Interesting comments. I wonder if this related to the newer journalists being often 'elite' university educated and thus coming from the Establishment already. Unlike previous generations of journos who were often blue collar and inherently skeptical of authority, the cohort today is both aligned with the Establishment and credulous of it. I see a problem.
Right. For me that insight really came from Batya Ungar-Sargon. I am a McGill trained engineer, and have spent 1/2 of my career in fancy offices and 1/2 on the (literal) shop floor, test facilities and job sites, working with les cols bleues. I am grateful to have developed a more much more broad understanding of the world than I otherwise would have. In the past 15 years I have also spent considerable time in and around partisan political circles and the academic/intellectual/think tank/media crowd, and the disconnect between this class and ordinary people is striking. In one sense its always been this way, EXCEPT in times previous when the fourth or fifth estate was actually a trade, as you say. If there is one word today that for me really describes this group, its credulous. I see it every day. Its a problem.
By the way, I LOVED this - 'nicotine-fingered, devils breath' I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes I really miss my 60s/70s childhood in Montreal.
And then there is that old joke: "If you put 10 economists in a room, you'll get 11 opinions."
On that note, we once had a perfectly competent economist as Prime Minister, only to see the push to push him out, with all those "Harper" decals magically appearing on stop signs across the federation.
I'm not looking to replicate that exercise, but the anointed one the Liberals have banked on to elevate them, while dragging us into a dark place reserved for Second World nations intent on going down one more floor, all in the hopes they might find us an escalator (hello, Argentina!), is one whom I'll take a pass. Escalated commitment towards a failing course of action.
If they keep it up, there'll be a growing number of us in the West looking for the nearest exit ramp. Ontario and Quebec, you are free to carry on down that ramp without us.
As a third generation Albertan, I am completely immune to the separation threat. Alberta politicians have done nothing but vilify the federal government for decades, even to the point of refusing support to their constituents because it would make the feds look good.
Notley tried to govern like an actual adult, and negotiated the purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline, a success which voters promptly punished her for.
I am seriously convinced the Alberta political culture cannot function without a bogeyman. God forbid you did separate. Without the feds to blame everything on, you might go full Maga and start punishing minorities and immigrants.
Well, Spkaser, you're certainly free to glorify and extol the virtues of that one-term socialist wonder Rachel Notley and her failed party, but many Albertans came back to their senses once the vote-spliting Wildrose and PC options merged into what we now have in place. I cannot think of one accomplishment by Rachel Notley during her four years at the helm. Not even cozying up to Justin Trudeau accomplished anything, other a recent stint on that so-called Council of Canadians to offer up suggestions in the war that the Liberals say they're going to engage the Americans in, if Canadians will only reelect that disaster.
As a long-term Albertan, I'm not at all interested in making Ottawa look good, as I am in my province getting a far shake out of Confederation. 'Taxation Without Participation' is a Laurentian concept that has to go. Otherwise, there are greener pastures out there waiting to be discovered. The choice is all theirs: amend our federation framework or... see ya...
I think many electron-stained wretches have stopped asking questions because there is less hope than ever before of getting answers.
“First let me say …”.
“My party has always …”
“My opponent once met a man who danced with a girl who danced with the Prince of Wales …”
Etc. etc.
The semantic content of campaign journalism has crashed to nothing. The personpower and money that serious outlets once put into campaign coverage have also collapsed.
China and India have bigger Canadian campaign budgets than our political parties.
The social-media hellscape of dis-, mis-, and non-information has become voters’ primary (sole?) way of “learning” about issues and candidates.
And most of the “legacy” media is now on the payroll of one party, as in the 1930s and ‘40s when Montreal city-hall reporters used to not-very-furtively accept brown envelopes from a guy in a bad suit in the mayor’s office.
I say nothing of Rosie Barton.
I was involved in planning and managing coverage of many federal and provincial elections for a daily broadsheet. Campaign utility to voters was dwindling then, now it has collapsed. I know less today than when this campaign began.
What Carney is saying about all this proposed debt is EXACTLY what Morneau, Trudeau and Freeland have been saying for a decade, the same tired MMT borrowing alibi.
They said it wouldn’t depress the economy, cause inflation, damage us, and yet it did.
Carney was there in the background the whole time, kind of a MMT godfather figure.
Wrong then, wrong now.
Carney’s experience is with managing a currency
He has zero experience managing fiscal policy.
Any boomers who haven’t voted, note that the same proven wrong policy isn’t going to work now that Carney is in front of it instead of hiding in the shadows.
