If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
There have been some suggestions that the Liberals and NDP could cooperate in Question Period and this is a valid point. A united strategy could offer them the opportunity to hold the government to account. But any NDP leadership candidate proposing a merger will find out how quickly they lose support.
Minister of Transport Denis Lebel's Bloc Québécois story differs from that of Nycole Turmel's. He walked away from the separatist gang more than a decade ago, not months ago. And, of course, the biggest difference between them is that he's not the leader of the party.
Recently the mayor of Toronto pulled an 'all-nighter' to hear from approximately 300 of the roughly three million people who live in Toronto. But the process for 'meaningful consultation' was fatally flawed.
Bob Rae, a known quantity, versus the NDP's NycoleTurmel, an unknown quantity, should still give him the edge. Even if the media and the other parties allow her a short honeymoon period, the knives will be out soon enough and combat joined in the near future.
The Dadaab refugee camp is an ongoing saga of desperate human need. And with the $50 million Canada recently pledged being only a beginning to address the needs of the region, we must find other ways to leverage more support. Opening another camp would be a good place to start.
In the end, Stephen Harper's short talk in Calgary was nothing more than a political speech with a bit of humour thrown into the mix. I wonder if the same folks attacking Harper's comments would consider Jack Layton's other comments as arrogant?
As time marches on, Rae will find that the media will become less and less interested as there is a new game in town that offers more punch, excitement and perhaps even more opportunity for a few slip ups -- namely the NDP.
When the Speech from the Throne promised 'concrete action' on Aboriginal issues, I thought the proof would be in pudding -- the 2011 budget. But no, the government had totally abdicated their responsibility for our Aboriginal peoples.
You can bet your bottom Loonie that the biting, elegant prose of the WikiLeaks cable on the Liberal Party has exposed the weakness in political thinking at the very centre of the party under Ignatieff. They also show how astute American officials can be in assessing the political tea leaves.
The techniques that Stephen Harper has used to obliterate his opponents resemble the dumbing down, divisive and winner-take-all gladiator political culture of the U.S. That is largely our own fault. We have short attention spans and want quick fixes.
Einstein defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." I believe that the disastrous result of May 2, 2011 will end the insanity.
It's said that God, in her almighty wisdom, no longer smiles on dogs, drunks and Liberals. I do not share this defeatist view. I submit that, like Lazarus, Nixon and Bourassa, we can still return from the land of the living dead.
Just like Lohan, the Liberal Party sat humbled in front of the media, milked a fading celebrity status, and promised wholeheartedly to change -- similar to a celebrity who hit rock bottom.
A strong new Liberal leader could seize ground back from a fading second-term Conservative government or an undisciplined NDP Opposition. But there is the existential question: What is the vision?
From GroundReport.com, the world's most trusted citizen journalism network. By Emanthi Marambe Sri Lankan authorities today detained and expelled Ca...
