One year ago today, Stephen Harper turned an “unwanted election” into his first majority government, Jack Layton and the NDP soared to never before seen heights, and Liberals spent the evening curled up in a fetal position sobbing in the corner. On political anniversaries, it’s tempting to give each party
Continue readingTag: thomas mulcair
CalgaryGrit: Happy Anniversary!
One year ago today, Stephen Harper turned an “unwanted election” into his first majority government, Jack Layton and the NDP soared to never before seen heights, and Liberals spent the evening curled up in a fetal position sobbing in the corner. On political anniversaries, it’s tempting to give each party
Continue readingbastard.logic: In Praise of NDP PR Jiu-Jitsu
Paul Wells on how it’s best sometimes to simply shut up and let your opponent’s own negative momentum take them down: Harper is certain to keep portraying the NDP as the only bunch of witless ideologues in sight. In quiet moments Conservative strategists say that, if they ever tire of
Continue readingLeDaro: “Untrustworthy Tories, socialist NDP, bumbling Grits: Poll puts a pox on all”
An interesting headline in the Globe and Mail. I tend to agree with the poll results. All three parties need a new leader that people can trust. Read the story here.
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Never mind the CCF! Perfesser Dave shows how the shadow of Stalin looms over the Harper Conservatives!
Gerda Munsinger: More proof if it were needed it that the Harper government secretly loves the Soviets. Below: Perfesser Dave; Pierre “Woody” Sévigny; the Avro Arrow, which we could have used against the Taliban if the same Conservatives now running Canada hadn’t scrapped it! JASPER, Alberta As readers of Alberta
Continue readingcenterandleft: I Am Not Afraid of an Abortion Debate
If we, as Canadians, believe a woman ought to have the right to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy, why are we so afraid of having our views challenged? Why is it so frightening to open up debate on this socially contentious issue? If we are an open, democratic society,
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: #HarperHistory: Canadians Respond to Stephen Harper’s NDP ‘Hitler’ comment
In Parliament yesterday, NDP leader Thomas Mulcair asked PM Stephen Harper whether or nor Canadian special forces would stay in Afghanistan beyond the 2014 withdrawal deadline. Harper’s answer: “The leader of the NDP, in 1939, did not even want to … Continue reading →
Continue readingDriving The Porcelain Bus: Tom Mulcair And NDP In The Lead, Confidence In Harper Plummets
Two polls were released today: Forum (April 25 – sample of 1744), and Nanos (April 18 – sample of 1200). The Forum poll, having a much larger sample, is the more accurate of the two. It is also more recent, so it will give us a better picture regarding recent
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
This and that to end your week. – Paul Wells comments on the NDP’s new style of opposition: When I used to ask the Liberals, when they were the Official Opposition, why they didn’t calm down a bit in QP, they would complain that gesticulating was the only way to
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: NDP Liberal Merger Odds Now 0
The poll done by Toronto-based Forum Research Inc. this week shows the NDP was the choice of 36 per cent of decided and leaning respondents, with the Conservatives close behind at 33 per cent.If you were an NDP MP/head of a local riding association/rank-&-filer why would you not want to see if
Continue readingCuriosityCat: The Metamorphosis of Thomas Mulcair
Mulcair is riding high wide and handsome in Quebec, with even arch enemies now thinking he is the best PM of the choices open right now, according to threehundredandeight’s analysis of two recent polls: What is absolutely fascinating about these personal numbers is that Thomas Mulcair gets a 58% approval
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Whip It Good
Stephen Woodworth’s person-hood motion will not be defeated by Bob Rae’s whipping or not whipping his caucus against the measure. It will be defeated because Stephen Harper needs it to be defeated or he will see his real agenda–deregulation, rolling back environmental protections–go up in flames as he panders to the
Continue readingbastard.logic: Deja Vu All Over Again (And Again, And Again, And…)
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, Canuckistan: Stephen Harper is leaving the door open once again to extending Canada’s military participation in the costly Afghanistan war. When the Official Opposition NDP pressed the Prime Minister on Wednesday about reports the United States has asked Canada to stay in
Continue readingbastard.logic: Fun With Infographics: Measuring the Mulcair Bump
Via The G&M: ‘Nuff said.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Hyer Ground
When Lise St. Denis decided last year to leave the Official Opposition to move down the opposition back benches, I noted that the most important issue was likely less her individual choice than whether it would lead to more MPs following suit. (Which of course it didn’t.) And to a
Continue readingLeDaro: Mulcair On Pot
The above heading on the front page of The Huffington Post gives the impression that Mulcair, Leader of NDP, puffs pot. But when you click on the story the actual heading is “NDP Clarifies Mulcair Stance On Marijuana“. Misleading heading!
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On shadow boxing
Aaron has already listed and commented on Thomas Mulcair’s shadow cabinet assignments. But there are a few additional points worth adding into the mix. First, while others have pointed out Nathan Cullen’s promotion to House Leader, the exact choice of positions is very much worth emphasizing. As the leadership candidate
Continue readingA BCer in Toronto: Liberals need to rethink their Quebec approach
Since the election of former Quebec cabinet minister Thomas “Tom” Mulcair as leader of the NDP last month, much attention has been paid to the political situation in Quebec and the consensus seems to be the Liberals are screwed in the province. Consolidating NDP gains in Quebec is certainly a
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On speculative advances
Somehow most of the discussion of Thomas Mulcair’s Question Period appearance this morning seems to have missed what strikes me as the most important point. So let’s take a closer look at how his message has evolved from the leadership campaign – and how it figures to position the NDP
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: First impressions and lasting involvement
Others have already commented on the NDP’s first set of ads with Thomas Mulcair as party leader. But I’ll take a few minutes to highlight both the job the ads seem perfectly suited to do – and the more important work only hinted at in Mulcair’s first set of leadership
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