In a war of ideology, everyone loses
Not long ago a naive younger version of myself decided he would be ‘left-wing’. For many years I subscribed to this ideology. I amongst many others took part in partisan…
democracy
Looking Backward in the Year 2011
by matttbastard Der Spiegel runs down W’s “tragic legacy” in the long, long, looooong decade of U.S. decline that followed 9/11: America was trapped in Iraq for years, where a…
Another sleepless night
It’s 3:45am. For the past week I’ve had a churning in my stomach I can’t shake, and with it I can’t sleep. So much is on my mind, but so…
Politics, Re-Spun on Coop Radio, September 5, 2011
Spending Labour Day with Imtiaz Popat on “The Rational” on Vancouver’s COOP Radio, talking about Christy Clark’s revocation of a pre-2013 election date , the end of the HST, the…
Realigning Canada’s Political Spectrum
Canadians have traditionally held social democratic values while supporting centrist political parties. Canadians support universal single payer public health insurance, public pensions and a social safety net, all of which,…
Saskatchewan People Set to Celebrate Labour Day – 2011
News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Saskatchewan People Set to Celebrate Labour Day On Monday, September 5th, people across Saskatchewan, of many backgrounds and traditions, spanning several generations, and representing a…
Democracy Watch: Duff’s guff #nlpoli
Let’s get it simply stated up front: Democracy Watch is the most inappropriately named organization on the planet, bar none. They don’t watch for one thing. And on the specific…
17 Federal NDP Leadership Possibilities
Jack Layton spent much time in his last days crafting his messages of hope, justice, optimism, equality and integrity: encouraging us to move on and build on the Orange Crush…
On democratic legitimacy of the courts
My last post talked about how judges work with each other’s decisions. Today, I’d like to take a bird’s eye look at the relationship between the judiciary and Parliament. Unelected…
Christy Clark Dabbles in Tea Party Rhetoric
It’s one thing to lose a referendum on a regressive tax that came in on a lie, that was a tax shift from businesses to real human beings, and that…
Agreeing with Ezra Levant?
I happen to agree with Ezra Levant today. Only in part. Here’s a piece on Quebec’s desire to license journalists. The government of Quebec wants to licence journalists. Christine St-Pierre,…
Jack Layton’s Legacy
Jack Layton has died from cancer. I believe his legacy will inspire optimism and integrity in Canadian politics. What are your thoughts? Share the Love: Twitter del.icio.us email RSS Facebook…
Rick Perry and The Reality of Democracy
A long time ago there were kings everywhere who controlled public life. As time went on these kings were overthrown and replaced by mostly dictators. Somewhere along the way the…
Canada: A country in economic denial
Well the market since the S&P downgrade of U.S. debt has been a fun ride huh? Gold continues to set what seem like daily records while stocks are “only slightly…
The Great Shopping Shift
I end each day quietly lamenting how I haven’t yet succeeded in completely reforming the global economy. Certainly, it’s a tall order. I search for economic and environmental sustainability. I…
“_Capitalism is the Crisis: Radical Politics in the Age of Austerity_”
One of the most despicable aspects of the McGuinty Liberal government, among many others, was its handling of security at the G20 Summit last summer in Toronto. Dalton McGuinty oversaw…
A lesson in hypocrisy from King Abdullah
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has condemned Syria's Assad regime for its suppression of pro-democracy dissenters and withdrawn his ambassador. This is a very civilized thing to do in the face…
Dear Prime Minister Harper: Please Stop Blacklisting Environmental Artists and Scientists
Blacklisted Canadian artist Franke James is becoming a mosquito in the ears of the Harper government. Several weeks ago, I wrote about the Harper government’s interference in the European tour…
New column day
Here, on how B.C.'s HST referendum and Wisconsin's state Senate recalls should rekindle our interest in setting up direct democratic mechanisms to hold governments accountable between elections. No followup links…
More Capitalism vs Democracy
I was reading this article in Foreign Policy - a "debate" between two highly respected international economists, Nouriel Roubini and Ian Bremmer when I came acros the two quotes below.…