Tom Good

A member since November 30, 2006 22:46

Message

Comment History

LP 35, CP 33, NDP 17, BQ 8, GP 7 - Harper leads as best PM (New Nanos Poll) (2008-08-29)

• Ah---the fine art of Hara-Kiri-----No, I do not think either man is that stupid as to enter into a no win situation. I believe Harper, quite rightly, is c...
• Hello Larryl: Yes, our Canadian political scene is an unfortunate mess. An ill conceived election may also force a change in one of the prima donnas in th...
• Hello Foxer:---Yes, you are right about a change in leadership and I see that as the only positive if an election is called.
• Greetings TPQ: You are more optomistic than I am but, then, I do not always have the best judgement either as I supported Dion for leadership. Not much fo...
• Foxer, a good analysis. Yes, the West is gaining in influence with its resources, it is gaining with the migration of some head offices and it is no longer ...

Time for federal politicians to refocus (Nanos Sun Media Column) (2008-08-18)

• The minority government syndrome, of the last number of years, is like a bad virus that has infected all aspects of government resulting in retarded politica...
• Larryl: I agree with your first sentence but neither the Liberals nor Conservatives in the minority position have shown any desire to be anything but focused...
• Foxer: Right on.---Stealing planks is a good old political tactic and stealing them from the NDP has given the NDP the title of "the social conscience of th...
• Foxer: I believe the NDP do get a lot of credit for being the social concsience and that is where their strong point resides. In BC we have had several N...
• TPQ: In reality, the longer a government is in office, the more problems bubble to the surface and it is a common affliction for all parties municipally, p...
• Foxer:---I generally do not disagree with you except I perceive Harper to be further right than you do. As a social conscience, the NDP does have an influe...
• Foxer: I cannot disagree with what you say. Although I am a centrist and essentially a Liberal supporter, I believe Harper has addressed a number of issues...
• TPQ: I hope you are correct but the couple of sitting MPs that have dropped out for the next election are troubling and are, in my opinion, symptomatic of so...
• Foxer: "What do they stand for now ?"-----that has been my point for a long time---they have subverted their principles. To me, Dion is the master of the ...
• Foxer:---My thoughts exactly.

Both Harper and Dion face greater risks than their rhetoric suggests (Nanos Sun Column) (2008-07-21)

