Assorted content to end your week.- Roderick Benns interviews Scott Santens about the effect of a basic income:Benns: Why is the concept of a basic income guarantee so important at this point in our societal development? Santens: We’re living in a pa…
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Accidental Deliberations: On turnout
Daniel Schwartz reports on the final vote count from last month’s federal election. And given the record vote total and unusually high turnout based on the percentage of eligible voters, it’s particularly worth noting what’s changed since previous, lower-turnout elections. Since 2011, the Conservatives eliminated the per-vote subsidy, which provided
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – I’ll start in on my own review of the NDP’s election campaign over the next few days, focusing on what I see as being the crucial decisions as the campaign played out. But for those looking for some of what’s been written already,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On distinguishing factors
The common personalities and strategies by tired right-wing governments are leading to some comparisons between the ongoing Canadian campaign and the UK’s election earlier this year. But even as we treat David Cameron’s re-election as an important warning, let’s note that there’s a rather crucial difference between the two. In
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On game theories
Paul Dechene’s riff off of this post is definitely worth a read. But while we’re largely in agreement on the significance of polls, I will challenge his wider view as to what election coverage means: Policies? Platforms? These are not the weapons political parties wield in an election. Those are
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Jennifer Wells writes about the drastic difference in pay between CEOs and everybody else. And Henry Farrell interviews Lauren Rivera about the advantage privileged children have in being able to rely on parents’ social networks and funding rather than needing to learn
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On political placement
While others have already commented on Adam Dodek’s argument that judges should never enter politics after leaving the bench, I’ll offer a couple of observations of my own having to do largely with our perceptions of politics (and the need not to let them override democratic principles). Dodek’s concerns arise
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On full responses
I’ll weigh in quickly on the controversy surrounding Jean-Francois Delisle – and start by noting that his comments yesterday reflected a desire to alter law to discriminate against a particular group that we shouldn’t accept from any political candidate or party. That said, today’s follow-up statement also signals that responsibility
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On changing standards
Paul MacLeod reports on the latest candidate to be summarily axed due to an even mildly controversial social media history uncovered by Robert Jago, while Robyn Urback suggests either a truce or a wholesale destruction of past posts. But it’s worth asking what comes next for Canada’s political parties –
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Paul Weinberg discusses the need to focus on inequality in Canada’s federal election, while Scott Deveau and Jeremy Van Loon take note of the fact that increased tax revenue is on the table. The Star’s editorial board weighs in on the NDP’s
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – David Climenhaga sees Jeremy Corbyn’s resounding victory in the Labour leadership race as compelling evidence that progressive hope can win over centre-right fearmongering, while Michael Laxer takes some lessons away for Canadian politics. And Paul Krugman notes that there’s a reason why
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Joseph Stiglitz notes that the recent stock market turmoil may be most important for its effect in highlighting far more important economic weaknesses. And Richard McCormack discusses the link between stock buybacks, inequality and economic stagnation – meaning that a plan to eliminate
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Robin Sears discusses the hubris behind the Cons’ early election call, while Tim Naumetz notes that the extended campaign is just one more issue where the Cons are offside of the vast majority of the public. And the Guardian comments on the reasons
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, with my suggestions as to what viewers should watch for in tonight’s leaders’ debate – particularly in a campaign where we’ll have ample opportunity to see everything but interaction between party leaders. For further reading…– David Reevely describes the staging behind most of the campaign events we’ll see between
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Robert Reich describes how U.S. voters are rejecting the concept of a ruling class from both the left and the right – while noting that it’s vital to get the answer right as to which alternative is worth pursuing. And Owen Jones
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Juxtaposition
The current Liberal leader, who apparently saw no reason to think his actions in the present might result in the loss of his party’s self-proclaimed brand: Trudeau said he finds Canadians he talks with when he travels are open to the idea of balancing security and rights. But he conceded
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Jeffrey Sachs writes about the need to shape a more moral, less exploitative economy. So needless to say, the Cons are instead working on promoting corruption. – Mark Weisbrot discusses how the Troika’s attempt to impose continued austerity on Greece in the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On half measures
Having written this column a couple of weeks back on electoral financing in Saskatchewan, I’ll take a moment to address this letter to the editor in response from R. Curtis Mullen. It’s indeed true that Saskatchewan has spending limits which apply during an election campaign. But the Canada Elections Act
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Apparently they’ll let anybody blather away on the intertoobz
Here, for instance, is me chatting with Paul Dechene. (And to correct myself, the impending provincial election is the second under fixed election dates – though the first where it’s lining up with an associated federal election.)
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On powers of appointment
Andrew Coyne has rightly pointed out the gall the Senate is showing in nixing Michael Chong’s watered-down Reform Act (even if there’s something to a few of the criticisms). But let’s not miss the most absurd suggestion of all as to who should be given increased power over a party’s
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