WTO Who Cares?

The WTO is meeting in its long anticipated Hong Kong round to talk about agribusiness subsidies. But despite the long anticipated meeting it is going nowhere. Nor can it. Despite the anti-WTO protests, despite last summers G8 meeting pledging Trade Not Aid, despite Bono and Geldoff, the very fabric of capitalism is the industrialization of agriculture, and this is the contradiction that belies this round of trade talks. Capitalism developed out of large scale farming production with the end of the commons in England.

Today the modern form of agribusiness destroys the family farm here in the industrialized world as much as it has declared war on subsistence farming in the developing world. The subsidies given out to Agribusiness are being equated with cooperatives and producer marketing boards. Hence the attack on the Canadian Wheat Board and the Quebec Dairy boards by Americans and by our own comprador farmers from the Reform/Alliance/Conservative party. And they are no more equivalent than the subsidies given to Agribusinesses that market bananas from Ecuador, like Dole, and the farm cooperatives that grow the bananas and are paid below market price by Dole.

Ever since the GATT Uruguay talks ended, more and more subsistence farming in the Third world and the newly Industrialized nations has been replaced by large scale export farming controlled by Agribusiness Giants like ADM,Cargill, Nestles, etc..

And where export products such as sugar, rice, soya, and dairy products, are in competition with the G8 they have no fair trade market. Even in their particular unique export markets such as bananas and cocoa and coffee, the internecine trade zones between the EU and the USA punitively punish these producing countries, and do not pay a fair price for their products.

Nor are the farmers encouraged to develop subsistence farming, some for export with varied crops for their own survival. When agribusiness gets involved, farmers in the developing world become wage slaves on large scale corporate plantations.

The village farming cooperatives are a real market alternative to rapacious capitalism and its agribusiness operations, but these folks are forgotten at the WTO. They have neither local representatives nor state representatives. Nor has the Libertarian movement taken up their cause with few exceptions such as those of us on the Libertarian Left; Kevin Carson, Larry Gambone, and the Knappster, voices in the wilderness on this issue.

Think of the power that these small villages would have if rich American Libertarians who have oodles of cash were to champion their cause. But it won't happen because they aren't really Libertarians, just Republican hanger ons, more interested in privatizing public services than supporting real free markets in the real world. Because these markets are run by cooperatives and collectives, which runs counter to their individualist consumerist ideology.

The WTO talks stalled again today, and will not get anywhere because the issue to agribusiness is not the issue of sustainable farming, but of transforming the world into its supermarket as ADM brags.

And until we have fair trade that promotes open markets to farmer cooperatives in the developing world, Africa in particular, we will continue to have to feed them, and fund them, as they suffer the famines of Imperialism.

The Free Market In Children

Forget the beer and popcorn, here is a real example the right of parents to choose whats best for their children. Here is the reality of having a free market where parents can choose and the nanny state doesn't exist. Here is an example of having no state regulations, no state enforcement, and real freedom of choice. I can hear the conservatives cheering until they choke on this.....

UN highlights children's plight

One in 13 children in the developing world have lost a parent, it said

Hundreds of millions of children suffer discrimination and exploitation but are invisible to the world, the UN agency for children says in its annual report.

It said new laws are required to ensure that births are officially registered, and it also urged governments to do more to stop "abuse and exploitation".

Trafficking risk

The report said nearly two million children had entered the sex trade, 5.7 million were sold into slavery and 1.2 million were trafficked each year

The report said over half of the births in the developing world - apart from China - are not registered, meaning they are not recognised as citizens.

Without registered identity, they are unable to receive education, decent health care and other services. If they do not officially exist, it also means traffickers can make them "disappear" without fear of retribution.

The State of the World's Children 2006: Excluded and Invisible said exploited children were often overlooked in public debate or news stories.

Yep you can say that again.

How the NDP Blows it

The polls released on CPAC last night shows a serious decline in support for the NDP in Ontario and B.C. the hot spots that they are supposed to be fighting to win.

Now speculation has it that the significant, nope make that huge drop in the support for the NDP in Ontario is either the Buzz factor, or the Liberal Gun Ban.

Well folks its neither. It's the perennial problem of the liberal-Left and the NDP in particular, its called politeness. Yep they are to damn polite in debates.

