The myth of the ‘nanny state’
Margaret Thatcher served as British prime minister from 1979 to 1990. Photo by Tim Roney. Among many stories related to austerity and social abandonment that came across my news feed…
2024
On Feudalism
Have we ever lived outside of a system of pseudo-feudalism with peasantry, slavery, or the working poor labouring for the benefit of Kings, land barons, or factory owners? One perspective…
More great stuff — from #snowmageddon to dogs to Amish barn-raising
We got a huge dump of snow this weekend – its #Snowmageddon2024 -and our street is now impassable. So we’ll be cocooning at home for the next several days: #Saskatoon…
Brian Mulroney—a consequential leader
I liked Brian Mulroney. He was just full of that rascally Irish charm. And a rascal he certainly was. Taking envelopes with large sums of money in hotel rooms from…
Budget 2024: Gotcha!
In case you didn’t catch Danielle Smith’s bizzarro Address to the Province last week, the one where she signalled what we could expect in the 2024 Budget, here’s a brief…
Collective Punishment
Ever since Pierre Poilievre opened his mouth and declared that Trans Women need to be banned from washrooms and locker rooms, there's been a steady increase in the amount of…
Collective Punishment
Ever since Pierre Poilievre opened his mouth and declared that Trans Women need to be banned from washrooms and locker rooms, there's been a steady increase in the amount of…
Saturday Photo: Ice, Open Water and Red-winged Blackbirds
You can't see them, but we definitely heard them. Red-winged Blackbirds were buzzing and calling this morning at the Parc des Rapides de Lachine. Usually they arrive the third week…
Saturday Photo: Ice, Open Water and Red-winged Blackbirds
You can’t see them, but we definitely heard them. Red-winged Blackbirds were buzzing and calling this morning at the Parc des Rapides de Lachine. Usually they arrive the third week…
An extreme act of protest
On February 25, Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old serviceman of the United States Air Force, died after setting himself on fire outside the front gate of the Embassy of Israel in…
Avoiding Pathogens Benefits Babies
My mom was right after all: We really should do everything we can to keep babies from getting sick. When I was close to the due date of my first…
Guest Post: Michael Janz says sales data indicate suburban sprawl has created profits of $1B for Edmonton developers over a decade
Ward papastew City Councillor Michael Janz (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). In recent months, a lot of ink has been spilled and hot air vented on the housing crisis being experienced…
Renewables are the key to low emissions, but…
Proponents of hydroelectric dams love to talk about these as low-impact, clean energy. But many of the proponents expect to gain financially from construction of these megaprojects. To them, self-interest…
Why Sarah Hoffman is running for the Alberta NDP leadership
The former health minister shares her plans for health, climate, and housing NDP MLA Sarah Hoffman joins the Daveberta Podcast to talk about why she is running for the Alberta…
Three Way Fight book announcement and excerpt
Mirrored from the Three Way Fight blog. We are publishing a book! Three Way Fight: Revolutionary Politics and Antifascism is forthcoming from PM Press and Kersplebedeb Publishing in May 2024.…
My latest: the global campaign of Jew hatred
It started on October 8. Literally, the day after. Think about that: a slick, global, and professional-looking propaganda campaign – one that would promote violent anti-Semitism, and deny the horrors…
Igniting conflict in the heart of Africa
US Marines wait to be extracted by helicopter during a military exercise in Cap Draa, Morocco, April 16, 2012. Photo courtesy Defense Imagery/Wikimedia Commons. Decades of poverty, ethnic strife and…
Brian Mulroney
I never voted for Brian Mulroney. The Neo-Conservative Era — which he ushered in with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan — to me always seemed wrong-headed. I agreed with John…
No Going Back
Conflict, climate, and covid are showing us the worst of ourselves, but it might be what we need to find our collective humanity. Tiberius wrote: “The old world is no…