The longer you live, the more you read, the more you think about things, the less you seem to know.
Wise words from 205 years ago.
Some Comms. Style Notes For Scott Moe.
Learn how to oppose something loudly and effectively.
Show up. Have a planned response in place well before the event takes place. Be ahead of the story, not road kill. Last minute cabinet meetings aren’t a good look.
Don’t be one of the last jurisdictions to haul U.S. booze off the shelves. It looks like you’re not serious or not paying attention.
Attempt to construct a broadly-based coalition. Think about that before the knee-jerk rejection of a demand to recall the Saskatchewan Legislature.
Lastly, and this pains me greatly…be more like Doug Ford.
Ford and his Comms shop are killing it. They are consistent, on message, relevant and as such, are making a difference.
Give this guy a call, and ask for some help.
Properly played, Saskatchewan Potash can be bigger than Justin Bieber and Meghan Markle.
If it’s one thing Americans understand it’s food and the need for a ready and inexpensive supply.
Just look at what’s going on with eggs.
Saskatchewan can be the story. But you have to know what you’re doing.
UK provides Sask. with a template on how to deal with donald trump.
Donald Trump had three significant meetings this past week in the Oval Office; only one created a global crisis. However, the American President’s meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer should be reviewed by those in Saskatchewan currently attempting to make a dent in U.S. policy.
Starmer genuflected deeply in an effort to secure one promise: an American security guarantee for the territorial integrity of Ukraine. He offered a massive increase in UK defence spending (paid for by gutting Britain’s overseas aid programs and widely viewed as a betrayal of the world’s poorest.)
These gifts were received, but had no impact. Starmer got nothing for his troubles, save for a cabinet resignation
So, like all good politicians, Starmer pivoted. On the fly, in the wake of the Zelensky meeting, the Prime Minister began working on organizing a coalition of the willing. He saw the political terrain shifting beneath his feet and rapidly came to the realization that new strategies were required.
Saskatchewan’s political leadership should take note of this. The particular absence of strong condemnation of Trump’s actions by Premier Scott Moe is troubling. Nonsense talk about pre-approving any pipeline work in Saskatchewan is a) needlessly provocative and b) pointless, since he doesn’t have that authority.
It’s time for our Premier to listen to the quiet voice inside his head: things are changing. The status quo is evaporating. The United States will not be a reliable trade or political partner for the next four years, or perhaps even longer.
Attempting to appease the current US administration is a fool’s errand. Commitments made and undertakings agreed to on Wednesday lie shattered on the floor by Wednesday.
Channel the UK response. Pivot, adapt, re-tool. Cut your losses and start building stronger relationships with Europe and Asian trading partners. We’ll all be better off.
Many places in this province had temperatures above zero today. That which looked like cement hours ago is softening and collapsing. Much like our current world order.
As always, if you’re looking for a metaphor, prairie weather is generally a good one.
Timidity and tariffs: the Saskatchewan Response.
For the life of me, I can’t seem to sort out the aggregate political benefit behind Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe’s tepid reaction to Donald Trump’s introduction, withdrawal (and potential re-introduction) of tariffs against Canada and Mexico.
Politicians are many things, but they generally transactional on the whole. They will seldom take stupid positions that cost them votes. By failing to mirror the rapid, decisive and significant measures introduced by his Council of the Federation colleagues in other provinces, Premier Moe may be maintaining his right-wing base. However, he risks alienating a groundswell of Canadian nationalism and those Saskatchewan voters fond of putting their province first. It just doesn’t make any sense to me.
Some have chosen to compare Moe’s response to the historical avatar to appeasement in the face of bullying, Neville Chamberlain: https://thestarphoenix.com/opinion/columnists/tank-saskatchewan-could-be-the-strongest-voice-in-american-trade-conflict
Others point to the folly of accepting at face value Trump’s rationale for the tariffs, suggesting change to Canada’s Criminal Code might be far more effective than the appointment of something as nebulous as a “fentanyl Tsar”.https://leaderpost.com/opinion/columnists/mandryk-moes-disappointment-with-trump-tariffs-far-too-tepid-appeasing.
As Mr. Mandryk points out, the very notion of attempting to appease Donald Trump is folly:
The Premier’s chief apologists attempted to deflect critics of the tepid tariffs response by highlighting Moe’s efforts to diversify the province’s export markets.
Yes, but….
….on the one hand, these efforts started well before Moe’s residency in Rm. 226. On the other hand, these efforts under Moe’s supervision have not been all that successful:
So, the fundamental question remains: Scott Moe has shown no hesitation to come off the bench on various and sundry issues. Why not this, particularly given the conspicuous political advantages of a more aggressive response? I have two potential answers: one from an expert in UK politics, the other is my own.
Polly Mackenzie was a Chief of Staff to Nick Clegg in the coalition government with the Conservatives. In a recent Times of London podcast, Mackenzie had an important reminder to political observers: Politicians don’t think like normal people. They are fiercely tribal, and party loyalty means more than anything. In this context, Moe may believe his loyalty to the Saskatchewan Party’s dominant narrative, his loyalty to the Premier of Alberta and his hatred of the federal Liberal government are simply more important than throwing his lot in with those advocating a more aggressive response. According to Mackenzie, the issues matter quite a bit more to ordinary voters while loyalty beats all other considerations for political leaders.
Most of politics is dominated by hyper-partisan thinking. Tribal loyalties matter more than the substantive issues…I think it’s fundamental to all observers of politics to note how important tribal loyalty is. And I think for voters, the issues matter quite a lot more”.
(How to Win an Election Podcast, 04 Feb 2025. Times of London, 23 min mark.)
My possible answer may be less prosaic but arguably equally worthy of consideration. The current Premier of Saskatchewan may have simply checked out. The job is onerous. He may actively be considering departure sooner as opposed to later. Given that, he just may not be interested in expending the energy and political capital on one more big fight. The tepid response may be just a symptom of fatigue.
Something to consider.
Despite the 30 day suspension, the tariffs story is far from over. We will be dealing with this story–or ones just like it, again and again over the next few years.
To end on a positive note, at least this week has highlighted Canada and Saskatchewan’s importance to US agriculture and the energy sector. Even Senator Chuck Grassley ( R-IA) was awakened from his normal geriatric slumber long enough to conclude potash was important to corn producers in the great state of Iowa and maybe he should be asking for a tariff exemption.
Like Emerson, the people of Saskatchewan are thankful for such small mercies.
On change
UK National Archives Releases New Files on Cambridge Five.
From the UK National Archives, the latest on an endlessly fascinating story of betrayal and decades of deceit.
https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/confessions-from-the-cambridge-five/
These freshly-released top secret files will be very interesting.
first time x-country skiing in over two decades
After three circuits of the local park, I can say without fear of contradiction that it is not like riding a bike. The new technology has not compensated for the deterioration in skills. But it was fun !
The new skis are far easier to control. The new boots and bindings are far better than old school equipment. However, balance comes with practice.
After 20 minutes, bits of it were coming back. And I will keep at it. I’m adopting an iterative approach; set the goals low–don’t injure yourself and enjoy. The skills will return, eventually.
Christmas, 2024
The Sun Comes Up
Christmas Eve morning, Regina SK.
Ian Hanna 