37 Comments
author

I do think it's time for the transcription AI to start recognizing the word "Poilievre"...

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And, if you have a spare dollar somewhere, an upgrade of that transcription to one somewhat curated would be so appreciated -- identify the speaker, get all the uuhs out, etc. Excellent panel, by the way.

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author

Normally I'd give it a quick scrub if I could, but for this panel the main priority was to push the content out quickly.

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author

Also: We're on Youtube!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FiMdjVk1Rs

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Phew. The Substack webpage is glitching out.

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Nov 6·edited Nov 6

Just saying goodbye, and thanks! My multiple substack cancellations today are not about the quality of the journalism, or even the comments.

I've followed the news somewhat obsessively (especially the commenting-back) since retirement, because it was a substitute for the reading and commenting of my office job. That job was very technocratic, an engineer calculating the best places to spend public money. It was all about Science and Reason and provable results.

The BC and USA elections, and what seems to be issues for the our upcoming federal, are all about personalities and vibes, and little of the news is about policy and hard facts that I used to work with.

So, I'm cutting my news diet for my mental health, with particular attention to any place that supports my "comment addiction". Substack has become quite the social media lately, the "Notes" dragging me in. I have to disengage. The kinds of political stories that are popular, and above all the commenting about them, are causing anxiety and depression.

So I'm just checking out of substacks, at least for a while while my head gets straight again. Hope to support more good journalism at some future point.

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founding

Solution: Ignore the comments and only read the articles.

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Same here Roy.

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Trump promised a move towards protectionism. No reason to think this won’t occur on some level or another which will obviously impact trade with Canada. What else (besides the obvious) does Trump mean for Canada? I await your panel discussion.

One oblique parallel between the liberal party of Canada and the Democratic Party of US; Neither likes allowing their base members to have much say in leadership or policies. Both are filled with policy elites who can’t comprehend that Main Street folks have not shared much in the ‘great economic performance’ of recent times and are genuinely angry. (Not saying Trump will fix that, or Pollievre. But they acknowledge the reality most people feel that what’s been tried the past 30 yrs isn’t working. By contrast Liberals and Dems are selling more of the same and this sales pitch isn’t working.)

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Nov 6Liked by Paul Wells

Maybe this female candidate was too similar to all other male candidates in the way she approached the issues? Maybe she was just as invested in the status quo as any other male candidate? Maybe what I’m saying is that her female energy wasn’t enough to overpower her male energy bc she played an old-boys’ game with much of The Old Boy’s team advising her.

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With all due respect, not everyone likes Jagmeet…

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founding

Singh is so many things... far-left, Trudeau butt-kisser while claiming to be a Trudeau butt-kicker, anti-Semite, etc.

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Both Alison and Marci are of the opinion that Trudeau and then Singh are liked and have a future that will resonate with Canadians....I don't think so, at all. Not a chance.

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Nov 6Liked by Paul Wells

Thank you.

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Nov 6Liked by Paul Wells

Well done Paul.

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Great panel. Consider also that the decline of the American dream got a good start with embrace of neo-liberalism in the 1980s. The idea of monetising all aspects of our lives, that the profit sector is more efficient and effective, has worked. But it worked only for a small percentage of the nation. Canada, pay attention.

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author

Folks are asking why this isn't in my podcast feed. I'm still trying to decide what my doctrine is on this: These videos are pretty quickly-produced, basic content, and I'm not sure I want to push them out on the podcast feed. Although enough of you are asking about it that, clearly, you'd like me to. The other thing is, I don't yet really know *how* to send it out, because my producer normally sends it to all the platforms that aren't my own Substack. I should get the cheat codes from him so I could send stuff like this out when needed.

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Crazy to think that Trudeau is still in the game. The Liberals are more radical than the US Dems, the Dems couldn’t beat a guy who’s unfit for office and his coterie of bozos, and the polls all say that Canadians are desperate to defenestrate the Liberals.

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Not sure why it was ‘an astonishing election result’ for you. I read the tea leafs and won a bottle of vodka from my next door neighbour…….but than there is the media bubble and us common folks.

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author

I guess I should be paying you, but somehow I've managed to rig it the other way around. Does your neighbour have a Substack too?

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No, we live by Lake Huron, he’s a guitar playing, good old boy, who’s addicted to MSNBC. I like different points of view.

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MSNBC? No wonder you won!

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Just a general observation - all my PP supporting friends are absolutely charged up today. I think Trump's victory will be a *huge* catalyzing force for PP's victory. NONE of these people care about the global implications of a Trump victory, nor the implications for Canadian made goods for that matter. Who will make the best "Trump whisperer" isn't even a consideration. The "maple charm offensive" is probably just a new strain of weed they haven't tried yet. It's a misinformation fueled cultural moment, of a sort, for them - and they can't wait to experience it.

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I read David Gelles book called "The man who broke capitalism" About 1980 the business model switched from caring for employee or even customers to prioritizing the shareholder. "Greed is good". "Financialization" widened the gap between rich and the middle class. Politicians didn't help.

This book explains a lot to me about people giving up the system of democracy that took over.

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I hope Donald Trump kicks Trudeau's butt. Freeland's too. Yippee Yahoo!

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