As I read it, his point isn't that these liberals are bad or wrong, only that they failed to recognize the nature of the debate itself.

When "emotion" takes over, the message and messengers become far more important than facts or rational debate. In my opinion, this is tragic, sad and unfortunate, but it's also very true.

Colby could have just as easily had been speaking about the issue of same sex marriage in Canada, where the social conservatives clearly blew the debate (at the price of public opinion) in a very similar way, i.e. people might have been more sympathetic to traditional marriage if the opponents hadn't rattled on half-crazed about "damnation" and "the Bible" to make their arguments.

I would be amenable to a wholesale conversion of all Muslims to the Ahmadiyya sect as they are the only Muslims that have demonstrably proven they have reformed and removed (most) of the violence from their religion. Considered non-Muslim and outright Apostates by the remainder Islamists, the punishment for Apostasy is a one time chance to re-convert and repent or DEATH. Welcome to the peaceful world of Islam.

Again, wow. I think you're not only lowering the standard of print journalism, but you're actually making bloggers look bad.

Nice work.

To enumerate just a few illustrations of Islamic misbehaviour over the last decade, there was the hysterical fuss over the Jyllands-Posten cartoons, the fact that in the UK Scotland Yard has had to set up a special division to investigate "honour" killings, the murder of Theo Van Gogh in Holland, the 9/11 massacre, countless bombings, plots, abductions, threats, and continual whining that Islamists are the victims, not the perpetrators. In view of what Islam actually does in this world, as distinct from what its proponents claims it does, I think Islamophobia (fear of Islam) is a logical position to take. Islamophobia requires a confrontation with a toxic ideology, not the persecution of Moslems.

Minarets are just symbols, I guess, but just the same I'm glad to hear of measures like banning them or the wearing of hijab, because they suggest a growing awareness of the need to stand up to Islam. Personally I don't care how many Moslems settle in my country. I just want it made clear to them that although they are welcome, there will be no tolerance of Islamic values in our schools, laws or institutions.

I almost agree with you, A-U, except for that word "Inquisition". Islamophobia requires a confrontation with a toxic ideology, not the persecution of Moslems.

There is an article in The Times today that looks at heated relationship between Switzerland and Libya at the moment. Author of article does not say there is direct connection but Swiss might have been pissed with Libyans and this was one way to express their displeasure.

Excuse my improper reply ettiquette.

P.S. I never think of you at all, no offence.

Hey, then you'll jump at a chance to write about the myth of the NEP in Alberta. Here's a YouTube video I have posted here before http://www.youtube.com/user/DotDunster#p/a/u/0/Op… and more material in Potter's latest Linkage blog. Feel free to run with it.

So in the end ruling elites on both the yes and no sides fought it out.

My recollection of those days is that anything coming from Brian Mulroney was suspicious and viewed as pandering to Quebec.

AlbertaYes 39.8% — No 60.2%
British Columbia Yes 31.7 — No 68.3
ManitobaYes 38.4– No 61.6
New Brunswick Yes 61.8 — No 38.2
Newfoundland Yes 63.2 — No: 36.8
Nova Scotia Yes 48.8 — No 51.2
Ontario Yes 50.1 — No 49.9
Prince Edward IslandYes 73.9 — No 26.1
QuebecYes 43.3 — No 56.7
Saskatchewan Yes 44.7 — No 55.3
Northwest TerritoriesYes 61.3– No 38.7
YukonYes 43.7– No 56.3

The vote was favourable in four out of ten provinces, all East of Manitoba. Lucien Bouchard and Jacques Parizeau led the 'no' side in Quebec where both liberals under Chrétien and Conservatives under Mulroney were pro-Charlottetown. And if 50.1% was good enough to stop Parizeau in 95, it is good enough to my claim that Ontarians approved Charlottetown.

Toronto's a good case in point; as a visitor I really dig the place, and without it English Canada would stand among civilizations as the cultural equivalent of a Siberian oblast, but what purpose or function, even to Torontonians, would my goopy love letter to Toronto serve? That's a piece I would ONLY be interested in writing for an Alberta audience, which would despise the challenge to its prejudices and consider me a liberal traitor fit only for slow death by livestock hot-shot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2XTuc6i1Uo

Now if only they'll see the folly of rebelling against political correctness by banning religious symbols, and instead remove themselves from the European pansy-ass state, we'll be getting somewhere.

1) A couple articles expressing skepticism about climate change (the much ballyhooed "climategate"…Still like Monbiot as much now that he compared Canadian Oil to Japanese Whaling?)
2) Bemoaning how awful some aspect of life is in Toronto
3) Blaming liberals for the minaret ban
4) A couple amusing articles about famous sports celebrities

I'm sure you have some fine distinction you like to make, that you're a "small government ,right leaning, populist libertarian" or some such thing…but from what you've shown so far, you're a conservative.

Pretty much every analysis I've ever read states that the reason for its failure was because it offered a little of everything to everybody and in doing so didn't do enough to satisfy supporters of each aspect and ensured that it had as many detractors as possible (even those who supported one aspect could find another they didn't)

The burka also did not become a feature of Islam until recently. You can say the same about a whole slew of Islamic behaviours. Pretty well everything the Taliban stands for has been a recent addition to Islam.