— Feature, Musings, Top Ten —08.24.2025 08:30 AM
— Feature, Musings, Top Ten —08.24.2025 08:30 AM
Militarie Gun track was a banger as was the Public Opinion/Drug Church track. Find of the week, though, was the Spiritual Cramp track which(on this version-their official video version) starts out with a Style Council(!!) vibe and then segues into a sample from what sounds like We Run by Strange Advance before they get down to some very good business.
I am really familiar with neuroplasticity. By the time I was 15, I had lived in Harrow, Sault St Marie, Scarborough, Thunder Bay(was Port Arthur then), Etobicoke, Hanover and finally Brantford. Making new friends is a powerful way to leverage neuroplasticity.
The junior level accountant thing was a great analogy. For 43 years, I have had staff that will frequently come into my office(and partners for that matter) and tell me about some problem. That usually just gets a long stare from me until I start hearing a solution come out of their mouths.
The best hockey analogy that applies in this case is that we should pull the goalie. His was inane. But, to be fair, he doesn’t have much experience with the game:
https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=23267
The question was asked what Carney is doing. Today he is in Europe changing the channel and the guy who was parachuted into a riding he did not live in was waxing poetically about the good old days when he lived on the prairies.
I think Carney’s plan in his presser was to put everyone to sleep so we wouldn’t hear what he was actually saying. Almost succeeded in my case. He says we have the lowest percentage of any of the US trading partners. The problem is the quantum of trade we have with the US but he knows that. The ridiculous LeBlanc repeated that nonsense on P and P.
Oh and Carney has a history of issues when he presents a thesis:
https://nationalpost.com/news/mark-carney-plagiarism-accusations
Martin,
No question this makes Carney look vulnerable and improvisational. It’s like he has no clear match plan. But do voters care that he’s flopping and floundering against Trump? Nope. They’re quite prepared to continue giving this guy a pass given the obvious political alternative. It’s one thing to reluctantly swallow the CPC. It’s quite another to even be willing to swallow our leader. The latter is a bridge too far for most voters.
Carney said today he would not rule out sending troops to Uktaine. It will be interesting to see how the folks in Quebec feel about that. Their views impacted both WWII and the Iraq war.
Martin,
I have an uncle and second cousins who served in WWII, not to mention great-uncles in WWI, all francophone and from Quebec. So, this province will do our bit if push comes to shove. All of this depends on Putin. No one else.
Blinky Carney, looking softer by the moment.
Liberals already look like they’ve run out of gas, and they’ve hardly worked since the April 28th vote.
The fall parliamentary session is going to be absolutely grim for them.
I’ve got the butter popcorn ready.
It’s going to be fun.
Douglas,
Modern elections in Canada are won or lost on cult of personality. That cut both ways for Trudeau. Positive personality reinforcement gave us 2015. Same thing in 2025. Negative personality reinforcement is a vote killer…guess which one Pierre does? Here’s a hint: he expects Ford to kiss his ass. Not happening ever with Ford or anyone else. This guy is doomed as doomed can be. End of story.
Warren,
Abacus has the CPC ahead, 41 to 39%.
https://abacusdata.ca/abacus-data-poll-conservatives-edge-ahead-as-cost-of-living-dominates-and-trump-fades/
Discuss.
Ronald,
Affordability.
Folks are struggling. The economy is waning. Full-time work in the private sector is evaporating.
And so the PM and his gutless government takes a three-month holiday.
Carney talks about building better, and faster.
But they have nothing to show so far.
I suspect the Conservatives will continue to hover around 41 points.
But I can see the NDP pick up another point in the next poll, and the BQ grab a couple more points.
Next thing you know, the Libs will be at 36%,.
The wheels will be off by Christmas.
Those Ontario job numbers are not good. A lot of jobs lost.
Warren,
It doesn’t matter what he does or doesn’t do in the end. Trump is only into a one-way win street. That’s pretty well it.
