The Hair is off to war again. Ta-ta.
How do you do a trumpet fanfare in a headline? The Hair going to war again certainly deserves a fanfare. The poor schmuck was had. He was alternately included and…
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Publicity 101: Make each announcement different.
Ontario Infrastructure Minister Brad Duguid must have missed the class on publicity that said change the story line when you make the same announcement for the third time. He got…
Toronto: A city seeking leadership.
The most obvious problem for those trying to put Olivia Chow into the mayor’s chair in Toronto is her inability to lead. Even if she could win, would she sit…
Are Hong Kong activists smarter than Canadians?
Pay attention politically smart Canadians. The activists in Hong Kong are showing you up. And what makes you think Canada is more democratic than Hong Kong? All the activists in…
Morning Line for Toronto: Tory at 3 – 1.
This mayoralty contest is an uphill battle for broadcaster John Tory. His instinct was right last year when it was obvious that he saw no redemption for himself in going…
Morning Line for Toronto: Ford at 10 – 1.
Despite the perverse forecasts of some purported pundits, Rob Ford is hardly likely to be supported for re-election as mayor by any large number of Torontonians. You can clean him…
Morning Line for Toronto: Chow at 6 – 1.
Olivia Chow has become something of a long shot in Toronto’s 2014 mayoralty contest. After a strong campaign launch in the spring, it has become clear to the media and…
The shifting sands of Quebec federal politics.
It is important to listen when the Toronto Star’s Chantal Hébert discusses what is happening politically in Quebec. You sometimes get the impression that she is so caught up with…
Why would you force people to vote?
It is one of those silly ideas that surface every once in a while. Someone notices how low the turnout of voters is at elections. They get all concerned and…
Understanding the morning line.
There is a caveat to Babel-on-the-Bay’s publishing a morning line on upcoming elections. While we are more accurate than pollsters, a morning line is based on a knowledgeable observer’s assessment…
But when does the PC contest begin?
We are missing some fun here. Sure MPP Christine Elliott is going to run for the Ontario Conservative leadership. That is not a race, it is a leisurely walk. We…
Torstar: The ugly face of today’s capitalism.
A classified advertisement in The Toronto Star caught the eye the other day. It was offering $13.50 per hour for ‘production operators’ at the newspaper and publishing company’s printing facility…
Considering the alternatives to Trudeau.
Will Justin Trudeau make a great prime minister? Not likely. Is he better than the alternatives? You bet. There is something of a debate in the household these days about…
The Hair’s annual northern holiday.
We Canadians seem to enjoy our regular getaways but the Hair beats us all. How many times is this now that the Hair and his hairdresser and his wife have…
Michael Chong, the MP from naϊveté.
No, Naϊveté is not an electoral district in Quebec. The Hon. Michael Chong is the Member of Parliament for the Ontario riding of Wellington-Halton Hills. What Mr. Chong has not…
Premier Wynne should not toy with Quebec.
It seemed an unfortunate heading given to a story in The Toronto Star the other day. The heading was “Wynne toys with buying more Quebec electricity.” The headline editor must…
C.D. Howe tells Ontario how.
Clarence Decatur Howe, minister of everything important in the Mackenzie King government, was never one our favourite Liberal role models but we always gave him the credit for creating Trans-Canada…
Liberals playing stupid numbers game.
It makes sense that you would not waste your good ideas a year before the election but nobody wants to play the numbers game. It is just that the last…
Do nothing, deny everything.
One of the less endearing qualities of Conservatives is that they are never responsible for anything. To a lesser extent, Liberals often follow suit. Luckily for New Democrats, they get…
Bala watch out, the NIMBY’s are out.
Nothing seems to arouse passions more than when somebody decides to build something in what you consider as your backyard. There are those who will sometimes carry their protests beyond…