• To sound like a broken record, elections are LOST and rarely won. So it is up to Harper to lose and how is he going to do that???? I would suggest on the bro...
• Larryl and TPQ------I believe I can answer you both as your themes are similar.All governments, no matter what their political stripe, are prone to scandal--...
• HRM;---What you say about history is true and that cannot be changed----we can do a little about today and a bit more about tomorrow. At the moment, Harpe...
• TPQ----Yes, I would rather we be quite distinct from what has been described as Imperial United States. The current "Americanization" of our foreign policy...
• Hello Foxer: You are right---The liberals took us to Afghanistan as peace keepers that morphed into peace makers---two entirely different roles. You remem...
• Helo Bernie:---This endless climate change issue for which politicians "have the answer" is better referred to a scientific inquiry. 40 years ago we were h...
• Larryl: good comment.
• Hello Foxer: Many of the issues you comment on are tinkering by the government. Immigration was looked at for expediting process and not looked at as a lo...
• Foxer:---May I apply your reasoning to Zimbabwe and should we go in there for the same humanitarian reasons ??????
• MRM: The House controls the Speaker and the Government controls the House even in this minority fiasco. In war, people do get killed as that is the natu...
• Hello Bernie:---Yes in the 60s, the ice age cometh and that was the scientific thought at that time. What I am trying to say about climate change is that it...
• MRM:---Decorum of the House---The current government , the minority government, has not tried to introduce measures to improve House debate through direction...
• HRM:---I feel strongly on this point too. I can see your point of view but I cannot accept it. Khadr may be a little b--tard but he is a Canadian b--tar...
• Bernie---Right on.
• Bernie---well said.
• Larryl: Of course you are right about the designation about "freedom fighter" and "terrorist". The same thinking applies to wherever there is a conflict goi...
• MRM---I am sure you can justify anything. Could you give me the date of the Americans blasting Afghanistan and the date of the UN sanction?
• HRM--Thank you for the dates. What I have said and continue to say is that we should not have been in Afghanistan in the first place. What is equally s...
• Larryl: There are really several good articles in TIME but the essence of this one is that there has been a little progress in the "quiet" areas. However...
• TPQ---There is the United Nations and I do not agree that the US can ursurp the UN when it chooses to do so. The UN is the not the most effective body but ...
• Bernie: If somebody bombed the s--t out of us then landed troops, I would consider that to be war even if they tried to apply another name. Mind you, li...
• TPQ----If we regard ourselves or anybody else regards themselves as the the social and cultural arbiters of the world, then, as you say, your remarks are com...
• Ah, Foxer: I gives on a good feeling to join the ranks of the self appointed righteous. 9-11 was manned by Saudi nationals and not Afghani.
• Larryl: Britain gave rise to the Industrial Revolution with coal and iron ore in close proximity to each other and, with a powerful military, became the to...
• Larryl: As in Canada during an election campaign, we hear all sorts of things which are not necessarily so and the same is true in the States. Obama and...
• MRM: I am sure you are pleased to see on the evening news that there are some placard bearing Canadians concerned regarding detention at Gutanamo Bay. McCa...
• MRM----...."A veteran diplomat and student of the country on what it really needs.....and why more troops won't help" by Rory Stewart, Kabul since 2002 ! ! !
• Foxer: If there is a world policeman, it is the United Nations and not the self appointed United States nor NATO who is suffering from a bad case of arm twi...
• Larryl:---I do not believe any one country will remain on top of the heap for long. The US is there now and it would be short sighted to say there is not a...
• Bernie: On the reason for the choice of a detention centre using Guatanamo, you are correct. The choice was very deliberate so the "detainees" were outsi...
• Larryl:---Mutual destruction is really not an option for the west, however, the extremist Muslims believe they will go straight to heaven with twenty virgins...
• Foxer: You say...."nobody bombed HIS country"-----OK ,but there is a long standing concept, whether we like it or not, of getting involved if the "general t...
• Hello Hollinm:----Your comment has been sitting around for more than a week without answer. On this compare and contrast, Harper vs Dion, leadership vs bra...
• TPQ: An interesting analysis. I am sure that any of the three leaders you mention are more than at risk should they not end up with a better showing, come...
• Larryl:--Never heard of "The Calgary School"---tell us more.
• Foxer:---I believe there are a number in NATO who are suffering from seriously twisted arms. No, I do not accept that Canada's presence in Afghanistan is ...
• Larryl:---I rather like the name of the School of Redneckology. A rather "right" think tank but, as they say, they are not all in agreement with each othe...
• Hello: Recall legislation was implemented in British Columbia but subsequent governments can modify that legislation so it just will not work. ---Yours is...

Who Canadians trust on the issues (New Nanos National Poll) (2008-07-07)

• Nik---Who said a minority government works in Canada or who thinks playing your cards "close to your chest" is a smart move. Too bad we cannot dump all the ...
• Hello, Non-Aligned: Yes, let's hope an election will be decisive and we will not continue to view the House of Commons as the monkey house it has become. ...
• Hello Foxer----Couldn't agree more. This jockeying for election advantage suggests that the people's business is the last thing on the agenda.
• Hello Hollinm:---Long time no speakee. Yes, Campbell has tried to float his lead balloon and all the time failing to admit that escalating fuel prices are...
• Hello---I see I have poked a hornet's nest as the Morgentaler nomination for the Order of Canada has raised the abortion issue. Morgentaler advocated SAFE...
• Bernie:Where life begins is a religious arguement of the last 100 years and both side of that arguement can mount eloquent arguements. Some argue that blood...
• Larryl: Yes, that sperm and egg meeting is the subject of much religious interpretation and I do not argue with that interpretation---everybody has a choic...
• Larryl: I am all for surprises---Ho Ho
• Hello Bernie:---"Who do Canadians trust on the issues?" OK--Back to the topic of trust and we can add contentious social issues re: the Morgantelar issue. ...
• The current MacLeans has a couple of good articles suggesting workable compromises followed in other jurisdictions. Worth a look.

Democracy Online - Pushing the limits or creating a new frontier (Video Blog Post) (2008-07-04)

• Nik--I believe the instant access to the internet has improved the degree of accountability / honesty of government and its agencies. For example, and ther...

