SpankyMcFarland

PR produces a result that more closely reflects the popular vote. From that point of view it’s the best system. FPTP only works well with two national parties, as Canada and the UK have repeatedly demonstrated.

And now he has expelled our ambassador: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/saudi-arabia-suspends-trade-canada-ambassador-1.4775133 The Saudis take their cue from Trump. Canada can be dissed with impunity. I presume all those concerned with human rights abuses by our enemies in Tehran will be at least as excercised about wrongs committed by our erstwhile friends in Riyadh.

Would you at least concede that your prediction is merely that, and that many worse scenarios could also come to pass? Iran has little tradition of democratic government; consider, then, how the Greeks, the guys who invented the concept, struggled to reintroduce it.

NAFTA is in such a pathetic state. We have only three countries in it and we still talk about separate deals. Look to the EU with 28 countries to manage. While starkly different from his father in many ways, JT does seem to have the same indifference about deficits that none of the intervening figures shared. The biggest contrast is with PT’s former lieutenant Chrétien who channeled Mike Wilson’s concerns and downloaded federal fiscal problems to the provinces, a brutal but effective strategy. You have to wonder what Chrétien really thought about his former mentor’s management of the economy. Harper and Chrétien were both focused on balancing the books and winning the next election, small picture Canadian stuff.

I agree they’ll head to Europe - and create another crisis for the EU. From a position of ignorance, I would suspect that religion will give the regime a stiffer spine than Marxist doctrine ever could and I would not assume that any successor regime would respect human rights either. Anyway, economic collapse does not necessarily bring rapid political change, e.g. Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, post-Famine Ireland.

America’s most important relationship is with China: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/05/china-trump/561359/ The challenge will be to manage this relationship in a peaceful and constructive way.

A civil war in Iran would be a catastrophe for the country, the region and the world. For a start, where would all the refugees go?

I would put Chrétien in there too, not a smoothie like Brian or an intellectual like Pierre but tough and intimidating when he needed to be.

This series has been excellent so far and has not airbrushed the more embarrassing episodes in the family’s history. Claire Foy was perfect as the young queen.

The EU coped with 28 countries while NAFTA can’t manage three. And to think that Britain is actually volunteering to deal with Lighthizer and Co. Couldn’t make it up.

It was an extraordinary story with an unlikely outcome, the amateur cave divers - what strange things some people do for fun - making a crucial contribution. Congrats to everybody involved. One of the Australian divers was also an anesthesiologist and I presume he helped in sedating the kids just enough to get them out without affecting their breathing.

More strange, unlawyerly ramblings from Rudy: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/30/trump-lawyer-rudy-giuliani-collusion-is-not-a-crime.html https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/rudy-giuliani-fox-news-trump-tower_us_5b5f4400e4b0fd5c73d1d5f3 Confusion is not a crime either but you don’t want to see it in your legal team. This is not the man who changed New York.

The metric system is the world’s system because it’s so easy to understand. Even the Americans use it in science and medicine. What do acres mean to somebody who isn’t a farmer? It’s like comparing Roman and Arabic numerals for calculation. In addition, there’s a discrepancy between US and Imperial gallons, and there are even dry gallons! Like the Fahrenheit scale, the US/Imperial system is a cumbersome dinosaur. Let’s keep things simple.

Isn’t that the Harper equalization formula, then, presumably discussed at the time with the now livid Mr. Kenney?

NL is somehow still a have province despite being well on course for bankruptcy.

Here’s Mrs. Thatcher in a 1975 parliamentary debate (from 305 down) describing the problems referendums pose for the British political system: https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1975/mar/11/eec-membership-referendum Very few pro-Brexit politicians appear to have understood the complexity of, and potential snags in, their proposal. Two years later, the Conservatives still can’t agree on what sort of Brexit they want and they misunderstand the other side as well. The EU cannot simply give them what they want. A crash-out looks increasingly likely.

Ah, Jaysus.

What I’m saying is very old hat. Moving the arms in this way helps the player get a better jump. The arms have to come back at some point. Soccer is the world’s game. It’s completely different from American football which can be more easily compared with rugby, both being more handball than football. Regarding improvements, I’d like to see more goals (bigger goal area or fewer players), better timekeeping and stiffer punishments for simulation and embellishment. BTW simulation is not always punished in ice hockey either. And wrt to the stuff about Europeans and their masculinity...have you ever shaken hands with a Croatian? It’s a contest.

As someone rooting for Croatia I may be a trifled biased but...Perisic was off the ground so his arms naturally rose away from his body and came back towards it. The allegedly offending left arm was moving in exactly the same way as the right arm, thus strengthening the case against a deliberate act. I think VAR was misused here. This was not an obvious handball missed by the ref but an act of uncertain intent, probably innocent. The fact that the whole decision making process took so long points to the doubt involved even in the ref's mind, and in cases where there is reasonable doubt no penalty should be given. The foul on Griezmann that led to the first goal was debatable too. He seemed to be going down before significant contact was made. It was a beautiful free kick, though. Poor old Mandzukic will be replaying that moment in his head for a good while. In any case, well played, both teams, and thanks be to God we had six goals this time instead of 90+ minutes of dreary caginess producing one or none.

The amazing thing about them was how little they achieved. They had skills like the current Croatia team but couldn't get the big results. However, Dzeko and a few Serbs would be a really nice addition to nearly any squad.

They might have a decent team more often if they did. I liked Belgium’s effort. It must be a downer to play in that game but they kept their foot down and showed us their skills.

I think it’s time for the UK to field one team like all the other countries of the world. There are usually two or three decent players from the Celtic fringe who could make a difference. At the moment, only Bale comes to mind.

Belgium are fun to watch: all the basic skills plus speed on the break and a squad full of goal scorers. Their full backs Meunier and Chadli could play in any position and De Bruyne is the best passer in football. England were outclassed today.

Only joking. The British are unique in soccer in fielding four ‘provincial’ teams from one country, hence the confusion. Croatia had superior ball control. As fatigue set in that made the difference. English soccer culture still has a way to go to compete with the best. When a country of four million can field a player like Modric and one of 65 is relying on the likes of Henderson and Lingard, there’s a problem.

British boys? That’s fighting talk. The players are English. Kane had a poor game but England’s enduring problem lies in their midfield. Henderson, Lingard and Alli were outclassed by the Croats, offering little ability to hold into the ball and direct play. A team that relied so much on set-pieces was always unlikely to win the World Cup. They had a good run but they certainly did not deserve to go any further.