So when debating a big mouth rightwhinger like say Ezra Le-Rant they sit quietly and try and score points by being reasonable, sounding reasonable, and not getting in your face. While Ezra or any other rightwhinger gets in your face and says the most outragous generalities about liberals and the left, and the spokesperson for the left sits there and takes it. Calmly they reply and get bulldozed over by the rightwhinger.

Its my pet peeve about liberal leftists in debates. The problem is that liberal leftists think that politics is the bloody Oxford debating society. That you score points by being clever. Well you actually have to open your mouth and say something to score points. And one of the failures of the NDP is that they don't.

Take for example last night on Mike Duffy's Countdown. We have Anne McLellan, Peter MacKay and Bill Blaikie debating. And Bill, Mr. Parlimentarian, sits there with this blank look on his face (you could almost see the cartoon squiggles of steam coming out of his ears) and doesn't butt in on the debate between Anne and Peter.

He waits. And waits. Finally the Duff asks him to speak, Bill starts and Duff asks him a question and he blows his cool and attacks Duff for interupting him. Opps faux pas, you don't criticize the moderator you attack your opponents.

Then Anne and Peter go at it hammer and tongs and on the screen between them is Bill staring out at us blank faced, and never ever said a word again. He just looked pissed off. Yep he just let them debate. The result,well here's what my pal Reg said;

I never thought....
Putting the a in smart
2005-12-13 20:49:47
I would ever feel sorry for Anne McLellan but if you just watched the absolute asskicking Peter MacKay just gave her over defense spending on Duffy's Countdown tonight, you know why I do.

Bill who? you ask, exactly. So what the hell is the NDP position on defense spending? Don't know cause Bill thought this was Oxford or the House of Commons. Where debate is regulated.

And he is not the only one. Its a major problem with the NDP communications (sic) team of Brad Lavigne and Jamey Heath. Whenever they are debating their counterparts on Don Newmans show, or the Duffs, they let the debate go between the Liberals and Tory's. They sit back politely and wait their turn. Though on CPAC the other night Brad did flip out and attacked, and attacked, with political pugilism.Atta boy Brad. Someone must have put an espresso in his Starbucks before the show.

But overall the NDP is never in the debates. They have a fear of luquacious interruptis. It's a historic problem with the NDP its why Ed Broadbent lost the debate and the election in 1988 when he sat back and let Mulroney and Turner punch it out over Free Trade. The issue was the NDP's and it was stolen by Turner. And all Ed did in the debate was sit on the sidelines slack jawed.

If the NDP wants to make any gains, let alone set the agenda of this election as they did in the spring sitting of parliment, its time to take the gloves off. Look into the camera and open your mouth and say something.


Other NDP Stories

Can't Get No Respect

The Face of the Evil Empire. Come to the dark side Canada.

Would you trust this man with your lumber?

The 'elephant next door' has heard the mouse that roared. US Amb-ass-ador Wilkins slaps Canada upside the head for his boss the War President.

Wilkins' wide-ranging speech covered just about every issue of contention between the U.S. and Canada.

The problem is if you watch his speech you need subtitles to understand what he is saying. Either it's his strong southern good old boy accent or the fact he had his bubba foot in his mouth.

And if he thinks he has chastised the Liberals well that was a tactical error of the highest order, especially during an election. Congratulations stupid you just influenced the election, more than the Washington Times could with their editorial supporting the Harper.

In a speech to the Canadian Club at Ottawa's historic Chateau Laurier Hotel, U.S. President George Bush's envoy to Canada accused Martin of trying to score cheap political points by bashing America. "Just think about this. What if one of our best friends criticized you directly and incorrectly almost relentlessly? What if that friend's agenda was to highlight your perceived flaws while avoiding mentioning your successes? What if that friend demanded respect but offered little in return?" Wilkins asked. Ok let me mention a success - Wal-Mart- 'nough said?!

Me thinks he doth protest too much....let's see he is speaking for an Administration that lied in order to conduct an illegal invasion of another country.

An Adminstration that continues to defy trade agreements with Canada.

An Administration that declared war on terror and invaded Afghanistan four years ago only to result in a city state surrounded by war lords, a 260% increase in opium production and left the countries defense to Canadian and NATO troops.

Are these incorrect or just flaws?

Now this Amb-ass-ador of the evil empire is well connected to the very lumber lobby that is screwing us. And as a good old southern bubba, with the confederate flag tattoed on his brain, of course he could still be smarting about the fact that the underground railroad to Canada was a success.

