The handful of people who pay close attention to politics in Newfoundland and Labrador are probably scratching the barely-healed-over scabs on their head in the latest round of bewilderment. Tory leader Ches Crosbie announced last week he had named a philosophy professor at Memorial University to head up a task
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The Sir Robert Bond Papers: Women in elected politics: is it a choice? #nlpoli
The number of women in elected office in Newfoundland and Labrador remains below the numbers one would expect based on changes in society over the past 40 years. Why is that? Maybe, it’s a choice. Luana Maroja is a biology professor at Williams College, a small liberal arts college in Massachusetts.Maroja
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Voter Turn-out and Popular Vote Shares of Parties, 1949 – 2019 #nlpoli
Election turn-out has been declining steadily for provincial elections since the mid-1990s. The 2019 general election is on track to show a record low turn-out at 44% of eligible voters. Party share of eligible vote had declined in the same period. The Liberal victory in 2015 went against the pattern
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Where do elections come from? #nlpoli
From fixed election dates to the number of candidates that run in an election, what Newfoundlanders and Labradorians believe about one of the basic institutions of their democracy is as much myth and rumour as reality. Here are some facts to help you navigate the world of post-Confederation elections in
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Trends: corpse kicking after a lost decade of delusion #nlpoli
Don Mills is the latest fan of the provincial Conservatives to turn on them savagely. The St. John’s Board of Trade had Don back to deliver a luncheon speech this week. According to CBC, Mills said: "The downside of Danny Williams, and I have a lot of respect for him,
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Fearful Symmetry #nlpoli
There’s a couple of constables in an office over in the basement of the old Memorial College building at Fort Townshend, right next to where the USO building used to be. They handle all the mysterious calls about weird goings on, sort of like a local version of the X-Files.
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The theory of everything #nlpoli
People are talking about the budget. People are talking about Bill 42, the politicians’ decision to cut public representation in the House. People are talking about the recent polls. People are talking about the next election. People have predictions about how this one or that one will play out. But
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Government by Committee #nlpoli
Politics in Newfoundland and Labrador (2015) – Part 5 In the fifth and final instalment in this series on politics in Newfoundland and Labrador, SRBP looks at the latest move in continuing efforts by politicians in the province to make the House of Assembly irrelevant. _____________________________________________ If you want
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Elections and Voting #nlpoli
Politics in Newfoundland and Labrador (2015) – Part 4 The politicians in the province share a lot of common views and tend to agree on most things despite being organized into political parties that are – theoretically – supposed to have some sharp differences among them. The House of
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The Dysfunctional House of Assembly #nlpoli
Politics in Newfoundland and Labrador (2015) – Part 3 In the third instalment in the series, SRBP looks at the way the House of Assembly operates. _____________________________________________ Liberal finance critic Cathy Bennett’s recent op-ed piece in the Telegram said that the provincial government’s current financial mess is about more than
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: One Big Party #nlpoli
Politics in Newfoundland and Labrador – Part 2 The plan to cut public representation in the House of Assembly has drawn public attention to more than just the plan to reduce the number of elected representatives in the legislature by eight. In this new series, SRBP will examine politics in
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Making the rich richer #nlpoli
Politics in Newfoundland and Labrador – Part 1 The plan to cut public representation in the House of Assembly has drawn public attention to more than just the plan to reduce the number of elected representatives in the legislature by eight. In this new series, SRBP will examine politics
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