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Wednesday July 24, 2019

July 24, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday July 24, 2019

Boris Johnson prepares to take the reins of power as U.K.’s next PM

June 27, 2016

Boris Johnson takes office on Wednesday as U.K. prime minister, and will unveil the names of the team he has tasked with delivering Brexit by the end of October, with or without a deal.

Johnson enters Downing Street at one of the most perilous junctures in post-World War British history — the United Kingdom is divided over Brexit and weakened by a three-year political crisis since the Brexit referendum.

His pledge to energize the country and deliver Brexit — do or die — on Oct. 31 sets the United Kingdom up for a showdown with the European Union and thrusts it towards a potential constitutional crisis, or election, at home.

June 22, 2016

“Like some slumbering giant we are going to rise and ping off the guy-ropes of self-doubt and negativity,” Johnson, 55, said on Tuesday after he was elected by Conservative Party members.

“We are going to energize the country. We are going to get Brexit done on Oct. 31 and we are going to take advantage of all the opportunities it will bring in a new spirit of can do.”

Wednesday will combine arcane British political choreography with the realpolitik of appointing a new government — likely to be heavy on Brexit supporters.

January 18, 2019

Prime Minister Theresa May will leave Downing Street after a three-year premiership that was mired by crises over Brexit. She will travel to Buckingham Palace to formally tender her resignation to the Queen.

Johnson will then have an audience with the Queen, who will request he form an administration. His formal title will be prime minister and first lord of the Treasury.”

He will enter Downing Street in the afternoon and is expected to give a speech before appointing key members of the government — names that could give a hint of how he will handle Brexit, the U.K.’s most significant decision in decades.

June 25, 2016

“Boris will build a cabinet showcasing all the talents within the party that truly reflect modern Britain,” a source close to Johnson said.

But Johnson — known for his ambition, mop of blonde hair, flowery oratory and a cursory command of detail — must solve a series of riddles if he is to succeed where May failed.

The 2016 Brexit referendum showed a United Kingdom divided about much more than the European Union, and has fuelled soul-searching about everything from secession and immigration to capitalism, empire and modern Britishness.

The pound is weak, the economy is at risk of recession, allies are in despair at the Brexit crisis and foes are testing the the U.K.’s vulnerability.

March 30, 2017

His party has no majority in Parliament, so the Conservatives only govern with the support of 10 lawmakers from the Brexit-backing Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland.

While Johnson said he does not want an early election, some lawmakers have vowed to thwart any attempt to leave the EU without a divorce deal. Brexit Party Leader Nigel Farage said he was open to an electoral pact with Johnson.

Investors are braced to see who will be handed the top jobs such as finance minister, foreign secretary and Brexit minister. (CBC) 

 

Wednesday July 10, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday July 10, 2019

Doug Ford says he acted ‘immediately’ on patronage scandal caused by former chief of staff Dean French

Premier Doug Ford says he addressed the patronage scandal created by his former chief of staff Dean French “immediately.”

June 27, 2019

Taking media questions in public for the first time since the controversy broke late last month, Ford — in Alberta Monday for the Calgary Stampede before heading to a meeting of premiers in Saskatoon — said “you know something, I think I addressed that pretty quickly. As a matter of fact, I addressed that immediately when we were in Toronto.”

However, he added, “we aren’t here to talk about Dean French. We’re here to talk about internal trade. This is the first opportunity this country has ever seen in recent memory that from coast to coast, from the east to the west, we have like-minded premiers” which is “incredible for the entire nation.”

Ford also accused the media of wanting “to get into the weeds” when the public wants to know about jobs and the economy.

“Do you really think when I walk down the street in Alberta, people worry about Dean French?” Ford added.

Opposition critics immediately slammed Ford. NDP MP Taras Natyshak (Essex) said the premier was “hiding out instead of taking responsibility for the patronage appointment scandal that has rocked his government,” adding he “finally popped his head up only to pass the buck in Cowtown.”

April 17, 2019

Natyshak said “make no mistake about it, Doug Ford is the conductor of his own gravy train. He hands out tickets to his cronies and he ditches them when he gets caught. Ontarians expect better conduct from the premier of this province.”

Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser said Ford’s evasiveness when asked about French “demonstrates a lack of respect for the people of Ontario.”

The Calgary gathering of five premiers — Ford, Alberta’s Jason Kenney, Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe, Blaine Higgs of New Brunswick and Bob McLeod of Northwest Territories — comes ahead of this week’s meeting of all premiers and territorial leaders at the Council of the Federation.

Kenney characterized the pre-meeting — which included a visit to the Calgary Stampede — as a “brief and fairly informal get-together” to talk about jobs and the economy.

