Archive
Debatable
I think Obama’s still slightly favoured, even now.
But it’s still also lots of fun watching Andrew Sullivan melt down.
“Be part of the change”
Le Quebec aux Quebecois!
So yeah, 28%?
Le Parti québécois est aux portes du pouvoir, mais le courant souverainiste est clairement en perte de vitesse. Seulement 28% des gens voteraient Oui à un référendum proposant que le Québec devienne un pays souverain, un recul de huit points depuis le début de la campagne électorale. …
Dans son coup de sonde, CROP constate que le camp du Non ne gagne pas autant de terrain toutefois. On est passé de 60 à 62% depuis le début août, révèlent les données brutes. Ce sont les indécis qui ont pris du poids – ils étaient 4% au début du mois d’août, on en retrouve désormais 10% sur la question référendaire.
I hesitate to post something from Frum, but here’s why:
If Quebec breaks the fiscal union with Canada, it must for its own sake exit the currency union too. Which means that Quebeckers will awake the next day to huge depreciations of their salaries, benefits, and savings.
Quebecers know that, or anyway intuit it. The old promises of an easy separatism have been discredited. Separatism is now a hard path, involving great sacrifices, reduced standards of living, more work, and fewer social benefits — all at a time when PQ supporters yearn to hear a message of no sacrifices, improved standards of living, less work, and more social benefits. Which is precisely why Quebec separatism is effectively dead.
So what is offered instead is an elaborate pretense. PQ leader Pauline Marois has promised to form of committee to work on a project to develop a plan for a new strategy for independence. The committee will begin by studying past studies of Quebec independence, and then — once the studies are complete — proceed to propose action plans. A new diplomatic initiative will seek to gain international approval of the independence that Quebecers themselves do not want.
In tough economic times, these studies at least offer make-work jobs for under-utilized economists, sociologists, and party functionaries. But they impose a tough challenge on the rest of Canada: how to keep a straight face through the prolonged hemming and hawing. “Okay, you just let us know when you finish talking to yourselves. Take your time. We’ll wait. Four years? Eight? Twenty-seven? Fine. No rush.”
Fun times.
In the crosshairs
I disagree with Greenwald here.
I think “enhanced interrogations” are okay under some circumstances. I also think targeted killings of US citizens at the President’s command go too far and are illegal.
The president, by contrast, thinks “enhanced interrogations” are wrong, and is a-okay with targeted killings of US citizens.
Which position makes more sense?
Europe: All your money are belong to us
Yes.
Here at the G20 summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, European leaders are making the claim that the credibility of the G20 is at stake if G20 members don’t step and kick in to a US$430 billion International Monetary Fund to help Europe sort out its fiscal crisis. So far, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said Canada will not contribute to such a fund. He believes that Europe has enough financial firepower of its own to deal with the euro crisis.
This morning, European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy held a press conference to make that claim — that they expect the G20, including Canada, to do its part to help Europe out of its mess.
During the question period, I put this question to those two gentlemen:
Why should North Americans risk their assets to help the largest and one of the wealthiest economic areas in the world? Shouldn’t IMF resources be used to help out developing countries and not the richest economic area in the world? What do you make of Prime Minister Harper’s contention that Europe has enough financial firepower on its own to deal with this crisis? …
Barroso: … By the way, this crisis was not originated in Europe. Since you mentioned North America, this crisis was originated in North America. And many of our financial sector were contaminated by – how can I put it? – unorthodox practice by some sectors of the financial market. But we are not putting the blame on our partners. What we are saying is let’s work together when we have a problem like the one we have today.
Oh well.
So, snap summer election?
Ontario could be on the brink of a July election after the opposition New Democrats and Progressive Conservatives ambushed the minority Liberals by ganging up to amend the budget in a legislative committee.
In a hastily released statement late Thursday, Premier Dalton McGuinty warned the two parties to work with his administration or he would have to pull the plug next Wednesday.
That would plunge Ontario into a second election just nine months after the Oct. 6 vote.
“If (PC Leader) Tim Hudak and his caucus want to support the budget, we’d welcome their support to avoid an election Ontarians don’t want,” said McGuinty.
“If any member of either opposition party wants to put the provincial interest ahead of their party’s own interest, we’d be happy to work with them,” he said.
“Otherwise, (NDP Leader) Andrea Horwath breaking her word a second time at this late stage has left us with absolutely no choice — we will be forced to take this to the people.”
McGuinty issued his statement after NDP and Tory MPPs used their majority on the finance committee to remove key provisions from the spending document that could limit any future privatization of public services.
Fun times.
Update: Statement from the Premier.
Tautologies
The singalong involves singing; the vote signifies the end of the recall campaign. [via Hot Air]
Some weren’t having it.
Can’t anyone play this game?
Bad analysis here.
Nycole Turmel’s troubled tenure heading the NDP reminded everyone of how much damage a poor interim leader can do. Granted, Thomas Mulcair speedily repaired that damage, but in this case the Liberal directors will be asking someone to lead the party for up to a year.
No, no, no! Turmel did exactly what she was supposed to, as interim leader:
1. Prevent a caucus schism.
2. Manage the party through a competitive leadership race.
3. Hand off the party to the newly elected leader, and fade gently into the background.
That is what you do as interim leader. You are meant to be forgettable. You are meant not to matter — to be an elder statesman of the party who keeps it running smoothly.
Can you remember Tory interim leaders from the 1976 and 1983 leadership conventions? Canadian Alliance interim leaders from 2000 and 2001-02?
If you can, wow, you’re a political nerd. (I can name a few of them.) But the point is, as interim leader you sit around, you keep the caucus from tearing itself apart, and you avoid doing something big and stupid. (Big and stupid is for the elected leader.)
This is why Bob Rae was a bad choice as interim leader of the Liberals, and why these calculations are bad ones too. You need someone who can be neutral and unassuming as interim chief. Or your leadership race is skewed, and that’s the one thing that does matter.
Burn, baby, burn!
Huh.
MONTREAL – A plan to restore order in Montreal appeared to erupt in smoke late Saturday, with fiery blockades blazing on a busy downtown street corner in a dispute gaining international attention.
Groups of protesters built pyres from plastic traffic cones and construction materials, setting them ablaze in the middle of an intersection in a popular night club district.
Meanwhile, the protest has spread beyond borders.
In New York, members of the Montreal-based rock band “Arcade Fire” wore the movement’s iconic red squares during an appearance with The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger on Saturday Night Live. Jagger wore a red shirt, but no red square. …
The scenes in Montreal unfolded during a tense late night march that, on several occasions, saw riot police use tear gas and protesters throw bottles and rocks.
Student protesters were joined by others spilling out of bars and clubs.
Together, they built the fires and cheered as the flames lit up the streets and sent plumes of black smoke billowing into the night sky.
*sigh*
Well, here’s the song for it.
Burn baby burn! Burn baby burn! Burn baby burn! Burn baby burn!
Burnin’!To mass fires, yes! One hundred stories high
People gettin’ loose y’all gettin’ down on the roof – Do you hear?
(the folks are flaming) Folks were screamin’ – out of control
Oh well.
Update: Text of the law here.
See, what really was at issue was the law students who wanted to go back to class and got a court order allowing them to do so.
The big failure was that the government allowed police to stand by and let violent mobs break up the classes. The first person to try to bust up the UQAM classes should’ve eaten a nightstick, and been hauled off to jail for disobeying a court order.
That’s where the state needed to step in. Not really here, though it’s amusing watching the police and the crowds go at it.
Though I suppose there’s something in this.
