Governing in Crisis: An excerpt
There is now an extensive literature on crisis politics and disastercapitalism that warns that, in times of crisis, normal politics getsuspended, debate narrows and the public often accepts reforms thatit…
himelfarb
Managing in a crisis: pre-budget musings
There is now an extensive literature on crisis politics and disaster capitalism that warns that, in times of crisis, normal politics get suspended, debate narrows and the public often accepts…
Peggy Nash and me chatting on Breaking Free of Neoliberalism in Trump Times
https://youtu.be/uZ8gjBw4oRs?si=c33IVlK_99V6Yc-8
Technocracy
Just days ago, the federal cabinet approved a new directive on regulatory reform. The directive will require regulators to reduce “regulatory burden” costs by $2 for every $1 added. Quite…
Progressives have to get spiritual
While not exactly Trump Derangement Syndrome, I have become increasingly obsessed with the mind boggling support that Trump’s Republicans still seem …Progressives have to get spiritual
Neoliberalism, sovereignty, and democracy
David Moscrop, author of Too Dumb for Democracy? and Alex Himelfarb in discussion about Alex’s book, neoliberalism in Trump times, the opportunity for breaking free that Canadians ’ new-found civic…
Review of Breaking Free of Neoliberalism in Trump Times
https://share.google/dWYIgQngMpfnTXnRb
Paul Wells interviews Bob Rae and Alex Himelfarb on their recent books on Canadian sovereignty, democracy and our place in the world
I am very grateful to Paul for reconnecting me with Bob Rae to discuss our respective books. Bob is great and so are the thinkers and writers he convened on…
We must not waste this burst of civic nationalism
Canadians need to be engaged, directly and through parliament, on the decisions we make on how we retaliate, which nation-building projects we choose and which investments we welcome or reject…
It is true that we do not know what is in the deal withthe Trump administration or even if there is a deal. But we cannot wait until it is too late to express our concerns. While I understand why the government does not want to negotiate in public, we have no idea what if any bottom lines our negotiators have or what they believe success looks like. Instead what we know is that a trail of concessions brought us to this point and a deal will mean more concessions and all evidence suggests that tariffs are here to stay. If the government uses the standard that we want tariffs lower than other countries it has set a very low bar given that our economic relationship with the US and the implications of the tariffs are not like other countries.
There are at least three reasons to be concerned about signing a deal. One is moral and little discussed. But we are negotiating with a fascist regime desperately looking for…
Going, going, gone
Every day I read how somebody is changing my country. No peacekeeping? the illegal war on Iran was “worth it”? Sustainability is unsustainable? Speed trumps democracy and the legal and…
Forget the elbows already
It’s time to stop talking elbows and start the overdue discussion on the Canada we want and what it will take to take back our future. I have never much…
The Power of the Powerless
Whatever one thinks of PM Mark Carney’s Davos speech, it served to resurface Vaclav Havel’s Power of the Powerless just when we most need reminding of the power of collective…
A Practical Guide for Building a More Resilient Canada
For anyone looking for some concrete ideas of how to build a less dependent, more just and sustainable Canada I am linking to the work of the Elbows Up Forum.…
So this is happening
https://octopusbooks.ca/events/3862420251202?fbclid=IwdGRjcAOEbWNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeI5foZGD-a0XCKLdkam2D4_jDXFx5xkeOBf2p1Tb-J_S405JxJCGQDkg0t4k_aem_xZQKyn8mwPkN6yisgcxWDw
Elbows Up Webinar
About 1000 people joined the Webinar flowing out of the Elbows Up Summit. If you weren’t one of the 1000 here’s a recording of the hour long discussion. Have a…
There is an Alternative: A Better Path to a Better Future
We won’t build a less dependent, more just, sustainable, and resilient Canada following the same path that got us here. We need a new map. Here is a compendium of…
ELBOWS UP
Just want to alert you to a webinar flowing out of the Elbows Up Summit – an alternative to the corporate view of how to build a more resilient Canada…
Part 3: AM I OPTIMISTIC AND, IF SO, HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE
Part 3: Looking for optimism in troubled times So, where are we and where are we headed? Italian political theorist Antonio Gramsci, writing in prison in the 1930s when liberal…