Moe, the host of this year’s federation meeting in Saskatoon, said the five are a “table of mutual interest” and not an ideological group, despite their similar political leanings. (Hamilton Spectator)  

 

Tuesday April 12, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Tuesday April 12, 2016 Mulcair 'a lame duck,' says political scientist on NDP convention results Tom Mulcair wanted a robust vote for his NDP leadership at this weekend's party convention in Edmonton in order to stay on as leader. He got something less, with 52 per cent of delegates voting yes to a leadership race. "I think that was going to be a difficult leadership review for him but I never imagined he would get as low a number as he got. I was thinking somewhere in the 60s but not 48 per cent," Bratt tells CBC News. "To put this into context the last time a major federal party leader lost a leadership review was Joe Clark in 1983. Joe Clark got 67 per cent support." Bratt says the defeat can be, in part, attributed to disappointing federal election results in October. "He was leading in the polls when the campaign began and they ended up as the third place party," Bratt said. "But second, he moved the party more towards the centre, particularly on budgets. He said they were going to run a balanced budget, and allow the Trudeau Liberals to outflank them on the left. So I think there was opposition within his party about how he lost and why he lost." Mulcair has said he would stay on as interim leader until a new leader is chosen, which could take up to two years. "He is a lame duck. This isn't a case like Rona Ambrose who is the interim leader of the Conservatives. This is a very different situation where he has been publicly defeated by his party yet continues to lead them. Once that is done I think Mulcair's political career is over." Bratt said at the top of the list of conflicts the next leader will face is a document pushing for a very different approach to environmental issues than the status quo. "The other major division within the party besides over leadership was over this Leap Manifesto which is a very radical document, significantly altering capitalism, getting rid of fossil fuel

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday April 12, 2016

Mulcair ‘a lame duck,’ says political scientist on NDP convention results

Tom Mulcair wanted a robust vote for his NDP leadership at this weekend’s party convention in Edmonton in order to stay on as leader.

He got something less, with 52 per cent of delegates voting yes to a leadership race.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð December 10, 2003 Tory stalwart Joe Clark partyless The new Conservative Party of Canada lost three MPs yesterday, hours after a proud announcement that it had officially registered for business and begun operations. Former Tory leader Joe Clark and fellow MPs Andre Bachand of Quebec and John Herron of New Brunswick said they couldn't bring themselves to participate in the new organization, formed through a merger with the Canadian Alliance. "This is not my party," Clark said as he arrived for what he called his last Tory caucus meeting. "This is something entirely new. I will not be part of this new party." Herron, like Clark, said he had notified Speaker Peter Milliken that he would serve out his current term but would keep calling himself a Progressive Conservative -- the old party name that was ditched in the merger. "I sought a mandate to be elected as a Progressive Conservative," Herron said. "I plan on fulfilling my mandate." In effect, Clark and Herron will be treated as independents under Commons rules, with reduced opportunity to ask questions, participate in debates and serve on committees. Bachand, who has been courted by the federal Liberals, said he hasn't decided whether to remain in politics but, if he does, it won't be under the banner of the new Conservative party. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) Canada, long good-bye, Jean Chretien, Joe Clark, Progressive , Conservative, Reform, merger, leadership

2003 – Long Good-byes

“I think that was going to be a difficult leadership review for him but I never imagined he would get as low a number as he got. I was thinking somewhere in the 60s but not 48 per cent,” Bratt tells CBC News.

“To put this into context the last time a major federal party leader lost a leadership review was Joe Clark in 1983. Joe Clark got 67 per cent support.”

Bratt says the defeat can be, in part, attributed to disappointing federal election results in October.

“He was leading in the polls when the campaign began and they ended up as the third place party,” Bratt said.

“But second, he moved the party more towards the centre, particularly on budgets. He said they were going to run a balanced budget, and allow the Trudeau Liberals to outflank them on the left. So I think there was opposition within his party about how he lost and why he lost.”

Mulcair has said he would stay on as interim leader until a new leader is chosen, which could take up to two years.

“He is a lame duck. This isn’t a case like Rona Ambrose who is the interim leader of the Conservatives. This is a very different situation where he has been publicly defeated by his party yet continues to lead them. Once that is done I think Mulcair’s political career is over.”

