Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Well we have at least four Harper appointed Senators caught up in fudging or just outright lying and cheating over expenses, residences and such. Top that up with 3 Billion and change that has vanished from security and terrorism accounts. Next up, Steve’s Chief of Staff cutting
Continue readingTag: Nigel Wright
The Canadian Progressive: NDP Leader Tom Mulcair Grills PM Harper On Senate Expenses Scandal (VIDEO)
Last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper fled to South America to avoid the unraveling Senate expenses scandal. On Monday, he skipped Question Period in the House of Commons. He did show up in the House on Tuesday and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair roasted him. Prosecutor style. Short, precise questions. The
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Tories try new union-bashing gambit to divert attention from their daily scandals, fiascos
Federal Treasury Board President Tony Clement, left, makes Duffygate disappear, while two reporters and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, at right, look on. Actual Canadian politicians and media personalities may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: The real Tony Clement, Arthur Porter. Desperate to divert public attention from Mike “The Puffster”
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Cone of Silence
Rob Ford and Stephen Harper are about as different as two politicians can be, but the one thing they have in common is an uncanny ability to brush off scandals before they stick. Harper entered the 2011 election facing a “controversy of the day” – from Bev Oda’s orange juice,
Continue readingPolygonic: “I didn’t know!” – the death throes of a desperate squirmer
The Conservatives are losing their favourite, time-tested tactic to reset public opinion: just say the word “sponsorship.” For seven long years, anytime they could be criticised for ethical lapses, for cronyism and corruption, for pork and for secrecy (in a word, umm, always), they could simply refer back to “sponsorship”
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Pack the Senate with cheats, then call for reform, then take off for Peru? Good plan!
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, not pictured because he’s pretty well disappeared, has heeded the touristic lure South America, illustrated above. Below: Canadian Parliamentarian Joan Crockatt and U.S. Representative Davy Crockett. Note to Globe and Mail: There is a difference! Below them: Allaudin Merali. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was apparently grinding
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On instructing clients
Let’s once again take a slightly closer look at what’s been reported about the Cons’ senate scandal – as yesterday’s revelations about the involvement of Stephen Harper’s special counsel and legal adviser Benjamin Perrin may offer a few more indications as to who was actually pulling the strings. To start
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Nigel Wright and the Corruption of Stephen Harper
I don't know why Nigel Wright decided to sell his soul to a man like Stephen Harper, the sinister boss of the Con mob.Or what dark force drove him to cut a $90,000 cheque for the sleazy senator Mike Duffy. A man he hardly knew.But he sure learned a hard lesson today eh? When you work
Continue readingAlberta Diary: (Prime) ministerial responsibility and all that … surely the wrong man has quit!
The home of Canada’s Parliament, held in contempt by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Reform Party, doing business under the name of the Conservative Party of Canada. Below: former chief of staff Nigel Wright, Mr. Harper and Senator Mike Duffy. Surely the wrong man has quit! Nigel Wright, Prime
Continue readingParliamANT Hill: PM Waxes Poetic on Senate Scandal
One person’s tragedy is another’s travesty.
Continue readingLeftist Jab: The Case Against The Prime Minister In The Mike Duffy Scandal
Ran out of scotch to he’s making a ruckus. To quote the loquacious and disgraced Mike Duffy: “Words are important.” In that spirit, let’s take a careful look at Nigel Wright’s resignation press release to see if it can shed light into this whole affair: In light of the controversy
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Sen. Mike Duffy’s Scandal Torpedoes Nigel Wright: Canadians React
PM Stephen Harper’s chief of staff Nigel Wright resigned early Sunday following last week’s revelation that he cut a $90,000 personal cheque to cover Sen. Mike Duffy’s fraudulent Senate expense claims. The announcement has set the Twitterverse on fire. “Mr Wright’s resignation doesn’t end the matter – how and why was this deal
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Statements: Resignation of Harper’s Chief of Staff Nigel Wright
From the day it emerged that Stephen Harper’s chief of staff Nigel Wright cut a $90,000 personal cheque to cover Sen. Mike Duffy’s fraudulent Senate expense claims, the Conservatives tried desperately to kill the scandal. On Thursday, they tossed Duffy overboard, and on Friday, Sen. Pamela Wallin. Also on Friday,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On corrupted institutions
Plenty of others have had loads to say about the scandal surrounding Stephen Harper, Nigel Wright, Mike Duffy and the Senate generally – with Wright’s resignation today serving as just the latest chapter of a story with plenty left to be told. But I’ll add a couple of notes to
Continue readingTrashy's World: Nigel Wright resigns…
… and this troubling scandal deepens. How much did Harper know? What DON’T we know about – yet? A what point does the number of misdeeds, lies and deception by Harper government officials lead some to suggest that Harper call an election? Clearly, the government is losing the confidence of
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Schadenfreude, evidence and politics: a half-hearted defence of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford as he might have appeared in ancient Rome, whence comes the idea that in politics public figures and their associates must be above suspicion. Below: The real Rob Ford; Caesar’s wife. Schadenfreude is all very well, but this whole Rob Ford video scandal has me feeling
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: In Case You Missed It
Here is Rex Murphy holding forth on the current ‘troubles’ in Ottawa: Recommend this Post
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Rob Ford and the Incredible Exploding Cons
Wherever you went in Toronto today you couldn't get away from Rob Ford.Everybody was talking about him eh? Wondering whether he's a crack head, or just plain crazy.So I wasn't really surprised to find him waiting for me on my way home.And as I stared at this ghastly apparition, I
Continue readingValerie Burns: If we can’t pin the tail to the donkey, then we are the donkey.
We could get Nigel Wright’s resignation, but so what? His polling numbers don’t matter. If he trends on Twitter during his scandal, who cares? Nobody is going to vote for him, or against him. Mike Duffy, ditto. He can be the least popular politician in the country, and it changes
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Paul Krugman draws a much-needed connection between austerity politics and Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine: What Smith didn’t note, somewhat surprisingly, is that his argument is very close to Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine, with its argument that elites systematically exploit disasters to push through
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