Common Sense

Common Sense
Author: Sophia Rosenfeld
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 362
Release: 2011
Genre: History
ISBN: 0674057813

Common sense has always been a cornerstone of American politics. In 1776, Tom Paine’s vital pamphlet with that title sparked the American Revolution. And today, common sense—the wisdom of ordinary people, knowledge so self-evident that it is beyond debate—remains a powerful political ideal, utilized alike by George W. Bush’s aw-shucks articulations and Barack Obama’s down-to-earth reasonableness. But far from self-evident is where our faith in common sense comes from and how its populist logic has shaped modern democracy. Common Sense: A Political History is the first book to explore this essential political phenomenon. The story begins in the aftermath of England’s Glorious Revolution, when common sense first became a political ideal worth struggling over. Sophia Rosenfeld’s accessible and insightful account then wends its way across two continents and multiple centuries, revealing the remarkable individuals who appropriated the old, seemingly universal idea of common sense and the new strategic uses they made of it. Paine may have boasted that common sense is always on the side of the people and opposed to the rule of kings, but Rosenfeld demonstrates that common sense has been used to foster demagoguery and exclusivity as well as popular sovereignty. She provides a new account of the transatlantic Enlightenment and the Age of Revolutions, and offers a fresh reading on what the eighteenth century bequeathed to the political ferment of our own time. Far from commonsensical, the history of common sense turns out to be rife with paradox and surprise.

A Commonsense Revolution

A Commonsense Revolution
Author: Ben Murray Bruce
Publisher: Ezekiel Press
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2016-01-06
Genre:
ISBN: 9780996871594

The ability for three words to communicate so much has been born out through history and unleashed some of the most powerful revolutions the world has seen. A "Common Sense Revolution" by Senator Ben Murray-Bruce is also three words with the potential to fundamentally change the future of a country, but with more in common with the type of peaceful revolution created by Thatcher than Robespierre or Lenin. There have been many times when the words 'a new type of politics' have been uttered only to be a fleeting moment of optimism before everything reverts to type. However there is something remarkably fresh and new about how Ben Murray-Bruce has caught the public's imagination in Africa's most populous nation. He is not the 'common man', to do what he has done is indeed most uncommon, but he has managed to touch a nerve and communicate to the people of Nigeria in a way that has reached out to all irrespective of State or religion. Communication is not just about speeches, oratory prowess or, even in today's world, how well you tweet. It is a two-way street where it as important to listen as well as to speak. The very title of this book is testimony to that as it emerged from a trending hashtag, #commonsenserevolution that was created by the people of Nigeria in response to Ben Murray-Bruce's ongoing narrative on events based on his simple theme of: "I just want to make common sense." Ben Murray-Bruce heard the people and acted. And we can see that in how he addresses each issue where he combines leadership with responsiveness, to create quite a unique and powerful blend of communication. Time and time again he hits the bullseye across the nation, whether it is challenging Ministers to reduce government waste by, for example, not flying First Class or donating his Senatorial Clothing Allowance to impoverished women. These individual actions are not unrelated topical or tactical initiatives but are informed and driven by his very clear belief in the need for the very fabric of Nigerian society to change. At his speech at Silverbird Group's 35th Anniversary he made the case clearly and powerfully that the biggest division in Nigeria is not between North and South or between Muslim and Christian, but between Rich and Poor. With the peaceful transition of power in 2015 the people of Nigeria have seen that their vote can count, but unless they see the benefit that change will count for nothing. Ben Murray's Bruce's current contribution is to hold to account a Government that promised change so that the people's hopes and aspirations are not dashed once more on the rocks of 'politics as usual'. As has already been pointed out, Nigeria recently surpassed South Africa as the continent's largest economy. What is less widely known is that by 2019 it will be more than twice its size and will be one of the world's top 20 economies. Ben Murray-Bruce believes it is Common Sense that the common man should finally share in this prosperity and if not we will see a different type of Revolution that will make what happened in France over 200 years ago look like an amuse bouche. I have been to Nigeria 46 times and have been hugely impressed by the intelligence, ingenuity and exuberance of every Nigerian I meet, but who for so long has been manacled by a corrupt elite and ineffective government. And in Ben Murray-Bruce the people have been impressed by a man who they believe can help free them to realise their potential. Ben Murray-Bruce's vision is to create a Nigeria where every citizen will be judged not from the State they come from but where they are going. Ben Murray Bruce's Common Sense Revolution is to show how Nigeria can become a country where, to paraphrase Cicero on Rome, everyone will be able to claim "Civis Nigerianus sum" and expect - and deserve - to be treated fairly and equally. -Michael Moszynki

Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party

Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party
Author: Ying Chang Compestine
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2009-09-29
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1429924551

