A Perfectly Cromulent Politics Blog
When procrastinating from law school, I write about politics, tech, or whatever else I'm interested in. Feel free to tweet me up (@devinjohnston).
When procrastinating from law school, I write about politics, tech, or whatever else I'm interested in. Feel free to tweet me up (@devinjohnston).
Posted by Devin Johnston on January 25th, 2010
Canadian citizens are waking up from a long slumber. More than 27,000 people took to the streets this past weekend, in protest of Stephen Harper's prorogation of Parliament. Over 200,000 are voicing their concerns through emerging media. Against all odds, Saturday was indeed "a great day for democracy in Canada".
Posted by Devin Johnston on November 2nd, 2009
Federal NDP candidate Michael Byers has called for the Liberals and NDP to work together in the next election to prevent a Conservative majority. I have written previously about this topic, but it's worth exploring again in light of Byers' public call for cross-party co-operation.
Posted by Devin Johnston on August 25th, 2009
The NDP-Conservative coalition prematurely denounced by over-eager Liberal bloggers and twits never materialized. Instead, Jack Layton met with Stephen Harper to discuss New Democrats' deep dissatisfaction with the government's handling of Canadian citizens stranded abroad and employment insurance. Meanwhile, the Liberal-Conservative coalition is alive and well, as the Liberals close in on 100 votes of confidence in Stephen Harper since 2007. Meanwhile, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff is dispelling rumours that the Liberals will bring down the government this fall. Photo credit.
Posted by Devin Johnston on August 4th, 2009
At the upcoming federal convention in Halifax, New Democrats will vote on a resolution to drop the "New" from our party's name, making us the "Democratic Party of Canada". Facebook groups have sprung up both for and against the motion. The members of ""Keep the 'New' in the NDP" argue that this is "a bad move at a worse time". Meanwhile, their rivals in "Support Moving Forward, Support the Name Change" counter that "the NDP brand is hurting with many negatives attached to it both in Ontario and BC". For those who are indifferent or undecided, I've set up my own "Ambivalent About the Name Change" group. At the end of the day, it is not our name that defines us as a party; it is the form of our politics and the substance of our policies that matter. I think that we would do better to turn our collective energy toward these issues. I think that our party can win elections, lead governments and change the course of our country for the better. Our name will neither help nor hinder us this project: we just need to be the best political party anywhere ever (and we are).
