Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Once again, a few odds and ends which I haven't had a chance to comment on in a full post...

- The issue of Afghanistan torture documents seems to have mostly faded away since a deal was reached in Parliament. But it's worth keeping in mind the uncertainty as to whether the documents provided to the reviewing committee will actually include all the material that matters. And considering that the Cons fought for months against a binding order, there's little reason to think they'll act in good faith now if there's any chance to keep damning evidence under wraps.

- There's been plenty of talk about possible cooperation among the federal opposition parties, with a strong assumption that the talk has to find its way upward from the grassroots. Which makes for an interesting comparison to what's going on in Alberta, where the Libs have become the first party to nominally vote for some cooperation with other parties - even though the NDP's members had already spoken to say they weren't interested.

- It sounds damaging enough to point out that the Cons are actively monitoring any unfavourable expressions of opinion online. But let's take it a step further: Stephen Harper wants to trample on your happiness since it threatens his government.

- After taking an early lead in the "most blindingly orange website" contest with fellow Regina-Lumsden-Lake Centre candidate Brian Sklar, Don Hansen has apparently conceded that race in favour of a more sleek and readable site. You can express your gratitude (or disappointment) at a meet-and-greet this Friday.

- Finally, the Cons seem to be trying to flood Canada's limited number of information experts with regressive legislation in hopes that something will sneak by unanswered. Fortunately, Michael Geist is up to the task of taking them to task on copyright and privacy protection alike.

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