Yeah, I've felt that way for a little while now.
New Ontario poll
Sat, 2010-10-02 19:35
#102
Sat, 2010-10-02 20:46
#103
I get the impression that on a purely personal level, Mulroney was way more charming than the utterly charmless Harper. On the other hand Mulroney was also very corrupt and he and half his cabinet seemed to be taking bribes etc...I am not aware of Harper personally stealing money to line his own pocket. In terms of substance Mulroney was responsible for calamities like Free Trade and the GST and for almost blowing the country apart with his stupid constitutional fiascos. Its hard to think of any concrete policy of Harper's that historians will say left a mark on Canada after he's gone.
Before his election, Mulroney was CEO for the Iron Ore Company of Canada, Ltd., an outfit I worked for 50 years ago (the QNS&L Railway). Mulroney was given the task of shutting down the community of Schefferville, which, with lots of bonhomme, he accomplished, almost without notice, elsewhere.
Mulroney was the perfect comprador...he defines the concept. Steve is as well, but in a more complex, Straussian fashion, hiding behind a militaristic facade of nationalism. Hell, he's even writing a book on hockey. :)
Sat, 2010-10-02 22:21
#104
Cueball
Sun, 2010-10-03 12:25
#105
The cartoon would've been complete if it had included something about Smitherman removing unions right to strike, with some tut-tutting from downtown liberal types with wine glasses in their hands, happy that they have been saved from Ford.
Sun, 2010-10-03 13:42
#106
Of course, one should add that the City of Toronto has no jurisdiction at all over who has the "right to strike" and who doesn't. Only the province can pass legislation to make (for example) transit or garbage collection an essential service where striking is banned. Its common knowledge that the province and the city don't really want to do this since when you take away the right to strike - you end up having binding arbitration to get a settlement - and that almost always ends up getting better settlement for the union than anything they would get as a result of a strike. So it would actually cost the city even more than the status quo.
The unions representing garbage anbd transit probably secretely probably wish that those services were declared "essential". - they would get better pay and benefits and they wouldn't have to go through messy strikes.
Mon, 2010-10-04 08:41
#107
No, but they can add "no strike" clauses to contracts, or contract the work out to a non-unionized company. Same difference.
Mon, 2010-10-04 10:24
#108
Cueball
The idea that binding arbitration will ultimately end up as making for better settlements in the end is conjecture based in the fact that they have previously been used in cases where the unions involved do actually represent essential services. Moving to a situation where all labour is categorized as an essential service, sinply because removing it inconveniences some people and disrupts commerce, and all labour disputes are resolved by government agencies staffed with government appointees would ultimately mean that Canadian labour unions had a status similar to that of Chinese government sponsored labour unions.
Furthermore Smitherman, with his well established connections to the provincial government not only has the power sub-contract out labour with companies that sign "no strike" clauses but also may have the abililty to get the Provincial government to assist him in changing the Ontario Labour Code, or identifying certain sectors as essential services, not to mention just issuing back to work legislation. Another reason that Smitherman is more dangerous than Ford.
It is quite clear to me that Smitherman's proposed attack upon the city garbage workers is the thin edge of the wedge aimed at all unions, starting with the most politically vulnerable.
Mon, 2010-10-04 11:38
#109
I've long felt that a lot of the hate for Ford is based on aesthetics, not policy. The idea of someone who likes red-meat and occasionally says stupid things is what turns people off. In so far as he has any political ideology at all, it seems to be perfectly interchangeable with Smitherman.
I guess this is what happens when people confuse politics with marketing.
Mon, 2010-10-04 11:43
#110
Cueball
Indeed, the Elephant in the room is that the Ford vote is in a large part an anti-Smitherman/McGuinty vote. It's an anybody but Smitherman race, really. If he were to drop out tomorrow the whole playing field would change.
Mon, 2010-10-04 12:03
#111
"It is quite clear to me that Smitherman's proposed attack upon the city garbage workers is the thin edge of the wedge aimed at all unions, starting with the most politically vulnerable."
All I can say is "I hate to say i told you so, but i told you so". When the CUPE strike happened in Toronto last summer over that ridiculous cash-back for not getting sick provision, i warned that the whole strike and the Grade Z communications by union locals of the issues would lead to massive damage to the image of the labour movement in Toronto and would likely lead to a rightwing backlash and heavily damage the image of the most "labour-friendly" city administration Toronto has ever had. I'm sorry to say that it looks like all my predictions have come true. The strike played into the hands of Rob Ford and George Smitherman to an extent no one could have ever dreamed of.
