Palma Violets and SFH anarchy!

It was Anarchy in TO last night at The Garrison: before a sold-out crowd, the Violets and SFH (and Emma, and crew) onstage together for a shambolic, crazed version of ‘Invasion of the Tribbles.’ It was one for the ages. (Bjorn and Steve Deceive, you were missed.)

 Left to right: Chilli, moi, Sam, Niblet, Pete. Pic by Lala.  


Palma Violets and SFH SOLD OUT!

If you were planning on buying your ticket at the door for tonight’s show, sorry to say but it’s SOLD OUT. For those who got a ticket, see you tonight at The Garrison. PATV is on at 10, us at 11, and the Palma Violets at midnight!

  


I think the Thomsons, Westons, Pattisons and Irvings receive quite enough benefits, don’t you?

Maybe it’s because it’s been a while since my book on this income inequality thing. Maybe it’s because the Occupy kids have moved on. Maybe it’s because I’m missing something. 

But saying this: “Benefiting every single family isn’t what’s fair.”

I don’t see what’s wrong with that. 

Sure, Justin Trudeau has made some verbal flubs. Sure, he isn’t as polished as Angry Tom, or whomever. But saying the 99 per cent deserve more benefits from their government than the one per cent? I don’t see that as a mistake. 

I see that as good politics. 


Debate-change, game-changer

Wow.

“The federal Conservative Party says it won’t participate in the traditional leaders’ debates run by a consortium of broadcasters including CBC, CTV and Global and will instead accept up to five independently staged debates in the run-up to the fall federal election.

The decision by the Harper Conservatives appears to deal a serious if not fatal blow to the near-monopoly that broadcasters such as CBC have had in determining how federal political leaders square off before national votes.

Conservative campaign spokesman Kory Teneycke said the Tories have already accepted proposals for two new rival debates – one organized by Maclean’s magazine and its owner Rogers, and the other by French-language broadcaster TVA.

The Conservative decision now puts pressure on other federal political parties to follow suit.

The NDP said they have accepted the TVA and Maclean’s debate invites, as well as one put forward by an initiative on women’s equality called Up for Debate.”

Some of us predicted this a while ago – but now it has actually happened.

What does it mean? It means the Tories – and, I suspect, the Dippers – believe that Justin Trudeau is not going to do very well in those debates.  That he is going to make a mistake. That it is going to be, as one Grit recently said to me, “two men and a baby.” Why else make such a dramatic move, were not that the case? Why else do it, if you didn’t already know the Grit team is nervous?

To those of you doing Trudeau’s debate prep? No pressure, but the future of the Liberal Party of Canada depends on you, pretty much.


This CBC story is recklessly false (updated a record three times)

I like the writer, but this story is a pile of anti-Israel horseshit.

In particular:

  • Contrary to what this polemic suggests, ethnic origin was long part of the Criminal Code provision. A big factual error.
  • Supporters of anti-Israel efforts are given lots of space to say whatever the Hell they want. The other side isn’t.
  • The story simply does not back up the shocker of a headline, that the federal government is “threatening” critics of Israel with criminal charges.  The screed is loaded with phrases and words like “could,” “would be,” “if,” “appears,” and so on.  There is no proof, anywhere, that Ottawa has charged a single person or group.
  • And that raises another factual error: to prosecute a hate crime, you first need the approval of the provincial Attorney General – not “Ottawa.”
  • That’s not all.  The CBC piece even alleges that groups and individuals are under illegal surveillance, without offering an iota of proof.

And so on, and so on.

I’m no fan of the leadership of the lead lobbyists for the Canada-Israel cause, to say the least.  They – and their top lobbyist in particular – have alienated many life-long supporters of Israel, like me. I dislike him intensely.

But this CBC tale is unfair and inaccurate, and the CBC should acknowledge as much.

UPDATE: The CBC’s online editor declared I was “wrong” about all of this on Twitter. Then HuffPo let us know that CBC is quietly changing the headline on the story. I should have made a screen cap before CBC disappeared the headline!

UPDATER: And get this – the reporter wasn’t even sourcing Blaney, but some junior departmental spox!

UPDATEST: And look what was still over on NNW! The totally-bogus, totally-inaccurate original headline!

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