Labour is destroying itself via Werner Patels - A Dose of Common Sense
New Labour becoming Old Labour via Werner Patels - A Dose of Common Sense
Immigration changes to come to the UK via Werner Patels - A Dose of Common Sense
Can people really be this stupid? via Werner Patels - A Dose of Common Sense
David and Gordon via Werner Patels - A Dose of Common Sense
Not quite dead yet via Werner Patels - A Dose of Common Sense
Exterminate! via Werner Patels - A Dose of Common Sense
You’re the weakest link, BBC2 via Werner Patels - A Dose of Common Sense
A Europe of and for the people? via Werner Patels
Kettle calls the teapot black: Bush calls Cuba “criminal” via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
Yesterday, U.S. President George W. Bush took Orwellian audacity to a new level by calling the Cuban government “criminal.”
In a speech, Bush stated that “America will have no part in giving oxygen to a criminal regime victimizing its own people…. The operative word in our future dealings with Cuba is not ’stability’. The operative word is ‘freedom’.” (source)
To the surprise of no one, the fact that this statement was akin to the kettle calling the teapot black was lost on the members of both the United States and the Canadian press.
So, just to re-cap:
U.S.: One of the few countries left in the world which still executes children. Moreover, “The country which has carried out more documented executions of child... Gordon Brown: Things are looking up via WERNER PATELS.COM
Gordon Brown receives striking new polling evidence today that he would comfortably win a general election this autumn.
A special Populus survey for The Times gives Labour a double-digit lead, meaning that the Conservatives will arrive in Blackpool tomorrow for their make-or-break conference more convinced than ever that an election is imminent. A second poll, carried out by YouGov for The Daily Telegraph, shows a similar lead.Gordon Brown is indeed riding a high, and it looks as if he's managed to find his own niche after following in Tony Blair's footsteps.
In his speech before his party's congress, Brown's strategy to don the conservative mantle and thus steal a march on Tory leader David Cameron was simply ingenious.
Brown also displayed his patriotism, using the word Britishness...
The McCann case via WERNER PATELS.COM
The case involving Madeleine McCann just won't go away -- now there were claims of a photo of the missing girl having been taken in Morocco, which turned out to be false.
Let's just recap the established facts as they're known:
The McCanns were vacationing in a foreign country, yet decided to leave their kids at the house alone -- unsupervised -- while they went out with friends to have a good time.
The little girl, Madeleine, went missing.
If Madeleine was kidnapped, her parents will have to bear some responsibility. As judges always argue, "But for the fact that you left your kid home alone and unsupervised, she would not have gone missing." In other words, the McCanns were negligent in their parental duties.
This is particularly serious because they were in a foreign country --...
Who ever thought the French Revolution was funny? via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
There are comic geniuses such as Robin Williams — masters of time and rhythm – and then there are geniuses who also just happen to be comedians such as British comedian/political commentator/author Mark Steel.
Never in my life have I ever had as much fun listening to a talk about the French Revolution. The best part, in my opinion, was his routine near the end on the teacher in the classroom schooling all the idiots who thought that there actually were WMDs in Iraq.
I wish every university professor was like this guy.
Mark Steel: Vive la Revolution! Socialism2007 conference. (Part I)
Mark Steel: Vive la Revolution! Socialism2007 conference. (Part II)
Mark Steel: Vive la Revolution! Socialism2007 conference. (Part III)
(note: even though this last clip says... Steve Paikin repeats popular myth on TV via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
A few days ago I was watching Steve Paikin’s television program “The Agenda”.
On this program, he was discussing the Ontario Citizens’ Assembly and the new electoral system they’ve proposed for Ontario when the discussion came to the pros and cons on each system.
Now, in his defence, the myth he repeated is a popular myth found even in the Parliament of Canada’s own briefing papers. The myth is that the way we run our elections — what is known as Single Member Plurality (SMP) or First Past the Post (FPTP) — is somehow more stable than Proportional Representation (PR) systems which are, by extension, somehow less stable.
This myth has two parts to it.
