PHOTOS: Leaders of the Greek military government of 1967 to 1974. Is something similar waiting in the wings if the eurozone leadership’s effort to terrorize the Greeks into voting Yes to never-ending austerity fails today? Below: Greek Prime Minister Alex Tsipras, former Canadian prime minister Jean Chretien and Nobel-Prize-winning American
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Alberta Politics: Does advertising plagiarism suggest Harper Government’s running on intellectual fumes?
PHOTOS: A screen shot from the new Harper Government anti-Tom-Mulcair advertisement. Actual Harper government plagiarism may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Scenes from the nearly identical 2011 Manitoba NDP 30-second spot and 2015 Harper Con spot. If political ads were popular songs, the Manitoba NDP would probably be getting
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Iraq Debate: The Center Of Gravitas Shifts
…to Jean Chretien. Mind you, I’m not particularly set in my opinions re Canada’s contribution to the fight against ISIS. These thoughts still apply, more so, perhaps, now that the tide seems to have turned in Kobani. But JC’s main point, that there are more roles to be played in
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: As lacklustre PC leadership race winds down, by-elections are on the horizon
TweetWith one day left before the vote, Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Ric McIver’s campaign took to the radio airwaves, attacking frontrunner Jim Prentice for being “an insider.” It was an strange move for Mr. McIver, as the general public appears largely disinterested in the contest and the deadline to purchase
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: March 12, 2014 was the day that the Canadian government…
March 12, 2014 was the day that the Canadian government officially ended its 12-year occupation of Afghanistan. What a pointless waste of lives, money and resources for a so-called “mission” that was never clearly defined and kept changing whenever the previous excuses stopped fooling the public. Hopefully the Canadian military
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Canada’s New Government Turns 8
Today marks the 8th anniversary of Stephen Harper’s election as Prime Minister. At the time, a lot of Liberals figured they could turn him into Joe Clark after a quick leadership change. Yet, by this time next year, Harper will have passed Louis St. Laurent, Robert Borden, and Brian Mulroney,
Continue readingCalgary Grit: The Year in Photos
You know what they say: Dress for the job you want, not the job you have Those left-wing media elites at the Toronto Sun have always had it in for Ford. Tim Hortons provides the ultimate pick-me-up for a normally subdued Rob Ford Harper deals with the Senate scandal. Even
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Stephen Harper’s South Africa Trip Starts Badly
Well I see Stephen Harper's trip to the Mandela funeral started off on a high note, with a macabre political version of the Mile High Club.With Harper obviously glad to leave the sordid Senate scandal behind him, and consorting with three former Prime Ministers.Even tweeting this photo of him and
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Stephen Harper to Canada: ‘It’s not my fault! Now shut up and vote for me’
Trying to change the channel: Unfortunately for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the remote seems to have disappeared under a pillow and the movie stuck on the TV screen stars Mike Duffy, shown above moving toward the Telus Convention Centre in Calgary Friday night. Actual Canadian Senators may not appear exactly
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: The ghosts of senate reform haunt the Harper Conservatives
TweetThe ghosts of Senate reform will haunt Prime Minister Stephen Harper as his party establishment gathers in Calgary on Halloween to discuss and debate party policy. After more than seven years in office, Mr. Harper’s Conservatives have accomplished little on the issue of reforming the Canadian Senate. Who would have
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Vol. 1: The actual dark secret of democratic politics
The front page of Saturday’s St. Albert Gazette. A good first week of campaigning. ST. ALBERT, Alberta Well, I reckon the first week of my campaign for city council here in St. Albert has to be judged a success – at least by the measure of the excellent coverage I
Continue readingCalgary Grit: The man still looks better than Stockwell Day in a wetsuit
Not bad for 79!
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: ● “People have got to know whether or not their…
● “People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook.” – disgraced American president Richard Nixon ● “I don’t recall. I don’t recall that.” – disgraced American president Ronald Reagan ● “A proof is a proof. What kind of a proof?
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Former Tory strategist Allan Gregg rips Harper Cons’ ‘systematic attack’ on facts and reason
A couple of old guys born just before the last King passed on, one of them your blogger, the other the pollster and former Tory strategist Allan Gregg. Below: Mr. Gregg in his iconoclastically Conservative heyday. Long-time Tory pollster and strategist Allan Gregg ripped into the Harper Government on Saturday
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: Winners and losers in the LPC leadership race – besides the obvious winner
Was in Ottawa for the leadership reveal, and I’ve been meaning to write a blog reflecting on the race. First off, let me thank all the volunteers and party staff who worked during the weekend and throughout the race. While the obvious winner was Justin Trudeau, and congratulations to his
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: Winners and losers in the LPC leadership race – besides the obvious winner
Was in Ottawa for the leadership reveal, and I’ve been meaning to write a blog reflecting on the race. First off, let me thank all the volunteers and party staff who worked during the weekend and throughout the race. While the obvious winner was Justin Trudeau, and congratulations to his
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Count on it: Alberta’s doctors got more than the government’s press release indicates
Dr. Michael Giuffre jots down the Alberta Medical Association’s wish list before yesterday’s agreement with the provincial government. Actual AMA negotiators may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Alberta Health Minister Fred Horne, Advanced Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk. It will take a while to sort out what really happened in
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Hockey-starved Canucks pray for brawl as Peter Van Loan channels Darrel Stinson
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien gets up close and personal with a protester. Below: NDP leader Thomas Mulcair, Tory chuck-a-bub Peter Van Loan, Liberal Fuddle-Duddler Pierre Trudeau, New Democrat Nathan Cullen, known for his gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. Maybe I’ve just spent too much time
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Canada’s Greatest Losers
Last week, Martha Hall Findlay and Karen McCrimmon declared their candidacies for the Liberal leadership race. This week, George Takach has taken the plunge. I’ve posted one blog interview with David Merner, and will have others with David Bertschi and Alex Burton next week. Deborah Coyne, meanwhile, has already released more fresh ideas than we’ve seen from Stephen Harper during his entire tenure as Prime Minister. These are seven very different candidates with seven very different messages, but the one … →
Continue readingThe Equivocator: The Liberal Party: A Substantial Heritage, a Future of Substance (Co-written with Theresa Lubowitz)
Theresa Lubowitz on the Death of Substantive Policy Canada is teetering dangerously close to the death of substantive policy as we know it, with the rise of a populist Conservative Government, a populist NDP Official Opposition, and a struggling Liberal Party so afraid of irrelevancy it has spent the last
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