Inspired by this story: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/royalwedding/story/2011/04/29/royal-wedding-reaction-fans.html
Continue readingTag: jack layton
Canadian Soapbox: Things Stephen Harper told us…
Stephen Harper talks a good game, I’ll certainly give him that. And the game he’s talking now is about doom and gloom should Canadian voters decide to elect a sizable number of Jack Layton’s NDP to our Parliament.
Fair enough Mr. Pri…
Pumped
The Toronto Star reports on the latest tit-for-tat between Stephen Harper and Jack Layton about who’s to blame for current and future gas price hikes:”Layton responded by saying gas prices are already too high and said Harper is to blame for some of it…
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: A Compendium of My Prime Minister Layton Posts
I’ve enjoyed writing four pieces about the Prime Minster Layton concept in the last 2.5 years. Originally, it was a wishful thinking hyper long-shot in a prorogation crisis at a time when the Liberals had no firm leader. Then in June 2010 it was a curiosity when polling indicated a Jack Layton-led coalition with the […]
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: A Message to Canadian Voters from Tommy Douglas
Historical BackgroundMouseland – Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaTommy Douglas and the NDP | CBC Archives
Continue readingCowboys for Social Responsibility: Once upon a time, the NDP cared about fighting gun violence
Until this election, every Jack Layton-led NDP campaign platform has included proposals to deal with illegal guns and gun violence.
These include:
2008: Halt the illegal importation of handguns from the United States and target the sale of illegal wea…
THE FIFTH COLUMN: It’s Time
You don’t have to choose between tweedle dumb and tweedle dumber
Continue readingNDP Surge
The NDP vote is surging, especially in Quebec where all the other parties are losing support to the NDP, particularly the Bloc. The NDP is clearly ahead of both of the other federalist parties in Quebec and depending on what poll you look at they are either just behind or
Continue readingThe NDP is in ascent
The Vancouver Sun: NDP official Opposition not so implausibleThe NDP is gaining strength this election. I’ve maintained for some time Layton is the craftiest politician in Ottawa, and as the federal NDP party leader, he’s set tall goals for the party t…
Continue readingPample the Moose: An Orange Revolution in Quebec: The NDP in la belle province
I’m somewhat surprised by the latest CROP and Ekos polls coming out of Quebec, showing the NDP cruising into first place, and the Bloc vote steadily falling. But as I’ll get to later in this post, there are good historical reasons to explain this tren…
Continue readingCowboys for Social Responsibility: Another simple question about the long gun registry
If an experienced NDP candidate in rural Central Alberta can stand up for the long gun registry, why won’t Jack Layton?
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 readingRight of Center Ice: G&M on Ignatieff: Energy and urgency. He was hot.
Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff was fiery on tonight’s national leaders debate. He covered every topic under the sun and reminded Canadians exactly why we are having this election. There were a few stumbles, these debates are never perfect. But he was on point when he needed to be and nailed
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: The Debate: Canadian Values Win
The most interesting thing I noticed about the debate was where all the leaders, or at least all of the federalist leaders, agreed. These were on what I would consider to be the most basic of Canadian values, but values that many of us suspect are not …
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 […]
Continue readingAkaash Maharaj - Practical Idealism: Akaash Maharaj – Global News: Analysis of the NDP Platform
My analysis of the NDP’s platform for Global Television News. It has proven to be a politically shrewd, but fiscally improbable document. Ultimately, could Layton deliver on his his five key areas during his first 100 days, as he promises? Not unless t…
Continue readingNEW MEDIA AND POLITICS CANADA: DAY TWELVE: Quick Hitters (#3 in a series)
A bunch of links from around the Canadian web all related to the upcoming democratic exercise that is so pissing Stephen Harper off!
The Conservative Leader refuses to comment on reports of campaign rally attendees being kicked out or barred entr…
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