In yesterday’s post, I wondered whether Jagmeet Singh and the NDP will embrace a form of radical progressivism as it prepares for the 2019 federal election or instead hew to more mainstream policies that they think will make them more electable. In today’s Star, two letter-writers offer some important perspective.
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Politics and its Discontents: A Leap Of Faith?
Thus far, I have been singularly underwhelmed by the performance of federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. First, although a well-established Ontario MPP and deputy leader of the provincial party, he showed an unseemly timidity in refusing to seek a federal byelection seat when he had the opportunity. That decision has
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Re-stating the obvious: elections matter, and the Alberta NDP victory on May 5, 2015, proves it
PHOTOS: Rachel Notley celebrates her victory on the night of May 5, 2015. Below: Ms. Notley again, the same night, still celebrating; defeated Progressive Conservative Premier Jim Prentice as seen via TV at NDP headquarters conceding to the NDP; a small corner of the crowd at NDP election headquarters in
Continue readingIlluminated By Street Lamps: Ontario: A leading jurisdiction for intense, coercive neoliberalism
By Joe Fantauzzi@jjfantauzzi Global capitalism has liberalized incrementally since the end of the Second World War. As the Keynesian welfare state fell out of favour in the late 1970s amid a stagnating economy and rising government spending, a new business-friendly approach dubbed neoliberalism (literally, “new liberalism”), emerged and ushered in
Continue readingIlluminated By Street Lamps: Locating Canada’s State Multiculturalism As A Racist Doctrine
By Joe Fantauzzi@jjfantauzziCanada is a multicultural nation. More than four decades of policy, legislation and celebration have engraved this country’s pluralism into its national character. The ethnic diversity of this country is presented globally as a fundamental strength of the Canadian nation. But massive structural inequalities which have not been
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Some Sunshine From California – Bill Maher
It’s nice to see a little Sun everyone once and awhile in the toxic soup that is comprises much of the Media in the the US. Filed under: Politics Tagged: Bill Maher, California, Progressive Politics, Smug Rants I approve of
Continue readingcalgaryliberal.com: Reboot Alberta
I’m not a fan of engagement for engagement’s sake. It is a vacuous activity with few, if any, results. Every political activity must have a purpose and this draws my angst about Reboot Alberta. It doesn’t have a purpose. If the goal is to grow a progressive presence in the
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Progress? – Or Have White People Gotten Less Crazy?
Chris rock makes a point about how to think about “progressive politics” and what it means to people. It is almost always informative to hear the story of those who regularly receive the short end of history’s stick. Filed under: Politics Tagged: Chris Rock, Progressive Politics, White People
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Reason To Hope?
Canadians want a vision for the future. Canadians know we’re not going in the right direction. A lot of Canadians are dismayed at the calamity that has befallen our democracy and the mean-spirited authoritarianism and the divide and conquer politics that have become the benchmark of our federal government. Give
Continue readingIlluminated By Street Lamps: ANALYSIS: The Slow Decline of The Liberal Party of Canada
By Joe Fantauzzi @jjfantauzzi The electoral fortunes of the Liberal Party of Canada, once routinely referred to as Canada’s “Natural Governing Party”[1] have been in precipitous decline for nearly a decade. Currently the third party in the House of Commons, until relatively recently the Liberals held significant federal majority governments and
Continue readingIlluminated By Street Lamps: On Prorogation: A Solution To Hand The Power Back To The People
By Joe Fantauzzi jjfantauzzi@gmail.com | @jjfantauzzi When a minority federal government facing a confidence vote over a rejected economic update suspended Parliament in 2008, a constitutional expert told CBC News the move had set a “dangerous precedent.”[1] Several years later, when a minority government in Ontario used the same procedure,
Continue readingImpolitical: Noted from the U.S.: Remaking politics
“Revealed: The Massive New Liberal Plan to Remake American Politics.” A month after President Barack Obama won reelection, top brass from three dozen of the most powerful groups in liberal politics met at the headquarters of the National Education Association (NEA), a few blocks north of the White House. Brought
Continue readingIlluminated By Street Lamps: Je Me Souviens/I Remember Dec. 6, 1989
Geneviève Bergeron (1968-1989), civil engineering student Hélène Colgan (1966-1989), mechanical engineering student Nathalie Croteau (1966-1989), mechanical engineering student Barbara Daigneault (1967-1989), mechanical engineering student Anne-Marie Edward (1968-1989), chemical engineering student Maud Haviernick (1960-1989), materials engineering student Maryse Laganière (1964-1989), budget clerk in the École Polytechnique’s finance department Maryse Leclair (1966-1989),
Continue readingIlluminated By Street Lamps: POSITION ANALYSIS: A Scathing Indictment of Neoliberalism And The Privatized Delivery of Social Services in Canada
The increasingly privatized delivery of social services under neoliberal governments is arguably doing real damage to the Canadian welfare state. Discussions about neoliberalism, which as the Oxford Concise Dictionary of Politics points out emphasize deregulation and a diminished role for the state[1], are often closely linked with the rise of
Continue readingIlluminated By Street Lamps: Why The Rob Ford Verdict Is Good For Canada
That Justice Charles Hackland found Mayor Rob Ford in violation of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act and ordered him removed from office bodes well for a more progressive Canada. [ Read the full text of the decision here. Thanks to Torontoist for posting the document. ] For the past
Continue readingIlluminated By Street Lamps: Employment Redistribution: The Case For A Bigger Bureaucracy
Let’s recap: Unemployment rates are stagnant. and Living in this country is much more expensive than, say, 30 years ago. Coins are property of the Royal Canadian Mint And with this as a backdrop, the federal and Ontario governments (see: page 8 of the linked paper on post-secondary education reform)
Continue readingIlluminated By Street Lamps: ‘Winners’ And Losers In Quebec Asbestos Mess
Photo: Vsmith/Wikipedia Support for Canadian chrysotile asbestos is dead. First point, this: Canada should have gotten out of the asbestos game a long time ago.All asbestos causes cancer. We won’t use it. And, we’ve been out of step with our European friends.But now, the inconvenient rub.With apparently no clear plan about
Continue readingIlluminated By Street Lamps: Draft Chow 2014
Photograph by/Photo par Montrealais. UPDATE (Sept. 27, 2012) Olivia appears to be willing to consider the idea of running for mayor!At least, she’s not ruling it out! “We’ll see what happens down the road,” she said, when asked again by the Toronto Star if she is willing to run for
Continue readingImpolitical: Sunday reading
Jeffrey Sachs on a new force in the U.S. that has begun with Occupy Wall Street: “The New Progressive Movement.” After reviewing the influence of Reagan on the modern era, historical pendulum swings and the present day U.S. state of affairs, he ends wi…
Continue readingIlluminated By Street Lamps: The New Political Landscape
The results of the general election have dramatically shifted Canada’s political orientation. A round-up: What’s good: No more mushy-middle, quasi-conservative-government-in-waiting-politicking by the Grits. What’s bad: Big Blue is stronger than ever. What’s good: An activist Official Opposition. What’s bad: No matter what the Opposition does, it will be defeated in
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