This and that for your Sunday reading. – David Moscrop writes that the Libs’ choice to break the promise of electoral reform to instead lock in an unfair and unrepresentative electoral system fits with their pattern of action: What of the strategic questions? Do the Liberals regret their decision to
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Accidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – In an excerpt from his new book, Martin Lukacs examines the disappointment Justin Trudeau has inflicted on anybody who thought his carefully-cultivated progressive image would be matched by action: Long before photographs of Trudeau partying in black-face and brown-face in his twenties
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Jeff Spross discusses the effectiveness of a wealth tax both in generating revenue, and in reducing inequality. David Leonhardt notes that a wealth tax will actually boost the economy by putting to use assets which are otherwise idle (if not being used for
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on the echoes of previous campaigns in Canada’s federal election – including the possibility that the 1972 minority government scenario might be the best outcome of all. For further reading…– The column’s discussion of public impressions of leaders is based on recent polling from Forum and Angus Reid –
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Paul Krugman writes that complaints by the U.S.’ wealthiest few about Elizabeth Warren reflect their insistence that extreme wealth be coupled with absolute and unquestioned power: The point is that many of the superrich aren’t satisfied with living like kings, which they will
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
This and that for your weekend reading. – Keith Gerein writes that Alberta’s petro-state can’t mask the fact that climate denialism is leading to governance failing its own province’s children. Murray Mandryk notes that Scott Moe and company are far more childish than the teens leading the climate justice movement.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Manfred Bienefeld writes about the gap between the urgent problems we face, and the sad excuses for policies on offer from the Libs and Cons as Canadians go to the polls. And Andrew Jackson discusses how little point there is to the tax
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – George Monbiot argues that it’s time to cap the amount of wealth any person can accumulate, while highlighting the importance of accepting that there’s a point where we have enough. – Donovan Vincent writes about the rental housing crisis in Toronto, while
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Evening Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Martin Regg Cohn writes that Doug Ford’s brutal austerity against the people who most need social support has been based on entirely made-up numbers. And David Climenhaga points out that Alberta’s civil service has been shrinking over the past decade, showing that
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Kerri Breen reports on the public’s understandable frustration with Canada’s political system. Don Martin offers a prime example as to why that’s justified, as Justin Trudeau has cynically concluded that it would be counterproductive to stand up for people facing religious discrimination
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Lily Patchelder and David Kamin study the policy options available to increase public revenue by focusing on the wealthy, and find that there are multiple viable options: The U.S. will need to raise more revenues in order to reduce these disparities, finance
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Of pots and kettles
A genuine advocate for ethical politics could certainly find reason for concern with the Libs’ cynical use of government announcements to build the profile of unelected candidates. But the Pod People’s Party deserves nothing but mockery for having the gall to complain that it constitutes anything other than plagiarism.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On abandoned responsibilities
The prelude to Canada’s federal election campaign has brought several parties’ views of human rights and government responsibilities under scrutiny. Maxime Bernier has only exacerbated Stephen Harper’s past anti-minority messages, building his PPC campaign largely on criticism of immigration generally. Andrew Scheer has apparently recognized at least a political problem
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Taylor Scallon discusses how GDP numbers fail to capture the precarious circumstances facing far too many Canadians. Kerri Breen reports on Ipsos’ polling showing a majority of Canadians seeing the political system as being rigged in favour of a privileged few. But in
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Derrick O’Keefe highlights how Canada’s election would look if coverage focused on the issues which feature strong public support, rather than the two painfully unappealing perceived front-runners who ignore them: (T)he Ipsos poll results released Thursday…show an enormous potential for class-based demands
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your Labour Day reading. – Hassan Yussuff discusses what’s at stake for Canadian workers in this fall’s election campaign. And Binyamin Applebaum and Damon Winter rightly point out that while one job can be difficult enough, there are added stresses where workers need to try to satisfy
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – David Lazarus writes about the fundamental dishonesty needed to keep purveying trickle-down spin in the face of all evidence. And Richard Rubin discusses how U.S. Democrats are having a serious discussion about the merits of progressive income and wealth taxes – even
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Rick Salutin writes that Canada’s lack of accessible housing arises primarily as the result of general inequality. Derek Thompson notes that youth athletics are just one more sphere of activity in which concentrated wealth is driving out participation by people who don’t have
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – John Nichols interviews Bernie Sanders about the importance of resurrecting the principle of economic rights. Gallup examines how the American public is again recognizing the value of unions. And Simon Goodley writes about the positive effects of shortening the work week to 4
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: In plain sight
Robyn Urback is rightly concerned about the lack of discussion of Quebec’s systematic discrimination by most of Canada’s federal parties – only to gloss over the strong position taken by Jagmeet Singh and the NDP. Matt Gurney laments the lack of a remotely reasonable climate debate between the Libs and
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