Author Archives: susanonthesoapbox

Jason Kenney Takes a Page from the Donald Trump Playbook

Posted on November 6, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Last night the Progressive Conservatives kicked off their leadership race in earnest. As expected Jason Kenney urged party members to “unite Alberta” (ie destroy the PCs by merging them with the rebranded Wildrose party) while the other five candidates reassured … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

The Calgary Police Service: Allegations of Harassment and Intimidation

Posted on October 30, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

If you’ve ever wondered why women are reluctant to bring forward allegations of sexual harassment, look no further than the furor unleashed when 15 female police officers contacted city councillor and police commissioner Diane Colley-Urquhart to discuss sexual harassment and … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Culture, Law | Tagged , , , , , | 39 Comments

Ten Things We Learned from Trump’s Presidential Campaign

Posted on October 23, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Barring a catastrophe Donald Trump will not become the 45th president of the United States. At the risk of tempting fate Ms Soapbox would like to present a top 10 list of things we learned from Trump’s doomed presidential campaign. … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government, Rich and/or Famous | Tagged , , , | 32 Comments

Sandra Jansen is right, there are Progressive Conservatives in Alberta

Posted on October 16, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Sandra Jansen just confirmed she’s running for the leadership of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative party.  This is good news because her campaign will test Jason Kenney’s assertion that there’s no such thing as a progressive conservative. Kenney is peddling the line … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Never Watch a Presidential Debate When You’ve Got the Flu

Posted on October 10, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Ms Soapbox has the flu and missed Thanksgiving dinner last night with her family and friends. She stayed home and watched the second Presidential debate.  It almost finished her off. But even in her foggy state of mind Ms Soapbox … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Rich and/or Famous, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 23 Comments

“Post-truth” Politics in Alberta

Posted on October 2, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Albertans can learn a lot about the importance of truth in politics from the Trump/Clinton presidential race. Political lies have moved beyond “misstatements” for which politicians “take full responsibility” and (sort of) apologize, to “truthiness”, a term coined by Stephen … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

Air Horn Politics

Posted on September 25, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

“We’re all seriously suffering from a kind of Trump derangement syndrome…he uses up so much of the oxygen and it’s like having…a big air horn installed in your head and you just can’t get away from it.”— Garry Trudeau, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments

Another Fine Mess: Thanks Stevie

Posted on September 19, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

It turns out the famous Laurel and Hardy phrase “here’s another fine mess you’ve gotten us into” is a misquote.  What Oliver Hardy really said to the hapless Stan Laurel was “here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten us into”. At … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 35 Comments

Who should govern in times of significant disruption?

Posted on September 11, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Chris Kutarna says this is the best time in history to be alive.  We’re healthier, wealthier and better educated than at any other time in history…so why are we so miserable? Kutarna is a Fellow at the Oxford Martin School … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 40 Comments

Brian Jean Makes a Joke

Posted on September 4, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Two things happened this week that reflect very poorly on the judgment of Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean and his supporters. The first was The Joke.  The second was his apology for The Joke. Let’s take them in turn. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Law, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 22 Comments