Month: September 2015

Today I will try not to emulate most of the participants in the latest leadership debate. Since I don’t have much to say, I’ll keep it short. Once again, the debate was a contest of attrition, where merely keeping one’s head above water was the best any candidate could expect to accomplish. The end result?…

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I was dismayed when, in discussion lately with an otherwise-intelligent and rational Conservative supporter, I was informed that an election was a contest to be fought tooth and nail, because winning meant that your party got to do what they wanted for the next four years. And at one level, it is. In the heat…

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A short post before the Great Debate, so that I can make a prediction. Unless somebody steps way off script tonight, the debate will not be a debate at all. The reason is simple. They will be talking about two different things. Positions going into the debate: Conservatives: We have balanced the budget. Liberals: We…

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This three-part series has been dealing with the problem of innate violence in the human psyche, and once again the topic is in the news. No one has forgotten Cecil, poster lion for the ban-all-hunting brigade. Now the Great White Bow-Hunter has returned to his office, and the news media are salaciously wondering whether the…

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I’m a theatre director, and in the past 45 years I’ve dealt with them all: from the most experienced professionals to the rankest amateurs. And there are a couple of points about performers that I think a lot of campaign chairmen and party leaders need to consider before they decide what kind of information they’re…

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There has been a lot of media attention this week about the deaths of a Syrian family on the shores of Turkey. As a first response, I was pleased to allow my son, Jonathan, to speak for all of us, giving the honest and heartfelt reaction of an average Canadian to the tragedy. Is it…

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This was posted on Facebook last night. I’m sure many parents of young children feel the same. More of the rest of us should. And do something about it. “I cannot think of a time in my life where I have experienced such profound sadness, rage, and shame from the (in)action of my country and…

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As I may have mentioned before on this site, the party that pins its election chances on the economy is taking a big risk. Witness the Conservatives this year. In the spring Stephen Harper made a huge deal about his balanced budget, and now Canada is in recession. But let’s not stumble in our rush…

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