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…
Political Parties
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’re a democrat, instruct your MP to support Chong’s Bill
An opportunity to strike a blow for parliamentary democracy has suddenly arisen and all democrats should take advantage of it. On Thursday, Michael Chong, MP for Wellington-Halton Hills, will introduce…
Norway’s disturbing lurch to the right | Alf Gunvald Nilsen | Comment is free | theguardian.com
Norway’s disturbing lurch to the right | Alf Gunvald Nilsen | Comment is free | theguardian.com. The results from today’s Norwegian elections are more or less clear: with some 26.8%…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – The CP reports on Suzanne Legault’s much-needed warning about the Cons’ secrecy in government: In a closed-door session with dozens of bureaucrats Thursday,…
Wrestling with Democracy
Wrestling with Democracy is an ambitious, historical examination of the changes in voting systems across a large number of Western liberal democracies over the course of the twentieth century that…
Pondering Pandeering Political Parties
I am long past the age where I expect very much from politicians of any stripe. While it is easy to target (and I frequently do!) the Harper-led Conservative Party…
Alberta Liberal and Federal Liberal Cooperation? Lets Go.
I was talking to one of my friends around the the university the other day and I brought up Raj Sherman’s interview in the Calgary Herald on some form of…
Rebranding: Not Interested in Scraps
The goal is government. I’m interested in a party that wants into government. Anything else is a waste of time. It’s a waste of time to just complain and oppose,…
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – No, there was never any doubt that any statement which could possibly be interpreted as insufficiently jingoistic in favour of the oil industry…
The Politics of Public Spending
Check the local media for the past week and you’ll see a sudden bunch of stories about the series of fire truck announcements provincial politicians of the Tory persuasion are…
Globe and Mail: “Alberta’s Liberals see signs of hope on long road back to viability”
In turn, Alberta’s official opposition Liberals tossed open the doors to a failing party, hoping to re-invigorate it at a time of both challenge and opportunity – a run for…
Political parties and debt: the Kennedy perspective
Political parties usually carry around debt. Some carry more than others. Some parties don’t carry any. Is it an issue? Maybe. Just for the fun of it, consider this portion…
Minority Governments for Dummies (and Tory PMs)
the voters elect the House of Commons to governthe leader of the current government (the government before the election) has the right to meet the House and attempt to gain…
The Debate: Canadian Values Win
The most interesting thing I noticed about the debate was where all the leaders, or at least all of the federalist leaders, agreed. These were on what I would consider…
Do You Really Support Stephen Harper
Are you a lifelong conservative, perhaps going back to the Progressive Conservative Party. Do you assume Stephen Harper represents you because he is the leader of the Conservative Party.Find out…
Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber Pushing for Two Party System
It started with Ignatieff joining Harper's anti-coalition bandwagon, the common message being that the big boys don't share power with the little guys and it's extended to the push for…
Representative Independence versus Caucus Control
Behind all the Sturm und Drang engendered by Dr. Raj Sherman's letter, comments and subsequent removal from the PC caucus there are several stories. The specifics of what happened and…
Representative Independence versus Caucus Control
Behind all the Sturm und Drang engendered by Dr. Raj Sherman's letter, comments and subsequent removal from the PC caucus there are several stories. The specifics of what happened and…