Politics in Newfoundland and Labrador is about what the social scientists – like political scientists, for example - would call clientelism. You may have heard it called patronage. Regardless of the word you use, the purpose is the same: That isn’t just about giving party workers government jobs. It’s basically
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Accidental 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: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Mind you, some of the stories are a couple of days old precisely because there’s been an embarrassment of riches in the Con criticism department this week. Most of the time, stories about a government violating immigrants’ privacy for the sake of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: December 1, 2011
In the midst of a week of acrimonious debate over both the substance of the Cons’ dumb-on-crime legislation and the government’s procedural maneuvers to prevent even improvements which it recognized as necessary, December 1 served as a comparative beacon of cooperation (as noted specifically by Don Davies). The Big Issue
Continue readingLeftist Jab: Conservatives Unveil New Jobs Plan For Quebec
You too could embark on a new lucrative career in the Canadian civil service! With little fanfare, the Conservatives announced that they are back in the race in Quebec provincial politics yet again! That’s right! Despite not having had a MNA sitting in the Quebec National Assembly since 1935, the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Lana Payne juxtaposes massive profits and public concessions for Caterpillar and Rio Tinto against their attacks on Canadian workers: (T)he demands by ElectroMotive, a subsidiary of equipment giant Caterpillar, are about as outrageous as they get, including a 50 per cent cut in
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to end your weekend. – Chris Selley rightly points out that for all the damage the Cons can do in a term of majority government, we shouldn’t overstate how much of it is irreversible. And more importantly, while it’s well worth putting time and effort into defending the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: November 2, 2011
Wednesday, November 2 saw the House of Commons debate two bills dealing with democratic reform. And the result was a remarkable gap between the values the Harper Cons presented in justifying their party’s policy orders, and the ones they actually apply in practice. The Big Issue The bill which received
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your afternoon reading. – Dan Leger worries about the consequences of the Cons’ faith-based government: Despite the big majority and many years left in its mandate, the government seems to operate in a constant state of fear and insecurity. How else to explain the attempts to closet
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.- Yes, there’s plenty of reason for outrage that the Cons are selling access to cabinet ministers through a high-priced club. But this isn’t the first time Con cabinet ministers have dedicated their profile to the…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament In Review: October 21, 2011
Friday, October 21 saw another day of debate focused largely on the Cons’ anti-consumer copyright legislation.The Big IssueOnce again, copyright was the largest issue, with Tyrone Benskin summing up what’s wrong with the Cons’ bill in its current form:…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.- Stephen Maher nicely summarizes Tony Clement’s sad committee appearance yesterday:The evidence shows that Clement chose the projects himself, in some kind of mysterious process in his riding office. He has stea…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The value of nothing or Pater knows best, redux #nlpoli
Talk show host Randy Simms has a fine column in the most recent Saturday edition of the Telegram. Our House of Assembly needs fixing, writes Simms. It hardly sits. It has no functioning committees. Laws receive cursory discussion at best. Simms qu…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Tory snouts back in trough #nlpoli
In a characteristically display of arrogance and entitlement, Kathy Dunderdale today reappointed two of her key political hacks – Len Simms and Ross Reid – to their patronage jobs in the provincial public service. What makes the whole sordid busin…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your afternoon reading.- Lawrence Martin argues that with an NDP Official Opposition at the same time as the effects of inequality and greed continue to send shockwaves across the globe, there’s no time like the present for Canada …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Assorted content to start your week.- Dan Gardner eviscerates the Cons for their stubborn insistence on mandatory minimum sentences in even the most ridiculous of cases:Imagine a university student living in a rented apartment with her boyfriend, sugge…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Keith Russell: Panic! #nlpoli #nlvotes
Tory candidate Keith Russell must be in a desperate battle to win his seat. He’s trotted out the old patronage card in a bid to boost his chances. The district better vote the right way, warns Russell or else no megaprojects for Labrador. Her…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament In Review: September 26, 2011
Monday’s session in the House of Commons was dominated by the debate over another military extension in Libya. The Big IssueOnce again, the Cons were able to win a vote for perpetual military action with the support of the Libs and Bloc. But it wasn’t …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
This and that for your weekend reading.- For those looking to paint foreign investment as a panacea for economic development, Paul Krugman offers up (via Kash Mansori) what should be a chilling correlation between capital imbalances and economic disast…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Day 3: #pandermonium roundup #nlpoli #nlvotes
Liberal leader Kevin Aylward promised Wednesday that as Premier he’d cave in and settle a class action lawsuit that is trying to pin financial responsibility for moose accidents on the provincial government. The provincial Tories did their pan…
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