Canada’s Elmer Gantry
http://djardine.blogspot.ca/ There was a time in this country when those charged with enforcing the law broke it in the name of national security. Tom Walkom reminds his readers why CSIS…
Owen Gray
The First Casualty
https://bcblue.wordpress.com/ Truth is always the first casualty of war. And no one should be surprised that it is the first casualty of Stephen Harper’s War. Michael Harris writes: The resolution…
An Unmitigated Disaster
http://keef.tv/blog/ Jim Stanford writes that the sound a fury about a balanced budget is about politics, not economics: Running spending cuts since 2011 now total more than $14-billion a year.
When They Cower In Abject Fear
http://www.mirror.co.uk/ Tomorrow, we’re told, the Harper government will introduce its new anti-terror legislation. Recent events have proved to be the undoing of the Harperian economy. So a diversion is in…
When He’s Naked, He Looks Ridiculous
http://cupe3902.org/ Yesterday, the opposition parties hammered the Harper government on what was supposed to be its signature issue going into the upcoming election. The NDP’s Nathan Cullen observed that
Democracy? What Democracy?
http://gagordernetwork.com/ Last week the Harper government awarded a ship building contract to the Irving family. Like the F-35 contract, it was awarded — by a “bureaucrat” — without a competition.…
Neo-Liberalism: The Undying Monster
http://www.horror-movies.ca/ Neo-Liberalism came to Canada long before Stephen Harper came to Ottawa. It was ushered into public policy by Brian Mulroney, who privatised crown corporations like Air Canada and Petro…
That Grievance Mentality
http://mckennasmagic.weebly.com/ Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address this week. Here are a few highlights: We still need laws that strengthen rather than weaken unions.” “We still need…
Going To War In His Armchair
http://www.zazzle.ca/ Stephen Harper told us that there would be no boots on the ground. It turns out there are, and they’re on the front lines. Michael Harris
Tearing Away At the Nation’s Core
http://www.thewolf.ca/ The Harper government is busy preparing new anti-terror legislation. But, Colin Kenny writes in today’s Toronto Star, we don’t need new legislation, we need adequate funding of the institutions…
They Didn’t Know What They Were Doing Or . . .
http://www.slideshare.net/ In last Sunday’s New York Times Paul Krugman tried to answer the question, “Why do conservatives hate good government?” His answer was pretty convincing: Well, the political scientist
The Rooster’s Mistake
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ Since coming to office, Alan Freeman writes, Stephen Harper has had an incredible run of good luck: The Liberals had bequeathed the Tories a sound fiscal situation and a…
The Poisoned Well Of Information
http://awoiaf.westeros.org/ Will Colonel Sanders get the chickens to vote for him again? That, Michael Harris writes, is the question which the next federal election will turn on. And, given what…
What He Says They Mean
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk Watching the Harper government serve up a pre-election budget has become a drama in the Theatre of the Absurd. That’s because — as Tim Harper wrote last week in…
Election Law? What Election Law?
There has been lots of speculation recently about whether Stephen Harper will break his own fixed date election law — for the second time. It’s remarkable, Andrew Coyne writes, that…
To The Showers
http://www.post-gazette.com/ An election is in the offing. And Stephen Harper has come to the plate swinging. But, Michael Harris writes, he already has three strikes against him. Strike One is…
Now Is The Time, Justin
http://theeyeopener.com/ Talk of proportional representation has been around for a long time. Linda McQuaig writes: The most widely-supported version of PR for Canada — called Mixed Member Proportional (MMP)
The Other Path
http://www.forgetthebox.net/ Like a Puritan obsessed with sin, Stephen Harper is obsessed with austerity. He is not alone in his obsession. Most of Europe’s leaders share it. And their obsession has…
Counting On Oil
Falling oil prices should stimulate the world’s faltering economy. But they won’t do the Harper government a lot of good. That’s because the Harperites have nailed their political flag to…
It’s Come Back To Haunt Us
After events such as those in France last week, it’s natural for people to feel anger. But when anger turns to rage, and rage spawns ignorance, we are in dangerous…