The latest from Canada’s federal election campaign. – D.T. Cochrane reviews the parties’ platforms and finds the NDP’s to be both the most progressive and the most fiscally responsible. And Martin Lukacs and Ben Cuthbert examine the voting records of the Libs and the Cons – finding a regular pattern
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Writings of J. Todd Ring: More Faux Left Follies
Letter to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives I used to consider CounterPunch, Canadian Dimension, DemocracyNow! and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives among my most trusted sources for news and analysis. No more. The last issue of CCPA’s Monitor confirmed the total loss of confidence, as did the general
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Populism, Elitism & Propaganda: The Continuing Failure of Liberals, Progressives & the Left
As I have been saying: accepting the elitist derogatory and vilifying use of the term populism as a synonym for all that is evil in the world is playing into the hands of the plutocrats. Yet, leading figures, groups and media sources among progressives, liberals and the left fell for
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Threat of Populism and Anti-Populism – Thomas Frank
This from the latest issue of Harper’s. I urge my readers to read the entire essay, as it provide a great amount of pertinent history about he American political system and illustrates clearly how the Establishment often acts in concert to dampen the will of the people. “Further examples
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – The Canadian Press reports on the Libs’ desire to approve massive tar sands expansions no matter how the resulting production – to say nothing of the consumption left uncounted – would affect Canada’s role in exacerbating a climate breakdown. And Janyce McGregor
Continue readingAkaash Maharaj - Practical Idealism: Build a Wall? Canada’s Response to Trump
Donald Trump’s main export to Canada has been a sense of national smugness, that his outrages and absurdities could never find purchase here. But it would be an act of monumental self-deception for Canadians to believe that we are an island set above the rage bubbling across the world.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Peter Wade reports on new polling showing that American voters remain angry about a political system which benefits a privileged few at the expense of everybody else. Jake Johnson reports on Bernie Sanders’ message that it’s time for workers to win the class
Continue readingAkaash Maharaj - Practical Idealism: Toronto Star: Build a Wall? Canada’s Response to Trump
It would be an act of monumental self-deception for Canadians to believe that our country is an island set above the rage bubbling across the world.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Andrew Jackson writes that bland centrism is no response to right-wing populism: Right-wing populism is a complex phenomenon which varies a lot by country. But most analysts agree that it is deeply rooted in material circumstances: rising economic inequality to often obscene levels,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Juxtaposition
The effect of the perpetual fear of falling downwards on ideology: As far as there are forces at play that push job losers to the right of the ideological spectrum, these forces appear trumped by other pressures that pull job losers to the left. Indeed, while we do observe many
Continue readingI Am a Democrat … and an Elitist
There is much talk about populism these days. The term has a variety of definitions, but the general idea is that society is separated into two groups at odds with one another—the mass of the people and a corrupt elite. The populist leader claims to represent the will of the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
This and that for your mid-week reading. – Rick Salutin discusses the needed rise of left-wing populism in the U.S.’ presidential campaign (and elsewhere). – Ed Finn highlights how policies designed around austerity and competition are designed to prevent people from cooperating toward the common good. And Erlend Kvitrud points
Continue readingThe State of Democracy
There is, it seems, a war against democracy. I hesitate to use the word “war” as it tends to suffer from overuse these days—war on drugs, war on terrorism, etc—but there are certainly powerful forces at work in the world that would like to see less democracy. The hostility arises
Continue readingScripturient: Stalin’s ghostly influence today
I recently finished reading the second volume of Stephen Kotkin’s magisterial biography of Josef Stalin: About 1,700 pages so far, with another 400 or so in small-type notes. Brilliant stuff, but a lot to absorb and consider. A bit of a slog if you’re not at least somewhat familiar with
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Politics of Conspiracy Theorists
Who knew? Populists have a ravenous appetite for conspiracy theories. You can feed those bastards just about anything and they’ll thrive on it. And people like Donald Trump would be just another laughingstock without them. Populists across the world are significantly more likely to believe in conspiracy theories about vaccinations,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Bob Hepburn discusses how Doug Ford has turned a populist campaign into government solely for the benefit of the privileged few. And Paul Krugman rightly notes that it’s the Republicans who stoke resentment in the U.S.’ rust belt who actually express contempt for
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Donald Gutstein examines the crucial difference between advancing toward a zero-carbon economy, and incentivizing further fossil fuel development through misleading terms such as “low-emission”. And Arthur White-Crummey reports on Nic Rivers’ response to the Saskatchewan Party’s attempt to self-assess climate policy while
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Democracy on Trial – In the United Kingdom
The New York Times headline reads, “‘We’re in the Last Hour’: Democracy Itself Is on Trial in Brexit, Britons Say.” As I’m going through the article, over on LBC radio, London, callers are having their say on whether the UK needs electoral reform, an end to “first past the post.”
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Yanis Varoufakis writes that the tendency of capitalism toward stagnation signals the need for greater public input into economic decisions. And Branko Milanovic discusses how the attitude that politics should be governed by greed has undermined the trust between citizens and governments necessary
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Eugene Lang takes note of the connection between rising populist anger and stagnant or falling wages for far too many people. And Chloe Rockarts writes about Jason Kenney’s plans to make matters even worse in Alberta by declaring war on workers. –
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