This post continues from my previous post about on the Putney Debates; a debate that took place between Cromwell and the Army Grandees on the one hand, and the representatives of the Leveller movement on the other. The debate signifies a milestone in the development of democratic ideas in England.
Continue readingTag: Uncategorized
OPSEU Diablogue: Frontenanc Community Mental Health a case study in empty promises
You would think these would be the best of times for community health care providers. The Wynne government is freezing base hospital funding and telling Ontarians that they can instead have it all closer to home. The policy is one of a burning … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Social Determinants: Low income second leading cause of death in Canada
Dr. James Dunn makes it clear that wealth not only is a key determinant of a person’s health, but it is stratified so that each economic level outperforms the one before it. That means each layer in the economic pyramid … Continue reading →
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Imagine common sense
John Lennon, Imagine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRhq-yO1KN8 Think about how widely loved this song is. Then think about the lyrics and what they say – this is a song that is urging anarchist communism. And the people love it. That says a lot. In fact, it would be hard to think of a
Continue readingExcited Delirium: Crack’d: The Cons Behind the Cons
When depraved and corrupt people run our lives and our governments, what options do we have?
Continue readingBlevkog: The Press Releases Begin to Fly…
The following just arrived in my inbox. The battle lines are being drawn… Friends, This is a sad day for the City of Toronto. As a Torontonian, and as a City Councillor for more than 20 years, it pains me to see the City of Toronto in the situation we
Continue readingBlevkog: The most important question(s) of the day:
Will Rob Ford’s crack smoking video knock Mike Duffy’s expense scandal off the top of the wires? Which story is worse for the Conservative establishment? How’s that convention going, anyway?
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Social Determinants: Have we designed physical activity out of our cities?
OPSEU’s head office is located about a brisk 15 minute walk from the Leslie subway station in Toronto. The building is located in a business park in which thousands of workers arrive each morning. Given the proximity to the subway … Continue reading →
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Democracy at Putney Church
On October 28, 1647, an extraordinary debate occurred at Putney Church in London. Representatives of the New Model Army rank and file – Agitators – met with members of the Council of War – the grandees – in order to debate the terms of settlement laid out in the Heads
Continue readingLisaKirbie.com: Senate scandal is now a full-blown government crisis for Stephen Harper
So I said on Sun News today. This isn’t going away and it’s going to deeply hurt the Conservative brand.
Continue readingBlevkog: It’s Not the End of the World
His mind slid away into the labyrinthine world of doublethink. To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against
Continue readingLeft Over: Mulcair Seems Not to Care…
NDP vows to keep pressure on PM over Senate expenses NDP’s caucus chair speaks to media after meeting with MPs CBC News Posted: Oct 30, 2013 11:07 AM ET Last Updated: Oct 30, 2013 11:31 AM ET Frankly, I’d much rather that Mulcair pressure the Cons about the EU Trade Pact
Continue readingBlevkog: It’s getting dark out there
Fellow cyclists of the world, I implore you to start putting lights on your bikes. Around these parts, the sun doesn’t rise until about 7:30 or so at this time of year. Expect that depressing darkness to continue until March. If you are biking on the road prior to this
Continue readingBlevkog: It has begun…
I wish I believed in God so that when I say “Dear God” it carried some kind of punch. That aside: Dear God, it has begun. CBC has started it’s interminable coverage leading up to the Winter Olympics. I’m a sports fan, a big one, and when I watch TV
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Voters hardly deserve our governments.
It is a mindless statement of politics that the voters get the government they deserve. That is such a false statement that it should be declared illegal to even say it. What we most often get across Canada at all levels of government is the government that is the least
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: How much longer can Ontario dance around nursing home staffing needs?
Ontario has been remarkably resistant to the idea of staffing standards in long-term care. Staffing is a major determinant of quality in long-term care – something even the most casual observer should understand. Such standards are not uncommon in other … Continue reading →
Continue readingLeft Over: *Yawn* Another ‘Scandal’ Masks the Real Issues
Senator Mike Duffy’s bombshell allegations raise more questions Duffy says PMO coached him to lie about source of $90,000 cheque CBC News Posted: Oct 29, 2013 6:02 AM ET Last Updated: Oct 29, 2013 11:42 AM ET And yet, I hear nothing from the chattering classes, so to speak..no one
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Adjunct Professors Join National Fight for Better Pay and Benefits
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=10912 Academia is not usually considered a low-wage field, but adjunct professors around the country are organizing for higher pay and better working conditions like retail and fast food workers have been doing for the past year. The debate about the role of adjuncts has received increased attention since the
Continue readingMelissa Fong: The demise of the Annex: Westbank bought Honest Ed site
I don’t know why this news induces both laughter and sadness in me. There’s a salty pool of tears collected by irony. Honest Eds is possibly one of the most iconic buildings, business and site in Toronto (Top 5, easily, gaining much more fondness than that phallic “free-standing” structure by
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Duffy vs. PMO: The Duffy Documents
Postmedia reports “Sen. Mike Duffy told a spellbound upper chamber Monday that the prime minister’s former chief of staff, who paid him $90,000 to cover his housing expenses, had also arranged a second cheque to pay his legal bills.” And: A court document filed by RCMP Cpl. Greg Horton says
Continue reading