Category Archives: Democracy

Ironies of History in Real Time

Posted on March 1, 2021 by David McLaren

The rhetoric coming from mainstream liberals and conservatives is as troubling as the riot on Capitol Hill on January 6. They are calling it an insurrection, an attempted coup d’état, an attack on the sacred temple of democracy (what, democracy … Continue reading →

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Plato’s Tree

Posted on June 14, 2014 by David McLaren

Greece as an example of the economic and social damage that austerity in times of precarity can do. The legacy of Athena’s give to Athens — the olive tree that shaded democracy. Plus an update on the election of the left-wing Syriza Party in the Greek election of January 2015. Continue reading →

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Beware the Lies of March—What Shakespeare tells us about Hugo Chavez

Posted on March 18, 2013 by David McLaren

I come to bury Chavez, not to praise him. Barak Obama says he was authoritarian. And the President is an honourable man. John Graham, former ambassador to Venezuela says he couldn’t manage his own economy. And he is an honourable … Continue reading →

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The Vote Is In—America Needs a New Paradigm

Posted on December 2, 2012 by David McLaren

It seems Americans are in for more of the same legislative gridlock as before the election. How Congress deals with the looming fiscal cliff will be telling. If you look at the exit polls, the vote split along America’s fault … Continue reading →

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A Very American Coup: Hey brother, can you spare a democracy?

Posted on October 10, 2012 by David McLaren

They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I followed the mob, When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear, I was always there right on the job. They used to tell me I … Continue reading →

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Guns and Politics in Canada

Posted on September 8, 2012 by David McLaren

The gun is now a part of Canadian politics. Richard Henry Bain killed one person and injured another at the PQ rally last Wednesday night. He was ill, it seems, and a recluse, like many of those who suddenly, unexpectedly, … Continue reading →

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Joe McCarthy is alive and well and living in the Canadian Finance Committee

Posted on June 16, 2012 by David McLaren

“Are you, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?” With those words Republican Senator Joe McCarthy set off a 10-year witch hunt in the US for just about anyone whose political colour was a redder shade … Continue reading →

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Tous en grève

Posted on June 2, 2012 by David McLaren

What are we to make of 100 days of mayhem in Montreal? Étudiants en grève—students on strike. By the commentary in the mainstream media, you’d think the students of Québec were little devils, demiurges bent on bringing evil anarchy to … Continue reading →

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Fix, don’t scrap, rights panels

Posted on February 11, 2012 by David McLaren

Bill Whatcott is a man who doesn’t much like gay men and isn’t shy about saying so. The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission thought that what he said went beyond dislike, all the way to hate. That ruling went to the … Continue reading →

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Occupied

Posted on October 30, 2011 by David McLaren

Is a state of mind … One by one the Occupy camps are coming down and I, for one, will be sorry to see them go. They were a constant reminder that there are things we need to fix in … Continue reading →

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