The summer of 1972, before I turned nine, danger began knocking on doors all over China. Nine-year-old Ling has a very happy life. Her parents are both dedicated surgeons at the best hospital in Wuhan, and her father teaches her English as they listen to Voice of America every evening on the radio. But when one of Mao's political officers moves into a room in their apartment, Ling begins to witness the gradual disintegration of her world. In an atmosphere of increasing mistrust and hatred, Ling fears for the safety of her neighbors, and soon, for herself and her family. For the next four years, Ling will suffer more horrors than many people face in a lifetime. Will she be able to grow and blossom under the oppressive rule of Chairman Mao? Or will fighting to survive destroy her spirit—and end her life? Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

The Government and Politics of Ontario

The Government and Politics of Ontario
Author: Graham White
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Total Pages: 476
Release: 1997-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780802078735

This textbook is the standard authority on the government and politics of Ontario. Extensively revised and updated to reflect the early Harris era, this edition also features a new section on change and continuity in the Ontario political system.

Common Sense

Common Sense
Author: Sophia Rosenfeld
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2011-09-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 0674061284

Common sense has always been a cornerstone of American politics. In 1776, Tom Paine’s vital pamphlet with that title sparked the American Revolution. And today, common sense—the wisdom of ordinary people, knowledge so self-evident that it is beyond debate—remains a powerful political ideal, utilized alike by George W. Bush’s aw-shucks articulations and Barack Obama’s down-to-earth reasonableness. But far from self-evident is where our faith in common sense comes from and how its populist logic has shaped modern democracy. Common Sense: A Political History is the first book to explore this essential political phenomenon. The story begins in the aftermath of England’s Glorious Revolution, when common sense first became a political ideal worth struggling over. Sophia Rosenfeld’s accessible and insightful account then wends its way across two continents and multiple centuries, revealing the remarkable individuals who appropriated the old, seemingly universal idea of common sense and the new strategic uses they made of it. Paine may have boasted that common sense is always on the side of the people and opposed to the rule of kings, but Rosenfeld demonstrates that common sense has been used to foster demagoguery and exclusivity as well as popular sovereignty. She provides a new account of the transatlantic Enlightenment and the Age of Revolutions, and offers a fresh reading on what the eighteenth century bequeathed to the political ferment of our own time. Far from commonsensical, the history of common sense turns out to be rife with paradox and surprise.

From Hope to Harris

From Hope to Harris
Author: Robert Douglas Gidney
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Total Pages: 382
Release: 1999-01-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780802081254

Are the sweeping changes to Ontario's education system introduced under the Harris government bad or wrong? Gidney places them in context, charting the major landmarks and debates that have washed over the educational landscape in Ontario from the 1950s.

Mike Harris Made Me Eat My Dog

Mike Harris Made Me Eat My Dog
Author: Linwood Barclay
Publisher: ECW Press
Total Pages: 149
Release: 1998
Genre: History
ISBN: 1550223682

An informed and viciously satirical look at the Ontario Tories, who've polarized public opinion unlike any other government in the province's history. Three years into Ontario's Common Sense Revolution, hospitals and schools are closing by the hundreds; thousands of nurses and teachers and other workers are jobless; schools are in chaos; pregnant welfare mothers have lost their nutrition allowance because the Premier thinks they'll spend it on beer; Toronto the megacity is collapsing under the weight of its own amalgamated administration; the Premier's last cultural experience was Mr. Silly; the rich are getting larger tax cuts while the province won't spring to bury the homeless; and welfare recipients deserve to be fingerprinted, but motorists running red lights shouldn't have their pictures taken because it would violate their privacy. What can you do but laugh? That's the approach taken by Linwood Barclay, who's been skewering the current occupiers of Queen's Park in his Toronto Star column since they took office.

The Power of Persuasion

The Power of Persuasion
Author: Kirsten Kozolanka
Publisher: Black Rose Books Ltd.
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2007
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781551642888

Explores the relationship between the politics of the New Right, the media, and democracy.

Alien Invasion

Alien Invasion
Author: Ruth Cohen
Publisher: Insomniac Press
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2009
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1897414870

Alien Invasion is the first critical look at the past eight years of Tory rule in Ontario. How did a province renowned for being middle-of-the-road suddenly embrace the forces of far-right conservatism? How have the cuts to health care, the spectre of private universities, regular public sector strikes, and the tragedy in Walkerton all come to pass? Here, 20 essays expose strategies the Harris government has previously hidden from view. Using criticism, commentary and transcripts of government seminars, Alien Invasion reveals the techniques that a group of ''whiz kids'' working for the Harris government have used to turn Ontario into a laboratory to test the theories of economists who seek greater powers for corporations by equating capitalism with freedom. In the course of restructuring Ontario in this new way, they have even succeeded in manipulating Ontarians to act against their own interests.