Jason Kenney Takes a Page from the Donald Trump Playbook
Last night the Progressive Conservatives kicked off their leadership race in earnest. As expected Jason Kenney urged party members to “unite Alberta” (ie destroy the PCs by merging them with…
susanonthesoapbox
Ten Things We Learned from Trump’s Presidential Campaign
Barring a catastrophe Donald Trump will not become the 45th president of the United States. At the risk of tempting fate Ms Soapbox would like to present a top 10…
Sandra Jansen is right, there are Progressive Conservatives in Alberta
Yippee! Sandra Jansen just confirmed she’s running for the leadership of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative party. This is good news because her campaign will test Jason Kenney’s assertion that there’s no…
Never Watch a Presidential Debate When You’ve Got the Flu
Ms Soapbox has the flu and missed Thanksgiving dinner last night with her family and friends. She stayed home and watched the second Presidential debate. It almost finished her off.…
“Post-truth” Politics in Alberta
Albertans can learn a lot about the importance of truth in politics from the Trump/Clinton presidential race. Political lies have moved beyond “misstatements” for which politicians “take full responsibility” and…
Air Horn Politics
“We’re all seriously suffering from a kind of Trump derangement syndrome…he uses up so much of the oxygen and it’s like having…a big air horn installed in your head and…
Another Fine Mess: Thanks Stevie
It turns out the famous Laurel and Hardy phrase “here’s another fine mess you’ve gotten us into” is a misquote. What Oliver Hardy really said to the hapless Stan Laurel…
Who should govern in times of significant disruption?
Chris Kutarna says this is the best time in history to be alive. We’re healthier, wealthier and better educated than at any other time in history…so why are we so…
Brian Jean Makes a Joke
Two things happened this week that reflect very poorly on the judgment of Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean and his supporters. The first was The Joke. The second was his…
Trump and the Nukes
We’re so focused on Donald Trump’s race-baiting rhetoric that we’ve almost forgotten that if elected this man will have the nuclear codes at the tips of his stubby little fingers.…
The K-Bro Linen Flap
Would someone snap a wet towel at the Opposition please? The Opposition is upset because Sarah Hoffman, the Health Minister, wants to see a business case on alternatives before she…
PPAs and the Master Narrative in Alberta
The American Press Institute (API) describes pack journalism,” now known as “the master narrative,” as a story line the press corps en masse is telling or repeating. The API warns…
The NDP’s Power Play: Myths and Facts
Alberta’s NDP government wants to save Albertans $2 billion and the Wildrose, the Progressive Conservatives and the media are churning up a dust storm of misinformation trying to stop them.…
Ack!
Ms Soapbox is under the weather…spent 5 minutes composing this sentence. Will be back in a day or so.
Trumpism: A Wake Up Call
We can pick apart Donald Trump’s acceptance speech but it won’t get us very far. Trump is getting smarter in how he presents “the facts”. For example: He uses anecdotal…
Stampede!
“Sometimes you need a little break”—Ms Soapbox’s Mom The fun started when Ms Soapbox’s sister Roz and her husband Jay came to town. They flew in from Vancouver where it…
Jason Kenney: Alberta’s Very Own Music Man
Like the Music Man, Jason Kenney blew into town with a message: We’ve got trouble folks! Trouble with a capital “T” that rhymes with “P” and that stands for “Progressive!”…
Brexit and Trump: It’s All Your Fault
Ms Soapbox was just getting her head around the fact that Donald Trump was her fault when they blamed her for Brexit. Wait, what? Political philosophers and journalists on both…
Four Things We Learned From Brexit
What was he thinking? The UK, with or without Scotland and Northern Ireland, is leaving the EU, but first it has to slog through two harrowing years extricating itself from…