Category: Democracy

Defenders of democracy must speak out – UPDATED

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I told Michael James, the writer recently featured here, that I wished more journalists had the strength of character to oppose authoritarianism now threatening democracy. Doing so involves professional risks because the Trump/Musk administration is supported by plutocrats who control major parts of the USA economy. There are also risks to an individual’s safety and well-being because one of the persons currently exercising power has pardoned dangerous criminals and marshalled massive numbers of would-be oppressors who, like him, ought to be in jail.

Is democracy doomed in North America?

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With the Musk/Trump administration ripping huge holes in America’s social safety net, it is frightening to observe how major media properties have sagged onto bended knees to pay homage to wealth and power. There is a parallel to Germany in the 1930s. There, political leaders took control of media that did not serve the Nazi Party. A cocktail of naked opportunism and misplaced arrogance among the country’s most powerful men facilitated the rise of the Third Reich. With the media silenced or controlled, it was relatively easy for evil men to consolidate power and punish opponents…

Michael James update…

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Mr. James posted a follow-up to the short essay he recently published on Facebook. His first piece was shared tens of thousands of times, but it attracted many hateful responses. According to James, Trump supporters reacted with threats, insults and rage. Many people favour freedom of speech only when they agree with what is spoken. Commentators on both sides of the political spectrum tend to oppose words that go against their personal values or beliefs.

Demagoguery

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On the information platform Medium, Jack Dallaire describes himself: “Former tech CEO turned journalist-in-training. Psychology degree holder with a mission to uncover how tech giants are shaping a digital dystopia.” He wrote a piece about Pierre Poilievre that is worth attention.

Sabotage, not reform

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Poilievre has been heartily endorsed by Elon Musk and Trump promoter Megyn Kelly. To people on the far-right, those are meaningful endorsements. To humane conservatives, centrists, and progressives, any government person in the Trump/Musk orbit is frightening. New York Times essayist David Wallace-Wells wrote about the Trump/Musk administration, but his words suggest Canada’s future if Pierre Poilivre is elected Prime Minister.

Democracy, taken for granted and less valued

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While BC voters moved to the right in October, the voting pattern was not substantially different than in earlier times. The same cannot be said for the USA. More than half of American voters supported a misogynist, racist, criminal for President. The simplest explanations for the November result are a disdain for democracy and a willingness to embrace totalitarianism. Canada is experiencing its own shift to the far-right…

Post election comments

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The NDP holds one more seat in the Legislature than the BC Conservatives. David Eby will continue as Premier by depending on support from Rob Botterall and Jeremy Valeriote, two elected Green Party members. With all ballot boxes counted, material change is unlikely when the final count is released on October 26. John Rustad’s right-wing coalition will form the Official Opposition but it is an unstable group. Newly elected centre-right Conservatives are wary of far-right radicals and will fight them for control of the party.

A Step Too Far

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A Facebook post by Gordon F.D. Wilson, the BC Liberal leader who was pushed aside in 1993 by big business interests who wished to install the more submissive Gordon Campbell. Wilson’s comments are so good they are worth repeating here.

Democracy is threatened

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Elections in the next few months will alter governments in three Canadian provinces, as well as in Washington DC, and in all states of the USA. Justin Trudeau will call a Canadian federal election in less than a year. Journalism we can trust is vital at all times, especially in late 2024 and early 2025. Voters can find endless information from many sources, but we need accurate and thorough information to make informed decisions. Democracy cannot survive if voters are uninformed or misinformed.

Rage farming

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J.D. Blackburn is focused on Pierre Poilievre, but lies and demagoguery are part of the right-wing, conservative playbook. With less than ten weeks before BC’s provincial election, expect to see numerous examples on display. I quote from Blackburn’s article…

“You won’t have to vote anymore”

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Dan Rather was a star of the news business for years before he left CBS. From the 1980s to the mid-2000s, Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw, and Dan Rather were the “Big Three” of TV news in the USA. At the peak, about one in five Americans watched them. Today, about one in twenty Americans see flagship news shows of the legacy networks…

The fragile state of democracy in 2024

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In a 2022 virtual appearance at the University of Toronto, Canadian Margaret Atwood talked about the future of democracy. She warned about the “deliberate creation of chaos” by those who prefer authoritarianism. Financial Times editor Roula Khalaf said Atwood’s appearance was part of an editorial initiative to provide expert commentary about the fragile state of democracy in 2024.