Warren,
Does Ford think that Carney rolled over? You bet he does. That’s why he’s gone radio-TV silent.
Being a dickhead does come naturally.
Warren,
They gave up on Martin in favour of Harper. Will they do the same with Carney? I doubt it.
Funny, I think that is the apt comparison, but I have a different view of the result.
From the beginning I’ve thought Poilievre’s voter coalition (he has a very strong one, despite the seat count) is much more natural than Carney’s.
I think Poilievre’s is much more likely to stick with him at least one more time. Carney? I supported the guy and still do but his NDP / Liberal switcher numbers were ridiculous and unlikely to ever be reproduced. In my riding those numbers were historically stupid and will obviously never happen again.
My guess is about 25% of Carney’s vote will drift back to their natural NDP parking spot which will make the splits around 38% CPC, 30% Lib, 20% NDP in the next election.
That is my take. 20% looks high but when Carney starts to(sorry, is forced to) do the necessary cuts to the civil service, the NDP types will realize flapping their elbows up and down was a silly plan. CPC supporters aren’t going anywhere no matter who the leader is. As a matter of fact, a change could be risky. Just yesterday I was at a thing with 7 current and former MPs and MPPs and the leadership came up. Topic was actually dropped quickly because no one really took the bait after one of them was gently critical of Pierre but I texted one of the current MPs after and said:
“The silent majority are being drowned out again. I was ready to weigh in by saying if we need to win by catering to downtown Toronto, I would rather not.”
Canada is always a bit behind the rest of the world. That silent majority looks to me the same as the Brexit and Republican coalitions of 2016 and we know how that worked out.
I refuse to rise to the bait when our host calls Pierre a loser or Ronald goes off on him. I could very well be wrong but my take is just as plausible as any by the Laurentian elite types who have never liked him because the thought of letting hm into their club was always horrifying(insert Groucho Marx joke here). Currently, folks like Coyne and the rest of them are all too busy defending the right not to get attacked when you break into someone’s home.
So Pierre just had a presser about the defending your homes issue. I am sure the heads of the usual suspects will explode. Actually, I hope they do. They are all contrarian indicators. This would be a great opportunity for Ford and Pierre to get on the same page in public. But someone needs to be the adult in the room.
Why would they get on the same page? They hate each other’s fucking guts. And guess who started it. Newsflash: NOT some guy called Ford.
Martin,
We don’t like him because he’s a self-educated dickhead. He quite deliberately chose to act that way even before the leadership race. Draw your own conclusions.
Martin,
Sean,
With respect, you guys are in Lala land. There’s only fifteen polls showing the NDP steadily rising AT THE EXPENSE of the CPC polling number, while the LPC number holds steady. The working-class is dumping us. As you would say Martin, math is easy…it’s your profession after all.
In the CPC, we don’t drink Kool-Aid like the Liberals. We collectively take a delusion-inducing pill instead. We’re already way beyond finished with this bozo still as our leader. Done and dusted.
This one is even better: Pierre is just like Castor Oil. The more you steadily ingest, the less you like it, especially at the ballot box. Only those Conservatives who remain delusional have yet to figure that one out. Paging Doug Ford!
Warren,
Trump wants to go to Heaven. Even MAGA is not stupid enough to take that bet. The sooner he drops dead, the better. No empathy now.
Warren,
I can tell you that Quebec sends a lot of truck drivers to the States with minimal to no English. So, it isn’t just racism.
Yeah, when you’re explaining, you’re losing. Just ask Smith about payment and mRNA vaccines.
Danielle Smith doesn’t want to encourage the use of cellular gene therapy when there are many other available options.
Gilbert,
Prevention is always the best option but Dodo Smith can’t see it.
Douglas,
If that’s the case, then why is the NDP vote increase coming from the CPC column and not the LPC one? In my book, it means the working class is to some extent shifting back to the NDP. Liberal numbers continue to hold relatively steady in most polls.
Cremation is old hat. Now they’re pushing Aqua Whatever it’s called.