#1) our system (SMP or FPTP) is stable
A simple review of our history in Canada shows... Should using the Web be a crime? via mathewingram.com/work
I think it’s safe to say that the Internet is the greatest tool for the distribution of ideas ever invented. Unfortunately, that means it is also the greatest tool for the distribution of bad ideas — including the idea that people should be killed for their beliefs (for more on dangerous “viral” ideas, check out this video of a talk philosopher Dan Dennett gave to the TED conference).
But should posting those kinds of ideas on the Web be a crime? It looks as though it has become one in Britain.
In the first case of its kind, three young men in Britain have been sentenced to as many as 10 years in jail for being what the court called “cyber jihadis” — engaging in a sophisticated campaign to convince other radical Muslims that they should kill... Triumph of the average-looking: Paul Potts via mathewingram.com/work
I apologize to all of those who may have already seen and heard about him before, but I only just got a chance to check out Paul Potts, the cellphone salesman and former supermarket shelf-stocker from Wales who won the Britain’s Got Talent show with a mind-boggling rendition of the Puccinia aria Nessun Dorma. Someone mentioned it at work last week, but I didn’t get a chance to see the video clips until now, and they are incredible.
Start with the semi-final performance, and then check out the winning performance (singing starts about 4 minutes in), and if you want to see more there’s a clip of Paul on NBC’s Today Show. There’s no question that a big part of what caught the public imagination about Paul is his underwhelming appearance — somewhat pudgy,... Gordon Brown’s blog via Alberta Spectator: Werner Patels
Well, it's not really Gordon Brown's personal blog, but a "Team Brown Blog" written and maintained by Oona King. Readers can create an account and even post comments (very 21st century).
The website itself is quite well done as it combines all the new media (blog, videos, etc.). It also provides a calendar of events that Brown will be attending, and it allows readers to vote on topics to be discussed on the site.
Finally, there is a detailed bio for......
A bit excessive, don’t you think? via Alberta Spectator: Werner Patels
This strikes me as excessive, and makes me happy that we have the limits on political donations in Canada that we do:The Labour party has been given £1m by an Iranian-born industrialist who has been bankrolling two of the government's flagship school academies set up to promote Christian values.
The donation from multi-millionaire Mahmoud Khayami, a prominent Muslim who fled Iran after the fall of the Shah, is one of the largest received by Labour, eclipsed only by the £2m the party received from Lakshmi Mittal, the steel billionaire, and a similar amount given by Lord Sainsbury.Whenever a rich business tycoon hands bundles of cash to a political party, I get an uneasy feeling. Mind you, not behind every large political donation lies necessarily some dark motive, but it still makes...
Terror suspects and house arrest via Alberta Spectator: Werner Patels
The Liberals in Canada should take a close look at what has just happened in Britain -- and the same goes for any bleeding heart who stands up for terror suspects and their "rights":British police are searching for three terror suspects who disappeared this week while under a form of house arrest. The three young men, not considered a direct threat to Britain, were believed to be planning to travel overseas to carry out attacks.
Ibrahim Adam, 20, Lamine Adam, 26, and Cerie Bullivant, 24, were subject to control orders, a provision under the Prevention of Terrorism Act that restricts the activity of terror suspects if they are considered a risk to national security.
Two of the men are related to Anthony Garcia, a man convicted in April of a plot to set off bombs in the U.K.
British...
The crime against humanity that is Afghanistan via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
I have a confession to make which may shock many of my readers and even some of my close personal friends.
Many people do things in the hastiness of youth which later goes on to serve as a deep embarrassment for them.
Some get tattoos.
Some experiment with drugs.
I once took out a membership in the old Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.
But, allow me to explain. I met two-time PC Party leadership Candidate David Orchard on a couple of occasions and even had lunch with him and his long-time friend and advisor Maraleena Repo a few years back during one of his Ottawa trips.
I joined the PC Party (the only party of which I have ever been a member) due in large part to the principled policy positions of Orchard on NAFTA, U.S. foreign policy, Canadian foreign policy and his impressive...
An apology is owed… via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
This is an absolutely fantastic quote and a great quote for any progressive person who wants to throw something back at liberals when they turn their noses up at us.
