The more I read about the Easter Rising in 1916 and the struggle for Irish independence, the more fascinating and nuanced it becomes.

When I woke up this morning, I knew nothing about the life of Roger Casement. Apparently, that’s because his life and actions have caused strife and diplomatic irritation for decades. No one wants to talk about this man.

Often, events and the characters who drive them are overly simplified. One is either a hero or a traitor. Evidence is mustered for one overly-simplified proposition or another.

Today’s article in the Guardian by Rory Carroll makes the case that Casement is far more complex. He was, in fact, both a traitor and a hero because life, as it is lived, can become very complex. there is sufficient evidence for both interpretations.

Here we have an architect of the Easter Rising who was, before he was hanged by the British, trying to stop it from happening, believing it was ill-fated and doomed to failure.

That his attempt to stop the rebellion was thwarted by the British, who felt it was to their strategic advantage for it to proceed, adds a layer of pathos.

The entire Guardian article can be found here:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/04/roger-casement-hanged-traitor-pardon-ireland-easter-rising

And the reference to the Yeats poem sent me scurrying to the internet for more.

Those powerful words at the end of each stanza:

All changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.

The entire Yeats poem can be found here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43289/easter-1916

Some wise words today from UK policy wonk Polly MacKenzie. Politics is not like running a business. Some skills are transferable, but more is required. As Ms. MacKenzie says, politicians are not mere avatars for factional interests in society. At best, aim for a diversity of voices around the decision-making table. However, don’t assume success at business translates into success in politics.

The entire article can be read here: https://substack.com/@pollymackenzie

Seems like a lot of people were surprised and dismayed by Scott Moe’s decision to hike power rate, including a major industry group, made up of some of the largest industry group. In a recent letter to the province’s Rate Review Panel, the Saskatchewan Industrial Energy Consumer Association (SIECA) says a lack of transparency around plans for a rate increase “not only weakens confidence in Crown rate setting, but also creates broader uncertainty regarding the investment climate in Saskatchewan.

The entire release can be found here:

https://www.ndpcaucus.sk.ca/scott_moe_s_secrecy_driving_economic_uncertainty_as_power_rate_hike_shocks_industry

Not only are they failing to inform the public or school divisions of these unconscionable delays, They’re not even talking to each other. Take the work done by your ministerial officials and throw it out the window, cut capital funding then deny any delays. Unbelievable.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sask-school-construction-delays-2026-9.7140386

The air warms; the snow receded, leaving behind a carpet of diamonds.

A goose walks tentatively towards open water. The crack of the ice echoes across the lake.

There is hope. Soon we’ll be swimming, and feeling the warmth of the sun on our faces.

After years of constrained capital dollars in the Saskatchewan’s education sector, one has to wonder how Shellbrook jumped to the head of the line for a new school.

This is a particularly salient question since no less than an authority than the Ministry of Education’s Capital Planning Branch identified more than 200 schools in worse shape. Yet the new school goes to the Premier’s constituency.

Below is a section from today’s CBC Saskatchewan story, which can be found in its entirety here:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sask-ndp-scott-moe-shellbrook-school-9.7135453

The issue also came up in the Saskatchewan Legislature, and at an NDP media event in Saskatoon, featuring the party’s education critic, Matt Love. Here’s the section from Saskatchewan Hansard, the official record of Legislative Assembly debates:

If you’d like to wade through the entire back-and-forth of the debate, it can all be found here:

https://docs.legassembly.sk.ca/legdocs/Assembly/Debates/30L2S/20260319Debates.pdf?v=20260320012407

And beyond the allocation of capital dollars, this week’s budget also seems to have once again placed the Moe government on a collision course with the province’s teachers, a few short years after the longest teacher strike in Saskatchewan history.

The province continues to lag behind other jurisdictions when it comes to inflation adjusted per student funding.

And as teachers prepare to resume collective bargaining on a new province-wide contract for their members, it appears this budget has done little to instil confidence.

The graphic to the right is from the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation Instagram account.

Below, once again, content from today’s CBC story, featuring quotes from the President of the Teachers’ Federation.

“Education critic Matt Love says the Saskatchewan budget doesn’t invest enough additional money to address classroom complexity or help with schools that are crumbling or bursting at the seams. The Ministry of Education is getting a two per cent increase, bringing its total to $3.6 billion.” (cbc.ca/sask)

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7134253

And here’s what the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation had to say:

https://www.stf.sk.ca/about-stf/news/budget-2026/

It’s become sadly predictable, according to the NDP’s Matt Love. Limited funding means school board cuts are inevitable.

Love says: “This budget will lead to cuts in our classrooms, and the Sask Party is proving once again that they can’t be trusted to invest in education. They say one thing, but do another. It’s time for change in Saskatchewan!”