Real conservatives respect and defend courts Danielle Smith does not, and that's democratically dangerous.

Excellent post from @jaredwesley.ca on why conservatives should be pro-judiciary: substack.com/home/post/p-...

Elections Edmonton with the barest possible expression of civic duty

Why everyone suddenly cares what Pierre Poilievre thinks about ostriches Why the Conservative leader is weighing in on the fate of more than 300 birds after avian flu was discovered in the flock.

In which @raisapatel.bsky.social and I try to explain why people are asking Pierre Poilievre about ostriches—and why he’s not really answering. www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

Logo of CJPS RCSP on a dark blue background with the hashtag #OpenAccess below.

#OpenAccess from @cjps-rcsp.bsky.social -

Understanding Political Culture and Behaviour through Longitudinal Data in Alberta - https://cup.org/464tMLc

- @fsnagovsky.bsky.social, Jared Wesley & Evan Walker

#FirstView

Jen Gerson: A few thoughts on leadership Trigger Warning: This one's gonna be preachy.

Excellent analysis by Jen Gerson on Alberta separatism

open.substack.com/pub/theline/...

Total Recall The beauty/tragedy of the Internet is that you can be on the other side of the globe and still (overly) connected to what’s going on at home.

Excellent analysis from @jlisayoung.bsky.social as always

open.substack.com/pub/lisayoun...

Premier plans post-election panel to gauge Albertans’ appetite for referendum Premier Danielle Smith says she is striking a post-mortem election panel to give Albertans the chance to raise issues they might want put to a referendum.

“Stoking national unity crises that don’t currently exist is certainly something new for the premier of Alberta, and should be worrisome not only for the next prime minister, but for all Canadians,” Wesley told CTV News Edmonton on Monday.

www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/art...

I cannot express how excellent this is

Excellent case for why we badly need a public inquiry in Alberta on what went wrong at AHS

An excellent breakdown of the barriers that political parties and civil society can put into place to resist authoritarianism

Opinion: Danielle Smith has much bigger things than tariffs to worry about now A former Alberta Health Services CEO has made stunning allegations of government interference on behalf of private companies in health care deals

The Globe and Mail's Gary Mason has some *thoughts* on Premier Danielle Smith's handling of the AHS allegations.

www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti... #abpoli #cndpoli

Alberta ousted health services CEO amid probe into medical contracts, document alleges Athana Mentzelopoulos was dismissed two days before a meeting with province’s auditor on her investigation, according to letter

Absolute bombshell reporting by @carrietait.bsky.social on what looks like a damning link between gifts to Alberta ministers and staff, Turkish Tylenol, and the firing of the AHS CEO and Board that were looking into it: www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alber...

Confessions of a Reluctant Nationalist I'd throw a punch to fight for Canada's sovereignty while reserving and exercising my right to criticize this country. That's a fine form of patriotism.

Canada is a country worth fighting for against anyone who’d roll up and sock us in the kisser, goddamn them.

I will still stand up for my country and our right to decide for ourselves how we want to live.

www.davidmoscrop.com/p/confession...

Opinion | A Renewed Liberalism Can Meet the Populist Challenge (Gift Article) It should be abundantly clear that “establishment liberalism” is no longer viable.

Link to that op-ed: www.nytimes.com/2025/01/26/o...

There was a great NYT op-ed this morning by @dacemoglumit.bsky.social where he talks about what a renewed liberal democracy might look like. I mostly agree - especially on cultural issues - but I think the big missing piece is a focus on substantive outcomes (over and above reducing red tape)

The basic take-away of the paper: voters strongly prefer democratic candidates in a vacuum. But when you take policy into account, authoritarian candidates who give voters everything they want from a policy perspective are preferred over democratic candidates who don't.

Do voters support democracy at all costs? Input and output legitimacy in Australia and the United Kingdom Are voters willing to sacrifice democracy if they get everything else they want from their political leaders? Recent trends towards illiberalism in established democracies have called into question...

As authoritarianism is on the rise, one way for liberal democracies to fight back is to show they can also deliver the goods.

New research out this morning with @profannikawerner.bsky.social on how voters see the balance between democracy and policy outcomes.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

White consciousness helps explain conspiracy thinking | HKS Misinformation Review While conspiracy theories have long been tied to race, ethnicity, and religion, understanding this relationship is increasingly important in countries where White identity has become politically charg...

Hot off the presses from my UAlberta colleague, @fsnagovsky.bsky.social: "White consciousness helps explain conspiracy thinking" in the Harvard Misinformation Review. #polisky

misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/whit...

Common Ground

What is life like in Caroline? We’re conducting a series of focus groups in communities across the province to understand more about what it’s like to live here. Sign up today by taking our short survey. Participants are compensated (cash on site):
www.commongroundpolitics.ca

Stress Test for the Federation Long-time What Now?!? subscribers know that I’m no fan of the Alberta Sovereignty Act.

More great insights from @jlisayoung.bsky.social, this time on the Alberta Sovereignty Act and free trade.

open.substack.com/pub/lisayoun...

I’d also like to be added. Thanks!

@suthank.bsky.social thanks for the political science lists! Could you please add me to the democratic values one?

I’d like to be added. Thanks for the great list!