Almost four years ago I wrote a post on failed leadership, using the Elizabethan notion of The Great Chain of Being as it pertained to the relationship between the governed and those who govern. In essence it postulated that if the leader was good, the nation would prosper, but if
Continue readingTag: Letters to the Editor
Politics and its Discontents: What’s Stopping Them?
Compelling reasons exist for putting a price on carbon. Three Star readers offer theirs: Re: Ontario carbon price policy in the works, Feb. 13 I was struck by the total disconnect between two of your news articles on Friday. One was on the Wynne government’s decision to put a price
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: What, Me Worry?
H/t The Toronto Star According to Star readers, there is plenty that could go wrong. Here is but a sampling of their concerns: In his anti-terrorism speech, Stephen Harper said: “Over the last few years a great evil has been descending upon our world … Canadians are targeted by these
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: How Does Stephen Harper Get Away With It?
Because we let him. That is the question asked and answered by a Toronto Star letter-writer in response to a column on democracy by Bob Hepburn, which I posted about last week. There is an array of excellent letters on this topic, one that could serve as a primer for
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: And Speaking Of Ethics
Or, more accurately, the lack of them at the CBC, letter-writer John Page of Toronto offers this thought: Re: Minimal mindset of CBC managers, Jan. 16 As a faithful listener and hard-core supporter of the CBC for over 42 years, I recently changed the channel — literally. The story on
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Coalition Redux
Never ones to shy away from expressing strong opinions, Toronto Star readers weigh in again on the best way to try to defeat Mr. Harper in the next election: Re: Pondering a union of moderates, Letters Jan. 10 Federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau must get
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Holding Police to Account
Late last month I wrote a piece for The Paper News examining the nearly impenetrable ‘blue wall’ that is an ever-present barrier to justice and accountability whenever the police abuse their authority, violate the public’s rights, or otherwise brutalize them. One of the cases I wrote about was the disabling
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Star Readers Respond To Eric Balkind
Earlier in the week, I reproduced a Star letter-to-the-editor written by Eric Balkind, who urged the other federal political leaders to amalgamate their parties as the best way to stop Stephen Harper in the next election. That letter has provoked a number of equally well-considered letters, all worth reading, published
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Appeal For A United Front
I have often extolled the quality of letters written by Toronto Star readers. Today, a particularly cogent missive from Eric Balkind, who lives in Guelph, Ontario, argues that the only sure way of defeating Harper in this year’s election is for the other parties to unite. Unfortunately, his appeal is
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: And Now, A Word From PropCan
About two weeks ago, the Toronto Star carried a story about the Harper regime’s engagement of the serves of a publicity agency called News Canada Ltd.. The organization provides copyright-free material to any media outlets that wish to carry it. The Harper government pays up to $1.5 million annually for
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: 2015: Day Two
H/t The Toronto Star Well, it is good to know that Star letter-writers have lost none of their edge over the holiday season. Responding to the paper’s recent editorial lacerating the Harper regime’s science policy (“Whatever the government’s motives, whatever it understands or does not about how science works, it
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Remembrances Of Things Past
It was with some surprise that Canadians finally saw something positive emerge from the always suspicious and hateful Harper regime: its facilitation of talks between the U.S. and Cuba to begin the process of normalizing relations. This echo of a time when Canada was looked upon as the world’s honest
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Recognizing Harper For what He Is
Last evening I watched a PBS special on the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Archival footage spanning over 50 years of the group and their times reminded me of the passionate and committed century I grew up in, a time that saw people marching en masse to protest the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Chris Alexander’s Faustian Pact
By all accounts, before he entered politics, Immigration Minister Chris Alexander was a competent and respected member of Canada’s foreign service; his resume includes the fact that he was Canada’s first resident Ambassador to Afghanistan. The lustre attending his career, however, has vanished since he become a member of the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: For The Record
About the undercarriage of that busy Tory bus, Star readers have much to say: Ex-Tory staffer jailed nine months for robocalls, Nov. 20 My sympathies go out to Michael Sona and his family, the latest addition of those people used by the Harper government and then thrown under the bus
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Just a Little Reminder
While the right enthuses about Dear Leader’s performance on the G20 world stage, here’s something to bring everyone back down to earth: And letter writers also have some thoughts to share on the issue. This from The Globe: Yes, the U.S.-China climate deal is a really, really, really big deal
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Anyone Up For A Citizen’s Arrest?
That is the question Toronto lawyer Paul Cavalluzzo essentially asks, given the egregious contempt for law that the Harper government in general, and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander in particular, is showing regarding refugee health care: Our government has clearly refused to comply with an order in a case in which
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Sobering Remembrance Day Reminder
I have to confess that all of the extra ‘enthusiasm’ for this year’s Remberance Day makes me uneasy. Poppy sales are at an all time high. Special and protracted ceremonies are planned. Government propaganda is being churned out incessantly. While I fully respect the fact that many people fought and
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Tragedy Must Bring Out The Best In All Of Us
That is the sentiment expressed by Craig Wellington of Brampton in this fine lead letter from this morning’s Star: Let’s tone down the hate rhetoric. A tragedy occurred Wednesday and a good man, Cpl. Nathan Cirillo lost his life. Let us use that as a catalyst to illuminate the best,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: We Could All Be Joseph K.
“Someone must have been telling lies about Joseph K., for without having done anything wrong he was arrested one fine morning.” – The opening sentence of Franz Kafka’s The Trial Having read The Trial many years ago, I remember being initially struck by the patent absurdity of the novel’s premise,
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