On needed advantages
Thanks in large part to an extremely active provincial leadership campaign, I haven’t discussed the evolution of the federal NDP over the past few months in as much detail as…
messaging
Perspective Is Everything
It’s TED Talk Tuesday on 350orbust, and Rory Sutherland the Ad Man is back. His message is essentially the same as in his 2009 TED Talk, but it bears repeating…
On self-destruction
I’m sure we’ll eventually learn more about the reasons why Dalton McGuinty decided to jump ship. But it’s worth pointing out how his move looks to completely undercut his own…
Leadership 2013 Roundup
There’s a common theme to the last few days’ developments in the Saskatchewan NDP leadership race. While plenty of the campaigns are doing plenty worth talking about, they may have…
On honest appraisals
For all the concerns about the Cons paying absolutely no political price for their constant dishonesty, the NDP working to change that assumption: So how effective does the new ad…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Ed Broadbent and the Broadbent Institute are putting together a strong public push on the problem of growing inequality – featuring a…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Thomas Walkom discusses how the McGuinty Libs are going beyond imposing immediate pay freezes on the public sector, and instead passing what’s better…
The big lie and the bigger truth
Yes, it’s inevitable that Tom Mulcair will have to answer the Cons’ (however farcical) talking points about some nonexistent carbon tax. But there’s more to the story than the “big…
New column day
Here, on the importance of substance over spin in politics – and the counterproductive effect of dedicating a party’s resources to the opposite effect. For further reading…– As I’ve previously…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Don Lenihan responds to Allan Gregg’s recent critique of Canadian politics, featuring this on the connection that ought to exist between ideology…
Polls, Politicians and Messages #nlpoli
Cabinet is where the real political power sits in a parliamentary democracy. Ministers have enormous power both individually and collectively. Only the first minister – the prime minister or premier…
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Carol Goar comments on the CEP/CAW plan to merge and work toward a far more active type of unionism: Both the CAW…
The politics of table salt #nlpoli
Tom Hedderson would probably like a do-over. Responding to an opposition call for a ban on road-side pesticide use by Hedderson’s department, the minister compared the toxicity of the chemical…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Stuart Trew comments on the Cons’ utterly implausible claims to try to impose the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the EU…
On risky bets
Others have already batted about some theories about the Cons’ first set of attack ads against Tom Mulcair. But it’s worth noting that there are a couple of important differences…
Sunday Morning Links
This and that to occupy your Canada Day. – Tim Harford discusses why randomized trials as part of a genuine evidence-gathering process are a must in developing public policy. –…
Insider tradeoffs
Postmedia and CTV have both reported on how this weekend’s #skndp12 convention may shape the Saskatchewan NDP’s 2013 leadership race. But it’s worth noting how the major split among prospective…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Chantal Hebert theorizes that Canada’s political scene has taken every turn Jack Layton might have hoped for since his passing last summer, while…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Plenty of commentators are rightly speaking out against the Cons’ anti-democratic omnibus bill, including Tim Harper and the Star-Phoenix and Vancouver Sun…