The New Year came and went and it was such a busy time for political comment that we missed commenting on the past year. And that year needs a look. Babel-on-the-Bay set some records. Readership is up. In 365 days, there were 365 commentaries. Other sites are asking for our
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Babel-on-the-Bay: Some of us just wanted to see good hockey.
That certainly was a great international junior hockey game between Canada and Russia the other evening. The teams were highly charged and competitive as they went for the gold medal and the hockey was fast and furious. It had you enthralled from beginning to end. It was no time for
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Bobbsey Twin and the flying machine.
The gimmick was solid. Tom Clark of Global News’ West Block show was offering a flight in his little single engine airplane to the three party leaders. All they had to agree to was an on-camera interview in the air. Both Liberal Justin Trudeau and New Democrat Tom Mulcair accepted
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Hair’s ‘crazy’ care of our environment.
If no environmental regulations are required when times are good in the tar sands, why is it ‘crazy’ to impose them when times are bad? Yet that was what the Prime Minister told the House of Commons early in December. The country has been aghast since then. The main problem
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: And the parties need you now.
There is a warm feeling to being needed. And judging by the carefully crafted e-mails from the political parties these days you know that it is really your money that is needed. It is a sign of the times. The end of subsidies to political parties and the anticipated election
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Determining a direction for the Dauphin.
If you are assuming that sometime in the next eight to ten months, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau will leave off the platitudes and say something substantive, you could be disillusioned. If you were hoping that the Liberal Party’s plan for Canada is the road to Nirvana, you are just kidding
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Ambushing Ontario’s Premier Wynne.
Alan Carter, the Global Television bureau chief at Queen’s Park, has never been one of our favourite reporters. He tends to be something of a wiseass. He redeemed himself the other day though by doing a fairly stand-up job of a year-end interview with Ontario’s Premier. While the Premier did
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Planning for Fortress America.
Watching Tom Clark’s West Block program on Global the other day sent a severe chill up the back. The show had two American guests General David Petraeous, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and Robert Zoellick, former head of the World Bank. The two gentlemen were promoting their study
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A new age of civility for Toronto.
Welcome to Toronto of 2015. There is a new chief magistrate, a new regime, a new spirit of cooperation with all levels of government and a mayor who brings a new level of civility to the job at City Hall. It is unseemly for the media buzzards to gather waiting
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The difference was in knowing Thumper.
If you thought of Thumper back in his political days, they were not always warm and fuzzy thoughts. Thumper was better known at that time as Donald S. Macdonald, M.P. for Toronto Rosedale. He always had an itch back then to be the replacement for Pierre Trudeau and those of
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Is the Beer Store less boring than bitumen?
Bloggers sometimes think of their readers. Google Analytics allows us to analyze readership of our sites on a daily and even hourly basis. It does not tell us if you are naughty or nice but it does tell us where you from and how long you spend on site. It
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: How about gun control that works?
Just for a couple minutes, we can assume that the coming federal election will create a government other than that controlled by the Conservative Party. And, if we are finished enjoying the thought after almost 10 years of the Conservatives, we know we have lots of work ahead of us.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Tales as told by Tories.
If you have ever wondered how Canada’s Tories can lie to voters as they do, just remember MP Paul Calandra and former MP Dean Del Mastro. Both these gentlemen have served as parliamentary secretaries to the Prime Minister of Canada. They have salutary stories for future aspirants to be a
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: There arose such a clatter…
We knew it wasn’t the Hair raising the clatter, He brought us nothing today that could matter. His oil economy is destined for intensive care, He’ll go down to defeat in October, we swear. It is what he has done to Canada’s reputation, We used to have so much
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Solving Justin’s problems in Quebec.
The good news in Quebec this year was that Philippe Couillard’s Quebec Liberals defeated the Parti Québécois. The bad news for federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is that Philippe Couillard’s Liberals defeated the Parti Québécois. Couillard’s Liberals are a noose around Justin’s neck. It is one reason that younger Quebeckers
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Not likely, David Peterson.
Former Liberal Premier David Peterson has been labelled as a left-wing social democrat by the Toronto Star. It is hardly the first time the Star has been wrong but even Peterson denies the label. It was pinned on him after trying the Vox Pox Labs’ political Sentimeter quiz. The quiz
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Lead from your strength, Justin.
Please Justin, just shut up and listen. The other day, you told Campion-Smith of the Toronto Star’s Ottawa Bureau that the economy will decide the next election. You had better hope not. You have absolutely no credibility in that subject and the majority of the voters could care less. Stephen
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: What is this mantra of debt?
For years we have been listening to right-wing politicians, bankers and other busybodies complaining about debt. It seems to be their constant mantra that debt is bad, tax cuts are good, small government is better and environmental controls are bad business. While the ignorant try to sell these silly ideas,
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Liberals we have heard on high.
It is only fair after introducing the local Conservative candidate, we mention that there is also going to be a Liberal candidate. We actually have a contest to determine the Liberal candidate. Somehow the Liberal party made a slip and approved two candidates in Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte. (That riding name has something
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: “Well look, Mr. Mansbridge” said the Hair.
To be interviewed by his nemesises at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on a bad hair day was really more than the Hair should suffer. And what has befallen Michelle Muntean, the hairdresser the Prime Minister lured away from CTV three elections ago? There are more questions than answers at this
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