Some thoughts for this, Labour Day.The voice of the people. Oh, how long has it been since that really meant anything? In Canada and many other advanced countries, polls show that people are being governed without much if any regard to their views, their concerns. It’s sort of like standing,
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The Cracked Crystal Ball II: Institutional Racism In Conservative Ideology
This post has been evolving for quite a long time. However, in the last few days, a series of pieces have been published which bring together several threads of thought that I have been exploring for the last several years. There has long been a degree of bigotry and
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: What Vestige of Democracy Remains in the Age of Neoliberalism?
Henry Giroux argues that we must perceive democracy as a culture and shake off the cloak of neoliberalism by which it has been subverted. Excerpts from his essay, “Beyond the Spectacle of Neoliberal Misery and Violence in the Age of Terrorism”: American culture is beset with what I want to call
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper’s Reign Of Terror – A Closer Examination
While Stephen Harper’s attacks on charities have been followed here and elsewhere, the Star presents a good overview of how the offices of the CRA have been subverted by a vindictive regime that brooks no opposition to its neoliberal agenda. The article begins with the egregious case of CoDevelopment Canada,
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: It’s Not That We Disagree, It’s That I Despise Your Ideas
When ever I read another article and view another series of photographs of the carnage Israel has inflicted on the civilian population of Gaza and then think of the Netanyahu apologists, Trudeau and Mulcair, I despise them and any party that would tolerate much less follow their views. That these two greasy
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Another Indictment of Neoliberalism, This Time from Monbiot
Neoliberalism, sometimes known as “market fundamentalism”, is the scourge of our age. It infests our federal politics. Stephen Harper is a disciple. Mulcair and Trudeau may be somewhat less neoliberal but it’s a matter of degree and it ain’t much. Neoliberalism is a path littered with flawed assumptions and empty
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Anchor Around Our Necks – Neoliberalism
Modern neoliberalism, of the Hayek and Friedman schools, has been defined as “capitalism with the gloves off.” Today it’s a term associated with laissez-faire capitalism, deregulation and free trade. Neoliberalism has made deep inroads into our federal body politic. Stephen Harper is a disciple. Our opposition leaders appear less neoliberal
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Canada’s Searing Moment of Clarity
I hope you didn’t miss it. The events of the past month in that distant corner of the world, the mid-east, shone a light of fierce brilliance on our own Canada that exposed an ugly side of our country for all to see who would not look the other way.
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: The pension fight: on the picket line or in regulations?
It’s relatively common knowledge that employer-run pensions have been scaled back over the past few decades. I’ve decided to dig some data on pensions for this post to see just how this has taken place in Canada, motivated by a just-released analysis of US pension reform that finds contradictions in
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: They’re Buzzards, But You’re Their Carrion.
We all know that average Americans have been reeling financially since the Great Recession. We know that the post-recession recovery has gone mainly to the richest of the rich and, this time, it’s pretty clear there’s been no ‘trickle down’ to the plebes. A new study by the Russell Sage
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Climate Change Debate Lives On
The science on the theory of climate change is not settled. There is a powerful, scientific consensus that anthropogenic or man-made climate change is real, here now and worsening. There is a powerful, scientific consensus that man-made climate change is already triggering natural feedback mechanisms that eventually can become “tipping
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: The outsize (un)importance of the tarsands
It’s easy to overestimate the importance of the tar sands to the Canadian economy. Tar sands and their pipelines are after all hailed by the ruling Conservatives, sections of the business press and the ever-present oil lobby as this young century’s “nation-building” project. Yet, a survey recently making the rounds
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: EU officials plotted IMF attack to bring rebellious Italy to its knees – Telegraph Blogs
EU officials plotted IMF attack to bring rebellious Italy to its knees – Telegraph Blogs. The revelations about EMU skulduggery are coming thick and fast. Tim Geithner recounts in his book Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises just how far the EU elites are willing to go to save the
Continue readingMelissa Fong: The BC education system is broken
I can’t even imagine what it would have been like to go to a school where there wasn’t a regular community of teachers who knew each other and watched me […]
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Banks save over €40 billion in capital thanks to government decree | In English | EL PAÍS
http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/04/24/inenglish/1398330641_511126.html Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Eurozone Crisis, finance, neoliberalism, Spain
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: IMF Urges Redistribution To Tackle Growing Inequality
As usual, on the rare occasion that the IMF actually understands the destructive nature of austerity policies, it is too little too late. IMF Urges Redistribution To Tackle Growing Inequality. Washington – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is wading strongly into the global debate over the impact of growing income inequality,
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Tough austerity measures in Greece leave nearly a million people with no access to healthcare, leading to soaring infant mortality, HIV infection and suicide – Europe – World – The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/tough-austerity-measures-in-greece-leave-nearly-a-million-people-with-no-access-to-healthcare-leading-to-soaring-infant-mortality-hiv-infection-and-suicide-9142274.html Filed under: Austerity, Greece, inequality, Neoliberalism Tagged: Austerity, crisis, Greece, neoliberalism
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: The New Wave of Financial Instability
The New Wave of Financial Instability by MIKE WHITNEY Global stocks were hammered on Friday for a second straight day on news of a slowdown in China and turbulence in emerging markets. The Dow Jones Industrials suffered its worse drubbing in more than two years, tumbling 318 points on Friday
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: QE: Furthering the habit of privatizing gains and socializing losses
“Privatizing gains and socializing losses” could be the motto for the neoliberal era. Alongside this and “there is no alternative”, few slogans better capture the ideology that has been so successfully diffused throughout the world over the past several decades. Five years after latest financial crisis, this motto rings true
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Were This The Best Of All Possible Worlds…
Were I of Dr. Pangloss’ rosy outlook and believed that this is the best of all possible worlds, I might have some sympathy for people like Industry Minister James Moore who, as most will probably have heard, recently opined that it is not his job to feed his neighbour’s child,
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