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Wednesday March 29, 2006 PM given ultimatum Opposition party leaders warned recently that they are willing to bring down Stephen Harper's minority government if it does not change its course -- particularly on the Tory promise to provide a child-care subsidy to parents -- in the next two weeks. In separate meetings with the Prime Minister, interim Liberal leader Bill Graham and the Bloc Quebecois' Gilles Duceppe reminded the Conservative leader his party is outnumbered in the House of Commons and urged him to compromise on the government agenda as he drafts his Throne Speech. The speech, which will be delivered by Governor-General Michaelle Jean on April 4, sets out the agenda for the coming parliamentary session and will be passed or defeated in a confidence vote that could spark another election. Mr. Graham insisted the Liberals are willing to face the consequences of a confidence vote even though they won't have a new leader until December and are still struggling with the fallout of the party's defeat in January. He laid out his party's well-known concerns about the Tory agenda, including the fate of a $5-billion deal -- signed by the Liberals last year -- to improve living conditions for aboriginals, opposition to a cut to the Goods and Services Tax and Mr. Harper's promise to pull out of child-care agreements that were also signed by the previous Liberal government (Source: National Post) http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=dd0f2d4c-60ec-404c-8451-05c353046371 Canada, Parliament, Bill Graham, interim, Ralph Goodale, GST, Child Care, Liberal, Light, Brigade, charge

2006 – Liberal Turmoil

Bratt said at the top of the list of conflicts the next leader will face is a document pushing for a very different approach to environmental issues than the status quo.

“The other major division within the party besides over leadership was over this Leap Manifesto which is a very radical document, significantly altering capitalism, getting rid of fossil fuels, banning any future pipelines. The [federal] NDP passed a resolution to continue debating and discussing this at the grass roots level,” he said.

Rachel Notley’s provincial NDP has come out in opposition to the manifesto.

“This will be a defining feature of the [federal] leadership race. What is their position on the Leap Manifesto? I saw an obvious split between the worker wing of the party and the environmental wing of the party and it is going to be difficult to bring those two together,” Bratt said.

“That is going to be the real challenge of any future leader.” (Source: CBC News)

 

Feedback – Letter to the Editor, Hamilton Spectator, April 18, 2016

A cruel fate for Tom Mulcair

RE: Editorial cartoon and editorial, Monday April 11

The effective headless horseman cartoon of horse/Mulcair and the editorial reminder of a political execution completed last weekend did a fine job of capturing this sordid event.

As one who looked for change last October, I appreciate to this day Mr. Mulcair’s skilful work in opposition. At every opportunity during Question Period in Parliament, he exposed the stonewalling by Mr. Harper and his designated spokespeople, all of whom tried to defuse questions with their own concocted ones or refused to give any pertinent answers.

Surely there is much blame to go around in the NDP about why such a promising situation, mere months before the election, changed so quickly But indeed politics is a blood sport.

With few exceptions, the change last Oct. 19 was not desired by the majority of mainstream media. For the first time social media such as Facebook played a huge role in involving many groups representing well over a million Canadians, looking for new leadership. Voter turnout increased to 68.5 per cent from 61.2 per cent 2011; quite remarkable considering the antics of the then-government in trying to keep voters away from the polls

Thank you Thomas Mulcair for all your hard work; you deserved much classier treatment.

Richard Ring, Grimsby

 

Tuesday January 20, 2004

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 20, 2004

Black: Sacked, sued and selling

Conrad Black’s days as a newspaper baron are over.

Capping months of turbulence and accusations of self-dealing and diverting company money, Black agreed yesterday to sell his controlling stake in Hollinger Inc. to British billionaire twin brothers David and Frederick Barclay as part of a takeover offer valued at $605.5 million.

Conrad Black Cartoon Gallery

The Barclay brothers’ Press Holdings International Ltd., which already owns several British newspapers including the Scotsman, as well as London’s Ritz Hotel, would pay $423.8 million in cash and assume debt of $181.7 million.

The Barclays said they have an irrevocable agreement with Ravelston Corp., Black’s investment vehicle, to buy its 78 per cent stake in Hollinger Inc. The brothers will then offer to buy out minority shareholders.

“I am delighted that we have been able to enter into this agreement and I have no doubt that the financial strength and direction that we can bring will allow the group to flourish, ” said David Barclay, whose company is based in the Channel Islands between Britain and France.

Based in Toronto, Hollinger Inc. controls U.S. subsidiary Hollinger International Inc., the publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Jerusalem Post and flagship London Daily Telegraph.

Hollinger Inc., which as recently as 1999 controlled 60 per cent of Canada’s daily newspapers, still owns 13 Canadian dailies, including the Kamloops Daily News in British Columbia, and Quebec’s Sherbrooke Record.

In a statement yesterday, Black said it would be “distressing” to part with the newspapers, “but these fine titles must not be hobbled any longer by the current controversies and financial uncertainty.”

Black’s agreement to sell his interest in the media empire came a day after Hollinger International announced it had fired Black as chairman and filed a $200 million (U.S.) lawsuit against Black, his investment firms, and David Radler, Black’s former top director. The company alleged Black, a member of Britain’s House of Lords, siphoned company money away from investors and altered financial statements. (Toronto Star, 1/19/2004, A1)