Well-being as National Security
When the term “national security” crops up, our thoughts usually turn to things military. Indeed the dictionary on my Mac defines national security as “the safety of a nation against…
Bill Longstaff
Canada finally accedes to Arms Trade Treaty
Ottawa has finally announced that Canada will become a party to the UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) later this year. The government has introduced Bill C-47 which amends the Export…
Is Democracy Unnatural?
Today is an exceptional time for democracy—the first time in history that most nations in the world may be called democratic (assuming we are generous with our definition). Democracy has,…
Canada: relatively equal in an unequal world
The world is a very unequal place. As can be seen graphically on the figure to the right. The world’s lowest ten per cent of income earners average $266 US…
Whither Sudan?
The prospects for Sudan brightened considerably last Friday. The military and pro-democracy forces reached a power-sharing agreement that should end a three-month political crisis that has paralyzed the country and…
The irony of Italy’s immigration policy
Italy has a baby problem. Apparently Italians aren’t making enough of them. The country’s birth rate is the lowest it’s been since Italy itself was born in 1861. With deaths…
Do People Really Want to Hear the Truth?
One of the most common myths about politics and politicians is that people just want to be told the truth. Unfortunately, that isn’t the truth. Donald Trump was elected president…
How much crap should Iran be expected to take from the U.S.?
Iran under the Ayatollahs is hardly a model nation. Domestically, it is repressive and, due largely to sanctions imposed by the United States, impoverished. Its foreign policy is aggressive. It…
The Democrats Reinvigorate Their Party and American Democracy
While there is much to despair about American democracy these days, there are also rays of hope, at least in the Democratic Party. If I had been an American during…
Are we capable of creating a sustainable future?
Reading an intriguing book the other day, I was reminded of our species’ inability to restrain our use of technology. The book is Bison and People on the North American…
I Am a Democrat … and an Elitist
There is much talk about populism these days. The term has a variety of definitions, but the general idea is that society is separated into two groups at odds with…
What’s wrong with our Conservatives?
If this country were any example, one might conclude that Conservatives cannot, or will not, grasp the severity of the global warming threat. In Alberta, for example, the UCP has…
Putin Fails Liberal Democracy 101
Vladimir Putin is perhaps first among the anti-democratic strongmen that have emerged to soil the world. At the recent G20 summit he couldn’t resist taking a shot at liberal democracy,…
I’m Not a Socialist, Just a Discerning Citizen
If I bundled all my views on various issues, the bundle would probably be labelled social democrat. I am certainly a democrat, but I don’t think of myself as tied…
Alberta merchants maintain $15 minimum wage
One of the first things the new UCP government in Alberta has done is lower the minimum wage for young workers from $15 to $13. Some Alberta merchants are having…
Alberta should learn from the Trump tax cuts
The new Alberta government has promised to reduce the corporate tax rate from twelve to eight per cent over four years. This may seem arbitrary considering the conservatives have complained…
Is Anglosphere Democracy Becoming an International Joke?
Not long ago, if one were asked to name the world’s two leading democracies, the answer would probably have been the United States and the United Kingdom—the United States largely…
Democracy Speaks and Turkey’s Strongman Takes a Hit
A list of strongmen leaders running pseudo-democracies to justify their autocratic rule usually includes Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He has expanded the power of his presidency and increasingly curbed…
The minimum wage creates jobs—who knew?
With the election of conservative governments in Ontario and Alberta, progress on minimum wages in those provinces came to a screaming halt. In Ontario, the planned increase to $15 an…
The Spirit of Democracy Shines in Hong Kong
The condition of democracy is much in debate these days as fascist-tinged populism manifests itself from the United States to South America to Eastern Europe. It is, therefor, encouraging to…