Are they right or wrong? You decide. You can read the full story here. Recommend this Post
Continue readingTag: harper contempt for democracy
Politics and its Discontents: Star Readers Opine On Harper’s Self-Reported Ignorance (I Didn’t Do It) And Mike Duffy’s Avarice
Some days, all I have to do is open my newspaper for my blog post. Today is one of those days. Enjoy. Harper kept public in dark, July 6 When the stuff hits the fan, “plausible deniability” allows politicians to say, “I didn’t know; no-one told me.” This is what
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: ‘Tis A Consummation Devoutly To Be Wish’d*
H/t The Toronto Star * Hamlet – Act 3 Scene 1 – Apologies for the use of literary arcana, but you know what they say: Teachers never retire; they just lose their class. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: All Good Pets Deserve A Reward
Having owned a magnificent Landseer Newfoundland dog in the past (the most human pet I ever came into contact with), I am well-aware of the importance of rewarding good behaviour. For example, if you ask him/her to shake hands, you toss your pet a treat. Rolling over, ‘speaking’, etc. all
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight
Many years ago I read a novel by Jimmy Breslin called The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, which dealt with profound ineptitude within a certain New York mafia family. It would seem a worthwile novel to revisit, now that there is a real-life gang operating in Ottawa that seems to
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Moral Bankruptcy And Strategic Errors
Like the morally bankrupt coward that he is, our Prime Prevaricator, Stephen Harper, recently made another ham-fisted attempt to discredit Justin Trudeau (a man, by the way, who does not especially impress me.) Given his general contempt for the intelligence of the majority of Canadians, it probably seemed like a
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: And Speaking Of Contempt For Democracy …
Does anyone remember this gem from 2011 when Mr. Harper essentially said that parliamentary democracy is of absolutely no consequence? H/t Citizens Rallying To Unseat Harper Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: David Suzuki On Harper’s Contempt For Democracy
David Suzuki has a thought-provoking essay in today’s Globe and Mail that also serves as an excellent precis of some of the things the Harper government would like us to forget, including its promotion of ignorance/contempt for factual data, its demonization of environmentalists, it arrant hypocrisy, and its general contempt
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Party Puppet: House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer
And it is not difficult to figure out who is pulling his strings. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Shelley)
I see that Shelley Glover, the Conservative M.P. for St. Boniface riding, is in a spot of trouble. It seems that the lady who practically levitates out of her House of Commons seat to lead a standing ovation each time her dear leader deigns to speak could be suspended from
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: But Can It Be Mixed With Kool-Aid?
Is it possible that at the start of their political careers, Stephen Harper and Rob Ford consulted with Cornelius Grouppe for campaign advice and recruitment methodology? Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Democratic Expression of Our Discontent
Oh, this idea I like very much. And the tactic is easily adaptable in situations that could best be described as ‘fluid’: H/t Sylvia Wilson Canadians Rallying To Unseat Stephen Harper Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Remembrances Of Things Past (A.K.A. Harper’s Empty Promises, A.K.A Lies)
I trust these pictorial efforts speak for themselves: H/t Piper McKinnon – Canadians Rallying To Unseat Stephen Harper H/t The Toronto Star Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper’s ‘Accountability’
This raw video from this morning’s efforts at damage control says all there needs to be said about Harper and accountability: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: On Our Democratic Deficit
These Star readers, whether you agree with them or not, have some interesting perspectives to offer: Re: Growing disconnect between Canadians and Parliament, May 2 Democracy is just a mirage, Letter May 5 Al Dunn is essentially correct in his characterization of democracy as it is generally practised today. But
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Just Trust Us
We all remember the abortive attempts by Kevin Page, Parliamentary Budget Officer, to find out specifically how federal budget cuts were going to affect programs. The Harper regime was of the view that such detailed information wasn’t to be shared, despite the pesky expectations that a putative open democracy tends
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Some Inspiration From Kevin Page
There is an excellent piece in this morning’s Star by outgoing Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page. In it, he talks about how his son’s death was the catalyst for his abandoning a natural desire for job security and his subsequent pursuit of the job which has incurred so much Harper
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: More On Harper’s Censorship of Science
The other day I wrote a post about the Harper regime’s ongoing efforts and measures designed to thwart government transparency; the Prime Minister’s abuse of power is most flagrant in his suppression of the voice of science, thereby effectively denying information vital if citizens are to have any hope of
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Quasi-Police State In Our Midst
He who controls the media controls the minds of the public. – Noam Chomsky In some ways, it is very much reminiscent of what occurred during the time of the Soviet Union, when athletic or cultural figures would visit the West, always accompanied by ‘escorts’ whose ostensible purpose was to
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Gated Democracy in Calgary
Last June, I wrote a series of posts about the lack of constituency representation I and many others were receiving from our local Conservative M.P. David Sweet, the catalyst being his obsequious though not unexpected uncritical acceptance of the budget Omnibus Bill C-38. As a consequence, we conducted demonstrations at
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