I realize that progressives are largely loathe to criticize the Trudeau government. Given the simplistic, either-or, black-and-white thinking of much of the electorate, such criticism is fraught with peril. For that significant segment of shallow voters, the reasoning seems to be that if the current government is found wanting, the
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Politics and its Discontents: Signs Of The Times
I’ve been really busy this week and haven’t had time to post. The following reflects just a few of the things I haven’t written about, as seen through the eyes of Moudakis: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Thousand Words ….
H/tTheoMoudakis Because the political reactions from the right and the left are so tiresomely predictable, I thought I would offer a few examples from one of the so-called progressive groups that I monitor, thereby sparing those so inclined to label me for my refusal to bow before Trudeau and his
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Yesterday Man
Those with undying affection for, and advocacy of, fossil fuels are indulging in a venal nostalgia for the way things were. They cling to past truths about price differentials that allegedly make green energy too costly. They continue to claim that green energy, if produced during the day via solar
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Friends In High Places Are Good (For Some)
Having friends in high places is certainly something the wealthy must savour as they continue to hide money in offshore tax havens. Yes, the very same havens the Trudeau government promised to crack down on. And the very same tax havens that, as I recently posted, seem to inspire timidity
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Our Timid Canadian Revenue Agency
Over a year ago I posted about the sad record of the CRA in pursuing offshore tax cheats as revealed by the Panama Papers. It seems that little has changed since then. In a Policy Options article, Senator Percy Down asks, Why can’t the Canada Revenue Agency catch tax cheats?
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: He Will Never Be Green
My past two posts have consisted of editorial cartoons featuring well-known ‘green’characters. The first depicted Kermit the frog trumpeting the very significant electoral gains made by the Green Party in Prince Edward Island, where they now form the government’s Official Opposition. The second depicted The Hulk as climate change, about
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: If This Doesn’t Enrage You
… check for a pulse. Most people, I think, understand that proper taxation is essential to a viable society. All they ask is that the burden be shared equitably. However, the CRA does not appear to share that philosophy of fairness, if the following is any indication: Sometime in the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Putting Things Into Perspective
Many Canadians, including The Star’s Heather Mallick, are under the impression that the Liberals are a truly progressive party, intent on offering all of us a better future. Indeed, in today’s column, she lambastes people like Jane Philpott, wondering if she is trying to get Andrew Scheer’s Conservative Party elected
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The OECD Is Not Impressed
While many are trying to minimize the significance of allegations that the Trudeau government tried to subvert the course of justice in the SNC-Lavalin affair, there is one body that is taking them very seriously: The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development working group on bribery said in a statement
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Hysteria Surrounding Alleged SNC-Lavalin Job Losses
I was watching The National ((aka The Whore of Babylon among those who reflexively defend all things Liberal) last evening, and was surprised to learn that there seems to be no basis for the claim that 9,000 jobs could be lost should SNC-Lavalin register a criminal conviction that would bar
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Attack On The National Soul
It grieves me to resign from a portfolio where I was at work to deliver an important mandate. I must abide by my core values, my ethical responsibilities, constitutional obligations. There can be a cost to acting on one’s principles, but there is a bigger cost to abandoning them. –
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Fascinating Rorschach Test
Reading the newspaper this morning, it occurred to me that the reactions to Jody Wilson Raybould’s testimony before the Commons Justice Committee constitute a kind of political Rorschach Test, one that helps reveal people’s values, psychology and moral sensibilities. As one would expect, it demonstrates that the Canadian psyche is
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Dark Underside Of Sunny Ways
Her testimony was riveting, her aura of integrity palpable. One could only come away from the testimony of Jody Wilson-Raybould into the SNC-Lavalin scandal drawing at least two conclusions: politics really is a dirty game, and it is one that a person of principle cannot easily navigate while holding on
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Following The Trail Home
Letter-writers in today’s Star ask questions that demand to be answered. The first makes a point that occurred to me early on when SNC-Lavalin averred that bribery and fraud charges were the result of rogue employees, an oft-used disclaimer by those seeking to evade criminal responsibility: Re PM loses top
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Dissecting Justin
The first cut, they say, is the deepest. And now, for something completely different: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Breaking News: Gerald Butts Resigns!
For those who claim the SNC-Lavalin affair is much ado abut nothing, this is certainly an interesting development: OTTAWA—Gerald Butts, Justin Trudeau’s principal secretary and long-time friend, has resigned amid allegations that the Prime Minister’s Office interfered to prevent a criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. In a statement, Butts unequivocally denies
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The ‘Evolving’ Story Of Justin And Jody
Evolving is one of those words I have never particularly cared for. It can, and should, of course, most be used when pertaining to the growth and change over time of various forms of life. Too often, however, it is used as a weasel word, one that is employed to
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Just Who Was The DPA Enacted To Help?
If you watch the following interview with law professor Jennifer Quaid, you will find her take on the Omnibus Bill provision for the DPA (deferred prosecution agreement) that SNC-Lavalin salivates over very, very disturbing. Start at about the 1:40 mark. The big ‘reveal’ is at the 4-minute mark, when Quaid
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Political Mushroom Cloud
An atomic usually bomb expands its destructive range outward, so it is perhaps understandable that Mr. Trudeau does not yet realize he has unleashed a weapon of mass destruction whose fallout will eventually land back on him. Recommend this Post
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