America owes us a lot, because without us they wouldn't be singing the Star Spangled Banner. We weren't always friends. So don't piss us off.

CTV Poll

Nope not one about the political parties but about us, about where Canadians get their election news. Blogs are behind radio, well shucks. But web sites almost match TV for being accessed for information in computer rich Canada. Mind you the fact this is a web site poll even if it for a TV network, sort of biases that anwser doesn't it. Quick vote now and vote often and blogs can beat out newspapers.

Where are you going first to follow the election campaign?

Newspapers		1060 votes	(11 %)
Television		4359 votes	(46 %)
Radio		345 votes	(4 %)
Websites		3262 votes	(34 %)
Blogs		533 votes	(6 %)
Total Votes: 9559

Taken for Granted

So it appears that none of the national party Leaders will be visiting Alberta soon.
Albertans frustrated by lack of attention. That's what happens when you are a Blue province, in a Red Country. If you pardon the American analogy.

It also reflects the cynicism of our national poltical party's over their chances of gaining a seat in the land of the democratic deficit. We have the only one party state in North America under King Ralph. And with the exception of two seats in Edmonton, fedrally we suffer the same indignity, being almost all Tory blue.

But is that any reason not to expect the national party leaders to visit here. There are some ridings in contention here, as I have mentioned before. But it appears that the Liberal strategy for Alberta is to sit this election out, except for Landslide Anne's Edmonton Centre riding, as I reported here the other day.

A Liberal spokesperson said leader Paul Martin is committed to travelling Canada as completely as possible and that he hopes to make Alberta part of that tour. Oh do. I hope you do plan to visit, perhaps by then you will have updated all your candidates pages on your web site so you know who you are visiting.

The NDP stands a good chance in a couple of Redmonton ridings that the Liberals have abandoned. Edmonton Strathcona and Edmonton East. While the Liberals are serious contenders in Mill Woods Beaumont.

An NDP spokesperson said Jack Layton's time is better spent in areas where the party holds some seats, but the leader hopes to make a stop in Alberta next week. Good that will be the first national leader to visit since the Green Party leader Jim Harris whistle stop last weekend.

But you know its bad when the National Party Leaders are more cynical about their chances here than the electorate. And abandoning Alberta is a dumb political move for the future.

Even the Harper is taking Alberta for granted. Sort of like he took his constiuency nomination, and later when he ran for the Alliance and refused to debate. His arrogance is showing now on the national stage. "Stephen Harper best serves the party by being in Ontario and Quebec because, at the end of the day, being in Alberta is not going to win us the government, and that's what this is about," said Stephen Carter, spokesperson for the Conservative party in Alberta. That is particualarly galling and a good reason to NOT vote Conservative. We Albertans are good at teaching lessons that way. We don't like to be taken for granted, specially by the one that brung ya to the dance.

The Return of Firewall Alberta

In a long rambling quote I heard on the radio yesterday, BQ leader Gilles Duceppe claimed that Alberta had more in common with Mexico than Quebec. Ok I said to myself, what the hell does that mean? He was talking about trade and trade links and mad cow. Uh huh right. So? And then he said this;Duceppe said Liberal Leader Paul Martin has refused to entertain the creation of trade zone "fire walls." He added these trade-zone fire walls would have shielded Quebec and other provinces from the fallout of mad cow, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

Implying that Alberta was to blame for the BSE crisis, and the closing of the markets to safe healthy independeniste Quebecois cattle. But he said Firewall. He meant it to be around Alberta, not Quebec. Now the last guy to say that was Stephen Harper, and he said it about Alberta too, when he was President of the NCC, but he meant it as a form of psuedo-seperation.

Dr. Duceppe meant it as a way to quarantine Alberta phsyically as well as economically from the rest of the country during the BSE crisis. True the BSE crisis was centred in Alberta as a result of deregulation and privatization. However it did also occur in other provinces and in the US after they closed their border to us. Dr. Duceppe is implying that Alberta had been an economic Typhoid Mary.

Or perhaps he was just agreeing with the Old Harper. Nope read that quote again, it implies quarantine. Duceppe has just insulted every Albertan, and Canadian with that remark. Now this is certainly as big a gaffe as Beer and Popcorn. It was a throw away remark, a cheap shot at Alberta's expense. And a frightening one at that by its implications.

