Assorted content to end your day. – Common Dreams discusses the prevalence of inherited wealth among the U.S.’ richest individuals (as pointed out by a report by United for a Fair Economy): Forbes claims that their list of the 400 richest people is ‘the definitive scorecard of wealth’ in the
Continue readingTag: parliamentary procedures
Accidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – The Ottawa Citizen asks whether Stephen Harper’s Conservatives think Canadians are stupid enough to fall for their asinine carbon tax spin. Aaron Wherry confirms that the answer is an emphatic “yes”. – But then, we shouldn’t be surprised to see the Cons
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your Sunday reading. – It’s a few months old, but the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy’s comparison of U.S. states with a zero personal income tax to those with the highest tax levels looks like one of the most clear refutations yet of the idea that
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review – May 7, 2012
Monday, May 7 saw another day largely dominated by debate on the Cons’ omnibus budget bill. The Big Issue Plenty of MPs rightly focused on the Cons’ move to combine so many disparate types of legislation into a single behemoth of a bill. Don Davies remembered his first instruction as
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On shadow governments
Plenty of others are theorizing that it’s time for some radical action in response to the Cons’ continued contempt for democratic accountability. But I’ll take a few minutes to work through some of the considerations which should be kept in mind in deciding where to go from here. To start
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review – April 5, 2012
Thursday, April 5 was the final sitting day in the House of Commons before a two-week Easter break. And the debate was much less sharp than in previous days, as the primary bill up for discussion was supported by all parties. The Big Issue That bill was S-4, a bill
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review – April 3, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 saw the final day of debate at second reading of the Cons’ budget – and once again featured plenty of work by Peter Julian to introduce the types of perspectives the Cons would never tolerate if they could avoid it. The Big Issue Once again, Julian
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On areas of agreement
There’s plenty of room for debate as to whether Peter Julian’s budget filibuster should be seen to have its greatest impact in empowering Canadians who don’t hold a seat in Parliament, or in limiting participation by other elected representatives. But it does seem worth noting that while even a couple
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Sixth Estate rounds up the party and organizational affiliations on Canada’s major opinion pages. And in case anybody was wondering why our political dialogue so often has nothing at all to do with the public’s real concerns about inequality and instability: I
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Thomas Walkom points out that the McGuinty Libs’ choice to emphasize austerity rather than stabilizing Ontario’s economy may lead down exactly the same destructive path travelled by Greece and other countries: (T)he crises in Spain, Portugal and Greece occurred because government spending cuts
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: December 14, 2011
Wednesday, December 14 saw another day of debate devoted to free trade issues, this time addressing a proposed treaty with Jordan. But first… The Utterly Unprecedented, Stunning Development Which Shook The Very Foundations Of Canada’s System Of Government As Administered By Stephen Harper Helene Laverdiere asked a simple question to
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: December 12, 2011
Monday, December 12 saw two main topics of debate. But perhaps most striking was the introduction of the Cons’ newest tactic to dictate the terms of discussion in the House of Commons. The Big IssueMuch of the day’s discussion focused on the Cons’ copyright bill. And Paul Calandra started proceedings
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Mike de Souza’s report on the Cons’ attempts to hide both the oil industry’s involvement and its own lack of credibility is well worth a read in full. But let’s focus on a more basic revelation: Harper has set up a publicly-funded
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: December 6, 2011
Tuesday, December 6 saw a day devoted primarily to debating the Cons’ seat redistribution bill. And the result was some interesting interplay between the three official parties in the House of Commons – if no lack of contradictions as well. The Big Issue In effect, the debate on C-20 saw
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Geoffrey Stevens discusses the basic problem behind the Cons’ insistence on cutting back actual help to people while wasting billions on prisons and fighter jets: (I)f the government did have a weakness (which, as noted, it does not concede), it might be
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: November 30, 2011
After the previous day’s debacle in which government-sponsored amendments to the Cons’ dumb-on-crime bill were ruled out of order, one might have expected at least some acknowledgment of fallibility on the part of the Harper Cons. The Big Issue But Wednesday, November 30 saw nothing of the sort, even when
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Kady points out that the Cons are back to their old tricks in trying to push as much committee work as possible behind closed doors. – Susan Delacourt theorizes that the Cons are likely to use anger rather than fear as their
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: November 25, 2011
Friday, November 25 saw the House of Commons debate two NDP ideas: one to allow for meaningful debate and consideration of legislation in Parliament, the other to give effect to a principle the Cons are looking to punt to a committee in the apparent hope that it’ll never surface again.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – The CCPA offers up a handy infographic on the diverging economic paths of the ever-wealthier 1% and the rest of Canadians. – Once again, the Cons are claiming that nobody should take their own internal documents seriously – this time when it comes
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: November 23, 2011
Wednesday, November 23 saw the last votes in the House of Commons on the dismantling of the single-desk Wheat Board. And to who thought there might be some suspense as to the Cons’ determination to impose their agenda without listening to anybody, it’s always great to welcome new readers. The
Continue reading