On eroding bases
It’s far too early to declare anything decided as to what’s going to happen in Canada’s next federal election. But for anybody looking for an early indication as to whether…
bloc
Proof That Abolishing the Gun Registry Was Always For the NRA
Unless hunters and farmers are snipers, the Conservative abolishment of the gun registry was always, as suspected, for the NRA. ALWAYS! ALWAYS! ALWAYS! Not one single farmer or hunter ever…
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content for your Friday reading.- Alice posts the full party spending numbers from May's election. And the story in fact looks to have been near-maximum spending by each of…
Parliament In Review: October 4, 2011
Tuesday, October 4 was an opposition day, featuring a motion from Bob Rae on a national suicide strategy that provoked somewhat more agreement than usual. But that doesn't mean there…
Parliament In Review: October 3, 2011
Monday, October 3 saw another day dedicated largely to debate of the Cons' anti-refugee bill. The Big IssueAs might be expected after several days of debate, the Cons' single set…
Is this NDP leader Nycole Turmel’s "Kissinger Moment"?
Nixon and Kissinger: Benign NeglectHenry Kissinger firmly believed that his understanding of Realpolitik reflected the realism of a handful of famous statesmen of bygone decades.Bismarkian in his aloofness, Metternichean in…
Liberals need to support liberals
Liberals need to support liberals, across divisions in government and separation by geography. The silo-ing of liberalism has been one of the worst trends in the last quarter century, where…
Did Canada’s "Arab Spring" start in Quebec on May 2?
The answer is Yes if pollster Allan Gregg'sspeculations are right. The NDP has 33% - tied with the Tories:Jack Layton's untimely death has triggered another orange wave across the country,…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. - Chantal Hebert offers up the definitive response to the Cons, Libs and media outlets still going out of their way to attack…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. - The Halifax Chronicle Herald pushes back against the Cons' and Libs' anti-Bloc witch-hunt: For partisan reasons, involvement with the Bloc has become a…
On improved positions
Last week, I noted the top-line results from Angus Reid's latest federal polling. But perhaps even more important than the stability in Canada's party polling numbers is the question of…
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. - The Mark is the latest to point out that the NDP's success in winning over former Bloc members and/or sovereigntists should be considered…
Still feigned indignation
At the very least, the media finally seems to have picked up on the reality that all Canadian national parties include some former Bloc members and/or sovereigntists in their ranks.…
On distinguishing factors
Lest there be any doubt, it's still ridiculous to pretend that any person's past involvement in a Quebec sovereigntist party should be taken to disqualify that person from Canada's public…
What might have been
Wilf Day offers up one what-might-have-been scenario based on proportional representation. But as one astute observer pointed out at the NDP's Vancouver convention, there's another alternate set of possibilities which…
On equalization
One more note on today's fund-raising news which is best seen in Alice's historical quarterly data.For 2011 Q2, total fund-raising for the NDP, Libs, Bloc and Greens was $7,918,876.12 -…
New column day
Here, on the silliness of this week's hullabaloo over Nycole Turmel's past Bloc membership - and the lessons we can stand to learn about Quebec politics in response.For further reading...-…
A Neocon Barbeque Cooks up a Plate of Ignorance
If you are wondering what Stevie is up to this summer, besides bombing for oil, wonder no more. He's cooking up neocon burgers, hold the lettuce, with his buddy Rob…
Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.- Martin Patriquin offers up the definitive response to the pearl-clutching over Nycole Turmel's Bloc membership (italics in original, bold added):(H)ere’s the wee nuance that…
Telling
No, Tim Harper's take on the latest news about Nycole Turmel isn't any better than most of the media's coverage. But it does at least include one rather telling contrast:Inside…