I Am a Democrat … and an Elitist
There is much talk about populism these days. The term has a variety of definitions, but the general idea is that society is separated into two groups at odds with…
populism
Wednesday Morning Links
This and that for your mid-week reading. – Rick Salutin discusses the needed rise of left-wing populism in the U.S.’ presidential campaign (and elsewhere). – Ed Finn highlights how policies…
The State of Democracy
There is, it seems, a war against democracy. I hesitate to use the word “war” as it tends to suffer from overuse these days—war on drugs, war on terrorism, etc—but…
Stalin’s ghostly influence today
I recently finished reading the second volume of Stephen Kotkin’s magisterial biography of Josef Stalin: About 1,700 pages so far, with another 400 or so in small-type notes. Brilliant stuff,…
The Politics of Conspiracy Theorists
Who knew? Populists have a ravenous appetite for conspiracy theories. You can feed those bastards just about anything and they’ll thrive on it. And people like Donald Trump would be…
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Bob Hepburn discusses how Doug Ford has turned a populist campaign into government solely for the benefit of the privileged few. And Paul…
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Donald Gutstein examines the crucial difference between advancing toward a zero-carbon economy, and incentivizing further fossil fuel development through misleading terms such…
Democracy on Trial – In the United Kingdom
The New York Times headline reads, “‘We’re in the Last Hour’: Democracy Itself Is on Trial in Brexit, Britons Say.” As I’m going through the article, over on LBC radio,…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Yanis Varoufakis writes that the tendency of capitalism toward stagnation signals the need for greater public input into economic decisions. And Branko Milanovic…
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Eugene Lang takes note of the connection between rising populist anger and stagnant or falling wages for far too many people. And…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Dennis Gruending writes about the difference between genuine populism focused on the interests of the public at large, and the discriminatory politics of…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Alexi White points out how tall tales about “welfare fraud” have been used as excuse to trap people in poverty. And the Star’s…
Is Left-Wing Populism The Answer?
While I personally don’t see anything on the horizon to resurrect the fortunes of the federal NDP, Avi Lewis thinks he has a winning strategy: embrace populism, something he thinks…
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Michael Harris writes that we shouldn’t expect politicians to lead the way toward the action we need to combat climate change. Katie Dangerfield…
Putting Populism In Perspective
Martin Amis offers his acerbic assessment of the current populist mania: Recommend this Post
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Patrick Kingsley points out how children are feeling the effects of the UK’s austerity, including by being driven into avoidable poverty. And…
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Joesph Stiglitz writes that history has proven wrong the theory that the weak recovery from the 2008 economic crash was the result of…
Playing To The Lowest Common Denominator
…looks like this: Recommend this Post
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Matt Bruenig points out that public ownership of businesses produces a number of beneficial incidental effects, including by ensuring that knowledge and…
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Oliver Moore reports on Greyhound’s elimination of most of its Western Canadian bus service. Emily Riddle offers a reminder that the lack of…