by Wei X. Lu Microblogging has now become the most popular social networking tool onChina’s media landscape. Its compelling power is particularly reflected in recent coverage of the Neo-Maoist Chongqing leader Bo Xilai’s sudden downfall. Bo Xilai’s “Chonqqing Model” for development had attracted much attention; but so has the alleged involvement of his wife in the [...]
Archive | Free Speech
China’s Social Media Challenge: Censorship
Posted on 21 June 2012.
Posted in Featured, Free Speech0 Comments
Charities Silenced by the Taxman
Posted on 04 June 2012.
by Gerry Nicholls If there’s any branch of the federal government that should top the “hate list” for Canadian conservatives it has to be the Canada Revenue Agency. Which charities get the most foreign cash? Not those on Tory hit list CRA audits charitable status of Tides Canada amid Tory attack Tory rhetoric creates chilly [...]
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When the Charter Failed
Posted on 17 April 2012.
by Gerry Nicholls I hate to throw cold water on all the hoopla associated with 30th anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but it should be remembered that this document has sometimes failed to protect individual rights. There are four cases in particular that spring to my mind: Forced Union Dues Merv Lavigne [...]
Posted in Featured, Free Speech, Private Property, Unions2 Comments
Gag third-party ads, gag free speech
Posted on 28 January 2012.
When in doubt, limit free speech. That’s the kneejerk reaction of many politicians when it comes to citizens engaging in political advertising, especially if the advertising in question is “negative.” Simply put, some politicians don’t like to be criticized or to have their foibles exposed. Just consider, for instance, how certain opposition MPs reacted to [...]
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Harper ’99 vs Harper ‘11
Posted on 22 November 2011.
By Gerry Nicholls It’s often pointed out these days that Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn’t face much organized opposition from the political left. But equally noteworthy, is that Harper doesn’t face much organized opposition from the political right either. This got me to thinking about who in Canada’s conservative movement possesses the ideological toughness and [...]
Posted in Economy, Fiscal policy, Free Speech, Health Care, Politics of Politics1 Comment
CBC Doesn’t Belong to Me
Posted on 31 October 2011.
The following Letter to the Editor was published in the Ottawa Citizen. It was a response to this Janice Kennedy column: Dear Sir/Madam: Columnist Janice Kennedy claims the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation “belongs to us – all of us”. (“CBC belongs to Rob Ford, too”, October 29.) Really? If something truly belongs to me, doesn’t that [...]
Posted in Free Speech, Private Property, Taxes0 Comments