38 Comments

Congratulations on the success of your new venture! I have always found your writing thoughtful, insightful and very worth reading. It's great to have access to it this form.

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Congratulations on your successes and thanks for the thoughtful take on Halifax.

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Paul, we love your quality insights written or spoken. Not only did I pay for a subscription but gave one as a gift. Democracy is in danger because of the demise/withering of newspapers large and small. Thanks for your impressive contributions.

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Keep up the GREAT work.

So refreshing. Have always enjoyed your ‘take’ on things. Even when I disagree its usually followed with a ‘However, thats a great point he made. Gonna have look further into that.’

Guessing that's why most of us are here.

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You’re still that guy. I’ll pay to read you wherever you publish.

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Thank you for revealing this organization to me. You never disappoint.

The correct approach on Ukraine is to support their people and leaders. Their people have spoken - they will win back their land - they will preserve their democratic progress.

Plato described how a functional democracy produces the most vigorous fighters; each fighter has a voice and therefore a stake in their free nation. Perhaps the willingness to fight for one’s country could be a measure of how well its democracy is serving its people. Canada has very few deployable soldiers and I have heard that recruitment is not going well. Those who would corrupt democracy or push for minority rule should pay close attention.

Ukrainians should not trust a truce. Russia needs to knuckle under to be at peace. The rate of unlikely deaths of Russian oligarchs maybe a good, although indirect, metric of how soon Russia will be forced to capitulate. Displeasing Putin can have a high personal cost so the incentive to defy him must be powerful indeed. They will break at some point, but the high cost to Ukrainians is a travesty. There is no ceiling for the amount of vindictiveness that would be appropriate. Slava Ukrayini!

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Quality will always attract a following 👍

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Thank you for the insightful columns, continued success 👏👏

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Cute kid. Back when tour buses and the public could drive up onto the Hill as they pleased. Back when I could take a crowd of school kids into Centre Block through the MP entrance just by waving my pass at a constable. Simpler times, indeed.

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A lifetime ago, my new wife and I were visiting Ottawa for the first time. We walked unchallenged through the beautiful main entrance and finally found ourselves standing with a group of American tourists at the entrance to the magnificent library. A tall, grey haired gentleman joined our group as we listened to a tour guide who acknowledged his presence, Mr Diefenbaker ! No security , no arrogance but a wonderful presence which I was delighted to explain to the much impressed visitors after he left. Very much a different world!

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The subscription is money well spent. Thanks for efforts here. Even when the topic is outside my normal interests something usually catches my eye.

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The cost of the subscription is a bargain. I also told Mr. Glavin this a few weeks ago about his. If more journalists were as good at their craft as you two, print media wouldn’t be in the bind that it is in this country.Keep up the good work. I may not always agree with you but your viewpoints are always appreciated.

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I have been appreciating your take on life in Canada for a long time through your various media affiliations and am pleased to be a subscribing part of your new venture. While I value your insight into politics, I really appreciate your comments on the Arts….classical music especially. I have shamefully referenced your article on “knowing when to clap”at symphony concerts and look forward to reading much more in this vein . Keep up the good work

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Love the column and the podcast, and happy to see your success with both! I’ll continue to be a paying subscriber to help create a strong foundation for your work.

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Paul Wells is the Anthony Lane of Canadian political journalists!

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Thanks. We need this kind of reporting more than ever.

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Second the motion on optimism!

Joss Whedon said he got the idea for "Buffy", in a vision of a camera shot down a street, where a little, helpless, blonde cheerleader goes running off-camera down an side alley, pursued by a slavering ghoul. A beat of silence, then it's the *ghoul's* head that goes flying out of the alley. Scene.

That was Ukraine/Russia in the last weeks of February. A plot twist that nobody saw coming.

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