Pakistan: Attack on Christians
George W. Bush spread ‘democracy’ in Afghanistan. Now Obama is spreading ‘democracy’ in Afghanistan. Some of that ‘democracy’ has spilled over into Pakistan. Violence has become norm in Afghanistan and…
democracy
Theorizing Social Democracy
I’ve started reading The Theory of Social Democracy, by Thomas Meyer. The book was initially published in German in 2005 and was published in English in 2007, just before the…
Wrestling with Democracy
Wrestling with Democracy is an ambitious, historical examination of the changes in voting systems across a large number of Western liberal democracies over the course of the twentieth century that…
Greece—1930s redux
When Europe sank into depression in the 1930s, politics polarized. The far right became more appealing to some, the far left to others. One reassured people by harking back to…
Canadians: Stand Up for Science on Sept. 16
Previously on Things Are Good we’ve seen Canadians concerned about democracy mobilize to ensure that our political leaders make informed decisions. After a streak of attacks on knowledge, scientists and…
When Good Data Goes Bad: The NHS2011
This piece was published today in the Globe and Mail’s Economy Lab. Two findings stand out in the National Household Survey (NHS) data released Wednesday, both critical in this post-recession…
September 15th—International Day of Democracy
Attention, all you democrats, mark it on your calendars: the International Day of Democracy, Sunday, September 15th—as declared by the UN General Assembly in 2007 with resolution 62/7. Following the…
Bashar al-Assad’s perception of democracy
In times of tragedy it is refreshing that cartoonists provide the humorous perspective.
Untangling the Temporary Foreign Worker Knot
Banks as predators? Surely, no! Temporary foreign workers have become a lightning-rod topic in Canadian labour in recent months with the high-profile news of the Royal Bank of Canada replacing…
Chemical Weapons in Syria? Merely a Pretext [Iran, Shhh.]
” It’s the Economy, Stupid.” If you think you know why Syria is happening , you’re probably missing a number of the elements at play. Don’t expect western governments or…
You Aren’t Sufficiently Critical of the #Media
You need to trust the media less. Almost a year ago, and before the last US presidential election, Gallup determined that there has been a stunning decline in citizens’ mistrust…
Economists for Linda McQuaig
Forty economists, including many Progressive Economics Forum members, have signed the following statement (PDF version): We write to endorse Linda McQuaig’s candidacy for the upcoming federal by-election in Toronto Centre.…
ConCalls: Andrew Prescott Responds to Meier’s Proxy Finding #RoboCon #cdnpoli
With the Robocalls trial under way, some newer information is becoming public. That’s no thanks to the judge who has imposed a partial publication ban on investigative documents. One person…
Oh I Can Think Of So Many Ways This Is Relevant
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ConCalls: #RoboCon Trial Inches Forward
The trial of maybe the only Conservative stooge to face a judge for illegal robocalls during the last federal election, is underway. Sona is a stooge, and I think an…
The U.S. war against democracy in the Middle East
The CIA’s recent public admission that it masterminded the 1953 military coup against Iran’s democratically elected government reminded me once again of the fickle U.S. support for democracy in the…
A Tuesday Night Thought
From one of my favourite writers, speakers, thinkers and bloggers, Alex Himelfarb. Recommend this Post
Undoing democracy democratically
As the Egyptian military brutally dismantles democracy in their country, other losses of democracy tend to pale in comparison. Yet when they involve people electing to disband their own democracy,…
Chrystia Freeland’s Liberal Use of Economic Platitudes
Washington Post blogger Ezra Klein has interviewed the presumptive Liberal candidate in Toronto Centre, Chrystia Freeland, who declares, “I’m a capitalist red in tooth and claw.” To his credit, Klein…
The First Day of School, 2013: Beware!
Well, a new school year is about to begin, so it’s time to analyze just how much destruction the 1% will visit upon public education this year. Defunding, corporatization of…