Stephen Harper’s moral relativism
In Stephen Harper's speech to the recent Conservative convention, referring to foreign policy, he announced that the Conservatives moral stance would be clear. "Moral ambiguity, moral equivalence are not options,"…
Bill Longstaff
Good news—Gates says NATO faces dismal future
U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates is not amused by the lack of military esprit de corp among America's NATO allies. "The blunt reality," he lectured, "is that there will be…
Peru chooses social democracy over capitalist "democracy"
Some events of note in South America's last five years: In Bolivia, President Evo Morales presided over the ratification of a new social democratic constitution and was re-elected as president…
Now here’s a death penalty I can support
Former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, now secretary of Homeland Security for the U.S. government, is a staunch supporter of the death penalty. This is not a position I would normally…
U.S. follows lead of Taliban Jack
Googling the history of our Afghanistan adventure the other day, I encountered a snide Vancouver Sun article written in 2008 mocking "Taliban Jack" for his position on the war, sarcastically…
War on drugs busted
Reports criticizing the War on Drugs are manifold but few carry the cachet of the Report of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. Issued this month, the report commissioners are…
Will the Conservative majority placate the West?
The West has in the past had a number of grievances against Ottawa, some legitimate, some not so much. The sense of grievance is strongest in Alberta for various reasons…
Don’t mess with my vote, Jack
With 59 of their 103 seats in Quebec, we could expect the NDP to pay close attention to Quebec's concerns. That would, of course, be appropriate. But what I wouldn't…
Obama and the Middle East—time for the Yankee to go home?
I realize that U.S. President Barack Obama is now campaigning for the 2012 election. And I realize also the importance of Jewish support to his campaign. And I recognize the…
Sheila Fraser—an honourable public servant
In our habitual government-bashing, we sometimes overlook the splendid contributions made to our society by our civil servants. Such a contribution, manifesting integrity and commitment to public service at its…
Dandelions win one!
Finally, a victory for that cheerful harbinger of spring, the common dandelion. The Alberta government has removed the little yellow fellow from the list of noxious weeds in the province's…
The Better Life Index is a better measure
The search for a better measure of standard of living just got a big boost with the launch of Your Better Life Index by the OECD. The need for an…
Calendar note: Sunday, May 22 is the International Day for Biological Diversity
Recognizing that the Earth's biological resources are essential to humanity's economic and social welfare, yet species and ecosystems are threatened as never before, the United Nations established The Convention on…
Reflections on the murder of Osama bin Laden
At the end of the Second World War, the Americans and their allies captured a pack of Nazis, an assortment of the most evil men on Earth. They could have…
When is bad financial management good financial management?
Consider two events and the responses to these events by two different governments. The events are remarkably similar. A party is elected to government at a time when the economy…
First-past-the-post creates a conservative English Canada vs. a progressive Quebec
The NDP scored a number of firsts for itself in the 2011 election: the first time with seats in the triple digits, the first time as Official Opposition, the first…
Massive dual win for Harper—a majority and a Liberal Party in ruins
Stephen Harper has long had two goals, a short-term goal of winning a majority government and a long-term goal of destroying the Liberal Party. Last night he achieved the first…
Measuring democracy
It wouldn't surprise anyone if they were told that the rich have more influence on government than the rest of us. Some scholars in the U.S. have gone further than…
Allan Blakeney … death of a statesman
As politicians of all sorts battle another election down to the wire, I'd like to pay my respects to one of the best. Allan Blakeney died April 16th leaving behind…
Murdoch’s mischief … the excesses of freedom
If you were to suggest that the most powerful man in British political politics today was Prime Minister David Cameron, I would respectfully disagree. I would suggest it is Britain's…