SpankyMcFarland

The idea that tariffs increase jobs is a left wing delusion that somehow Trump has swallowed. It hasn’t been a respectable idea in conservative circles for a century.

Every country has that. Every country has to deal with terrorism. These new demands of travellers from visa waiver countries like the UK and Germany etc. are ridiculous and will discourage tourists.

Yes. They seem stuck in a 19th century time warp.

What I mean is this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_Act It took years for similar reforms in Ireland. Some never came, particularly with respect to the Irish language.

TBH if I have to pay a tax I would prefer it to be built into the bill. One thing that really annoys me - asking how much a car or other major item costs and getting a price without all the taxes added. That’s not the amount I would have to pay so it’s not the question I asked.

Why do posters get so upset with the down arrow?

In the first instance, history will blame Putin’s Russia, a European country that failed to modernise and respect its neighbours. All the other empires that destroyed Europe in the last century are long gone except that one.

Unfortunately, China has a strong legal claim to Taiwan but we simply can’t afford to give it up. It’s always been a thorn in the side of the CCP and was one of the first matters Zhou Enlai raised with Kissinger before Nixon went to China. The West must be prepared to do anything necessary to keep that island free as long as possible. Xi is no doubt watching Trump carefully and comparing notes with Putin to see if a grand bargain can be struck when they meet, giving it to him without a fight. Let’s hope the Taiwanese are building a massive herd of sea drones à la Ukraine. As events in the Black Sea have shown, they could wreak havoc on any Chinese fleet.

One reason the term Canaanite is used by researchers is because the archeological remains being compared to modern Israelis and Palestinians are often from an era that predates monotheism which is a relatively recent phenomenon in human history. It would appear that most Jews, Christians and Muslims in the region have a connection to the polytheistic Canaanite population that existed before monotheistic Yahwism arose that gave rise to Judaism and Samaritanism. Much later, some of these Jews converted to Christianity and Islam. So, yes, many Palestinians probably have partly Jewish origins. Of course, Canaanites would have been around for many, many thousands of years in the region before monotheism arose. Like most of us, Jewish people have mixed ethnic origins. For example, Ashkenazi Jews have a strong European signal in their ethnicity, especially on the maternal side. Every Israeli PM but one had at least some ancestors from the Russian Empire or was born there. Palestinian Christians and Muslims also have Peninsular Arab, African and European signals among other components.

Britain was far more anxious to tolerate Catholicism in Quebec than in Ireland because it needed the local population on side to defend against the Americans.

Chamberlain saw the horrendous carnage of WWI. It was understandable he didn’t want his young men to face the most fearsome army in the world again. And he didn’t benefit financially from Munich either. A mistake but an understandable one, done for the right reasons. Regarding Nigel, we’ve all said and done things as teenagers we shouldn’t have but this looks like a persistent trend: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2025/nov/18/deeply-shocking-nigel-farage-faces-fresh-claims-of-racism-and-antisemitism-at-school

I’m not saying he’s corrupt at all but can any reasonable person claim he’s as likeable to centrist voters as, say, Erin O’Toole? Beyond the hardcore right he rubs a lot of people up the wrong way. That’s just a fact about him and you can see it in the numbers.

The visa holders and tourists are just a testing ground. Trump will want to apply Chinese-style surveillance and control to citizens too as soon as he can. Exactly. He loves the way they run their countries. Tough guys. It’s Europe and its namby-pamby human rights he really hates. He doesn’t have a big problem with Xi either. In a world dominated by the CCP, Trumpistan could become a willing little helper as long as it had absolute control at home.

The details we have to hand over may become more ‘granular’ if this proposal is anything to go by: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/us-immigration-visa-social-media-history-esta-countries-9.7012235 Bad news for Vegas etc. https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Government/Proposed-social-media-screening-troubles-US-Travel-Association Who comes up with this stuff?

The situation remains grim for Ukraine. One must find hope where one can. In the great victories of the past, Russians often had home advantage but this time their soldiers are on foreign soil and vital domestic infrastructure is also in range. Ukraine’s ability to hit oil refineries and power plants has changed significantly in the last year as domestic production of missiles and long-range drones has ramped up. If it comes down to motivation there’s a big gap: Ukraine must fight; Russia has a choice.

The problem there is that the world is full of such bad examples. If we can excuse reprehensible behaviour on such a basis there is no hope for us.

Tony Wakeham exists to annoy me. He got a good spanking from David Cochrane on Power and Politics tonight and probably thought he did well. By the time he completes the review of the MOU and, with luck, wins the referendum on it, a new PQ govt in Quebec may have ripped the bloody thing up. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/churchill-falls-quebec-election-hydro-deal-9.7015060

Trump is a real threat to our country. He couldn’t have made his hostility to us any clearer. That much should be obvious to any Canadian.

The issues are an open goal waiting for the Tories to score. Who isn’t being affected by inflation in this country? It could get a lot worse if inflation catches fire in the US and Lord knows what will happen to jobs in Ontario next year. What Poilievre had to do in that interview was reset the debate about his leadership with a clear expression of humility and an acknowledgment that he was listening to the voters who gave him a crystal clear message across the country and even in his former riding. But he failed to do that and even blamed Carney! Which is true in a way. Politicians in trouble need to go in for self-effacement. Voters like that a lot. Right now PP’s leadership should not be on anybody’s radar. He needs to get to that place ASAP. Don’t fool yourself about Trump. He still lurks in our minds and he’s not dead yet. We know how much he hates this country. His continued truculence and irrationality are Carney’s best defence if jobs begin to disappear and a trade deal remains unsigned.

I hope we can agree that if one more MP crosses the floor to the Liberals then Poilievre has a serious problem.

I will always leave that out because people who imagine they have a direct line to God have caused so much trouble in human history. Hold on, I don’t blame them for that at all. Where did I say that? Neither Palestinians nor Muslims have been blameless either. What I do ask is that we remember how this situation has arisen. Russia attacked its Jewish population on the false basis of being behind the assassination of the Tsar and Britain refused to take them into Britain after 1905 but granted them another refuge in a part of the world they had just invaded, Palestine, without consulting the existing population. Of course, Germany subsequently slaughtered them en masse, giving even greater urgency to their flight from Europe. The people who initiated this sequence of events were European gentiles like me.

Ashkenazi Jews are generally of mixed ancestry with a large European component on the maternal side. The local Arab speakers are also of mixed ancestry, partly Canaanite. They tend to be genetically distinct from peninsular Arabs. The demographic figures from the 19th century, especially after 1881, have become a hotly contested political matter. Suffice to say that Jews, especially Ashkenazi Jews, were still very much a minority when the British invaded in WWI.

I have honestly presented my point of view which is backed by the simple facts of the situation. Poilievre managed to blow a massive lead, lost his own seat and now faces defections. None of this is made up by me. Under such circumstances, a little more self-criticism is merited from the Tories.

That’s PPC thinking that has leaked into the Tories. Do you really believe the Convoy was popular in downtown Ottawa? We’re talking Canada’s east coast here? The CPCs have 7/17 seats in NB and NL. Look outside the big centres and you’ll see a lot of blue:

I don’t believe that. Obviously, Tory voices have to be more discreet but it’s clear to any reasonable person that he’s doing it wrong. From a position where a landslide was his, how many verdicts does he have to get before he acknowledges this?