Wonder what the New Harper has to say about this, or the Alberta Conservative MP's or the ex-Reform Party Alberta MLA's like Firewall co-signor Ted Morton, or even King Ralph.

Harper Republican Lite

During the NFATA debate in Canada the Economist magazine on their front page refered to the Mulroney Government as Bleeding Heart Tory's, saying they were to the left of even the Democrats in the U.S. Todays Conservative party is nowhere close to the party of Mulroney, having been created as a right wing opposition to his bleeding heart conservatism. Harper's reply shows that his election focused Conservative party remains Republican Lite, ala John McCain.

Harper responds to Washington Times endorsement

Conservative leader Stephen Harper has responded to an opinion piece in the Washington Times in which Harper was called "the most pro-American leader in the Western world. Free-market economist Stephen Harper, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, is pro-free trade, pro-Iraq war, anti-Kyoto, and socially conservative."

How About $500 for Dancing or Music Lessons

With the Harper announcement of a so called $500 tax credit for sports what does that really mean? Sound good on the surface but is it really for all 'sports'? Or just the expensive recreational sports like hockey and sking?

Cause as every soccer Mom knows, soccer is the cheapest sport around. Is it for Tae Kwon Do or boxing lessons? What about gymnastics or swimming or golf lessons? What about Rodeo entrance fees? Dancing is a physical activity, as well as a cultural one so will these fees be covered?Could be. Not sure what the Conservatives define as 'sports'?

Harper says sports builds character. Sure it does but so do music lessons, and learning to paint or sculpt, or to speak a second language, and other aspects of Culture, so why not a tax credit for them as well.

Ethnic dancing while subsidized by community groups still parents have to pay fees for this too. Playing a musical instrument costs parents money, for the instrument and lessons. What about second language lessons outside of the home? While not a team activity like sports, these too build character. And may lead to groups activities like singing in a Choir or being in a dance troupe. Or is this a little too multicultural for the Torys?

While sports are part of a better health program, which the Conservatives are focusing on, they are not the only activity that parents pay user fees for their children to participate in. Why aren't these fees covered as well?

Blogging Tory's Don't Get Day Care

It is obvious that it is Conservative men making the comments about the problem with the idea of publicly funded, certified, non-profit day care centres for being too institutional (subtext it's a prison) and a one size fits all without flexibility for working parents, and it won't work in rural Canada, and, and, and, and......

Tories offer Choice in Childcare says Bill McBeath, Conservative Organizer for Edmonton
Strange as it seems, the tory policy for childcare centres around... wait for it... choice! The fundamental idea that parents are the best people to raise children, and hsould be allowed to choose where government money (tax money, their money) get spent.The tory plan is more generous, more flexible, and more in touch with the many different families in Canada. Unlike the inflexible 9-5 institutional daycare plan of the Liberals, the Conservative plan allows parents who are shift workers, lower-income families, stay at home parents, and all families in general meet their child care needs.

When it isn't the Harper attacking public regulated day care it's one of the male conservatives in the blogosphere. Like my fellow Redmontonian; DazzlinDino of the Blogging Party of Canada. He says the following and it is the oft repeated criticism that the Conservatives are using as their messaging;

Let me make this clear, the federal daycare idea, the nine to five life, does not work for far too many people. How many of you would actually be able to take advantage of this. Can you tell your boss "Sorry, I can only work from 10-4 cause my kid is in daycare."? Think he is going to be looking for a replacement? If you live in a small community, will you benifit from this.....NO YOU WON't. I'm not a big fan of either idea, but there is no way a federal daycare would work, not in a private sector......

Yep he has obviously not sent his kids to daycare or aftercare. Lots of families work around their day care hours, parents adapting their work patterns to their family needs. Many working families who don't have the choice of having a well paid job that can support a stay at home parent, choose work that offers them at least the chance to have one parent off shift at home. Because there ARE NO PUBLIC DAY CARE SPACES FOR THEM.

Hmm I thought more and more employers were being flexible, thats all the rhetoric that unions face when negotiating for shift work. And speaking of the private sector it is Corporate Canada that has been derelict in its duty in providing on site day care for its employees. Been waiting for tax breaks I guess. Wait they have gotten tax breaks, they just didn't use them for day care for their workers. The CIBC got an innovation award this year from the Conference Board of Canada because they actually did create a flexible day care option for their workers. They were one of the only private corporations in Canada to do this hence the award. Whereas many public institutions are ahead of Corporate Canada, especially post seconday education institutions, when it comes to offering its staff and students day care.

