Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Polly Toynbee and David Walker write about the brutal social consequences of a decade of austerity in the UK. – Andrew Jackson reviews…
democracy
On the need for politics #nlpoli
Politics the art of pursuing common interests through …active listening, advocacy, public persuasion, compromise and negotiation. Bob Rae William Ford Coaker,the father of the Commission The people from Newfoundland and…
Ten things to know about subsidized rental housing in Alberta
In anticipation of next week’s Alberta budget, I’ve written a ‘top 10’ overview of subsidized rental housing in the province. Points raised in the blog post in include the following:…
Degeneration, Collapse, and Rebirth
What we are facing is systemic degeneration: ecologically, culturally, spiritually, intellectually, psychologically, socially, and biologically in terms of degenerating health and shortening life spans. This is the slow-motion collapse of…
Bernie Won Iowa Popular Vote
Here’s Mayor Pete’s opinion on getting the most votes: “At risk of sounding a little simplistic, one thing I believe is that in an American Presidential election, the person who…
The EU Declares War
I apologize for the alarmist headline. The European Union hasn’t actually declared war, more a case of having recognized a war, a shadow war. Vera Jourova, Vice President of the…
The beginning of the end?
As my ever decreasing small cadre of regular readers will know I no longer write here on a regular basis having become so disillusioned with world wide ‘democracy’ that I…
Is the Democratic World Losing India?
India has been a jewel in the crown of democracy ever since it achieved independence in 1947. Despite mass poverty, religious and caste violence, insurgencies, separatism in Jammu and Kashmir,…
It’s Time to Topple the Voting System
Modern democracy is under a lot of scrutiny this century as we’ve seen increased corruption by established political parties and a manipulation of bureaucratic processes to benefit the elite. The…
Democracy or Putinism?
Vladimir Putin has been quoted as saying that the collapse of the Soviet Union was the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.” Whether or not his words have been interpreted…
Democratic delusion
“Politics has become so expensive that it takes a lot of money even to be defeated.” Even with contribution limits, generous as they are, government remains biased toward serving interests…
Is it all about the $$$?
Regular readers, all two or three of you, will know that I have had little to say here at Democracy Under Fire during the recent election period, the manure being…
Behind Chile’s political crisis
More than one million people marched in Santiago on October 26 to protest the Government’s security response to Chile’s current political crisis and to demand structural economic reforms to reduce…
Canadians: Go Vote!
vote! People in Hong Kong are currently in the streets fighting for a small amount of democracy, and similar struggles exist around the world. In too many places the concept…
The Best Way To Effect Change
H/t Michael De Adder Should you need further encouragement, read the columns by Martin Regg Cohn and Susan Delacourt. Says Cohn: Decide for yourself who to vote for but whatever…
Minority Coalition Parliaments
As one of the ‘leaders’ trying to become our next prime minister shows his true colours by spouting lies and false information I urge those of you who have yet…
No change in the weather? No change in we. #nlpoli
The problem we have is not a lack of options and opportunities to sort out the government finances ourselves. The problem facing Newfoundland and Labrador is that the leading people…
Is Universal Suffrage Logical? Is it Moral?
Not everyone is a fan of democracy. Other than those who outright prefer dictatorship of one kind or another, some critics simply don’t trust all citizens having equal power over…
On Inequality, Democracy and Taxing the Rich – A Modest Proposal
No doubt many raised in our capitalist society, where inequality rules and excessive incomes and wealth are seen as a right (and where even the NDP only proposes a measly…
The ABC Dilemma ….again
As ‘be counted’ day approaches each of us of voting age must decide which ‘party’ to vote for, yes I know we do not vote for the party but for…