Liberal Green Shift - High Risk and Potentially High Reward (Video Blog Post) (2008-06-23)

• I am not inclined to follow any "savior" especially a self proclaimed political eco-warrior. Dion's proposal is too much, too soon when we appear to be in...
• Larryl---What you suggest makes sense. In my opinion, the current crisis with fuel is doing more for conservation that any government regulation or progra...
• Hello Russell: Not trying to pat myself on the back, we drive an energy efficient vehicle, have an energy efficient house by the 90's standards, grow most ...
• Larryl: THE FIVE POINT PLAN 1. Scrubbers for all sorts of industrial exhausts have been technologically feasible and in operation for many years.----think ...
• Hello Calmecam: I try not to be in the group of wasters you refer to. There are many in Canada who have not been as fortunate as we have been in this land...
• Hello Calmecam:Yes child poverty continues to be shocking in our wealthy land----one can conclude it was just a political slogan that politicians thought wou...
• Hey Sharp, I am awake along with a great many others who say they will not be panicked on the serious issue of climate change. Some believe honest politicia...
• OH, yes, Iceland----forests used to grow there when the climate was milder and the Vikings used the trees for their boats/ships and houses------think that i...
• Parnel: You may possibly be right that Dion has a couple of more election issues up his sleeve that, so far, he has not decided to share with the rest of ...
• Erich, what you say is true but you must put everything into perspective. The North American standard was and still is the envy of the world and everybod...
• Ho Ho JW----It is good fun to tweak the noses of the big guys from time to time. Yes, the West has often felt to be a colony of the centre which is somewhat ...
• Erich---what you say is correct but market forces here have had a strong role to play and still do have a strong role to play. On dealing with corporations w...
• Nik: In medicine today, there are mighty few who address the cause of the disease----preventative medicine---- while the majority address the symptoms of t...
• Larryl: Greed and larceny are a human trait and in this era, are a corporate trait also along with corrupt governments, for example, Zimbabwe. Yes, the tec...
• Larryl:---The Chinese do not bother me as they only want what we already have and the same goes for the Indians. the south Asians and maybe the Africans away...
• L:arryl:---I would be delighted to be a part of the North American self sufficiency and, too, would buy a North American vehicle if the manufacturers would o...
• Larryl: The major problem appears to me to be that Canadians have lost control of the ownership of too many of our natural resources particularly energy. ...
• Parnel: In my opinion, foreign investment in resource industries is a good investment except where Canada loses control of that resource and I think we are j...
• Larryl:---On listening to many American commentators, they seem to agree that the current spike in petroleum products will cause the big importers like Wal-M...
• Larryl:---Of course you are right-----that arguement about under utilized public buildings has been raging for years----- School Boards, in their little ba...
• Larryl: Human beings are far from perfect
• MRM---No ruddy way ! ! ! Had my fill sitting at School Board meetings.

Nanos-Policy Options Poll - Immigration as Nation-building (Video Blog Post) (2008-06-06)

• Canada's recent immigration policy, or lack of policy, has often been driven by heart and little head while the decision makers were often vulnerable to voca...
• Morning Hollinm: In society, the egalitarian society reflected in the public school system, we try to make a"silk purse out of a sows ear"---doesn't work. ...
• I agree with you, Non Aligned: Our immigration needs are symptomatic of a much deeper social policy failing that you allude to.
• In my opinion, you have a very valid position, Parnel but you are talking about the skilled trades. Doctors, who we need, are apparently blocked at every...
• Hollinm:---Give us 50 years and it will be those of Canadian ancestry who will be at the bottom of the socio-economic scale and it will be those of recent im...
• Correct, Hollinm, but the Feds could be more actively involved in overcoming or even over riding the issue. The Feds could demand accreditation committees ...
• Agreed and the Feds must show leadership.
• Morning Hollinm----That is exactly what an accreditation committee is supposed to do-----uphold the standards we expect.-----What are those standards when do...
• Hollinm----Like the measles, attitudes are catching. Really cannot blame the kids who, for the most part, have been brought up in the land of plenty. I a...
• I agree Hollinm but I do think the key to better overcoming poverty---most of it---is an enlightened education policy that offers first class technical schoo...
• Hollinm: There always have to be checks and balances----if they do not make the "standards" expected, they are out. Like anything, one cannot force kids to...
• Yes, Larryl, those lawyers are paid for by the Government of Canada and that is you, me and the neighbours.
• Larryl:---In all fairness, political parties are not too far out of step with the electorate. If they are too far out of step, like Mulroney, they are tur...
• Hey Larryl: In a democracy there are many opinions and some with more merit than others. No government can satisfy the wish list of everyone so they try ...
• Northgirl, right on. I hope you send this comment to the Prime Minister. Another point is that we make a very weak effort to train our own citizens so t...

