Avraham Burg and the hard truth about ‘Israel’s Fading Democracy’
Avraham Burg has an opinion piece in the New York Times this week titled “Israel’s Fading Democracy.” It’s well worth the read. Burg doesn’t shy away from addressing hard truths…
democracy
Sounds from the Diaspora: Asia Indie Music in Canada
Youtube has propelled Asian talents like Kina Grannis, Andrew Garcia, and Clara C to the forefront of DIY music fame. These Californian artists have garnered an overwhelming share of social…
From an Anglo to the Anglophones in Quebec
It is odd being an Anglo in Quebec. But not because I feel apart from the Francophones. Indeed, it is Anglo community that I feel estranged from. I live in…
ConCalls: Show The Cards Elections Canada #RoboCon
A lawyer is trying to compel Elections Canada to release more public details of its super slow investigation into the election fraud from May 2011. Apparently the next date we’ll…
Quebec election: the faux choix of the first two days
As everyone knows by now, Quebec is headed into a summer election. The Liberal party is trying to define the election as a choice between democracy or protest. As someone…
What We Missed: OWS Declaration of the Occupation of New York City
This document was accepted by the NYC General Assembly on September 29, 2011, with minor updates made on October 1, 2011. It is the first official, collective statement of the…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Rick Salutin discusses the link between parity of wealth and democratic participation, while pointing out why there’s reason for people to engage much…
Activist Communique: The Slackers Guide to Activism—Superhero Style
Submitted by JEN MESZAROS My name is Jen, and I’m creating an activist group in vancouver to increase the community’s participation in world issues–such as exposing Monsanto, Arctic drilling by…
UPDATE-1: Chinada
China’s state oil company is offering $15 billion for Calgary’s Nexen. At this point I’ve really lost count of how many Chinese acquisitions have been made in the last few…
Referendums: The Perils and the Possibilities
Direct democracy is to representative democracy what extra-virgin olive oil is to refined olive oil. The latter is more cost effective and, perhaps according to some, just as good. But…
A Defence of Regularized Public Policy Referendum
I think Governments should consult with the people. The amount of public involvement with our federal democracy is essentially voting in a general election once every four years. We call…
Harper Conservatives Lose Robocalls Fraud Court Challenge
The Federal Court has nuked the Conservatives effort to stop the courts from hearing a legal challenge to some of the results of the 2011 federal election. With the support…
ConCalls: Gone Dismissing
So, new Elections Canada commish, what’s up? I know you’re new on the job, but you seemed to have been able to get a confident handle on things enough by…
Rick Salutin on Democracy, Parties, and Electoral Reform
“Democracy,” as Winston Churchill famously stated, “is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” Somewhat less famously, he also…
A CLASSE act for Quebec’s next provincial election
Should an election be called, the more militant group of the Quebec student protest movement will mobilze students against ideology and neo-liberal politics. That’s according to CLASSE’s new manifesto, recently…
Quebec Student Protest Movement Begins Tour Of Ontario Universities
While the pots and pans are on a summer hiatus, the ground-breaking Quebec student protest movement is visiting an Ontario university near you. Representatives of CLASSE, Quebec’s largest student federation,…
Defining Democracy
Just back from a very brief holiday in western New York, I’m still feeling a bit too relaxed to post anything lengthy, but I do have a reading recommendation for…
ConCalls: Cutbacks
Investigating election crimes is hard work, but someone has to do it. Elections Canada in particular has to do it, and in theory they are conducting an investigation into illegal…
A more realistic approach to limiting the influence of money in politics
Cenk Ugyur, host of the popular The Young Turks (a progressive, internet-based US politics show), frequently like to deride the pervasive and damaging influence of Big Money in US politics,…