The Cons and their stooges in the right-wing media have gone after him like a pack of rabid hyenas. They have attacked the man, claiming he was too angry and divisive to be a leader. They have mocked him for pointing out the dangers of the Dutch Disease, that is
Continue readingTag: thomas mulcair
BigCityLib Strikes Back: A "Gaffe", Eh? Part WOW!
We should all make gaffes like this. But what does it really tell us, other than that the flailing hacks of the Canadian pundisphere couldn’t move public opinion with dynamite and a backhoe? Well, consider this bit: Also, 45% of respondents said a low Canadian dollar that supports manufacturing was better for the
Continue readingcenterandleft: Free Riders and Dire Needers
Breaking news: bad jobs exist. In a classic case of Conservatives boiling down an issue to a wide-sweeping preposterous claim, Jim Flaherty claimed that “there is no bad job”. Yikes Flaherty is proposing reforms to the Employment Insurance program, making it harder for Canadians to remain on the program for
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Guest Post: On Standards of Fairness
Dan Tan offers this assessment of the CP’s reporting on recent polls about Thomas Mulcair’s economic comments: Harris-Decima recently asked a group of Canadians what they thought about Thomas Mulcair’s “dutch disease” warnings. A majority of Canadians responded that they had never “heard about Mulcair’s comments”. Of the minority who
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: A "Gaffe", Eh? Part Hmmm
The nation is split over Thomas Mulcair’s “Dutch Disease” theory, with slightly more disagreeing than agreeing with the NDP leader. Some surprising and not so surprising things in the regional numbers: Most people polled in oil-rich Alberta and the rest of the Prairies disagreed with the NDP leader, while those
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Mulcair Takes on the West
What started out as musings on the health of Ontario’s manufacturing sector has quickly escalated into a full fledged war of words between Tom Mulcair and the western Premiers. It’s an important shift in the dialogue, because going to war with the West is a lot different than going to
Continue readingCalgaryGrit: Mulcair Takes on the West
What started out as musings on the health of Ontario’s manufacturing sector has quickly escalated into a full fledged war of words between Tom Mulcair and the western Premiers. It’s an important shift in the dialogue, because going to war with the West is a lot different than going to
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
Continue readingLeDaro: Peter Mansbridge interviews Conrad Black
Conrad Black may want to sue Thomas Mulcair, NDP leader, for calling Black a British criminal. Being rich and well-connected helps. The full interview.
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: A "Gaffe", Eh? Part Duh
Abacus Data finds 37% support for the Tories nationally, unchanged since January. With newly installed leader Thomas Mulcair at the helm, the New Democratic Party has rocketed to 35% backing. Far be it for me to contradict a polling company re their own poll, but Mulcair’s original anti-tar-sands blast took
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Tories train their intellectual big guns on Tom Mulcair: if Rex Murphy fails, there’s always Don Cherry!
Prime Minister Stephen Harper (clutching the balloon, centre) sets off his attack on Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair, who is illustrated standing in the background. Beep-beep! Actual federal politicians may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Tory big guns Rex Murphy and Don Cherry, plus former Tory big gun Norman Spector,
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Add ‘Dutch Disease’ to climate change as real phenomena denied by Stephen Harper’s neo-Conmen
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, above right, presents his petroleum-development policy package to members of his oil patch caucus. Industry-financed Western politicians may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: the real Mr. Harper and Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair. If the Alberta and federal governments’ mismanagement of oil sands development were not
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: ‘Dutch Disease’ Confirmed By Harper-Funded Study
Despite the ongoing Harper-led campaign of vilification against Thomas Mulcair for his comments about the Alberta tarsands and Dutch disease, a Harper-funded study confirms the truth of his assertion. As reported in The Globe, Industry Canada paid $25,000 to three academics to produce the lengthy study, which is about to
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: life after dutch disease: thomas mulcair to visit alberta on may 31.
Tweet Thomas Mulcair After weeks of warring words about the economic influence of Western Canadian oilsands development on the crumbling Central Canadian manufacturing sector, NDP leader Thomas Mulcair will visit Alberta on May 31 to meet with business and political leaders. This will be Mr. Mulcair’s first visit to Alberta
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Mulcair and the Attack of the Con Hogs
Well I see the Big Oil Cons have finally released their attack hogs. The Harper Conservatives have finally unleashed the attack dogs on Tom Mulcair. They've pounced on the newly minted NDP leader's musings about the economic impact of Alberta's oilsands to paint him as a divisive, ill-informed, irresponsible enemy of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – No, there was never any doubt that any statement which could possibly be interpreted as insufficiently jingoistic in favour of the oil industry was going to give rise to a backlash from the Cons’ oilpatch base. But it’s well worth noting that Thomas
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: A "Gaffe", Eh?
The New Democrats (36%) have moved into a narrow national lead over the Conservatives (32%). Liberals trail with 19 percent. Green support stand at seven percent support and the BQ has six percent (25% in Quebec). So this poll was done May 7 to 9, though just released yesterday, after
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Opportunistic Conservative attack on green charities highlights tax abuses by Tory cronies
Charity: Right-wing think tanks and Ducks Unlimited are most certainly not exactly as illustrated. Below: Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and National Revenue Minister Gail Shea. Supporters of the Harper Government’s campaign to use tax laws to de-fund its opponents need to be careful what they wish for. They might just
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Drew Anderson comments on the support the NDP is winning among groups which have historically supported the Cons: Seniors and men. Until now they formed the rock-solid base of the Conservative Party. But they’re trending towards Mulcair, and that should have Harper’s
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the Cons’ imposition of an economic policy which benefits a few at the expense of people who get no say in the matter is just the latest (if worst) example of their becoming everything they once claimed to loathe. For more on the economic argument (which in
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