“Hill Times Wise Guy, Sun columnist and seasoned Liberal strategist Warren Kinsella has managed to take a break from his many side projects to write a book.

Fight the Right: A Manual for Surviving the Coming Conservative Apocalypse is set for release on October 2, but diehard fans can pre-order the 256-page tome online through Amazon. The book promises to be a political survival guide for the “nasty, brutish and short-sighted era in which we find ourselves, ”and offers progressives insights into the inner workings of the conservative mind. The book also promises to be a guide for those planning to launch a progressive advocacy effort, and gives historical examples of progressive campaign victories ranging from Jean Chrétien to RFK Jr. And that’s not all — Mr. Kinsella promises to forcefully argue that Canada’s Conservatives cannot be defeated “until a United Left emerges.”

Conservatives shouldn’t be scared away by the title, though. In a posting on his blog, warrenkinsella.com, last week, Mr. Kinsella wrote,“I don’t hate Stephen Harper…that doesn’t mean we agree with many of his policies — we of course don’t — but we don’t see the man as evil incarnate, either.”

Seriously though, get ready for the apocalypse.”

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The Flying Dutchman of Toronto Politics has made his choice: his choice is accordingly doomed.

Listen to Lasch. But Globians, by all means put it on the front page.

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Jason Kenney? Peter McKay? It is to laugh.

When Harper departs, they’re pooched.

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Don’t let the door hit you on your way out, etc.

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Ritalin Boy, Davey Snot and me. Love the grainy feel. Shows fewer wrinkles.

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It haunts us still.

The Quebec question, that is. With Quebec Liberals now edging ahead of separatist Parti Quebecois rivals — by a whopping single digit, according to a June poll by the Leger agency — Premier Jean Charest is now considering pulling the plug and calling an election for Sept. 4.

What if he loses? What does it mean for Quebecois, and the rest of Canada?

For Charest, the rationale for going now is plain. The global economy is in serious decline once again, and all of Canada will inevitably be hurt by that. The lead that PQ leader Pauline Marois once enjoyed has evaporated. The fledgling Coalition Avenir Quebec party hasn’t caught on yet.

And, for some Quebec Liberals, they figure it is better to go now (when things aren’t so bad) than to go later (when things are likely to be worse).

Maybe. Perhaps. But what if that political shorthand is wrong?

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I don’t hate Stephen Harper. (Don’t really hate anyone, in fact: when I hate someone, I’m not content to simply stew about it. I go out and do something about it.)

I was thinking about this yesterday, as I laboured to build a floating dock. (It’ll be fine as long as none of you step on it, BTW.) Harper had been very kind to my family when my Dad died, and we will never forget that.

That doesn’t mean we agree with many of his policies – we of course don’t – but we don’t see the man as evil incarnate, either.

Dan Gardner this morn on the Harper Haters:

“This [Calgary-is-best remark] reveals the prime minister’s divisiveness, people said. His arrogance. His insensitivity. Why, it’s yet more evidence that Stephen Harper is the worst prime minister. Ever. The word “fascist” may even have slipped in there somewhere. It usually does.”

Gardner goes on to say that social media is to blame for a lot of this. Unless I’m reading him wrong, he’s saying social media largely created Harper hate.

If so, he’s wrong on three counts.

One, social media doesn’t actually create anything. It’s a noisy, chaotic mirror. It simply reflects what is already there.

Two, “hate” is too strong a word. Writing for the Sun, or being a liberal on the conservative-dominated blogosweird, I get called more nasty names in a day than you will in a lifetime. But I know most of what I get isn’t hate – it’s just bad tempter, or undiagnosed mental illness. Almost always, the critics calm down; sometimes, we even end up being pen pals.

Three, Harper is a unique case. He’s not ever the norm in any baseline social media analysis. With the recent exception of Angry Tom Mulcair, Harper has practiced the politics of division more than any politician in living memory. You reap what you sow, etc.

Anyway, read Gardner. You won’t hate him for it.

I think.

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Got up to cabin with daughter and her fellow camp counselor, both on one-day furloughs, around 10:30. Roxy, who is dumb as a post, acting weird. Neighbour down the way calls out to keep dog in – “there’s a big fisher about.”

They’re nasty bastards (the fishers, not the neighbours), and I doubt the dog would win a scrap with (what sounds like) a big male fisher.

Assuming I have, er, sufficient firepower (and you should), is there any chance I could dissaude said fisher from eating my dog?

Input welcome, as always. Over and out.

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