The Bernier Resignation - Is it more than political "eye candy"? (Video Blog Post) (2008-05-30)

• The longer a government stays in power, the greater the chance for scandal of some sort or another. Scandals of this nature are not good for the health/per...
• Gerry---I doubt too many internationally pay too much attention to Canada's internal politics any more than Canadians pay too much attention to the internal ...
• Calmecam---- What you say is correct and I am sure Canada's little scandal has made the diplomatic circuit. It seems that no secrets were disclosed to the...

The Economy - Political Opportunity and Minefield (2008-05-26)

• Here we go with political roulette and "where it stops, nobody knows". To dwell on past sins too much is a weak arguement BUT, I think we have a pretty good...
• Hello Supper: The majority in parliament is the opposition and not the government. If what the government is doing or not doing is so bad, then the oppos...
• Hello Parnel: What you say about the secrecy and accountability of this government is close to the mark however, the people, through their MPs, continue the...
• Well, Supper, I am of the opinion that Harper has done nothing wrong and, whether you do not like the man or the party or the government programmes, that is...
• Parnel: At confederation, each of the three groups were assigned 24 Senate seats-----24 for the Maritimes, 24 for Lower Canada and 24 for upper Canada, how...
• Hello Sharp: I agree that the Greens, as I see them to date, have something to offer but I am firmly opposed to opening the back door to them or, for exampl...
• Yes, Sharp, but the American system has had a couple of spoilers running recently for example, Ralph Nader and Ross Perot----essentially the third party. Thi...
• Supper---Hold it for a moment---you will have to fill me in on the electoral system in The Republic of Ireland. As far as I can recall recently, they have h...
• Hello Hollinm: I agree that if Dion thought there was any chance the greater majority of the electorate would support him, there would have been an election-...
• Hollinm, you are right. I believe Dion is a capable man but not in politics. He seems to have a great ability to cut his own throat. As in all political ...
• Hey Sharp: Nobody is disenfranchised---all can vote.. Because my party does not elect a representative it does not say the system is wrong. There possibly...
• Brother Sharp: I suppose we can develop arguements all around this topic. The Bloc gets about--or did-- 10% and does all right but they are strictly a regi...
• Morning Parnel: Although the Bloc got 10% of the national vote it was not a national vote as the Bloc is Quebec only. Under those circumstances, their se...
• Bernie, good points: Yes, Harper, in minority, is kept in power by the opposition, in majority. Harper is correct to continue governing as he is SUPPORTED ...
• Parnel: As long as I have been around the Senate has needed reform. Harper is the only politician who has had the courage to say so in that time. So far it...
• Larryl:---Are you a litle cynical about the abilities of your fellow Canadian voter who got us this far in the world with a rather enviable country in which ...
• Hollinm: I agree----Money export is not a good idea. As far as I am concerned, if there is green charity, then charity begins at home. Our collective pers...
• Sharp: I would suggest the electorate has had it up to the teeth with the antics in the House and would welcome an election to clarify the situation. An el...
• Larryl: What system do you suggest as being a better model for us to follow??? No matter what you suggest, we are still dealing with people who are dealing ...
• Hello Hollinm: Come the election, we will see who gets sucked in by what----pocketbook issues will certainly get the attention of the electorate. On July ...
• Larryl----I agree wholeheartedly that mandatory voting is the way to go----I believe this is true in Australia. What really sticks in my craw is the indiff...
• Hollinm: One would hope the BC voter would be smarter than that but do not hold your breath. Just gassed up this morning and paid $1.46 per litre. On July...
• Ho Ho ! ! !

Leadership Tracking - Harper personal image untouched by controversy (Analysis with video) (2008-05-09)

• Nik: a "new" electorate appears to be forming with a "major apolitical swing group" outside the traditional party fold. That group is very fluid. Where the...
• Morning Parnel: Yes, Harper is the party and this poll says he is the front runner. Yes, the large block of "swingers" have not smiled on any party at the...
• Morning Hollinm: A "new" electorate-------well, here is my reasoning if you can follow my convoluted thinking. When the questions of this poll---trust, com...
• I agree Hollinm but I believe the slow drift to Harper---not necessarily a drift to the conservatives--- will result in a Harper majority, a small majority, ...
• Morning Hollinm: I believe the electorate looks and sees Harper---they see the man and know he leads the Conservatives----the party and the man are not sepa...
• Hello Parnel: I see your points but, to me, a pseudo election has been running for the term of this government. To suggest a big act is coming in the pol...
• Morning, Parnel: Although my sentiments lie in the centrist sector, I do not share your optimism for the Liberal fortunes at this time. I am also sure that...

