One thing that struck home during our extended election campaign was how our mainstream political parties have become deeply invested in neoliberalism. While it has several descriptions, reflective of its insidious vagueness, neoliberalism is the merger of political and economic ideology most often called “free market fundamentalism.” It is a
Continue readingTag: Layton
Left Over: So Long, It’s Been Good to Know You, Libby…..
Libby Davies, NDP deputy leader, won’t run in 2015 CBC News Posted: Dec 12, 2014 1:26 PM ET Last Updated: Dec 12, 2014 7:39 PM ET Having watched Ms. Davies for all of the forty years of her political career, starting with her election to Vancouver Council, I am saddened,
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: New Democrats, Take the Hint, We Need You to Go Home.
Hard as it’s been to watch the Liberals morph into Conservative-Lite, it was vastly harder to witness the NDP slip its moorings on the left and migrate to the centre to become Latter Day Liberals. Under Layton and Mulcair, the NDP abandoned the flank in a shameless bid for power
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Another Thing Trudeau & Layton Have In Common
Justin Trudeau and the late Jack Layton have quite a few similarities, underestimation by Conservatives is yet another. It wasn’t too long ago a certain inexperienced federal politician became leader of a third place political party. Though the son of a prominent politician1, in his early life he had not
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Layton’s Last Words Were First Laurier’s
“Faith is better than doubt and love is better than hate.” – Sir Wilfrid Laurier, 1918 “Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear.” – Jack Layton, 2011 A year after Jack Layton’s untimely passing, the presence of the former NDP Leader is still felt across Canada, ironically
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Pierre Poutine Revealed #RoboCon Prescott
Christian (Canadian) Conservative, Andrew Prescott, has been accused of being the flesh and blood of the aliases Pierre Poutine, Pierre Jones, by researcher Brian-Michel LaRue. LaRue gives his reasoning in the first of a series of posts started Saturday, and promises the evidence he’s gathered to back the accusation will
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Bearded, Women, Leaders
It’s been 70 years since a major party leader had a beard, over 110 years since an opposition leader had one. A century ago facial hair used to be quite common, in Parliament and out. The NDPs selection of the bearded Thomas Mulcair as Leader makes one wonder, if beards
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: A Tale of Two NDPs
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: A Layton-22
Jack Layton never based his decisions on what one person would do, to ask New Democrats to do that is doing anything but honouring the man or the party. Finishing a speech at the NDP Leadership Convention Olivia Chow told the crowd of orange, “Ask yourself, what would Jack do.”
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Jack Layton: Canada’s Defrauded Prime Minister
Hindsight. It’s a bitch. It’s also bitter and hypothetical at times, so take these particular musings in that context. It’s a “what could’a been”. Jack Layton would have possibly been Prime Minister last year, had a sweeping campaign of election fraud with voter suppression not taken place across the country.
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: With St-Denis, NDP Can’t Move On, Only Down
NDP MP Lise St-Denis turned Liberal, and just as her former party capitalized on Jack Layton, so is her new party. The recently elected Quebec MP Lise St-Denis left the NDP and in a carefully crafted statement provided the most potent thrust the Liberal Party can offer to Quebec and
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Past Irony
I find it ironic that Jack Layton was saying in the early 1990s what I was saying about the televised leaders debates in 2011 for the federal election. The independent media should set up debates, and if a party doesn’t show up, have a card-board cutout of the missing leader to demonstrate their absence. In […]
Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Good-night Sweet Prince
It’s a sombre morning for much of Canada, as millions are contemplating the vastly changed federal political landscape. Okay, okay, tens of thousands are contemplating it, more realistically given voting patterns. Now cracks a noble heart. Good-night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. – Shakespeare That quote always reminds me […]
Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff: RIP Jack Layton #CancerTagFail
If we make it to September, Everything’s gonna be alright I know, It’s the coldest time of Summer, And Canada mourns the MP from Toronto. If we make it to September, Everything’s changing here come Question Time, Especially next election, If we make it to September we’ll be fine. -On obvious nod to Merle Haggard […]
Things Are Good: Jack Layton 1950-2011
Jack Layton passed away this morning and I feel that in his passing we need to remember all the good that he has done for Canada. Obviously, it is in no way a good thing that Canada has lost such a strong and inspiring leader, but it is up to Canadians now to keep his […]
Continue readingCanadian Progressive World: Double Standards And Chauvinism In The Nycole Turmel Affair
For over a week now, politicians, the media and pundits have relentlessly sniped interim NDP leader Nycole Turmel for her past association with the Bloc Quebecois. To them, it’s not enough Turmel canceled her membership with the Quebec separatist…
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: After an election about personalities, not policies, we can and must do better
We have just witness an election which while historic in many ways was not one of any significance in terms of a discussion of actual issues or policies. The political choices of all four major leaders – and we the audience who responds to them – focus…
Continue readingPop The Stack: Hobbits for Electoral Reform
Dear Wise Races of the United Kingdom of Middle Earth, Please forgive a humble Hobbit for bothering you but I just wanted to write about an urgent matter of democracy. Here in Hobbiton we have just had a Shire-wide election. Let’s just say that I’m fairly miffed about the results.
Continue readingFederal Election Prediction
With the 41st Canadian General Election Day arriving tomorrow, it seems that it is time for me to get my election prediction on the record. I am predicting a Conservative minority government with the New Democratic Party holding the balance of power. At this point, those two predictions are not
Continue readingOne Vote
Strategic voting is an interesting animal. When applied to the left, the idea is that you should vote for the candidate that stands the best chance of defeating a Conservative. Afterall, any Liberal would be better than a Conservative, and we must all work together to avoid a Conservative majority, right? Bullshit! Tomorrow is the […]