Once in a while, you come out with a column that goes right to the gut. What makes the Line great is the personal touches; the things you felt and experienced that you don't get anywhere else. That last paragraph was visceral because it's experiences that most of us; luckily, have never known, but still try to comprehend. It's that horrible feeling of anger and helplessness. It's what great writing is all about...making people feel.
After feeding your description of the mood at the conference to ChatGPT it provided this:
The German word "Weltschmerz" might come close to capturing this complex mixture of emotions. It translates loosely to "world-weariness" or "world pain" and describes a feeling of melancholy and resignation when confronted with the imperfections of the world, often coupled with a sense of determination to endure despite the disillusionment.
Excellent column Matt. Also depressing as hell when it comes to Canada, to our federal government, and it’s senior members. I used to be, when travelling abroad, proud to identify as a Canadian, very proud. Trudeau and the Liberals have obliterated that pride.
Don’t give up on Ukraine. Trump doesn’t like to lose and as we all know he negotiates hard. It could end up with Ukraine getting more help, not less. It depends on Putin. I don’t believe this bromance nonsense with Putin.
His second term won’t be like his first where he was tripped up and foiled at every turn by Obama era incumbents who hated the thought of a non-politician mucking up their turf and who defended it accordingly. This time he has experience and is well prepared with his own hand-picked team. We’ll see.
Wow. Trump will give Putin every square foot he can settling his score with Zelensky for not opening the Biden investigation. Ukraine will; again, be thrown to the wolves. Trump is a traitor. Watch how fat after he takes office that power coalesces around the president as the dictatorship is established. The Constitution is dead the day he takes office, and you best get used to a succession plan revolving around President Musk.
In 40 days, Canada is surrounded by oligarchies. His cabinet picks make that clear. America as you know it is dead. And yes, I would love to be wrong.
I like your optimism but unfortunately I do not share it. I truly hope I am wrong. Nothing that Trump has said would indicate a pro Ukraine outcome as most of the stories only hint what Trump’s position will be with zero attributable quotes on his part. I can only hope that enough pro Ukraine Republicans remain that they are at least able to temper Trumps worst impulses.
Again a damn excellent column, Matt. The military needs to become an integral part of Canadian society, just like police and firefighters. That integration is a job for our elected officials to do. The responsibility for the integration is 80 % the responsibility of the politicians, and 20 % responsibility of the military. The Liebranodip miscreants have on purpose been cutting off and isolating the military from the Canadian society for generations. That is not the way to ensure Canada's sovereignty. Be mindful where you are placing your vote.
Another outstanding article by one of my favourite Journalists. As much as I wish Matt could have been talking about better news, I know he does not get to create it. He unquestionably does provide clear, well written, entertaining, and well thought out comments about it though! Keep up the great work Matt!
The sad thing is that, even if our next government takes defense seriously, it will take many years to build up our military capacity to where it needs to be. It's not just a procurement process that is inefficient and takes decades to deliver. It's also the morale of our troops, and reviving the traditions that bind them into effective fighting units. Perhaps the bad guys will pause, so that we can catch up.
Canadians are notoriously uninterested in foreign affairs, with the exception of what goes on in our southern neighbour. I don't know how to expand our consciousness.
An example among many: We have had a free trade agreement with Mexico ( and the United States) for over thirty years now. How many Canadians speak Spanish? How many of our schools teach it?
Morale will certainly go up if some of the things suggested by The Hub in a recent column are carried out. 1) Give our troops a pay raise. 2) Modernise our military infrastucture from WWII to current standards. 3) Buy some off-the-shelf platforms from abroad quick, like the Korean submarines. The first two will grow our economy a bit also, since that spending would stay in Canada. And it could get our defence spending to 2% of GDP. Iy helps that we are at last getting F-35s, P-8s, CC-330s, new naval vessels (starting with icebreakers and supply ships), and new anti-tank weapons.
The only advantage Pierre will bring to office is that Trump doesn't hate him. He's already made it clear he has no plan to advance defence spending; something that will change in an instant. He has no plans for anything.