Those of the professional classes are the ones who want a tax credit, not out of some wish to help single mothers or working class parents who have two jobs to make ends meet. But with typical conservative aplomb, they can afford to have a stay at home mom who gives up her lucrative career because dad has a lucrative career too, they believe they are being cheated and should have the same advantage of the family of two working parents or the single mother. As if being a member of the working poor or a single mother is a 'choice', like the one they made.

My wife and I have made made the descision that it is best for our family (and two daughters) if one of us were at home. My wife is a brilliant (and beautiful...hi sweety) person who completed a Physics Degree and Education Degree and gave up a career in teaching to raise our kids.We gave up her salary and day care tax breaks - but we did so gladly. It is our choice and all we ask is for our government to stay out of our business. Stop saying that we are ignorant. Stop comparing stay-at-home parents to people who would choose not to use a doctor for medical care - as if day care professionals can be a better parent. Political Staples

This is the same arguement made by right wingers about abortion. I remember debating a woman who had university law degree, but choose to stay at home and have children. She was a voracious opponent of a womans right to choose, abortion. Her husband was a vice president of a major oil company. She could afford to have a child, and she probably eventually had a nanny to. She insisted that a woman had no right to choose abortion, rather she should 'choose' to have the child and 'choose' to stay home and raise the child, like Ms. Professional did.

Fellow Redmonton blogger Idealistic Pragmatist also commented on Staples arguement and noted that it all comes down to a fetish of making a social issue into a 'personal issue'. A comment to his blog article clearly points out that for the majority of working Canadian families day care is a very real social neccesity, not a matter of personal choice.

But to be fair while many of the bloggers on this topic are men, its not just men who promote this false dichotomy between baby sitting and public day care. Edmonton Spruce Grove Conservative MP and psuedo-feminist, Rona Ambrose, who challenged the Liberal plan in the House as being a plan proposed by 'old white men',again identifies what makes the Tory plan different than the Liberals. It will pay for parents to leave their kids with babysitters, "a relative, a grandparent, or a neighbour" she told Mike Duffy on CTV today.

Conservative MP Rona Ambrose, who represents Edmonton-Spruce Grove, worked with Harper to write the Conservative child-care policy. She spoke with Larry Johnsrude, reporter/editor for edmontonjournal.com.
"We feel very strongly that our plan should be universal and equitable. The Liberal plan is regulated nine-to-five public day care through an public infrastructure and is a small percentage of the total child-care options being used by parents right now and is their last choice. Their first choice is for one of them to stay at home if they can afford to. Their second choice is (to leave their children) with a trusted neighbour or friend and the last choice is institutionalized care."

So it's ok to leave your kids with a stranger, the neighbour but not with trained certified early childhood educators. "Who knows better than parents how to raise their kids" says Rona. Well would you leave the education of your children to "a relative, a grandparent, or a neighbour" ? Of course not, unless like many social conservatives you choose home schooling. But home schooling is not a public education system. And neither is the Tory plan a national day care program.

If there are no public day care spaces then there is no real choice for parents. The choice is "a relative, a grandparent, or a neighbour". Which was the choice my parents had when the worked out of the home forty years ago. I was baby sat by my Baba and Dido, and my parents got their monthly family allowance cheque for my sister and I. Yep the Tory plan could be called Forward to the Past.

Whereas the NDP plan announced today will guarantee, by legislation, the creation of public regulated certified, non profit day care centres. And it will give parents real economic choice by giving a $1000 tax credit per child, while subsidizing child care space to the tune of $9000 per child. Now that is different, as the Canadian Tire ads say, than the Tory or Liberal Policies of non commitment to affordable public day care.

And in one of those twists of electoral fate, the NDP can thank Scott Reid for keeping day care in the news, with his arrogant remarks yesterday about Beer and Popcorn. Otherwise their announcement today would have been swamped by his party's Health Care Waiting Times Benchmark annoucement. Scott did the NDP a timely favour, another reason his boss will be chewing his ass off.


Also see:

Whose Family Values

Day Care

Defend Public Day Care