I have written about the virtues of critical thinking many times on this blog, and I have also frequently observed the difficulty of achieving it; without question, I regularly fall short of the ideal. One of the impediments to such thinking is the task of separating one’s biases from the
Continue readingTag: harper anti-unionism
Politics and its Discontents: A Contemptible, Arrogant Martinet
The other day I wrote a post about the resurrection of Bill C-377, the Harper backed private member’s bill that would wage war against unions in Canada. Toward the end of the post I made reference to Senator Don Plett’s arrogant dismissal of witness Paul Cavalluzzo during Senate hearings on
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Harper War Against Unions Continues
So what else is new? In today’s Star, Tim Harper tells a tale of the ongoing indefatigable contempt Canada’s putative prime minister has for unions. Like another Conservative entity, C-377 refuses to remain dead. The bill, proposed by a private member, Russ Hiebert, who is actually a front for Harper
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Poilievre Declares War on "Radical Unions"
Posted by MoS, the Disaffected Lib: Pierre Backpfeifengesicht Poilievre has declared Conservative war on Canada’s “radical” unions and their electoral meddling. The Parliamentary Punk has sent out a letter asking for 5-dollar contributions to help the CPC fight back the union menace in the next general election. Poilievre has singled
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Too Good Not To Share
This one’s for you, young Tim. H/t Union Thugs Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Insularity of Our National Leader
Yep. Certainly sounds like Harper’s got a resounding mandate for change: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Cowardly Stealth
It has been said that at their core, bullies are cowards. Usually they set their sights on weaker targets, and when the time is propitious, unleash their fury. Stealth is often the preferred tactic, given their reluctance to have their deeds exposed for what they are. It is hardly earth-shattering
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Elizabeth Warren Speaks
In addressing a recent convention of the AFL-CIO, outspoken U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, about whom I have posted several times, offered some stirring words. Although directed to an American audience, her sentiments are equally applicable here, given the anti-union and anti-people demagoguery and practices of Mr. Harper’s regime at the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: For All the Union-Bashers Out There
Ninety-year-old Joy Taylor asks all of us to ‘be the voice’: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Some Star Readers Respond To Anti-Unionism
I have to confess that my last few blog posts have felt singularly uninspired. I therefore yield to one of my favourite sources for perceptive analysis, the readers of The Toronto Star, who offer a panoply of thoughts on the dangerous anti-unionism trend evident in Canada at both the federal
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: What I Really Want For Christmas…
Were I given to the Christmas flights of fancy that prompt people to compile impossible wish lists that usually include a desire for world peace, the end of disease, and the termination of world hunger, I would add one more: politicians who show respect, rather than contempt, for the intelligence
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Unions After Bill C-377
In my favorite Shakespearian play, Hamlet, there is a scene wherein his erstwhile friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, explain that an acting company that used to enjoy great popularity has fallen on hard times. Thanks to a new craze in which troupes of child actors have become the rage, and “are
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Workers of the World Unite- You Have Nothing to Lose But Your Union Shackles!
That perhaps might have been the call in Michigan yesterday, as it joined 23 other states in enacting so called ‘right-to-work-legislation’ that ‘liberates’ workers from mandatory union membership and union dues. Passed by a Republican-dominated House of Representatives, the new law was proudly proclaimed by Republican House Speaker Jase Bolger
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Odious Servitude
In its ongoing and odious servitude to a reactionary constituency, the Harper regime continues to use the heavy hand of government to target and harass those whose ideology differs from its own. I have already written several times about Bill C-377, …
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Unions Under Attack: A Star Reader Writes
In two recent posts, I discussed Bill C-377, a Harper-driven anti-union measure disguised as a private member’s bill. Introduced by Conservative MPP Russ Hiebert, it is designed to require full disclosure of all union expenditures, including monies a…
Continue reading