Mulroney, the CIA, and the Con Meat Factory
Oh no. Blow me down like a leprechaun. It turns out Brian Mulroney didn't have to sing and dance for Ronald and Nancy Reagan at the Shamrock Summit. Like the…
Brian Mulroney
Neocon slapheads beware! This may not be just a Frank Prank?
The message from worried Canadians, in and out of uniform, to former Frank publisher Michael Bate. Below: Frank’s semi-iconic logo, Mr. Bate, a typical Frank cover from the Paul Martin…
Canadian mythology: Bob Rae, NDP and socialists to blame for Ontario’s deficit.
One of Canada's enduring mythologies is that during the NDP reign in Ontario from 1990 to 1995 a whole plethora of woe was inflicted as the result of Bob Rae…
Canadian mythology: Bob Rae, NDP and socialists to blame for Ontario’s deficit.
One of Canada’s enduring mythologies is that during the NDP reign in Ontario from 1990 to 1995 a whole plethora of woe was inflicted as the result of Bob Rae…
Preston Manning is no saint, as secretive Carleton University scheme illustrates
Preston Manning and his then-protégé Stephen Harper back in the day. Below: Mr. Manning as he now appears (United Church Observer photo): Alberta premier E.C. Manning, Preston Manning’s father; Mr.…
Stephen Harper meets with Brian Mulroney
Interesting cartoon from Toronto Star.Only thing missing is brown bags of cash next to Mulroney.
How far will Prime Minister Stephen Harper go with separatists to hang onto power?
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, left, with Parti Quebecois Leader Pauline Marois … or something very much like that. The politicians pictured above may not be exactly as illustrated in real…
Time to wax philosophical about Ralph Klein and the Order of Canada
Former Alberta premier Ralph Klein, back in the day. Below: Former Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau, also back in the day. Now that the campaign to give the Order of Canada…
Be very afraid … Prime Minister Harper wants to woo Quebec!
Yikes! Brian Mulroney and Stephen Harper: It’s always dangerous when Conservatives decide to counter threats to national unity. Below. W.L. Mackenzie King. Be afraid! Be very afraid! Why should you…
These Are Not Your Father’s Tories. Seriously.
“I worked for (Mulroney-era environment minister) Tom McMillan, who was a very red Tory. I wrote speeches for him. We never checked his speeches with the PMO. He’d get up…
A "Gaffe", Eh? Part Nope
The whole Nanos poll is here. I think I like it better when Alberta is polled separately and not as part of “The Prairies”. Split it off and I bet…
Lee Richardson: Alberta Ambassador to the Mulcair Government? Or what?
Alberta Premier Alison Redford speaks with Principal Secretary Lee Richardson while Chief of Staff Farouk Adatia looks on. Alberta officials, elected and not so elected, may not appear exactly as…
lee richardson resigns, calgary-centre by-election could be a conservative proxy war.
Tweet Recently resigned MP Lee Richardson, soon to be Principal Secretary to Premier Alison Redford. (Photo from 5of7 on Flickr) After a bitterly fought provincial election campaign drove a deep…
Tories train their intellectual big guns on Tom Mulcair: if Rex Murphy fails, there’s always Don Cherry!
Prime Minister Stephen Harper (clutching the balloon, centre) sets off his attack on Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair, who is illustrated standing in the background. Beep-beep! Actual federal politicians may not…
alberta election: the leaders’ debate will matter.
In a typical provincial election in Alberta, the televised Leaders’ debate is a mere formality in a process that would inevitably lead to the election of another massive Progressive Conservative…
Back when Conservatives could be “progressive” too…
… there was a guy named Brian Mulroney. He was our Prime Minster. A lot of folks didn’t like the man very much. They saw him as arrogant, too pro-American…
Alberta’s Electrolux Throne Speech: breathtaking in its vacuity, but quite possibly effective
Your blogger with Tory campaign mastermind Stephen Carter. Below, Charles Dickens, who also wrote a good story; Finance Minister Ron Liepert. It was either the best of Throne Speeches or…
The Mulroneyesque Thomas Mulcair
There are many things that we could say about Brian Mulroney. Many of them are bad. But he did have the gift of blarney. At his best, Mulroney could charm…
If we’d heeded Tom Kent in 1981, our democracy would be healthier today
Tom Kent, chair of the Royal Commission on Newspapers, 1981. (Canadian Press photo). Below: The cover of the 1981 Royal Commission report; Edmonton-St. Albert MP Brent Rathgeber. Today we mark…