Yes, last night’s Kitchener-Waterloo by-election resulted in a resounding victory for the Ontario NDP and new MPP Catherine Fife. But perhaps more noteworthy is the signal the result sends to the McGuinty Libs – as well as his partymates elsewhere in Canada. In effect, the Libs’ by-election message boiled down
Continue readingTag: strategy
Accidental Deliberations: On openings
Following up on this morning’s post (as well as discussions from Kayle Hatt and Chantal Hebert), I’ll offer my theory as to why a Quebec NDP might be a perfect fit for what’s otherwise a relatively crowded provincial scene. At the outset, Quebec voters have shown an inclination to give
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: The final piece
Let’s follow up on the news that the NDP is planning to assemble a Quebec provincial party in time for the next election with a look at how the move would affect the NDP. And lest there be any doubt, I’d see the development as a huge plus for the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On potential support
Abacus’ latest federal poll includes some noteworthy data on which voters see a real prospect of shifting their preferences – and particularly on the number of voters who are willing to entirely rule out a vote for either the Cons or the NDP. In particular, Bloc and Lib supporters are
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On connections
Tuesday, July 31 was the deadline for submissions to the Wall government’s consultation process on employment and labour law. Like hundreds of other interested individuals and groups, I took the time to put together a submission – based on the underlying view that however biased the process was from the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to end your weekend. – Lana Payne criticizes two forms of cash hoarding: both the assets sitting idle in corporate coffers, and the money that’s been funneled offshore by wealthy individuals: By the end of each episode (of “Hoarders”)…the audience finds out if the featured hoarders have been
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to end your weekend. – Yes, the usual caveats about trying to predict future commodity prices apply. But Stephen Maher’s warning about the effect of rising fuel and food prices is still worth keeping in mind: That shift doesn’t mean that North Americans are about to take meaningful
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Doug Saunders discusses how corporate cash hoarding is limiting any economic recovery – and what we can do about it: (T)his should be a great time for companies to invest: low prices, low interest rates, cheaper labour costs. A sensible company would build
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On definition
Others have weighed in on the NDP’s latest set of ads in English… …and in French: But it’s worth highlighting what most sets the latest ads apart from what we’ve seen from the opposition parties between elections since the Cons took power. Contrary to some of the headlines, the ads
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On risky bets
Others have already batted about some theories about the Cons’ first set of attack ads against Tom Mulcair. But it’s worth noting that there are a couple of important differences between the first salvo against Mulcair, and the previous saturation campaigns against Stephane Dion and Michael Ignatieff. While it’s been
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for a sunny Sunday. – Paul Wells offers some theories as to why the Cons haven’t yet launched attack ads against Thomas Mulcair. But I’d think the more important aberration is the fact that they did do so against Bob Rae before he ever became the Libs’ permanent
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On timeless recipes
Alice offers a thorough discussion of the ingredients behind the NDP’s Quebec gains in 2011. But the most important part of the story may be that one of the key factors had in fact been in place all along – and may only help the NDP all the more in
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – I wouldn’t want to take Dan Gardner’s conclusion as to the effects of power as an immutable truth – as he himself notes in pointing out means of minimizing its risks. But it’s certainly an apt description of what’s happened since the Harper
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Pathologies revealed
Paul Wells is right to point out the parallels between the McGuinty Libs’ environmentally-destructive, all-or-nothing omnibus bill and the similar legislation being rammed through Parliament by the Harper Cons. But there’s an even more telling connection between Ontario and federal politics. At the time they presented their 2008 FU to
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Trish Hennessy reminds us that a system of taxes and social spending is ultimately the most valuable means of pooling our resources for everybody’s benefit. And E.J. Dionne highlights the need for progressives to speak up for the principle of collective public action.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
This and that to end your Saturday. – Andrew Jackson comments on how a premature push for austerity has driven the global economy to the brink of more disaster – as slashing intended to summon the confidence fairies has instead led businesses to reasonably conclude it’s not worth trying to
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On central questions
A few notes on the Calgary Centre by-election we’ll see in the relatively near future as a result of Lee Richardson’s departure from Ottawa… First, it would of course be a major shock to see any party other than the Cons marshal a win in Calgary. It’s been over 40
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Thomas Walkom makes the point that the hysterical response from Brad Wall and others can’t mask the fact that Thomas Mulcair is right in his analysis of the effect of a high, resource-driven dollar: Mulcair’s solution is hardly radical. He argues that
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On shadow governments
Plenty of others are theorizing that it’s time for some radical action in response to the Cons’ continued contempt for democratic accountability. But I’ll take a few minutes to work through some of the considerations which should be kept in mind in deciding where to go from here. To start
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Brian Topp weighs in on Canada’s history of raw resource exploitation that should offer a lesson for anybody interested in learning. And pogge points out why Thomas Mulcair is right to dig his heels in, while Frances Russell observes that Mulcair is just
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