Congratulations to all of you for surviving the Smith government’s first session in the Legislature. It started on Nov 29 and ended on Dec 15 and it felt like an eternity. Smith has been premier for two months. she sat in the Legislature for 15 days and already she’s created
Continue readingTag: Barry Cooper
Susan on the Soapbox: What Just Happened?
“…the folks who literally spent seven days telling us that what was written in their bill was not written in their bill [will] determine what is…unconstitutional on the part of the federal government…” Rachel Notley, Hansard, Dec 7, p 235 What happened over the last 7 days in Alberta politics
Continue readingAlberta Politics: It’s time for a frank talk about the T-word: Just who’s advocating treason here anyway?
It’s time, my fellow Canadians, for us to have a frank talk about the T-word. Albertans who have been paying attention to politics for the past few years cannot have missed the fact certain elements of the right-wing ideological ecosystem have been sloppy and irresponsible in their use of terms
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Does All Of The West Really Want To Separate?
About two years ago I predicted that if or when Jason Kenney became Premier of Alberta he would eventually try to get that province to separate from Canada.And two years later, with Alberta still seething with resentment over low oil prices, not enough pipelines, and too many Muslims, I'm even more
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta NDP defies voters by continuing to govern as if it won the election that put it in power: political scientist
PHOTOS: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, running the province as if she had a majority government! What next? Below: University of Calgary political scientist and Calgary Herald columnist Barry Cooper, Broadbent Institute Director Rick Smith and Wildrose…
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: 5-5-15: Small “c” Conservatives Exposed
On May 5, 2015, NDP leader Rachel Notley brought the Progressive Conservative dynasty to its knees. Many Albertans, including Ms Soapbox, are over the moon. Others who voted for one of the two conservative parties are wandering around like Li’l Abner’s Joe Btfsplk. The small “c” conservative brain trust, with
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Don’t let any ‘celebrities’ tell you different, we’ve got friends of science here in Alberta
Don’t worry: you have absolutely nothing to do with the apocalypse. You might as well mine more bitumen while you wait for it. Below: Barry Cooper; another version of the Friends of Science billboard; yet another great billboard supporting democracy and the people. Billboard photos found on the Internet. Alberta’s
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Who is driving the conservative agenda in Canada?
TweetIn America’s Forbes Magazine this week, Alejandro Chafuen praised the leadership of the conservative policy think-tanks that helped set the stage for the election of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative majority government in 2011 and the success of conservative politicians across the country. This apparatus of conservative special interest groups, think-tanks and news
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Tom Flanagan, neoconservative spiritual leader, consigned to utter darkness
Conservative icon Tom Flanagan’s defining moment. Below: Dr. Flanagan in happier times; the six signatories of the Alberta separatist Firewall Manifesto; Richard Nixon saying goodbye during his 1952 Checkers speech. Unlike Dr. Flanagan’s likely career trajectory, Mr. Nixon came back. Who could have predicted that yesterday would be the pope’s
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: Not Everyone Can Graduate from the Charles Koch Institute
Ezra Levant, above, when he was running for the Canadian Alliance Party. After a heated battle, he stepped aside so that Stephen Harper could run in a safe riding, after being voted head of the Alliance Party. Close confidant of Jason Kenney and Stockwell Day (coined the term “Stockaholic”) Levant is
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