It is a night and day comparison. Stephen Harper embodied the Darth Vader of Canadian politics. Liberal Justin Trudeau is bringing us into the light. He promised Canadians the change that was so badly needed and they followed him. And we can assure you that he is not Pierre Trudeau
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Babel-on-the-Bay: What Wynne machine?
Giving Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne any credit for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s win in Ontario the other day is like suggesting that a windmill helped create the wind. There is little question but that politically Ontario’s premier needs Justin Trudeau far more than he needs her. In the appearances the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Win some; lose some.
It is the morning after the federal election and there are a series of thoughts to share. They are somewhat disconnected. They range from Peter Mansbridge’s tennis shoes to John Tory’s toupee. Maybe the excitement last night was too much for us. John Tory’s toupee was new last year for
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Cheer tonight: the real work starts tomorrow.
Everything seems to say we were right in our morning line. The odds in early September on which party will win were 3 to one in favour of the Trudeau Liberals and we have never had reason to doubt that prediction. The unbroken streak of predicted wins for Babel-on-the-Bay appears
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: But the Hair is the Conservative Party.
Nobody expects humour on the editorial pages of Toronto’s Globe and Mail. The old and creaky building on Front Street has never had time for humour while reporting on the financial health of the nation. And it will never do to set the nabobs of Bay Street laughing. And that
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Running for the Roses.
The horses have rounded the final curve and it is a straight run to the finish line. It is a time when jockeys whisper, whip or whine to encourage their mount. It is when the handicappers close their eyes and shudder at the possible outcomes of their folly. That damn
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Dan Gagnier did nothing wrong.
As was explained by Babel-on-the-Bay a few times, Trudeau campaign co-chair Dan Gagnier was an unusual choice for a campaign management team. Yet we regret that he has chosen to leave the Liberal campaign under suspicion of a conflict of interest. He has always seemed to be an honourable person.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Hair needs the Fords?
Recently we were writing about bumper-sticker campaigning. Nothing seems to say this better when six days before the election, the Ford brothers come out to help the Hair campaign in Toronto’s Etobicoke. And it is hard to say who is joining who at the bottom of the dumpster? There is
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: They promise to be interesting times.
The supposed Chinese curse “May you live in interesting times” is neither Chinese nor really a curse. Many of us revel in a hectic and exciting life and we would have it no other way. And we are quite likely to get our wish in the next few years as
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The only poll that matters.
The rollercoaster ride in this federal election has been the provided by the pollsters. They are guilty of creating more confusion, consternation, calculation crises and constipation than at any time in history. The only consolation seems to be that as their polls get wilder, they are also cheaper and frankly
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: With thanks to the Hair.
This has been the weekend for firming up the opinions and decisions on our federal election in Canada. We are in the last week of a long and exhausting campaign. And it is all thanks to the Hair. He set the election date. He called for the writ early in
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: It’s been a bumper-sticker campaign.
Recently a reader accused Babel-on-the-Bay of using ‘bumper sticker’ arguments. The truth is that the simpler you make your arguments the more people listen to them. In these days of dumb-downed English, dull headlines and drab writing we are all racing to the bottom of a well of simplicity. And
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: From here, you can smell the fear.
There was a candidates meeting the other evening for the federal election candidates in the local electoral district. It was this national election in microcosm. The event in a church was sponsored by the Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness. Like this election, the candidates’ answers to homelessness were too
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: We are standing on guard.
Canadians can vote today. You can see the end of the longest federal election campaign in modern history. You can vote throughout this weekend. You can also give thanks. And we Canadians have much to be thankful for. If you do not vote this weekend, you can get into the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Where do the nice gals and guys finish?
Canadians have always recognized politics as a blood sport. There is no quarter given. Nice gals and guys finish last. And in a campaign this year more noted for its mistakes than its strong points, analysis of the results might take some time to sort out. From what we know
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Is it the Trans-Pacific Profit Protection Pact?
There is a disquieting trend emerging in all these trading partnerships that are being negotiated around the world. Who do they benefit? The right wing talks about all the potential jobs but what guarantees do we get as to where those jobs might be? That seems to be left out
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The blatant bigotry of the Hair.
The Hair had the support of the Bloc’s Gilles Duceppe in promoting bigotry the other evening. In the last of the badly arranged debate sessions of the 2015 election, Canadians saw their prime minister backed by a separatist asking for votes from bigots. It was probably the most tragic display
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: What editing standards at the Toronto Star?
It has always been an understood thing that the editing standards in the sports section of a large newspaper are often more relaxed than those of the general news. The editors tended to give the jocks in sports a looser rein. And it now seems that the Toronto Star—touted as
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: They say all politics are local.
That might not be the way Americans say it but Americans do not worry much about syntax (such as the use of a plural verb with a plural subject). This thought occurred to us the other evening while sitting in a very uncomfortable students’ chair in a lecture hall at
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: That kinder, gentler Canada is bunk.
It used to be amusing that Americans thought of Canadians as being more liberal and more polite. They would puzzle over our accents and did not pretend to understand how we are governed. Lately they have been considering having a northern wall across the top of their country to keep
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