Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Thursday, August 08, 2013

Linda McQuaig: Why I'm running for the NDP nomination in Toronto Centre

After a long career as an author and journalist, I'm excited to announce that I am seeking the federal NDP nomination in Toronto Centre.

I've dedicated my professional life to writing and speaking publicly about issues that I care about deeply -- countering income inequality and the austerity agenda, protecting and enhancing our public programs, tackling climate change and other environmental threats, and returning Canada to a constructive role in the world.

I now want to move from advocacy to action. After years as an observer and critic, I want to join a team actively fighting to build a Canada that is equal, inclusive and responsible -- a Canada that is seriously under threat by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government.

This is a very exciting moment in Canadian politics. With the Harper government floundering as never before in the wake of recent scandals, the focus is turning toward who will form the next government. The upcoming by-election in Toronto Centre will be an important bell-weather as Canadians begin to seriously contemplate who can best lead the country in the post-Harper age. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has glitz, but NDP leader Tom Mulcair has substance, brains and a strong commitment to a creating a more progressive and inclusive Canada.

For the past 13 years, I have lived and raised my daughter in Toronto Centre. I was born in the riding, at Toronto General Hospital, and attended high school here. I studied at the University of Toronto, where I got my start as a writer and editor at the student newspaper The Varsity. Most of my adult life, I’ve had the pleasure of living in various parts of downtown Toronto and enjoying the rich diversity that the city offers. I have downtown Toronto in my blood.

As a journalist, I’ve been an investigative and national reporter for The Globe and Mail, a columnist for the Toronto Star and the National Post, a senior writer for Maclean’s Magazine and an associate producer for CBC Radio. I’ve written nine books on politics and economics. My most recent book, co-authored with Osgoode Hall law professor Neil Brooks, is The Trouble with Billionaires: How the Super-Rich Hijacked the World and How We Can Take It Back.

Original Article
Source: rabble.ca
Author: Linda McQuaig

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