Warren,
Those hands. Just like HM The Queen. It’s more a question of days than weeks. So long, Trump. You won’t be missed.
Warren,
I’m at my most truthful when I can’t sleep a wink.
https://ronaldodowd.blogspot.com/2025/08/why-is-ford-only-one-with-guts.html
Counter tariffs are a bad idea because Canada depends too much on the USA.
Gilbert,
Obviously, you don’t have experience with bullies: you have to go toe-to-toe with them forever; otherwise, you get rolled or worse. With Trump, the only thing that’ll lead to a half-decent deal for Canada is economic force. Carney is still clueless on that. Dom’s soft soap will lead us nowhere. Total waste of time. How I miss someone who actually knows what they’re doing and how to arm-wrestle a decent deal from Trump…namely, Freeland. No one else can do it.
Warren,
Some other premiers also have guts, but you won’t see any of them cut off hydro, oil, or natural gas WHEN, and not if, push comes to shove with the OrangeAssholeTM. Ford is in a group of one.
Warren,
Eureka! I’ve finally found the great secret that will allow us to form a majority government after the next election: sow Pierre’s mouth up tight…
What a super loser.
Sew. LOL.
And by the by, I’m still being bombarded with e-mails trying to block me from comments, but that’s too bad; it’s not working. I hope he has a coronary.
Ronald, I supported Erin O’Toole even though he lied about being a blue conservative. It would be nice if you stopped attacking Pierre Poilievre so much.
Gilbert,
We’re both Christians. In life, we reap what we sow. Enough said.
Gilbert,
You should have turned on O’Toole like Byrne and I did. Our one shared moment of gusto and glory. And don’t believe for a moment that she won’t be running the strategic show come the election because quite frankly, no other CPC strategist has any desire to work with him. Speaks volumes, doesn’t it?
But not during the election like many did when they sat on their hands and cost us seats. That was unforgivable. His crime was that he misled folks. I have news about politicians….
Martin,
It was more than misled. He pretended to be someone he wasn’t. Won the leadership under false pretenses because our dimwits fell for his phoney bullshit. One guess for you as to who is snow jobbing the party right now…pretending that he has more than a snowball’s chances of winning in hell.
Warren,
Wake up, Conservatives! That is if you actually have enough brains to do so…Poilièvre 2.0 is laying the groundwork for this: an approximate repeat of Trump’s latest numbers.
From Quinnipiac:
“PRESIDENT TRUMP
Thirty-seven percent of voters approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president, while 55 percent disapprove. In Quinnipiac University’s July 16 poll, 40 percent of voters approved and 54 percent disapproved.
In today’s poll, Republicans (84 – 9 percent) approve, while Democrats (98 – 1 percent) and independents (58 – 31 percent) disapprove.”
Warren,
Yes, I AM full of myself and proud of it given that I’m right again. The cult of personality is the most undefined factor in voter preference, far outpacing feelings about Trump.
From Nanos:
Preferred PM: Carney 53%, Poilièvre 27%. Only a TWENTY-SIX-point lead. Sounds familiar? Oh yes, we remember that thirty-point lead that Pierre blew.
Top Issue in Canadian politics: TRUMP: 22%.
https://nanos.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Political-Package-2025-08-22-FOR-RELEASE.pdf
Canada’s economy is now shrinking. There is divestment instead of investment. Oh, but don’t worry. Prime Minister Carney’s American stocks are doing very well. In my opinion, most voters focus on their wallets.
Gilbert,
Yes it came in as the second most important issue. But take political affiliation out of the mix and ask yourself this question: did I ever vote for a party whose leader I didn’t like? My guess is that most people would answer No. I’ve never voted that way except in 2004 and 2006 when I was involved locally in a CPC campaign. Always voted for Deltell in my riding but next time will more than likely not vote if Mr. Wonderful is still our leader. God knows I can’t vote Liberal, Bloc or NDP. What a choice: a government chock full of incompetents versus my own party led by a first-class asshole…