Mon, 2010-10-04 12:16
#112
Rob Ford has a hate on for non-profit delivered, government funded services. ie. settlement services, homeless services. George Smitherman doesn't. Anyone in the non-profit sector should be very scared of Ford. Huge
Mon, 2010-10-04 12:17
#113
Whoa, quintuple post....
Mon, 2010-10-04 12:18
#114
qp
Mon, 2010-10-04 12:18
#115
qp
Mon, 2010-10-04 12:19
#116
qp
Mon, 2010-10-04 12:25
#117
Cueball
Rob Ford has a hate on for non-profit delivered, government funded services. ie. settlement services, homeless services. George Smitherman doesn't. Anyone in the non-profit sector should be very scared of Ford. Huge
No explanation for how Smitherman is going to preserve these non-profit institutions and freeze taxes. Indeed Rob Ford is more progressive on this point than Smitherman, since he is willing to icnrease property tax at the rate of inflation, which at least in part will preserve the funding base that keeps such programs alive.
Smitherman knows how to use the right socially sensitive pitter patter at debates, but if he is going to cut funding at the root, he is going to cut funding at the branch, and as he says he will prioritize "core services" (sic).
Mon, 2010-10-04 12:27
#118
The cartoon is only half-right. Rob Ford would become the MPP for Etobicoke North (not Etobicoke, as stated), but not in a Hudak majority. I get the feeling we're going back to 1985 and all that entails. Ford would be left to fulminate on the back-benches, as even the PCers would realise he'd lose them as many votes as he'd gain for them.
Mon, 2010-10-04 12:30
#119
I guess Stockholm disagrees?
Mon, 2010-10-04 12:33
#120
Funny how the strike is because of Unions, and not the City's inflexibility. One could've easily written that David Miller's stance towards the unions would lead to a right-wing backlash. Yet no one ever writes that.
Mon, 2010-10-04 12:34
#121
Cueball
"It is quite clear to me that Smitherman's proposed attack upon the city garbage workers is the thin edge of the wedge aimed at all unions, starting with the most politically vulnerable."
All I can say is "I hate to say i told you so, but i told you so". When the CUPE strike happened in Toronto last summer over that ridiculous cash-back for not getting sick provision, i warned that the whole strike and the Grade Z communications by union locals of the issues would lead to massive damage to the image of the labour movement in Toronto and would likely lead to a rightwing backlash and heavily damage the image of the most "labour-friendly" city administration Toronto has ever had. I'm sorry to say that it looks like all my predictions have come true. The strike played into the hands of Rob Ford and George Smitherman to an extent no one could have ever dreamed of.
I know Stockholm. Of course you are right. Unions should stop striking in order to prevent the right-wing coming along and removing their right to strike. 
What should really stop happening is that the "left" should stop picking stupid fights with unions about ridiculous and easily negotiated terms of the collective contract in order to try and prove they are being tough on organized labour. Miller picked a dumb fight with the CUPE over an clause in CUPE retirement package that gave them the same deal that Miller agreed to with all the other unions (firefighters etc.) in the context of city council giving itself a raise.
Very insulting and stupid. Miller picked that fight and lost.
But of course unions to bow down to stupid and unreasonable demands made by Stockholms friends, so as to avoid having to bow down to stupid and unreasonable demands made by Stockholms enemies.
Mon, 2010-10-04 13:14
#122
I actually thought the strike at York U was completely justified - the garbage strike was another matter. Someday perhaps we will get the inside story on how that "game of chicken" came to a head. But the there is no question that the municipal workers strike was a public relations disaster for the labour movement. Even if you think that they were justified in striking to keep getting paid for not getting sick - there seemed to be no communications strategy at all and no attempt to get the public to understand what was at stake for the municipal workers. instead the union acted as if the public was the enemy.
You can be dismissive and say "big deal, who cares about public relations - we got most of what we wanted out of the strike" - but in the medium term public relations disasters have consequences - and in this case the "consequence" is the likely accession to power of either Ford or Smitherman - choose your poison. With either of them in power - even if municipal workers retain the right to strike, next time either of these men as mahyor will not hesitate to bring in replacement workers and the strike will be broken like a twig being snapped over someone's knee.
Mon, 2010-10-04 13:20
#123
Cueball
You mean the clause in the collective agreement which punished workers for getting sick by reducing their take home pension?
Mon, 2010-10-04 15:43
#124
Catchfire
Long thread!
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