If their policy caused a depressed economy and created the housing crisis, what caused it in every other western country? Why are the economies even worse in countries who tried austerity policies?
In other words, let's all be responsible adults. I bet if anyone asked Carney that question, he would stand there stunned. He would have never thought he'd ever be questioned to that degree and wouldn't have a credible response. Your point about where the money is going to come from is one I've asked myself. And trust me, I wouldn't pass even the first mid-term in an economics or statistics course (I tried!). BTW, I love the comments made by readers of this post. It's reassuring to see many bright Canadians who have mastered critical thinking, may have a professional designation, and are very aware of what's "going on down on the shop floor", etc. I'm 77 and I'm finding the situation Canada has put itself in heartbreaking.
Your excellent post reminds us all just how heavily subsidized the Canadian media is by the Trudeau and Carney-led Liberal government, and quote from Ronald Reagan: “Government’s view of the economy could be summarized in a few short phrases. If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it.” Canada’s legacy media has stopped moving, and despite the subsidizes, shows no signs of life. Like their American media cousins, they are broken.
I question that too. I'm no expert but I think we need to be focusing more on what things we can do within our country to improve our productivity, use more of our wonderful natural resources, better fund our military and NATO, fast track interprovincial professional and trade qualifications and products.
Interesting comments. I wonder if this related to the newer journalists being often 'elite' university educated and thus coming from the Establishment already. Unlike previous generations of journos who were often blue collar and inherently skeptical of authority, the cohort today is both aligned with the Establishment and credulous of it. I see a problem.
I have to agree that’s a big part of it. I entered a trade. They became professionals. The shop floor talks back.
Right. For me that insight really came from Batya Ungar-Sargon. I am a McGill trained engineer, and have spent 1/2 of my career in fancy offices and 1/2 on the (literal) shop floor, test facilities and job sites, working with les cols bleues. I am grateful to have developed a more much more broad understanding of the world than I otherwise would have. In the past 15 years I have also spent considerable time in and around partisan political circles and the academic/intellectual/think tank/media crowd, and the disconnect between this class and ordinary people is striking. In one sense its always been this way, EXCEPT in times previous when the fourth or fifth estate was actually a trade, as you say. If there is one word today that for me really describes this group, its credulous. I see it every day. Its a problem.
By the way, I LOVED this - 'nicotine-fingered, devils breath' I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes I really miss my 60s/70s childhood in Montreal.
"I'm the leper with the most fingers." - Jake Gettes, Chinatown.
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh. I recall Mark Steyn saying that journalism was what well to do educated Brits did when the family fortunate went south on them.
and in the debt of...
And then there is that old joke: "If you put 10 economists in a room, you'll get 11 opinions."
On that note, we once had a perfectly competent economist as Prime Minister, only to see the push to push him out, with all those "Harper" decals magically appearing on stop signs across the federation.
I'm not looking to replicate that exercise, but the anointed one the Liberals have banked on to elevate them, while dragging us into a dark place reserved for Second World nations intent on going down one more floor, all in the hopes they might find us an escalator (hello, Argentina!), is one whom I'll take a pass. Escalated commitment towards a failing course of action.
If they keep it up, there'll be a growing number of us in the West looking for the nearest exit ramp. Ontario and Quebec, you are free to carry on down that ramp without us.
Bon voyage, y'all...
Rachel Notley did negotiate a pipeline to BC tidewater — or perhaps the post media saturates newspapers didn’t report it?
If you feel that way, then by all means leave. I am sure Trump will welcome Alberta as the 51st state.
As a third generation Albertan, I am completely immune to the separation threat. Alberta politicians have done nothing but vilify the federal government for decades, even to the point of refusing support to their constituents because it would make the feds look good.
Notley tried to govern like an actual adult, and negotiated the purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline, a success which voters promptly punished her for.
I am seriously convinced the Alberta political culture cannot function without a bogeyman. God forbid you did separate. Without the feds to blame everything on, you might go full Maga and start punishing minorities and immigrants.
Well, Spkaser, you're certainly free to glorify and extol the virtues of that one-term socialist wonder Rachel Notley and her failed party, but many Albertans came back to their senses once the vote-spliting Wildrose and PC options merged into what we now have in place. I cannot think of one accomplishment by Rachel Notley during her four years at the helm. Not even cozying up to Justin Trudeau accomplished anything, other a recent stint on that so-called Council of Canadians to offer up suggestions in the war that the Liberals say they're going to engage the Americans in, if Canadians will only reelect that disaster.