The House Returns - Ethics, Accountability and the Big Picture (Nanos Sun Column) (2008-04-28)

• It would be gratifying to find a political party that was motivated by the wishes of the electorate rather than the political needs of the party. In our ...
• Hello ronmack: I really do not disagree with you regarding Harper but he does play his cards rather close to his chest. As you appear to allude to-----not t...
• So true.
• Hello Hollinm: Did not see Question Period but there are a couple of comments here regarding the "show". Yes, Quebec and Ontario are always key to a Can...
• Morning Parnel: The centre is my comfort zone usually and I believe that it is very unusual for a politician to retire gracefully-----they have to be kicked ...
• Hello Jan: In my opinion, I believe your last paragraph is off the mark in a couple of ways. I believe all politicians care about the country and Canadi...
• Hollinm-----Unfortunately you are generally right and the sword does cut both ways, though, depending if an MP---Party---is opposition or government. I do ...
• Hollinm: I do not know what the powers of the Speaker may be or whether his authority is restricted to the four walls inside the House. You are right, some...
• Nik, as the weeks go by, the Canadian electoral atmosphere is no less cloudy but I believe a slow change is taking effect. At the rate we are going, I would ...
• Brother Sharp: At one time I thought time was on Dion's side but I now do not for the suggestions I made above. Somehow, I believe there is a very subtle ...
• Hey Parnel: When the Liberals effectively support the government by sitting on their hands or staying out of the House, they are a defacto coalition. If ...
• Morning Parnel:---Will pull up the Globe and Mail later----the garden comes first today. Hope you are right and my total annual tax bill from all taxes is ...

Federal Tories and Grits Tied - Are NDP voters in Ontario strategically parking with the Grits? (Nanos Poll completed April 9) (2008-04-11)

• What the polls say and what the electors do in the next election, I believe, is still up for grabs. At the moment it does not bode well for a majority. ...
• Hello Hollinm: This new login procedure gets me writing everything twice##^%)*&+++. You may be correct about the Quebec predictions and I am a little far...

Last week should have been a good week for the PM - he was sideswiped (Video Blog Post) (2008-04-07)

• Interesting week ???? Blackburn's comment. if unguarded, will keep him on the backbenches, if he is lucky. If calculated, the comment will likely find rea...
• Hello Hollinm----But that is the nature of politics--it is a dirty game and it doesn't have to be.
• Holinm----I like your second paragraph----somewhat like some game shows where one presses the buttons on a hand held modem to vote. Now the ancient Greeks ...
• Morning Hollinm: Of course you are correct----the constituents are the final arbiters as they were in the Rigma case. Immigration----interesting mess. ...

The Federal Tories - Poking Ontario with a sharp stick (Sun Media Column) (2008-03-31)

• Ho, Ho, Nobody but nobody speaks out for the federal Conservatives without the PMO and Harper checking every word and every punctuation mark. Those were no...
• Hello Broughad: A little interesting twist to the American deficit is that China, dollar wise, is the biggest world lender to the US-----makes for very s...
• Hello SaskKen: The BC "Liberal Government" is a Conservative government------you are correct in suggesting Gordon Campbell was a Socred (generally Conserv...
• Right, Hollinm: Coderre is now a free agent to ferment what you will. Actually, Dion is smart as he will not have to plan to commit Hari Kari----somebod...
• MRM----Always pleased to receive constructive comments from the righteous right.
• Hey, Parnel: A word of support. I am chuckling at the history buffs on here and I am surprised Sir John A MacDonald and the CPR scandal has not surfaced. ...

Afghanistan Vote and the Issue Environment (Video Blog Post) (2008-03-14)

