marois, who appears weak going into a confidence vote among the party faithful in coming weeks.
Back to Ignatieff. He looked tough, secure and in charge. His French was generally good, and when it wasn’t, his obvious passion made up for it. That is key for the Québec population, so good on him. He can ride this into a lead in coming days.
Again, that’s if he plays his cards right.
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Continue readingTattered Sleeve: French Debate Kicked Ass (mostly Harper’s)
I hope people were watching, because tonight’s French-language leaders’ debate was lively, passionate and substantive. After fighting sleep at about the half-way point in yesterday’s English-language debate, tonight I found myself riveted. This is in no small part due to Gilles Duceppe’s fiery energy tonight, after being content to sit
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Canada’s 2011 Federal Election: ’tis better to have loved and lost . . .
With the annual retreat of snow and ice blessedly underway, the crap and crud that mysteriously didn’t make it into my back lane dumpster is revealed in all of its putrescence. I call this a mystery because I don’t know how apparently sentient, reasonably healthy, bipedally-capable adults with opposable thumbs could miss the dumpster’s gaping […]
NEW MEDIA AND POLITICS CANADA: DAY EIGHT: The Media And The Narrative (the media sucks! part 3,756)
You can’t overstate the importance of the role the media plays in shaping how election campaigns and the candidates themselves are perceived. So early on here during the race I’ve been keeping track of things the media is trying to spin for us. F…
Continue readingNEW MEDIA AND POLITICS CANADA: DAY SEVEN: Stephen Harper Tires Of Democracy
I’m having a difficult time not writing about Stephen’s petulance as if he were some whiny assed titty-baby. His contempt for his opponents, the Canadian people and democracy in general have been difficult to watch during the first week of the campaig…
Continue readingNEW MEDIA AND POLITICS CANADA: DAY SIX: Ignamentum!
Okay, so I’ve coined a silly word and am probably jumping the gun on this. Michael Ignatieff has only a smidgen of momentum but it’s a good start for a guy who has been unable to get any for almost three years now. According to pollster Nik Nanos, Igg…
Continue readingMadLibMadLib: Election Campaign Gets Electric
Gilles Duceppe has jumped into the ring this morning with a great sound bite. He said that Stephen Harper “wants to regain the hearts of Newfoundlanders with Quebeckers’ money”. Hydro-Quebec is a source of huge pride among Quebeckers and it was built without federal money. It is a net exporter
Continue readingMadLibMadLib: Democracy Debated? Or Democracy Debased?
So the boys have thrown down. The Conservative Leader, Mr. Harper, issued the challenge this morning to Mr. Ignatieff, the Liberal Leader, that they should have a one-on-one debate between the two candidates who, at least in the words of John Baird, are the only men running to become Prime
Continue readingNEW MEDIA AND POLITICS CANADA: DAY FIVE: Trying To Keep Up
With five parties vying for Canadians votes — the Bloc of course restricted to the province of Quebec where they will likely to retain or at least be in contention for approximately one sixth of the seats available in Canada — there are a lot of nar…
Continue readingNEW MEDIA AND POLITICS CANADA: DAY ONE: Duceppe Calls Harper Out For Lying
The 2011 Canadian election campaign is off to a predictable start with Harper calling the election “unnecessary” and trying to raise the spectre of governance by a coalition that includes “socialists” and “separatists,” as something Canadians have t…
Continue readingNEW MEDIA AND POLITICS CANADA: Back! Blogging The Election
I should have hung a “Gone Fishing” sign on the little blog but for some reason couldn’t bring myself to do it. My thinking was that any day the burnt out feeling that had come over me in late December would wash away and I’d be able to pick right u…
Continue readingRight of Center Ice: Private Bills from the gov’t that are not Government bills
We saw this tactic months ago when Candice Hoeppner tried to kill the long-gun registry through her “private member’s bill.” Since it worked so well, Harper is going to try it again. This time, with the Canadian Wheat Board. Bruce Stanton, MP for Simcoe North in southern Ontario, introduced a
Continue readingPop The Stack: The Future is Full of Moderate Possibilities
So it sounds like Iggy is building up the courage to strike out on his own and risk sending the country to an election in the spring. Well I say, it’s about time. After three years of Conservative disregard for the institutions of democracy, embarrassing delinquency on climate change and international diplomacy, debasing of rational, […]