Canadian Blogs.net

If you're not blinded by ideology and/or a post-partisan, you will have wondered many times why it is that we always see wild-eyed, finger-pointing allegations about this politician or that one. Olaf, the Prairie Wrangler, has put up an extremely good post today, in which he muses about the various allegations that have been made about Stephen Harper (such as his "hidden agenda"). He also points out that none of them has been proved to be true – actually, quite the opposite seems true, according to Olaf. Then, he raises a question that shows that he is, indeed, a smart......

Honestly, this is so bizarre, it's impossible to make up. Any close follower of Canadian politics will surely have noticed one glaring aberration: Canada's conservatives are anything but conservatives. Just look around. Stephen Harper, now in office for close to three years, has failed as a fiscal conservative. On his watch, Canada has been pushed into a deficit again, has seen the biggest increase in federal spending and no tax relief for hardworking Canadians at all. Even worse, to save his own job, the supposedly conservative prime minister, who claims to be an economist to boot, has converted to...

The Prairie Wrangler is mad. He's been roiled by a column in the Globe and Mail today. No columnist gets me more riled up than Rick Salutin. More than that, I'm convinced he's doing it on purpose: "Hey, you know what my column's gonna be about today… pissing off that young firebrand Olaf. He's gonna get so angry." And I keep falling for it! He plays me like a fiddle. Olaf takes exception to this piece: Our dominant political culture is social democratic. (As opposed to democratic socialist. There is nothing socialist on the electoral radar.) This includes 60...

Jonathan Kay raises interesting points about the carbon tax and posits that it's actually quite a "conservative" tax. I'd like to refer readers to Kay's article, in which he makes a number of very valid observations – apart from the fact that Stéphane Dion should be sacked, he also reminds people that conservatism is not the mean-spirited ideology that the less-than-intellectual always make it out to be: Many people casually associate the word "conservative" with unfettered capitalism and mindless consumerism. That is a fallacy. A true conservative in the Edmund Burke mold is suspicious of any revolutionary creed that...

The question asked in the title has managed to make me febrile for the last 20 minutes. Will people look at me funny on the streets if I choose either one? If I say I'm int the middle does that make me indecisive or progressive? What I am going to say to people at a cocktail party? Did I just say cock? Insert Bat-Man dance here.With my money I am conservative. But some days, weeks or months I am liberal. I alternate. I like to save my money but I also don't mind taking chances in the stock markets.When cooking recipes call for a "liberal sprinkling of pepper" and I follow does that make me a bleeding heart? If I don't, does that make me a dissident? What if I like a conservative amount of freshly ground pepper?As a son of a tailor, an Italian tailor at that, I am partial to fine fabrics...

Good advice from Tom Flanagan:As conservatives, we need to develop a mature view of our relationship with the Conservative Party of Canada. We tried the experiment of supporting ideologically pure conservative parties. It felt great when we read the campaign platforms, but it didn't feel so great when the votes were counted in three national elections and we lost each time. After these losses, members of both the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives voted overwhelmingly to merge, to create a truly national party capable of winning an election and governing Canada. We came close in 2004 and succeeded in 2006. The Conservative party has now been in power for just 18 months. It has made commendable progress toward conservative goals on a number of issues, left some other...

Radical Tory has written an interesting post about why he's a Tory. I urge you to read his post; it's extremely well-written. The following paragraph, in particular, caught my eye:This is why the natural alternative for a Tory - a true Tory - is far more the NDP than anywhere else. Vice versa, too: a CCF-style social justice approach can slide easily over to the Red Tory benches. Both share a sense of principle that is worth defending a desired future even at the price of not gaining power today. The very thing that gets Prime Minister Harper such bad press from the far right of the Conservative Party - that he has occupied the centre of the landscape - is the very thing one ought to have expected. If the NDP and the Conservatives can meet at the middle, there is no room left for the...

http://www.slate.com/id/2173965/?GT1=10436In my time on this planet, I've had the pleasure of meeting many interesting and intelligent people. For some reason, fortunate I have been to have had conversations with accomplished individuals who have contributed to my personal growth and development.And this "study" is without a doubt contrary to my experiences. It makes no sense to me. I don't quite know why it's worked out this way, but in the last few years conservative minded or leaning people have tended to be quite engaging. In fact, nothing in my encounters suggests that liberals are "smarter." Zero. Zilch. Niente. Rien.Personally, liberals have bored me to...

Many say that the governnment preys on our fears.Casual political conversations by citizens do the same thing.I was listening to a local sports station discuss the Michael Vick story. As they talked, one person chimed in with a "Yeah, but that's the right talking" regarding Michael Vick's new founding of Jesus. While the majority of people would have ignored or realized the comment, I did.It was one of those typical broad, elusive statements that have become all to familiar these days.So, that's the right talking? Come again? What "right"? Are they one, big monolithic group? For the love of Edmund Burke, please get the terminology straight!I know. Why am I bothering to comment about a sports radio for his ruminations on theology and religion?I'm not sure I can answer this. It intrigued...

The Western Standard's silly excuse for a blog, The Shotgun, features a post about Québec and how Québec could benefit from having a provincial Conservative party:Quebec is one of those places where the left-right divide supposedly does not apply.  I tend not to believe that, but it is a fact that the secession issue (that's the American term for separation) has blurred a number of things.  However, I would humbly submit that all Canadians, and especially residents of Quebec, would be well served by a viable and competitive Conservative provincial party.Here are McGuire's reasons for wanting such a party in bullet form: The Canadian right would have a provincial presence The "farm team" for the federal Conservatives would be better defined Quebec federalist...