SpankyMcFarland

And another defection: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/former-conservative-mp-dona-cadman-backs-federal-liberals-1.3276680 Something is going on here.

Mr. Perrin joins the ranks: http://www.yorkregion.com/news-story/5966061-tories-lost-moral-authority-to-govern-ex-pmo-lawyer/

Well, Justin may be able to thank the niqab for his better prospects. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/harper-wanted-the-niqab-to-divide-and-conquer-but-that-has-backfired/article26844199/ The miscalculation by Harper was that he could grow his vote from the 30% hard core of believers. Depressing NDP numbers was always going to a big risk for him and so it looks like being.

Please come up with categories more to your liking, then, and make your point.

I don't think we are going to make much progress here. I assumed we were talking about anthropogenic effects on climate.

A total red? First of all, he is a staunch free marketeer and a fiscal conservative. Just because he doesn't follow the party line unquestioningly does not make him a communist.

Please go on and clarify the matters at issue here.

How does one go about calculating that?

Presumably this question can be resolved. I always found it odd to refer to the Canadian government by somebody's name. It is not one person's property.

In Iran, conservative refers to cultural conservatism as well and that certainly pre-dates the revolution. There's no point getting hung up on how people use words; it's a Sisyphean task.

So climate change sceptics, I really do know nothing about this topic. Educate me with your ten favourite peer-reviewed articles from the scientific literature supporting your position. Climate change believers, do the same. Then we can see what turns up.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argus_(album)http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/14522/Wishbone-Ash-Argus/

On the Chrétien scale anyway. In a car salesman kind of way.

The other problem with the manual is we seem to be unable to get it done.

Are you saying we do or we don't? To my mind the case is clear. It won't cover everything but we should move with the times in parliament as everywhere else.Adam Dodek made such a case today on The House: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thehouse

But surely we need a contemporary Cabinet Manual on the British model? A minority government should have no discretion on how long it chooses to delay a vote of confidence. http://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/13/1009/thehouse_20151017_33105_uploaded.mp3

I don't object to delays caused by political bargaining. I do object to any uncertainty in the rules governing that bargaining.

This is the British Cabinet Manual which clears up quite a few questions about the sequence of events after an election: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/toews-election-campaign-stop-raises-need-for-cabinet-rules-1.1171619 AFAIK we have not updated ours in some time: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/toews-election-campaign-stop-raises-need-for-cabinet-rules-1.1171619 There seems to have been a peculiar amount of secrecy about our old manual. Clearly, all this stuff about minority governments and Queen's Speeches should be laid out in black and white and made public: http://parliamentum.org/2011/10/18/the-manual-of-official-procedure-of-the-government-of-canada/ http://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/13/1009/thehouse_20151017_33105_uploaded.mp3

Electric Warrior was my first album, followed by Led Zep Ii and Argus. I had a hard time comvincing my mom there was nothing wrong with the record during a Whole Lotta Love instrumental section. Marc Bolan had a great guitar sound.

I disagree about Chrétien.

This is like the British radio show Desert Island Discs where they ask for 8 fave songs to bring. I have spent too much ofmy life trying to sort THAT out without bringing up the albums as well. It's just too much to cope with. One of my favourite albums has a resonance here - Argus by Wishbone Ash. It really did not get the attention on this side of the water that it deserved. Dark Side and Revolver would have to be there as well, and a Thin Lizzy album and maybe Ziggy. OMG that's five. Honourable mention must go to albums by the original Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, the Kinks, and one guilty pleasure that I have difficulty confessing to - Back to Black by Amy Winehouse. There's something dark and beautiful in there that really killed me softly like nothing has for decades. So I have given you eight instead of five, like the British DID format. Lists like these are mainly about imprinting, what you heard when you were still willing and able to listen. It takes at least fifty years, two generations, to decide if music is any good.

Leaving aside the veracity stuff, I thought it was convincing on its own terms and gave an authentic portrayal of a how a soldier lives, including the costs involved. Eastwood is not a great artist but has still made some extraordinary movies, my favourite probably being Bird which brought Charlie Parker's music into my life. And I can tell you of Detroit relatives of mine who could be straight out of Gran Torino.

And speaking of which, if you would forgive me, I have a very North American question; why did he never get his teeth fixed? They were OK for Dracula but a suave Bond villain should surely look the part?

Yeah, they pulled a Wales there, losing Sexton, Peter O'Mahony, and Paul O'Connell to injury and still managing a win. Joe Schmidt is the best coach Ireland has ever head. He varies his approach within the limitations of his players and plans meticulously. I am surprised he hasn't been lured away yet by England or France - they certainly need him. The French are a brutally physical side, and NZ may lose some players to injury, but they just don't seem to have any team spirit or direction at the moment. Sexton is back for the Argentinian game but O'Connell is finished for the tournament. I would fancy Ireland's chances against Argentina and Wales are awkward buggers to beat. Canada's backline really came good after the Irish game. The back three looked excellent, especially Van der Merwe.

Harper was correct to look north and talk about the Arctic but our defences are pitiful up there.