I cannot help but wonder how healthy our democracy might be if its myriad abuses at the hands of the Harper regime elicited the same spirited response from citizens as this did from people over a few pictures. Recommend this Post
Continue readingTag: harper contempt for democracy
Politics and its Discontents: A Lesson From Egypt
The other day I wrote a post contrasting the fervent engagement of the Egyptian people as they pursue their demands for a representative democracy, contrasting that passion with our own seeming indifference to the deficits we face here at home. This morning’s Star has published a letter from James Quinn,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Canada and Egypt: A Study in Contrasts
My wife, well aware of my anguish over the disengagement with democracy of so many Canadians, made a comment this morning that has inspired this post. She observed the sharp contrast that exists with Egypt, where the notion of democracy is still more a dream than a reality, a dream
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Sins Of The Harper Government: Ministerial Incompetence, Secrecy, and Contempt For Democracy
For anyone who needs a quick primer over the damage being done to Canada and its citizens by the Harper regime, I recommend the following: In the F-35 fiasco, truth is the first casualty, a stinging indictment not only of the government lies surrounding the true projected costs of the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper Strategy Succeeding
Here’s the proof. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Whither Goest Democracy?
This thoughtful Star reader provides his answer: As I attended the Remembrance Day ceremony on Sunday, I thought of all those who died and suffered for our democracy. It made me very sad, sadder than in past years, to think of the current state of d…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: More Harper Contempt for Transparency and Democracy
This story about Kevin Page’s relentless and noble ongoing attempts to extract information about the public service impact of government budget cuts from the secrecy-obsessed Harper regime appeared in today’s Star. Consequently, I couldn’t resist the impulse to send the story link to the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, the body
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Fact Check on Tory Lies
I suspect that the Harper regime’s capacity for fear-mongering, character assassination and bald-faced lies, so much in evidence in previous smear campaigns against Stephen Dion and Michael Ignatief, will have a greater challenge in confronting Thomas Muclair: H/t Larry Hubich Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Avaaz Petition Against Harper’s World Statesman Award
I recently wrote two blog posts expressing my dismay over the naming of Stephen Harper as World Statesman of the Year by The Appeal of Conscience Foundation. An Avaaz petition, just started by a Canadian, is asking the foundation to reconsider granting this award and is available online; it lists
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper’s Parody of Democracy
Yesterday, I wrote a post expressing cynicism about Heritage Minister James Moore’s tough talk concerning Enbridge, expressing the view that it was just more political posturing on the part of Harper Inc. since the company has come under much media scrutiny due to its record of oil spills. Reading another
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: On The Harper Regime’s Lawlessness
Once again, Star readers come through with their perceptive indictments of the Harper regime’s contempt for both the rule of law and democracy: Re: Ottawa’s misrule of law, Opinion July 17 Professor Audrey Macklin’s piece on Ottawa’s disrespect for the law points to a culture of justice by vendetta and
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Looking for Democracy
I am sure that like me, many despair over the state of democracy in Canada. Not only is it under continuous assault by a federal government that has repeatedly and consistently shown its contempt for the concept, but it also suffers from widespread citizen disengagement. Probably the two are inextricably
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Damn That Democratic Iconography
A story in today’s Star reports that the Harper regime is cutting the budget for guided tours, ensuring some 20,000 fewer visitors will actually get a peek inside the majestic buildings housing the seat of Canada’s national government. The cynic residing within me suggests that our overlords think it prudent
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: It’s Time To Show Some National Self-Respect
When I was a child, I was afraid of many people: my teachers, who believed in strapping and slapping us as early as Grade One, school bullies who periodically picked on me, and some of the thuggish people residing in my working-class neighbourhood who enjoyed verbally assaulting those even more
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Another Event That Conservative M.P. David Sweet Will Not Attend
For those living in my neck of the woods, the following may be of interest. Unfortunately, due to a prior commitment, I can’t attend. And, although it will come as no surprise except perhaps to the naive or politically ignorant, neither will my M.P., Conservative David Sweet, a decision his
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Another List of Targeted Tory M.P.s
Yesterday I posted a list sent to me of seven Conservative M.P.s to try to convince to ‘call in sick’ the day of the omnibus vote. Here is the next seven: Action #23: Here are the next seven Conservative MPs. Please email them and ask that they “call in sick”
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Another Way To Fight Omnibus Bill C-38
I received the following from one of the people I was protesting with the other day near Conservative M.P. David Sweet’s constuency office. It offers yet another tool in the fight against Haper’s undemocratic push to remake Canada in his image: I know many of you are upset and outraged
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Gated Democracy? – Protesting The Harper Omnibus Budget Bill – Part 2
Yesterday I got a glimpse of the kind of democratic expression that is considered acceptable under the Harper regime. It is one that I found profoundly disturbing. Almost a week ago I wrote a post describing a march organized by Leadnow.ca to the constituency office of my Conservative M.P., David
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper Down On Democracy?
Well, this can’t be much of a surprise, can it? Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Andrew Coyne On The Decline Of Parliament Under Harper
Despite his right-wing orientation, there has been unmistakable evidence in the work of Andrew Coyne this past year or so that conveys a clear disenchantment with the Harper regime. Using the sad spectacle of David Wilk’s public humiliation, today in the National Post Coyne offers the re-education of the Kootenay-Columbia
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