Democracy Defined
This blog was started about a decade ago to highlight the lack of respect for our democratic conventions by the then second term Harper Regime and to highlight efforts to…
Rural
I beg to disagree..
Premier Doug Ford says mainstream journalists have become irrelevant because social media allows him to speak directly to Ontarians. No Mr Fraud, we now need the MSM more than ever…
Social Media, Good or Bad?
Recent events have brought the effect that ‘social media’ has upon our society, perhaps it is a good thing that a sick individual has shown that it is possible to…
A Broken System?
Recent events and reports have made it clear that our system of governance has some major flaws in it as it currently operates, whist efforts to improve the way we…
The Echo Chamber….
Is ‘Social Media an asset or an intrusive addiction? Is the ability to instantly access this stream of unfiltered information an asset or simply spreading misinformation? As someone who could…
A Green Revolution?
In a recent interview on CTV Question Period Elizabeth May, the Green Party federal leadersaid that they had been getting an increased interest,and donations, in the party. Hardly a surprise…
Ontario’s Downward Spiral
A not so slow downward spiral from our hard won support services here in Ontario is happening under the Ford regime, almost daily we see reports of this or that…
Leadership, Democracy & Twitter
Recently I read an opinion piece in The Hill Times decrying the ‘Lack of Leadership’ in both the U.S. and GB given the current Cluster Fk in both countries. It…
Our Fragile Democracy.
A new index released this week offers a sobering look at how democracy is faring in the United States. According to the 2018 edition of The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy…
Orwellian Musings
As we end the year that could perhaps be called ‘annus horribilis’ to use the Queens description of 1992 I find it hard to be optimistic about our future here…
Ho, Ho bloody Ho
This time of year is not my favorite season, yes its nice to visit family and catch up with both their recent activities and their plans for the future but…
Democracy in decline?
As my small cadre of regular readers will know I have been writing about our Canadian democracy for nearly 10 years much of that time spent documenting the Harper Regimes…
Backbenchers just decoration?
In this era of hyper-partisanship, can backbenchers have an effective voice, or have they been relegated to the role of a modern Greek chorus, anonymous figures advancing a pre-determined story?…
Who is running Ontario?
Dean French was Mr. Ford’s campaign chair. The day after the PCs won power in June, Mr. Ford named him his chief of staff. Since then, he has emerged as…
Amalgamation raises it ugly head again?
‘Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark sent a correspondence to Association of Municipalities Ontario members communicating the province is undergoing a regional review to take a broad look at…
Enough said…
In a longish op-ed published in iPolitics Michael Harris says the next election is Trudeau’s to loose, I cannot help but agree for the other choices are bleak. “By insisting…
Political and Rhetorical Privilege
“It’s perfectly possible for a man to lead a comfortable, indeed enviable life by any objective standard, yet be consumed with bitterness driven by status anxiety.” Dr. Paul Krugman in…
Our Unsung Hero.
Now that much of the initial commentary on the US – Canada – Mexico trade deal has run its course and the usual right wing suspects continue to nit pick…
Municipal Government Vulnerability
Lost among the back-and-forth political battles between Ford and Toronto city council is that municipalities are not constitutionally protected as sovereign levels of government in Canada. As a federal state,…
Much ado about nothing?
Does anyone believe that most, if not all, large national and international companys seeking to do business with overseas entities such as Saudi Arabia do not provide ‘incentives’ to the…