“When capital and the ruling classes apologise for: Colonialism, the 14 hour day, class privilege, the 7 day working week, children in coalmines, the opium wars, the massacre of the Paris Commune, slavery, the Spanish-American War, the Boer War, starvation, apartheid, anti-union laws, the First World War, Flanders, trench warfare, mustard gas, aerial bombing, the Soviet Intervention, the Armenian Genocide, chemical weapons, fascism, the Great Depression, hunger marches, Nazism, the Spanish Civil War, militarism, Asbestosis, radiation death, the Massacre of Nanking, the Second World War, Belsen, Dresden, Hiroshima,...
Akaash Maharaj - Maclean’s 50: Democracy’s Waiting Room via Akaash Maharaj - Practical Idealism
Ultimately, it is inconceivable for either the Senate or the House of Lords to continue as an unelected chamber. However, questions of purpose, regional representation, and the means of election are not trivial details; if they are not addressed before the upper chambers are elected, the consequences for Canada and the UK will be...
Gordon Brown’s fate might be sealed via Werner Patels - The Alberta Spectator
Gordon Brown's dream of residing at 10 Downing Street might not be realised after all. A poll has found that three-quarters of Labour Party members want a leadership contest.
Of course, it all depends on his opponent(s). If a strong candidate can be found, the party members might not necessarily hand Blair's crown to Brown.
Also, a lot depends on the Scottish election and a possible referendum on independence for Scotland later this spring. Brown, a "Scottish national", might be considered "disqualified" from becoming prime minister in case of a nasty turn of events in......
Conservatives take the lead via Werner Patels - The Alberta Spectator
Gordon Brown may suffer a fate similar to Paul Martin's:Gordon Brown is failing to persuade the public that he would make a better prime minister than David Cameron, according to a Guardian/ICM poll published today which suggests the Conservatives could win a working majority at the next general election.
Voters give the Tories a clear 13-point lead when asked which party they would back in a likely contest between Mr Brown, Mr Cameron and Sir Menzies Campbell.
The result would give the party 42% of the vote against Labour on 29%, similar to its performance under Michael Foot in 1983. The Liberal Democrats would drop to 17%. The result is the highest that the Conservatives have scored in any ICM poll since July 1992, just after their last general election......
Two great ideas from the Tories via Werner Patels - The Alberta Spectator
Here's number one:Conservatives have warned that the European Union has lost its way and now needs a complete change of direction.Delivering a keynote speech to the Centre for European Reform in London, George Osborne said the EU is trying too hard to create a political union and should instead ensure that its member states more effectively compete in the new global economy. The Shadow Chancellor declared: "The European Union has not understood that it needs a complete change of direction. It hasn't understood that today the primary challenge we face is an economic one not a political one. For my generation the question for Europe is not how to unite but how to compete - not only within Europe, but with the rest of the world."Warning that with close to 20 million people unemployed,...
UK government responds to petition via Werner Patels - The Alberta Spectator
The British government has responded to a petition that an overwhelming number of Britons have signed:The last referendum on the EU in 1975 asked the public if they wanted to be part of the EEC - a trading agreement between Britain and other European countries. They were never asked if they wanted political integration.Here's the response from the government:Under UK's constitutional arrangements, while the Government may make a recommendation, it is ultimately for Parliament to decide whether to hold a referendum on a particular issue. Referendums in the UK are rare. Parliament - the elected representatives of the British people -has the right to take important decisions on their behalf. This was the case when the UK joined the (then) European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973.
There...
The Bronze Lady via Werner Patels - The Alberta Spectator
The Iron Lady has been upgraded to bronze:
Good for her! She was a remarkable prime minister. As Conrad Black is rumoured to have said, "Her rule marks the most important period in British history."
I only wish there were more politicians and leaders like...... Britons fed up with the EU via Werner Patels - The Alberta Spectator
More and more Britons are becoming really fed up with the whole EU business. Western Canadians may complain about Ottawa and its undue influence, but that's nothing compared to Brussels and the power it wields over the EU member states.
Britain, in particular, is affected by such extra-territorial interference — its legal system, for example, was turned upside down when the House of Lords ceased to be the highest court of the land due to EU membership and an ever growing number of European laws and regulations being force-fed to Britons. Not to mention the fact that Britain, which has a common law system, is now being governed more and more by civil law from the continent (phooey!).
About two years ago, pub owners that flew the EU flag would see their property vandalised or worse....