Britain (and I suppose Canada) will soon celebrate a brand new king. Charles III will bring another new face to eleven centuries of English royalty. The nation, however, needs much more than a new face. It needs a new government. At least. Over two centuries this small nation built an
Continue readingTag: Great Britain
Views from the Beltline: England no longer a Christian nation
England is having its troubles these days. Economy in recession, a plague of strikes, living standards falling, highest inflation in 40 years, National Health Service on life support, millions can’t afford to heat their homes, government in disarray, and so it goes. One thing the English won’t be doing so
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Spare us the dogma, ladies
Normally, I am pleased to see women emerge as political leaders. We need more women in positions of leadership in our governance. What we do not need are more free-market ideologues. And, unfortunately, we just got two of them, both elected to leadership by their parties, not by the people.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Despite COVID-19, 15,000 people join Fight for Equity rally against racism at Alberta Legislature
A mostly youthful throng estimated at more than 15,000 people braved the coronavirus pandemic yesterday evening to join the Fight for Equity rally against racism at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton. The rally was organized in response the public murder of George Floyd, an African American man, at the hands
Continue readingIs the U.S. Returning to Its Imperial Roots?
In 1776, the United States declared its independence of Great Britain. The Americans had had their fill of aristocracy and monarchy. Once they had defeated the British, they wrote a constitution that would establish and constrain the federal government. The head of state, for example, now a president rather than
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Is Andrew Scheer in the closet about Quebec sovereignty?
Not being a conservative, I disagree with most of Andrew Scheer’s pronouncements, but they rarely surprise me. One, however, surprised me very much. Indeed, I was surprised that any Anglophone Canadian politician would express such an opinion. I refer to his extraordinary admission that he supports Brexit. He said his
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Britain has bullied Iran for centuries
Britain’s imperial designs on Iran go back at least to the Great Game with Russia over control of trade routes through central Asia in the 19th century. Indeed, Iran’s southern and eastern boundaries were set by the British during the Anglo-Persian War (1856-7). By the end of the century, Britain
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: What’s wrong with our Conservatives?
If this country were any example, one might conclude that Conservatives cannot, or will not, grasp the severity of the global warming threat. In Alberta, for example, the UCP has trashed what was a decent climate change program and set a course for all out expansion of the tar sands.
Continue readingOn Putin the poisoner
According to a report by former British High Court judge Robert Owen, the 2006 murder of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in London was carried out by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and probably approved by President Vladimir Putin. Putin h…
Continue readingUK MPs vote overwhelmingly to recognize State of Palestine
It was overwhelming. British MPs voted 274 to 12 this week in support of a motion to recognize Palestine as a state. The vote was only symbolic, as it isn’t binding on the government, nonetheless it sends a clear message on how sentiment is going in the UK and elsewhere
Continue readingWho is "part of the problem," Mr. Cameron?
Recently British PM David Cameron, even while encouraging Iran to help deal with ISIS, couldn’t resist taking a shot at the country. In his UN speech, he stated superciliously that Iran can be “part of the solution, not part of the problem.” Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, took umbrage, declaring the
Continue readingISIS—a force for peace?
A juxtaposition of two articles in the Guardian this week suggested a very odd development indeed in the Middle East—the barbaric hordes of ISIS currently marauding through Syria and northern Iraq may actually be, in the longer term, a force for peace. The first article referred to a meeting in
Continue readingUK PM claims Britain is a Christian country—it ain’t
British Prime Minister David Cameron has put the cat among the pigeons claiming, perhaps unduly influenced by the Easter season, that Britain is a Christian country. In fact, he suggested Brits should be downright evangelical about it. He is, however, dead wrong. A 2012 British Society Attitudes Survey indicated that
Continue readingTory MPs defy government
No, the above headline most certainly does not refer to Canadian Tory MPs. In the recent vote in the British House of Commons on Prime Minister David Cameron’s motion to initiate military action against Syria, all attention was focused on the defeat of the motion. And rightly so—the vote was
Continue readingStarbucks sticks it to the Brits
I always look forward to reading yet another story about how multinational corporations slither out of their tax responsibilities and was, therefore, duly amused by a piece I encountered in Al Jazeera about the world’s favourite coffee shop. It appears Starbucks, while selling £643-million worth of goods in the U.K.
Continue readingTrashy's World: Ah. Foreign monarchies are so…
… foreign… (5) Trashy, Ottawa, Ontario
Continue readingTime to disestablish the Church of England
The Anglican Church, as the nation’s officially “established” church, has had a privileged position in England since the Act of Supremacy in 1534. It isn’t called the Church of England for nothing. For example, the 26 most senior bishops of the Church have by right a seat in the House
Continue readingWhy does Britain have nuclear weapons?
There’s a lot of talk these days about the possibility of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. Britain’s government is one of the voices adamant that it must not be allowed to do so. Oddly, no one has raised the obvious question, Why does the UK have nuclear weapons? Iran, although insisting
Continue readingFunny picture of the day—Julian Assange’s personal patrol
Below is a Sang Tan/Associated Press photo of policemen hanging out at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. The occasion is Julian Assange’s presence within. As the whole world knows, Ecuador has granted Assange political asylum from the pursuit of British and Swedish authorities. But look at the cops! I count
Continue readingCanadian Progressive World: London Olympics: 12 Athletes With Very Interesting Names
Names have always facinated me. What do they really mean? Or subtly suggest? If anything. Consider these 12 names carrying the hopes of hundreds of thousands of people around the world at the 2012 London Olympics: Kelsey Titmarsh, Canada, Gymnastics Karen Cockburn, Canada, Trampoline Hope Solo, USA, Soccer Sarah Hammer,
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