Finally—Democrats romance the working class
Early in the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign, Donald Trump was the subject of much mockery. No way this buffoon could win said the pundits. Michael Moore, left-wing rabble-rouser and…
Bill Longstaff
Reining in the reign of plastic
I was modestly surprised last week when my groceries were packed not in the usual plastic but in brown paper bags. The idea, of course, is to get away from…
Islam—is the fear justified?
When it comes to religion, I am not a believer nor am I a student of theology. I am but a mere observer, much more inclined to fact than faith.…
What about the atheists?
We hear a great deal about religious bigotry these days. Islamophobia so concerns the federal government that it recently appointed an anti-Islamophobia representative—Amira Elghawaby. (Ms. Elghawaby immediately got into hot…
Britain stumbles
Britain (and I suppose Canada) will soon celebrate a brand new king. Charles III will bring another new face to eleven centuries of English royalty. The nation, however, needs much…
Will Frances Widdowson get her job back?
Frances Widdowson was not Miss Popularity at Mount Royal University in Calgary. Over 6,000 people signed a petition calling for her firing. They wanted her gone. And gone she was.…
The welfare state and the American dream
The American founding fathers had a vision of a roughly equal society. At least for white people—others didn’t count in either the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. Equality was…
ExxonMobil—good science and bad behaviour
Back in the dim past, society entered into a great debate about the health effects of cigarette smoking, a noxious habit I practiced myself for many years. There were always…
Davos and me (and some Conservatives)
In 1971, German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab founded the World Economic Forum (WEF). The Forum is funded primarily by its corporate members—typically global corporations—with some public subsidies, and guided…
Why this Albertan doesn’t want the feds to “butt out”
Our quasi-separatist premier insists that her infamous Alberta Sovereignty Act was all about forcing Ottawa to “butt out” of areas that constitutionally belong to Alberta. She has however been somewhat…
Rachel disappoints me
After Rachel Notley recently suggested Ottawa should trash its proposed “just transition” legislation, she was asked if her position might alienate her base. As someone who qualifies as a member…
Constitutional ramblings
Constitutions are in the news these days. More perhaps in Alberta than the rest of the country because of Premier Danielle Smith’s separatist manifesto the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United…
First the U.S., now Israel
2015 was a good year. May brought the “Orange Chinook.” After 44 years of Conservative rule, the longest-serving provincial government in Canadian history, the NDP won a close-fought election. Then…
Pierre is no ladies’ man
Angus Reid recently reported a survey of Canadians’ attitude towards our federal political leaders, and it was not good news for the Conservatives new head honcho Mr. Poilievre. While he…
The noble Nobels
The collapse of the Soviet Union, the “Evil Empire,” was perhaps the most welcome event of the latter part of the 20th century. Almost three hundred million people freed from…
England no longer a Christian nation
England is having its troubles these days. Economy in recession, a plague of strikes, living standards falling, highest inflation in 40 years, National Health Service on life support, millions can’t…
Et tu, AMLO?
I have often despaired at the way in which seemingly progressive leaders in Latin and South America show great initial promise and then drift into an autocracy not unlike their…
Homo sapiens—a hierarchical species
Observing the recent political shenanigans in Alberta one notes an intriguing pattern of human behaviour. During the recent competition for leader of the UCP, and therefore for premier of the…
Jason Kenney, a moderate?
During Jason Kenney’s reign over our province, I never thought of him as a particularly nice man. Actions like de-indexing the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped program from inflation…
Queen Danielle and the separatist coup
When Danielle Smith first proposed her sovereignty act, I assumed, naively, that she meant the sovereignty of Alberta. Now, after the act has been presented and has seen the light…