• Harper has manoeuvred Dion, or should I say, pointed Dion to the corner again. Got to hand it to Harper as he surely knows how to handle the malleable Libe...
• Hello Hollinm: You have to think back a moment---Paul Martin had every bit as good a machine behind him as Harper but he was not decisive thus "Mr. Dithers...
• Hello Blossom: Just a little support. There are those of us who choose a "selective memory" when trying to make our point. The Afghanistan mess first---...
• Morning Bernie: Yes, the ambivalent Liberal MPs have allowed this Afghanistan issue to come around and bite them in the butt. I saw in the news last nigh...
• Ho Ho SaskKen: I can just imagine the Animal Farm uproar when they view the political theatre that is supposed to be the Government of Canada. Personally, I ...
• MRM-----"........Harper loudly criticised Chretien for not following Bush into Irag" which gave rise to Chretien's remark. Do you also remember the infamous ...
• Thanks, Mike----just wait until the election starts and the smear campaigns begin. In the past, some of them have backfired badly.
• Evening Hollinm:---See I have a couple of responses from you so will answer both here. Smear campaign----read my comment again whereby I said "just wait fo...
• Hollinm---Would I be correct in suggesting that you only see the political world around you through Tory eyes? I am a centrist, which is in the Liberal sph...
• Hey Hollinm: I cannot disagree with you today but I have a few wrinkles to add. Could not agree more---hand up and not a hand out. The hand up part is ...
• Morning Bernie: There are many who figure out how the system works then work the system. I quite agree with David Lewis when he coined the phrase "corpora...
• Bernie:-----Somewhere in the distant past on this blog I cited the case in Vancouver where the third generation were living on the Dole. Not a comfortable i...
• Bernie: I do not know where you get "their rightful inheritance"-----sounds like a handout. I believe we all have the right to PARTICIPATE in our society/l...
• Hello Blossom:----Yes, when we do not think for ourselves and try to tie our foreign policy to the apron strings of others, we are in difficulties. I believ...
• Hello Hollinm:---Here is something that you have touched on above and that is the federal-provincial relations regarding jurisdictions. As you say, how ca...
• Ho Ho Blossom----Over the last 5 years all parties have been doing the "political thing" rather than the "people thing" supporting the minority government an...
• I agree Hollinm-----we need to modernize governance provincially and federally but we can hear the screams now. The probabi;ity of that happening on a good...

What will be the impact of the Cadman affair? (Video Blog Post) (2008-03-09)

• The Cadman affair, not just the alleged million dollar bribe, is a good example of crass party politics. Before Cadman ran as an independent, the indifferen...
• Hello Candace-----Do not know that anybody could--dollar wise---buy Belinda as she seemingly has more money than any of her colleagues of either party. Sh...
• Hello MRM: Yes, politicians enjoy a generous pension plan but I do not believe that is a prime motivating factor to run for office. I believe that it is t...
• I generally agree with you, Gordo05, but I have this comment regarding managers of money and good advertising. If we understand the advertising in the auto...
• Non-Aligned----I agree with you and Hollinm makes a very valid point regarding the young voter, that is, the under 40 crowd. Having been a voting official ...
• Hey Holinm-----Yes Trudeau was a big spender and yes, Chretien/Martin threw more of a financial burden on the provinces and, here in BC, the provincials thr...
• Hollinm:---the outcome of the next election I am not sure about but I am sure with Dion at the helm of the good ship Titanic, it will not be a Liberal majo...
• Right on Gordo05,----seems as if today when somebody disagrees the idea to to hang a label on them but that is a usual reaction for some who think their way ...
• Morning Bernie: I am getting more cynical regarding the Canadian political mess and, given the present distribution of MPs and the number of parties, a mi...
• Bernie, you are right: Perhaps the soaring gasoline/fuel prices will be one of those right in your face items. Both the feds and the provincials have a ...
• Hello Gordo05: My old Grandfather, a local magistrate for some 35 years or so, would have voted only Conservative no matter what. Every April 23, Primrose...
• Gordo05----Read Weston's piece in the Ottawa Sun. Personally, I believe that if Cadman told his family there was a million on the table, there was a million...
• Hey Parnel: I have written to Harper on this and, by this mornings e-mail, the PM's office has forwarded my letter to Prentice. I have written to the opposi...
• Hey Hollinm: Remember a sword cuts two ways. I believe your "socialist" comment backs you into a corner. Tell me, was Harper the leader of the Reform Party...
• Hey Parnel: All politicians of all stripes try to show themselves in the most favourable light ,however, we hope that not all the electorate are sheep and ...
• Quite true, Westerner. My point is the feds and the provincials are enriching themselves at the expense of the little guy who pays all the bills. If we ...
• Score 1, Hollinm: You are right, Harper was a founding MEMBER of the Reform Party and MP. Manning was the leader. In 97, when Manning refused to haul in...
• Morning Hollinm: Pleased to note you concede that people can change. Sweeping pronouncements are sometimes incorrest. The National Citizens Coalition ...
• Couldn't agree more
• MRM---Are you being a little selective? Cadman, to me was a straight shooter and got into politics for all the right reasons but the circumstances around h...
• MRM: Being politics, the Cadman affair has been blown out of proportion and that would have been done by either party in similar circumstances. What I have ...

