A Dark Hour Upon Us. . . .
I am 51 years old. It feels strange to have lived half a century and have seen things change in various ways both socially and technologically. People tend to over…
Kirby Evans
Harper and the Niqab. . .
I didn’t really want to write a blogpost about the question of niqabs at citizenship ceremonies. I really didn’t! But I am so shocked by the fact that not only…
The Dangerous Grudge-Match. . . .
There is no doubt that many people on the left of centre are in serious quandary concerning October 19th. Now I’m not talking about the diehard partisans here – those…
Liberal or NDP? (Lesser of Two Evils?)
Today in the Toronto Sun (of all places) there is an article by Tom Parkin suggesting that those who want to defeat Stephen Harper (and let’s face it, that is…
The Debate and Vision. . .
I wonder what people will make of the G&M’s David Parkinson’s article on Justin Trudeau this morning. Is this a sign of things to come? The thrust of the article…
Walter Benjamin and the Refugee Crisis. . . .
In the early 1930s, refugees began to leave Germany. The lucky and smart intellectuals, communists, Romany, and others saw the writing on the wall and knew that they were in…
The Facebook Problem. . . .
Imagine, if you will, young men like Stephen Harper or Jason Kenny (gasp!) growing up today in our present atmosphere of technology. Try to picture what such mens’ internet profile…
The Tragedy that Will Return Harper to Office. . . .
We are eager to write off Harper and his government as dead in the water. We were especially eager to write them off after their reaction to the tragedy of…
They Think they Know What is Right. . .
As I drive through my neighbourhood, and a very conservative neighbourhood it is, I am struck by the shocking number of Conservative lawn signs that litter the roadway. It shocks…
Harper and his Future Image. . . .
By the evidence offered in his latest article for McLean’s Magazine, writer Paul Wells is engaging in significant hallucinogenic substance abuse. What else could possibly explain his bizarre attitude toward…
A Few Thoughts on Strategic Voting. . .
In recent years the issue of strategic voting has been a significant point of discussion and contention in Canada. The reason for this is obvious; Stephen Harper. Most governments are…
Western Adventurism, Refugees, and the Rise of the New (old) Right. . .
It is not surprising that political discourse becomes extremely divisive in difficult times. In the modern era in the West, the most obvious example of this divisiveness was seen in…
After Election Speculations
Andrew Coyne Wrote an interesting article, on which a number of people have commented, about the uncertainly that might prevail even after the election. Coyne, though he has sometimes been…
Perhaps our Hearts Need breaking to remind us we are human. . .
The refugee crisis in the Middle-East and Europe is a complex issue. International turmoil, political economy, deep-seated historical conflicts. You can’t blame people for feeling bewildered by the events they…
The Sociology of Neo-Liberalism in One Easy Lesson. . . .
Looking back now over many years, I think we can say that Stephen Harper’s goal during his time in politics has been fairly simple and clear. The overarching goal has…
Deficits, the left, and Twitter confusion. . .
I got into an interesting, though entirely unproductive, twitter exchange this morning concerning the issue of the Left and balanced budgets. It all began when someone posted a link on…
The (un)fortunate Luck of our Oligarch. . .
The widespread belief that Stephen Harper is some kind of political genius does not even vaguely conform to anything in reality. In fact, I suggest that like most petty oligarchs…
The RCMP and the Banality of Evil . . . .
There has been increasing anxiety among many of us that the corruption of Mr. Harper goes much deeper than most suspected and that the RCMP has become an extension of…
The Conspiracy behind the Conspiracy. . . .
It is becoming increasingly clear and ominous that not only was the PMO involved in a bribery cover-up, and not only has the Prime Minister been consistently lying to the…