I haven’t commented yet on the latest wave of federal polls primarily because I don’t see them radically changing my existing take on Canada’s impending election. But I’ll briefly address what looks like an overreaction to the latest numbers by Michael Harris. By way of context, here’s my previous analysis
Continue readingTag: strategy
Accidental Deliberations: On cooperative priorities
As part of their new “Hope and Wild Flailing” campaign theme, plenty of Libs are looking for any pretext – however lacking in reality – to attack Tom Mulcair. And Mulcair’s latest comments on a coalition offer the latest flimsy excuse. So let’s look at how there’s still a huge
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Staying the flawed course
John Ivison is right to note that the Cons’ latest ad reflects the Harper braintrust sticking to what seems to have been a long-established plan. But it’s worth highlighting how that plan has been overtaken by events – and how even the Libs may be able to use the message
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, expanding on this post about the new challenges the Cons are facing heading into this fall’s election. For further reading…– Geoffrey Stevens offers his own take on the Cons’ weaknesses. – Meanwhile, Nik Nanos (as reported by Theophilos Argitis) focuses on the possibility of vote splitting working to the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Toby Sanger takes a look at Canada’s balance sheets and finds that both households and governments are piling up debt while the corporate sector hoards cash: (A)ll the recent handwringing over rising household and debt levels ignores one critical point: any one person’s
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On proportionality
Among the other possibilities raised by the Alberta NDP’s election victory, plenty of voices have chimed in on a shift to proportional representation. And while there may be limited scope to make a move immediately, electoral reform could well become both good policy and good politics for Rachel Notley. Let’s
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On complexities
Bruce Anderson writes that as some of us have long suspected, a true three-party federal race is developing which will create some new complications for the Cons and Libs alike. But it’s worth pointing out one area where the Cons are in much worse shape than they’ve ever been. Before
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – The Vancouver Sun interviews Andrew MacLeod about his new book on inequality in British Columbia. And Tanara Yelland talks to Guy Standing about the need for governments responsive to the needs of the precariat: One central demand Standing makes is for the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On first steps
Dru Oja Jay, David Bush and Doug Nesbitt, Graham Steele and Karl Nerenberg have already offered their suggestions on the first steps for Rachel Notley’s Alberta NDP government (and the progressives hoping for it to produce positive change). But I’ll offer my own take based on one overriding principle: having
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Lonnie Golden studies the harm done to workers by irregular schedules. And Matt Bruening comments on how Missouri, Kansas and other states are passing draconian restrictions on benefits by trying to get the middle class to envy the poor. – Meanwhile, Scott Santens
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On youth outreach
David Akin claims that Canada’s political parties should ignore youth turnout in an election year and focus on older citizens who are more likely to vote. But it’s worth taking some time to examine the issue in a bit more detail. At the outset, I’d think there’s little doubt Canada’s
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On common ground
The Progress Summit’s panel on First Nations has included plenty of discussion of the need to identify commonalities between First Nation issues and other groups within Canada. And I’d add that there are plenty more opportunities to draw further connections. The recognition that the federal government tried to eradicate aboriginal
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On prospects for change
The latest round of discussion about the possibility of a coalition to offer something better than the Harper Cons seems to have taken an noteworthy turn. At this point, everybody but the Libs seems to have settled on the position that there’s no real obstacle to a coalition government –
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Janine Berg writes about the need for strong public policy to counter the trend of growing inequality. And Gillian White traces the ever-increasing divergence between worker productivity and wages in an interview with Jan Rivkin: White: Some say that the decrease of collective
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On proper fixes
Since this headline seems to be getting far more attention than the actual accompanying interview (if mostly from people with a strong vested interest in distorting the NDP’s position), let’s take a moment to discuss what we’d expect a responsible party to do upon taking power – and what we
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On needless concessions
Shorter Dougald Lamont: The only way to win against Stephen Harper’s Conservatives is to let the Conservatives define both the significance of Stephen Harper, and what it means to “win”.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: The more things change…
Tim Naumetz’ comparison between the NDP’s place before the 2011 federal election and its current position is worth a read. But what’s perhaps more noteworthy is how little has changed. Remember that the 2011 campaign was initially portrayed as a two-party race between the Cons and the Libs. And looking
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on why we can’t expect our federal political parties to answer some of our most important questions without some significant public pressure – and how we can build that pressure for ourselves. For further reading, I’ll point back to my earlier posts on what I’d hope to see happen
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Wray Herbert examines Lukasz Walasek and Gordon Brown’s work on the psychological links between inequality, status-seeking and reduced well-being. And Linda McQuaig writes about the harm increasing inequality has done to Canada both economically and socially: (The OECD’s recent) report puts actual
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
This and that for your weekend reading. – The Economist discusses how a tiny elite group is taking a startling share of the U.S.’ total wealth: The ratio of household wealth to national income has risen back toward the level of the 1920s, but the share in the hands of
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