Election fraught with risks - Nanos Ballot - Lib 33, Con 31, NDP 19, BQ 10, GP 8 (2008-02-08)

• Well, Nik, I believe I have an equally reliable predictor for the Canadian political scene. Unfortunately, one chicken sacrificed itself for the greater go...
• Hey, Blossom, and who pays for all this political theatre ! ! !
• Hello Calmecam: You are so right---all principles or the principled stand have been thrown out the window as each party massages the bottle containing the...
• Hello Calmecam---And we test ran Dion too with the same rather unexpected results-----and I supported Dion for the leadership but, obviously, I do not have t...

Too many election risks (2008-01-22)

• In my opinion, the governance of Canada over the last several years has defined narcissism. Who said political parties had principles------all of them hav...

Federal Political Year in Review - Challenges and Opportunities for 2008 (2007-12-27)

• After the coming election, Elizabeth May will be the only national party leader whose leadership will not be in question. She has displayed, thus far, no do...
• Hello Parnel: Good point if put into practice in a significant number of ridings---thanks for the reminder.
• Right on, Ronald. The electorate is ONE amorphous mass and politicians who think of the electorate as being compartmentalized do so at their own peril-----...
• I agree, Parnel.-----Probably the most critical calculation is to try to predict what "cancellation effect" the Green vote will have on the NDP vote in those...
• Hello Digby-----Nobody can argue with the fact that the electorate is "fluid" to say the least and the "Conservatives", that is the Conservative vote, was co...
• Ho Ho Digby---I am for the beer !----Yes, Harper did manage to vilify the Liberals but you remember that Martin managed to paint Harper as someone who would ...

Canadians are remarkably optimistic (Nanos Mood of Canada Poll) (2007-12-12)

• Nik, I believe there are a couple of "moody" questions here. First, the touchy feely one regarding the direction the country is going. It is progressing we...
• Lorne-----With the lack of response to this topic your suggestion concerning the indifference of the electorate may be correct-----rather sad observation.

New Nanos Poll - Canadians moving away from all party leaders (2007-12-03)

• Ah, Nik, Canadian politics ! ! ! An election is like taking a bath, having a clean change of clothes and smelling like violets. Could one say that is a "f...
• I agree Hollinm, the Liberal party / leadership is like the good ship Titanic heading for disaster under the current command. My point is that the "command...
• Morning Hollinm:------Personally, I agree with Harper's stance on mass murderers sentenced to death in a democratic jurisdiction where justice is fair and th...
• Hollinm----Your key word is WORKING----there are always some who would prefer to stay on the dole rather than work----easy dole I am opposed to. Now child ...
• Agreed, but I, and I suspect you, had a reasonably stable home as a child and my parents had a reasonable education for their day as did my grandparents-----...
• Hello Bernie and Zena:----There are many perceptions about where the Liberals and Conservatives maybe headed in the next election and why they maybe headed t...
• Good, Van, you have hit the nail on the head ! ! !
• Hello Blossom---What do you disagree with in Van's World comments ? ? ? In my opinion,he is stating the political facts of life as they exist at this time.
• Blossom---I cannot disagree with you in any way about what you say about Dion, the man----he is what you say. It is leadership that is being questioned. ...
• Well, Bernie, we are worlds apart on the circumstantial evidence issue. Anything that can be embellished, be with-held, be twisted is suspect as the Truscot...
• Bernie, you are as entitled to your opinions as I am entitled to mine. When I took urban geography somewhere in the 40s or 50s, there were families in Vanc...
• Hey Hollinm: It is just the political game of trying to discredit your opponent at the expense of the public's bottomless purse. Schreiber---I guess ther...

Latest Nanos Poll - Federal Deadlock - Tories 35, Grits 34, NDP 17, Bloc 9, Green 6 (2007-11-14)

• The Conservative Party is more correctly the Harper Party thus it is Harper who is in the bullseye. The RECENT initiatives of Harper appear to be in general...
• Good points to ponder, Calmecam, Yes, setting fixed election dates puts the government into its OWN straight jacket but not the opposition who, as you say,...
• Calmecam--I agree with the minority or very weak majority government concept as long as we do not get to the Italian model where there almost seems to be as...

Canadians Support PM/Dalai Lama Meeting - Tibetan Rights Trump Trade with China (SES Research Survey) (2007-10-26)

• As Chretien said----"the last I heard, Canada is still a sovereign country". Of course we meet with decent world leaders who knock on our door and welcome t...

