Not A Team Player
I have never been much of a joiner. I never really participated in team sports, committees (unless I had no choice), or group endeavours. There is something about the passionate…
Political Parties
Is It Time For The NDP To Rebirth Itself
The North American right wing has been overtaken by a vile hateful Donald Trump inspired populist MAGA movement that has spawned the Freedumb Convoy types and infected the Canadian Conservative…
Americans want more parties (political, that is)
A growing number of Americans are unhappy with their current political choices. According to a Pew Research Center survey, four in ten say they want more parties than just the…
Can Proportional Representation Save Our Parliamentary Democracy
Parliament – Etymology The English term is derived from Anglo-Norman and dates to the 14th century, coming from the 11th century Old French parlement, “discussion, discourse”, from parler, meaning “to…
Another Way of Looking at Political Parties in Canada
With Pierre Poilievre as the Tory leadership front runner I anticipate the Conservative and People’s parties fighting for the right wing fringe vote and collectively becoming the Party of the…
Ban Campaign Promises and other Electoral Rants
Campaign promises. What are they good for. Absolutely nothing. I wish we could get rid of campaign promises. If you are in government then a campaign promise is just something…
Defending the Indefensible Left and Right
People of the left and, one would hope, also many on the right, look on with horror as Republican politicians unconditionally support their degenerate president. Trump once boasted “I could…
PR Isn’t Enough
Advocates of proportional representation (PR) make a powerful case. They claim that our current electoral system, first-past-the-post (FPTP), is not democratic. They are right. More often than not a political…
THE FIFTH COLUMN 2018-10-13 19:17:00
On Democracy What a better way to restart The Fifth Column than by a treatise on how to make our democracy actually democratic. Hopefully this will be the first posting…
Not fit for it, indeed #nlpoli
Once upon a time not so long ago, you would think politics in this province was a mash up of Nineteen eighty-four and Animal Farm.These days, the Orwellian times in…
The Tyranny Of Conformity
Yesterday, KirbyCairo wrote another of his thought-provoking posts, this one on the current plight of the federal NDP and its search for renewal. That prospect is dim, Kirby says, unless…
The possible shift #nlpoli
If the polls are right, we could be looking at an unprecedented shift in politics in Newfoundland and Labrador. We could be looking at lots of things but it’s a…
Free-market era in Sweden swept away as feminists and greens plot new path | World news | The Observer
Free-market era in Sweden swept away as feminists and greens plot new path | World news | The Observer. For a man who is a near-certainty to become Sweden‘s prime…
Upstart party Podemos emerging as third political power, says new poll | In English | EL PAÍS
Upstart party Podemos emerging as third political power, says new poll | In English | EL PAÍS. New party Podemos has taken a further step toward becoming the third power…
Can BC restore sovereignty and regain control of its destiny through democratic reforms
Mid Summer Musings Can BC restore sovereignty and regain control of its destiny through democratic reforms that make our public institutions accountable to the people they purport to represent? Kevin…
Parasites Have Infected And Taken Over Quebec’s Body Politic
In nature, there are parasites that invade a host, take control of its movements for their own benefit, often leading to the host’s demise.n My favorite example of this life…
Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Chris Hall notes that Brad Butt’s admitted fabrications can only hurt the Cons’ already-lacking credibility when it comes to forcing through their…
Norwegian voting patterns are a warning to leftwing parties elsewhere
Henning Finseraas and Kåre Vernby Low levels of citizen participation in politics have long been seen as a serious democratic problem, and a possible relationship between turnout and election outcomes…
Ten phrases that need to die in 2014.
All lists start with a bottle of scotch, a dash of politics, and a bit of pent up frustration. This is one of those lists. 1). “____ should resign.” Be…
If You Are Going To Vote, Read This
Things are changing rapidly in the world, but as of this moment, we can say a few things about the major political parties of the Western world, with reasonable certainty.…