You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but, as Abraham Lincoln is reputed to have observed, you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. Back in the summer of 2017, when he stood up
Continue readingTag: Justin Trudeau
Accidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Mark Armstrong reports on the G20’s agreement on a painfully-unambitious vaccination target for poor countries which is still unlikely to be reached. And Tahir Amin draws a connection between the dystopia of Squid Game and the reality of vaccine exclusion. – Jennifer
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Halloween in Alberta
In its Halloween message the Kenney government said today is a day filled with costumes, pumpkin carving, scary movies, and tasty treats. They encouraged everyone to follow the advice of our health officials so we can all enjoy the spookiest time of the year. Sounds nice but the rest of
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Jason Kenney will try to spin his anti-equalization referendum vote as a huge victory – don’t believe him
Deeply unpopular with Alberta voters, distrusted by many in his own divided caucus, and with his United Conservative Party in financial disarray, Premier Jason Kenney will try to spin the 62-per-cent yes vote in his dishonestly worded, constitutionally meaningless, low-turnout, anti-equalization referendum as the hugest victory in the history of
Continue readingNorthern Currents : Chrétien comments show that being out of touch is a feature of the Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is out of touch with the needs of working-class and Indigenous people. More and more people are realizing this as time goes on. This is not new, either. Given the recent comments of former Prime Minister and minister the (previously named) Indian Affairs, Jean Chrétien, this out-of-touchness
Continue readingThe Daveberta Podcast: Episode 79: Everything you wanted to know about Equalization * But were afraid to ask
University of Alberta political scientist Dr. Jared Wesley joins Dave Cournoyer on the Daveberta Podcast for a deep dive into Alberta’s October 18 Equalization Referendum, why it is being held, what Premier Jason Kenney hopes to accomplish (and why he’s been absent on the campaign trail), and what the ramifications
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The View From Olympus
As I tried to suggest in my post the other day, rich people really are different from us, and people like Justin Trudeau, part of that rarified group, have no desire to really disrupt their status quo. While it might seem reductionist, in my view that fact goes a
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: They Really Are Different From The Rest Of Us
H/t de Adder Canada Justin Trudeau has rightly earned severe criticism for his holiday in Tofino on National Truth and Reconciliation Day. However, in my view there is another very important story here as well, one that imparts a lesson we would all do well to bear in mind,
Continue readingNorthern Currents : Will elections ever save us? No, but a strong Labour movement will.
Giving Labour more power within the capitalist system should be seen as a win for the Left, especially after decades of neo-liberal decay. If we are to progress as a society, building worker’s power within a strong intersectional, labour, and Indigenous coalition would be a great starting point. Change only
Continue readingThe Daveberta Podcast: Episode 78: Orange and Red in a Sea of Blue
Brad Lafortune joins Dave Cournoyer on the Daveberta Podcast to discuss the federal election results in Alberta, including NDP candidate Blake Desjarlais‘ spectacular win over Kerry Diotte in Edmonton-Griesbach, and the ongoing troubles in the United Conservative Party and how many more days Jason Kenney might have as leader. We
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Katherine Wu, Ed Yong and Sarah Zhang set out six rules which will shape how we handle the next wave of COVID – including recognition that vaccination alone isn’t going to be sufficient to avoid a tragic human toll. – Yasmine Ghania reports
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On echoes
Plenty of commentators have pointed out the symmetry between this year’s election and that of 2008 in terms of low voter turnout and general dissatisfaction with the outcome on the part of all parties. But it’s worth noting the similarities between the two campaigns and their aftermath on the part
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Preston Manning, godfather of the Canadian right, charts a plan for dealing with another Liberal government
Neoliberals, like rust, never sleep. So we shouldn’t be surprised Preston Manning already seems to be looking ahead to a post-election go at the new Liberal government, same as the old Liberal government. Of course, nobody knows for sure what’s going to happen on tomorrow. Maybe all those People’s Party
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: #Elxn44 Roundup
The latest from Canada’s federal election campaign. – Christo Aivalis discusses Jagmeet Singh’s much-needed willingness to take on the power of the rich to fight for a country that works for everybody. And Shelly Hagan writes about the resulting possibility of greater social contributions being required of those who can
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Talk of cabinet split over vaccine passports sparks buzz in Alberta government circles
Has the parlous state of Alberta’s health care system, said to be on the verge of collapse as the fourth wave of COVID-19 rampages through the province, opened a serious rift in the United Conservative Party cabinet? With Premier Jason Kenney missing in action for 33 of the past 35
Continue readingThe Daveberta Podcast: Episode 77: Back from the Best Summer Ever
We are back from the summer with the first episode of Season 4 of the Daveberta Podcast and we dive right into Alberta’s response to the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, speculation about how long Jason Kenney might last in the Premier’s Office, the federal election, municipal political parties
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On concealed motivations
Martin Lukacs worked for years documenting and explaining the Libs’ concealed raison d’etre… Whenever discontent builds up, the Liberals have always been there to safely channel it, like a political shock-absorber. They’ll wink to the elite, and then pose as anti-establishment to the broader population. And…Trudeau just…he blurted it out.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: #Elxn44 Roundup
Assorted content from Canada’s federal election campaign. – Seth Klein examines the considerations to take into account in casting a ballot for real climate action. And Michelle Gamage compares the parties’ positions on fossil fuel subsidies. – Andre Picard asks whether voters will actually be motivated by health care –
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Kevin Maimann discusses how Alberta’s health care system is on the brink of collapse due to a complete COVID governance failure. Zak Vescera reports on the health care workers begging Scott Moe to make some effort to avoid the same in Saskatchewan, while
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: #Elxn44 Roundup
The latest from Canada’s federal election campaign. – PressProgress offers some background on the agitators disrupting Justin Trudeau’s campaign events, while Max Fawcett points out why there’s no reason for us to lend any undeserved credence to anti-vaxxers. But Meshall Awan notes that we also shouldn’t allow posturing over fringe
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