Speech from the Throne - Tories Continue "Leadership" Narrative (2007-10-17)

• Politics is a blood sport that is not polite, kind, decent or above board-----refer to the current memoirs of Mulroney and Chretien. Harper is a master str...
• Yes, Hollinm, the liberals seem to have caught that political flu which seems to affict the varying parties when popularity results are not where the back-ro...
• Parmel, I would be pleased if you were correct but I do not believe you are. In regards to the justice bill, Marlene Jennings says three of the four items...
• Hey Hollinm-----No Canadian governing party has been all bad nor do any of them sit upon the right hand of God although some may think so until the Loyal Ord...
• Parnel----possibly I am a little cynical but in politics one always paints themselves in the best light possible and all parties share that trait. In this ...
• As you say, Hollinm, many of the services are within provincial jurisdiction however, as a Canadian, I would like to think a standard of service for hospital...
• Ho Ho---hey Holinm---elect us as benevolent dictators and we will be bound to get it right ! ! !
• Kschell---I agree with you about NOT raising taxes. We have big government and that means expensive government. Someday, I would like to hear of a politi...
• Calmecam----As the Scots say----"when ambition is tempered by conscience, greatness is possible"----personally, I do not see any "greats" in my crystal ball ...
• Nik, Harper's budget has achieved its goal---cowing the Liberals. What it also has achieved is to promote Ignatieff to the Liberal leadership, sooner or la...
• Calmeccam----A name is just a name and it is the actions that better describe a party, for example, the governing provincial Liberal party in BC is conservat...
• Hey Westerner:-----today labels seem to be everywhere, rightly or wrongly. "Racist" seems to be one that has been very loosely thrown about for the last d...
• Morning Parnel: Politics has its own rules that most people do not particularly care for but that is politics. There are dust ups, scandals, defections, bro...

Canadians want limits on accommodating minorities - SES Research/Policy Options Survey (2007-09-25)

• Oh, boy, Nik, this topic will certainly get the pot boiling. The American melting pot is my ideal. An American first then an American of this or that anc...
• This "accommodation" topic is like shooting a scatter gun----everything is getting hit. Think I will sit in my foxhole as I make the following observations:...
• Hello Bernie-----In BC there are the independent schools that receive the per pupil instructional allotment as determined provincially for the public school ...
• Hello PMK: I believe the bone of contention is the French language which is one of the official Canadian languages. I quite understand why the French speak...
• Having watched the Bouchard / Taylor Commission hearings for hours, I am led to conclude the presenters are not too different to what maybe heard in most reg...

Duceppe Provokes Election Showdown (2007-09-22)

• Canadian politics of late is theatre which, in turn, is usually make believe. Or, our federal politics could be likened to a fencing game with the thrust an...

Harper Tories Should Tread Carefully on Elections Canada Issue - Nik's Sun Media Column (2007-09-10)

• Nik---whoever said politics was a clean sport and whoever said the Harper Conservatives, other than themselves, had a corner on the ethics and trust markets?...
• Hello Hollinm:---Faith and politics is an uneasy mix for any politician if they are ambivalent and allow one to intrude upon the other. Early on, Harper was...
• Hello Alfeee----I am going to be the odd man out on this issue and support the stance of Elections Canada regarding the wearing of the birka. Marc Mayrand ...
• Yes, William Johnson is a political columnist for the Globe and Mail on the Quebec scene and his informative articles are available on the internet. Simila...

Green Party of Canada - Likely the Political Wildcard in the Next Election (2007-08-30)

• Politics is a blood sport and, like the gladiators, you either politically win or you politically die-----a mighty compelling reason to fight hard and dirty ...
• Yes, Bernie, there are a number of honest people who enter politics but too often they are co-opted by the system or allow the system to corrupt them. It is...

Jack Layton & the NDP - The Minority Challenge (2007-08-27)

• I believe the Laytonites and the NDP may better define themselves in the upcoming Quebec by-elections. After their current policy meeting in Montreal , the...
• Hello Blossom: Too many egos involved to think of amalgamation / coalition. When two candidates involved in an election, then FIRST PAST THE POST is the wa...
• Yes, Blossom, I saw the major part of the report. Disgusted, to say the least, regarding this governments administration of our tax dollars and they feed...

New SES Research Poll - Federal Tories and Grits Close - Harper Best PM Advantage Weakens (2007-08-14)

• Nik: A cabinet shuffle is like rearranging the furniture in the livingroom----it is still the same house and the same furniture but, a little paint on the wa...
• Nik: When I look at the polling numbers/percentages, I get indigestion.---36% is in the realm of a minority and 40% is in the realm of a majority. Seems to ...