As a long-term Albertan, I'm not at all interested in making Ottawa look good, as I am in my province getting a far shake out of Confederation. 'Taxation Without Participation' is a Laurentian concept that has to go. Otherwise, there are greener pastures out there waiting to be discovered. The choice is all theirs: amend our federation framework or... see ya...
“Apostolic screed” made my day.
I think many electron-stained wretches have stopped asking questions because there is less hope than ever before of getting answers.
“First let me say …”.
“My party has always …”
“My opponent once met a man who danced with a girl who danced with the Prince of Wales …”
Etc. etc.
The semantic content of campaign journalism has crashed to nothing. The personpower and money that serious outlets once put into campaign coverage have also collapsed.
China and India have bigger Canadian campaign budgets than our political parties.
The social-media hellscape of dis-, mis-, and non-information has become voters’ primary (sole?) way of “learning” about issues and candidates.
And most of the “legacy” media is now on the payroll of one party, as in the 1930s and ‘40s when Montreal city-hall reporters used to not-very-furtively accept brown envelopes from a guy in a bad suit in the mayor’s office.
I say nothing of Rosie Barton.
I was involved in planning and managing coverage of many federal and provincial elections for a daily broadsheet. Campaign utility to voters was dwindling then, now it has collapsed. I know less today than when this campaign began.
The immortal Val Sears, Brian: “To the buses, gentlemen. We have a government to defeat!”
What Carney is saying about all this proposed debt is EXACTLY what Morneau, Trudeau and Freeland have been saying for a decade, the same tired MMT borrowing alibi.
They said it wouldn’t depress the economy, cause inflation, damage us, and yet it did.
Carney was there in the background the whole time, kind of a MMT godfather figure.
Wrong then, wrong now.
Carney’s experience is with managing a currency
He has zero experience managing fiscal policy.
Any boomers who haven’t voted, note that the same proven wrong policy isn’t going to work now that Carney is in front of it instead of hiding in the shadows.
Read.
Think.
Vote accordingly, after thinking.
MMT (modern monetary theory) is monetary policy (like money printing/quantitative easing and adjusting borrowing rates) not fully fiscal. Another thing journalists don’t inquire about.
Dr. Richard Werner is required reading.
It is not monetary policy
It is an alibi
And proven nonsense.
A very substantive response. Thanks for adding to the discussion Pat.
Can’t tell if that is sarcasm
If their policy caused a depressed economy and created the housing crisis, what caused it in every other western country? Why are the economies even worse in countries who tried austerity policies?
Well said Peter! Now I have a question - would any "legacy media" run your article as an opinion piece?
I wouldn’t bet my supper on it. Maybe that’s a clue to why Substack is flourishing and legacy media need government $$$ to keep the doors open?
🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯
The concept of an informed electorate left us quite awhile ago. I still go with Newton's laws
In other words, let's all be responsible adults. I bet if anyone asked Carney that question, he would stand there stunned. He would have never thought he'd ever be questioned to that degree and wouldn't have a credible response. Your point about where the money is going to come from is one I've asked myself. And trust me, I wouldn't pass even the first mid-term in an economics or statistics course (I tried!). BTW, I love the comments made by readers of this post. It's reassuring to see many bright Canadians who have mastered critical thinking, may have a professional designation, and are very aware of what's "going on down on the shop floor", etc. I'm 77 and I'm finding the situation Canada has put itself in heartbreaking.
Great article!
Your excellent post reminds us all just how heavily subsidized the Canadian media is by the Trudeau and Carney-led Liberal government, and quote from Ronald Reagan: “Government’s view of the economy could be summarized in a few short phrases. If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it.” Canada’s legacy media has stopped moving, and despite the subsidizes, shows no signs of life. Like their American media cousins, they are broken.
"I ordered my news stories from "Skip the Journalism". He was at my door in seconds and was very polite."
But what if that screws up their narrative?
Put a 100 economists in a room and ask them a question, and you'll get 100 different answers.
"Would that I had a one armed economist, so I never have to hear "on the other hand"." -- (can't remember the source)
No, they will ask you what you want the answer to be.
Are tariffs even a big problem for us anymore?
I question that too. I'm no expert but I think we need to be focusing more on what things we can do within our country to improve our productivity, use more of our wonderful natural resources, better fund our military and NATO, fast track interprovincial professional and trade qualifications and products.
Not really