Did you see the news clips of the prime minister the other day? They had him dressed in casual clothes to check out the flood problems out west. And with an open jacket, he was letting his growing corporation hang out. It shows the soft life he has been living.
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Babel-on-the-Bay: Thomas Mulcair, by Agatha Christie.
New Democrat leader Thomas Mulcair comes across as another character created by famed Brit mystery writer Agatha Christie. Like Christie’s prolific series of books from 1920 to 1975 featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, the politician is from another time, another era. It might explain why Mulcair is out of
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Politics is not a business.
We all struggle with metaphors to explain politics but the recent Toronto Star effort by Susan Delacourt of the paper’s Ottawa Bureau missed by a mile. She should leave business analogies to Star Business writer David Olive. To try to explain the recent federal by-elections in business terms seems to
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Snake at seventeen.
It was the Snake’s birthday the other day. It has been a long time since Babel-on-the-Bay told you about him and his brother, the Corporal. It might not be political. But Snake at seventeen is something. Tall, tanned, tapered and talented, he might be the answer to many a maiden’s
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A kinder, gentler Ontario PC Party?
It is likely Whitby-Oshawa MPP Christine Elliott is serious this time out. She wants another try at being leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. She has disappointed Prime Minister Stephen Harper in her quick decision. Harper had hoped she would replace her late husband Jim Flaherty in Ottawa. She
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Feeding the beast.
Babel-on-the-Bay promised a month or so ago to ignore the municipal scene until it becomes relevant. That will be after Labour Day. In the meantime, we have two more months of glorious summer in which to revel. Why spoil it? And why is Toronto’s soon-to-be-former mayor getting all the newspaper
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Is this the “New Way” Justin Trudeau?
While it might seem a churlish comment to some, there is regrettably no honour for Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau in the win in the Trinity-Spadina by-election. Running up to the vote on June 30, the Liberal Party ran television ads in which Justin talked about a ‘new way to do
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: O’ Canada, O’ Canada, Oh God!
Happy Canada Day. Canada is 147 years young and we still need to grow, develop, mature and grasp the reins of nationhood. There is so much to admire in Canada. There are Canada’s peoples, its beauty and its natural wonders. There is also its future. We need to share our
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The cabinet making of Premier Wynne.
It is hard to say whether Premier Wynne used delicate chiselling tools or just a Shop Vac to fashion her new cabinet. Either way, it would be wise not to expect all its members to last the four years of her mandate. There is some testing going on in that
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: All Andrea Horwath has is her hubris.
When New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath finally came out of hiding after the Ontario election, her pride (hubris) was all she had left. She has a caucus to lead and since they have nobody better, Andrea is still their leader. But Andrea’s decision to force an election produced no victory.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: We gotta get behind this leadership candidate.
The truth is that it was hard to stop laughing when the news was first announced: Patrick Brown MP is considering running for the leadership of the Ontario Conservatives. It is just that the more you think of it, the more you see the irreparable damage it will do to
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Russian recognizes Baird’s botching.
Georgiy Mamedov, the dean of the diplomatic corps in Ottawa is returning to Moscow. After 11 years in Canada, the Russian Ambassador seems to have become less and less diplomatic. He is calling a spade a spade and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird a sham. On Tom Clark’s West Block
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: In by-elections, you have to be there.
No, Babel-on-the-Bay has no morning line or prediction for the current by-elections in Toronto and Alberta. Readers have been asking for a forecast of what will happen in the four federal by-elections called for June 30. What they need to understand is that all by-elections are local. They are decided
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Justin ‘The Omnipotent’ Trudeau.
Did you see the latest poll from Forum Research? While you might be skeptical of the polling technique and its findings, Justin Trudeau must be pleased with being number one. Frankly it is the type of poll that can create arrogance in a neophyte politician. And we all need to
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Harper Hair is perfect, his Cabinet not so good.
It seems to be a growing trend in the Conservative Cabinet. Without the human understanding of the late Jim Flaherty, Harper’s hooligans have been running loose. Just one example is Joe Oliver from Toronto. He was a natural disaster as Natural Resources Minister and we are all waiting in anticipation
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Justin Trudeau: Saint, saviour or sap?
Liberal Leader Justin has two by-elections coming up in Toronto on June 30 and if he does not win both easily, he is going to be in deep weeds. Mind you there is little more that Prime Minister Stephen Harper can do to make it difficult for the Liberals. Calling
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The wonderment of Wynne’s winsome ways.
Since the basically corrupt and manipulated congress that chose her as leader of Ontario Liberals, Babel-on-the-Bay has not fawned over Premier Kathleen Wynne. It has not been a close relationship. But this blog recognized early why she would come out on top in this June’s election. There was no way
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Progressives should be pleased, not pugilistic.
Where does a person who poses as a progressive Liberal get off saying other political bloggers are ‘damn fools’? More than one blogger called correctly for the Liberal majority on June 12. Babel-on-the-Bay forecast a Liberal majority government in Ontario on June 6. That was no fluke. It was based
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Gateway gets the Go.
So who is surprised? Prime Minister Stephen Harper has given Canadians the finger and approved the Northern Gateway pipeline to be built by Enbridge from Bruderheim, Alberta to Kitimat, B.C. The rhetoric will rage into the election next year. While we argue, three other pipelines will take up the task—and
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Ontario voters reject economists.
Watching economist Don Drummond on Tom Clark’s Global Television show the other day, you could understand why Ontario does not elect economists. Conservative Leader Timmy Hudak is an economist (?) and we are seeing the back of him. And people like Drummond need not apply. Economics itself is not the
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