SpankyMcFarland

I don’t think Smith has anything the political skills required to lead Alberta out of Canada.

There is a tendency to consider events inevitable after they have happened and to become dogmatic about causes and effects. However, there are several factors that one may reasonably imagine went down worse with Carleton voters: 1. The convoy. 2. Likeability: 3. Public servants. https://ottawacitizen.com/feature/how-pierre-poilievre-lost-carleton

Just curious. Do you see yourself as a uniter or a divider?

Trump is feeling the heat. He hyped this nonsense because he’s getting such little good news on the tariff front.

I think you’ll find that it wasn’t only ‘England’ who signed on to this ‘deal’, whatever it is. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland did too.

That’s true of every leader. It’s a balancing act they are expected to be able to manage. I asked here whether Poilievre was in danger before the election because the CBC was reporting that the party had belatedly begun to accept reality and moved more of its people there. Poilievre is a divisive figure, not a uniter - that’s been his style for years - and it bit him in the nether regions when he needed neutrals to get him over the line.

With his talk of Alcatraz, coal, dolls, resources and territory, Trump is clearly stuck way back in the 20th century and his capacity to learn what makes countries rich these days is not the best at this stage. It doesn’t augur well for the future of the continent.

Trump was grotesque today, unable to resist talking about the 51st state ‘idea’ again. At least his tone was closer to the minimum expected between allies. The sooner talks can start with rational American officials the better.

Exaggeration and catastrophization are key features of MAGA, feeding the paranoia and self-pity of the base. If fentanyl is ‘pouring’ in from Canada then drastic measures to stop this threat are justified, including the elimination of rights, checks and balances, with ever more power going to the leader who will save us.

With NFL officials behind him he starts a mindless word salad about Alcatraz of all things and turns to them expecting agreement. Imagine putting people in that spot who have done nothing to offend him. Even worse, this is basically a daily occurrence now. Americans will have four years to rue their choice.

Let’s take an unfiltered look at Palestine’s enemy. The religious fanatics are on both sides of this conflict. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/06/hamas-israel-hunger-war-in-gaza https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/apr/27/the-settlers-review-this-vital-film-forces-louis-theroux-to-do-something-hes-never-done-before

In MAGAworld the leader is always right: when he gets all of what he wants it’s proof he can do no wrong; when he gets part of what he wants his initial position was a brilliant bargaining move; and when he gets nothing he was only joking and we’re taking him too literally, move on, look over there.

Monarchs based abroad that we share with other countries are not ideal. Their loyalties are divided. Two examples. Firstly, our head of state hasn’t visited in fifteen years. Secondly, the UK head of government, desperate for a trade deal with Trump, won’t let him support us openly.

As a short-term speculative bet it may have value but it’s dangerous if it infiltrates the legacy economy and makes the rest of us liable for losses one way and another. The notion of a crypto reserve should worry everybody.

I am certainly not a person who is offended by everything but if you can’t see how offensive and tasteless this is coming from the head of state and government I can’t help you.

Why not set a better example?

Do people not have the faintest grasp on good manners any more? I don’t have to belong to a religious sect to respect those who do, so if I were a politician I would not have to be told not to mock a recently deceased, widely respected religious leader. Why are people defending the indefensible here? It’s a form of collective madness.

Please. I sincerely hope you don’t believe this is really about doctrine. Trump doesn’t give a damn about religion other than to use it to sucker in more rubes. If he despises Catholics so much he could have made that clear before so many voted for him.

This photograph has offended Catholics right across the political spectrum as would be expected by any reasonable person.

Can somebody kindly explain this to me. Is it supposed to be funny?

Here’s a perfectly reasonable statement from Stephen Harper. Let’s all remember who we are playing for.

She was part of a mob that invaded America’s parliament.

First off, who is the ‘we’ here? This is a Canadian forum. Next, consider another example of the bitterness diet. Three years ago Putin launched an entirely unnecessary invasion of his neighbour that he thought would end rapidly. Three years later Russia has suffered a vast number of killed and wounded and yet the war continues because one man wants it to. Next door the Grand Pooh-Bah runs a totalitarian state, controlling every aspect of life, that has been hit by tariffs from a foreign president. His party predecessors oversaw the deaths of millions of their citizens. I don’t have a crystal ball but I’m guessing he’s willing and able to wait a while.

I don’t know it was the case here and I did not claim it was. I do know that even optimal care these days operates under serious constraints. Doctors are under constant pressure not to admit patients.

The dreadful state of psychiatric care in Canada is the predictable result of an all-party effort, or lack thereof, going back decades. Doctors and nurses are trained to resist admitting patients to hospital because there are so few beds there. The ultimate culprit is us, the voters. We don’t think about this problem or push to sort it out until there’s a disaster.