> He's already made it clear he has no plan to advance defence spending
Really? You think so?
Because my criticism of him is that he’s made NOTHING clear except for defunding the CBC and eliminating the carbon tax. If you’ve got something with him saying that he’s not going to give in to American demands to spend more on the military and in doing so pick a fight with them, please pass it along. Because I haven’t seen any commitment from him either way.
It’s possible he has NO plans at all for his prime ministership except eliminating those two things. But that seems unlikely to me.
Personally, I think he's hot air and spin devoid of substance. I think when it's his turn to answer the questions instead of asking them, he won't know if "he's shot, fucked or snakebit". I don't think he has a concrete plan for anything, and when he gets in, with his massive landslide, we're going to get governance just as incompetent as what we're getting now. And yes, as the US has just proven, he could be worse.
I feel sad for Ukraine too. It was invaded when it was because once the West proved that the Taliban were correct - the decadent West has no stomach for difficult long-term chores - the green light was given to Putin. Like the Taliban, he doesn't have to worry about re-election and knew that the decadent West's resolve would fade within 3-5 years. And this is how it goes. This is now empires die.
Seeking asylum here might prove a questionable choice. 2500 years ago, on the plains of Marathon, someone shouted, "Men of Athens, there's no one to save you if you'll not save yourselves." Canada, it seems, is still struggling to internalize this ancient wisdom.
'Stand on guard for thee...?' Well, they're nice lyrics.
Once in a while, you come out with a column that goes right to the gut. What makes the Line great is the personal touches; the things you felt and experienced that you don't get anywhere else. That last paragraph was visceral because it's experiences that most of us; luckily, have never known, but still try to comprehend. It's that horrible feeling of anger and helplessness. It's what great writing is all about...making people feel.
After feeding your description of the mood at the conference to ChatGPT it provided this:
The German word "Weltschmerz" might come close to capturing this complex mixture of emotions. It translates loosely to "world-weariness" or "world pain" and describes a feeling of melancholy and resignation when confronted with the imperfections of the world, often coupled with a sense of determination to endure despite the disillusionment.
Germans seem to have a surprisingly specific word for all sorts of things.
This one is fun: Backpfeifengesicht - “A face that begs to be slapped.”
Excellent column Matt. Also depressing as hell when it comes to Canada, to our federal government, and it’s senior members. I used to be, when travelling abroad, proud to identify as a Canadian, very proud. Trudeau and the Liberals have obliterated that pride.
A damn good column. Thank you, Matt!
Well said Matt. From the soul.
Don’t give up on Ukraine. Trump doesn’t like to lose and as we all know he negotiates hard. It could end up with Ukraine getting more help, not less. It depends on Putin. I don’t believe this bromance nonsense with Putin.
His second term won’t be like his first where he was tripped up and foiled at every turn by Obama era incumbents who hated the thought of a non-politician mucking up their turf and who defended it accordingly. This time he has experience and is well prepared with his own hand-picked team. We’ll see.
Wow. Trump will give Putin every square foot he can settling his score with Zelensky for not opening the Biden investigation. Ukraine will; again, be thrown to the wolves. Trump is a traitor. Watch how fat after he takes office that power coalesces around the president as the dictatorship is established. The Constitution is dead the day he takes office, and you best get used to a succession plan revolving around President Musk.
In 40 days, Canada is surrounded by oligarchies. His cabinet picks make that clear. America as you know it is dead. And yes, I would love to be wrong.
Sometimes America surprises us. We must hope but pay attention to the possibility you may be right.
I like your optimism but unfortunately I do not share it. I truly hope I am wrong. Nothing that Trump has said would indicate a pro Ukraine outcome as most of the stories only hint what Trump’s position will be with zero attributable quotes on his part. I can only hope that enough pro Ukraine Republicans remain that they are at least able to temper Trumps worst impulses.
As we were told in 2015 "He just isn't ready, Nice hair though". He still isn't ready and never will be. A boy to do a man's job. Larry Badwick
Great column Matt. Authenticity and Garumba. I hope (as I hope with most of The Line’s columns) that the people who need to read this, actually do.
