Entre Extrémistes

Et voilà que le Premier Ministre d'Israel, Benjamin Nétanyahou, qualifie Harper 'd'ami inébranlable' de son pays.

C'est ce même Nétanyahou qui a tout fait pour empêcher qu'Israël quitte la bande de Gaza et qui s'est montré favorable à la colonisation prochaine de territoires envahis.

Lorsqu'un personnage comme Nétanyahou désigne notre Premier Ministre comme un ami, c'est que notre politique étrangère à besoin d'être révisée.

How Smear Works

So this is how smear works.

The Conservatives decided about a month ago to call in question the impartiality of pollster Frank Graves, who provides polls for the CBC.

The attacks were unquestionably ludicrous, and were rightfully dismissed by the CBC.

But a month later, here's what you get: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/no-more-mr-nice-guys/article1577854/

The same Frank Graves is quoted in the Globe and Mail, but his words are now followed by a disclaimer that paints him as a Liberal supporter.

For the Conservatives, it's mission accomplished. For the Globe, it provides further evidence of the newspaper's descent into crass demagoguery.

Preposterous Globe

Articles like this one explain why so many Canadians are lured into supporting Stephen Harper.

You've got to love the caption: PM aims to turn aside U.S. and EU initiative that risks becoming a distraction from his G20 agenda

Right, as if the United-States and the EU, who represent over 800 million people and half of the world's economy, will let their plans be derailed by the great force of Stephen Harper, and the 30 million Canadian souls he represents.

The reality is that Canada, on the international stage, counts about as much as Sweden, Poland and South-Africa. We're a small country, and like all small countries, we have a small say. Sure, every now and then, a truly remarkable figure like Lester Pearson might give our voice a little more resonance than it would usually have, but please... Harper is no Lester Pearson.

What's Wrong With The CBC

Stephen Harper's attacks on the CBC are nothing but partisan hogwash, but I can't fault him for being fed up with the path the CBC is embarking on.

Economists always say that government has a role only when the public sector fails. That's what the CBC fails to understand.

CBC television offers programming that is not very different from what can be found on competing stations, most notably CTV. The only difference is that CBC is publicly funded, whereas CTV is for-profit.

The same is now true of Radio 2. While Radio 2 used to provide mainly classical music programming, that couldn't be found anywhere else and featured truly intelligent, learned commentary, it has now turned itself into a regular popular radio station, which only distinguises itself from rival stations by the fact that it has no ads.

There's no point in funding the CBC to replace profitable private stations. Public broadcasting is pointless unless it can offer something different. On Radio 2, that means classical music. On television, that means more documentaries, televised academic forums and investigative programs.

Two Notes On The British Election

-It's ironic to see the prospect of a coalition being treated with mild acquiescence in the country that is the birthplace of the Westminster System. How come it was such a big deal in Canada?

-Read this article in the Globe. Basically, John Ibbitson is suggesting that, if Britain were to adopt proportional representation, Canada would likely follow. Why? Well, that's the big question. Despite our talk of independance, we still look to mother England for democratic inspiration.

Salaires

Une nouvelle qui surprendra bien des gens: il s'avère que les francophones au Québec gagnent mieux leur vie que leurs cousins anglais.

Cette nouvelle surprend même les francophones en question, dont la grande majorité croient encore que les anglophones sont les mieux payés. C'est d'ailleurs certainement ce que j'aurais cru moi-même.

Mais à bien y penser, il est parfaitement logique que les francophones gagnent le mieux leur vie dans une province où le français est la langue de travail. Ils ont l'avantage de la langue, et aussi celui de vivre dans une société dont ils partagent la culture dominante.

Cette erreur que nous commettons tous si facilement montre bien à quel point l'image du francophone opprimé reste vivante dans les mentalités collectives. Si les francophones vivaient jadis dans l'ombre des riches industriels de Westmount, la situation est aujourd'hui renversée. Il est temps qu'on s'en rende compte.

Saunders on Greece

As always, a great article by Doug Saunders: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/life-in-the-german-empire/article1553140/ .

Yet another blot on the Euro's copybook.