Thoughtful, reflective and personal, all at the same time. Thanks.
Sadly bang-on, Matt. On a personal note, thank you for your support of Ukraine as both a strategic and a moral imperative.
Again a damn excellent column, Matt. The military needs to become an integral part of Canadian society, just like police and firefighters. That integration is a job for our elected officials to do. The responsibility for the integration is 80 % the responsibility of the politicians, and 20 % responsibility of the military. The Liebranodip miscreants have on purpose been cutting off and isolating the military from the Canadian society for generations. That is not the way to ensure Canada's sovereignty. Be mindful where you are placing your vote.
Another outstanding article by one of my favourite Journalists. As much as I wish Matt could have been talking about better news, I know he does not get to create it. He unquestionably does provide clear, well written, entertaining, and well thought out comments about it though! Keep up the great work Matt!
The sad thing is that, even if our next government takes defense seriously, it will take many years to build up our military capacity to where it needs to be. It's not just a procurement process that is inefficient and takes decades to deliver. It's also the morale of our troops, and reviving the traditions that bind them into effective fighting units. Perhaps the bad guys will pause, so that we can catch up.
Canadians are notoriously uninterested in foreign affairs, with the exception of what goes on in our southern neighbour. I don't know how to expand our consciousness.
An example among many: We have had a free trade agreement with Mexico ( and the United States) for over thirty years now. How many Canadians speak Spanish? How many of our schools teach it?
Morale will certainly go up if some of the things suggested by The Hub in a recent column are carried out. 1) Give our troops a pay raise. 2) Modernise our military infrastucture from WWII to current standards. 3) Buy some off-the-shelf platforms from abroad quick, like the Korean submarines. The first two will grow our economy a bit also, since that spending would stay in Canada. And it could get our defence spending to 2% of GDP. Iy helps that we are at last getting F-35s, P-8s, CC-330s, new naval vessels (starting with icebreakers and supply ships), and new anti-tank weapons.
The only advantage Pierre will bring to office is that Trump doesn't hate him. He's already made it clear he has no plan to advance defence spending; something that will change in an instant. He has no plans for anything.
The new guy often surprises us, sometimes in good ways and in bad. Poilievre is right in not saying too much specific about his policies.
The Liberals have a very long history of stealing the policies of other parties and calling them their own as far back as when the NDP was the CCF.
I am 74 and my mother never forgave the liberals for doing that to the CCF.
> He's already made it clear he has no plan to advance defence spending
Really? You think so?
Because my criticism of him is that he’s made NOTHING clear except for defunding the CBC and eliminating the carbon tax. If you’ve got something with him saying that he’s not going to give in to American demands to spend more on the military and in doing so pick a fight with them, please pass it along. Because I haven’t seen any commitment from him either way.
It’s possible he has NO plans at all for his prime ministership except eliminating those two things. But that seems unlikely to me.
Personally, I think he's hot air and spin devoid of substance. I think when it's his turn to answer the questions instead of asking them, he won't know if "he's shot, fucked or snakebit". I don't think he has a concrete plan for anything, and when he gets in, with his massive landslide, we're going to get governance just as incompetent as what we're getting now. And yes, as the US has just proven, he could be worse.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/poilievre-dumpster-fire-economy-nato-1.7261981
I feel sad for Ukraine too. It was invaded when it was because once the West proved that the Taliban were correct - the decadent West has no stomach for difficult long-term chores - the green light was given to Putin. Like the Taliban, he doesn't have to worry about re-election and knew that the decadent West's resolve would fade within 3-5 years. And this is how it goes. This is now empires die.
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Seeking asylum here might prove a questionable choice. 2500 years ago, on the plains of Marathon, someone shouted, "Men of Athens, there's no one to save you if you'll not save yourselves." Canada, it seems, is still struggling to internalize this ancient wisdom.
'Stand on guard for thee...?' Well, they're nice lyrics.
Excellent, thought provoking column. Thank you