David Moscrop

David Moscrop

@davidmoscrop.bsky.social

597

Posts

Politics writer and author of “Too Dumb for Democracy?”

Also: Substacker, podcaster, radio and TV guest. PhD in political science from UBC, just in case.

Work in the Washington Post, the Globe and Mail, Jacobin, TVO, the Guardian, Maclean's, etc.

Posts Replies Media

On the latest episode of Open to Debate, I talk with Labour and Seniors minister Seamus O'Regan about the new anti-scab law and the state of labour relations in Canada. Listen below or wherever you get your podcasts. podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/i...

‎Open to Debate with David Moscrop: In conversation with Seamus O'Regan: What does an anti-scab worker bill tell us about the state of labour in Canada? on Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com ‎Show Open to Debate with David Moscrop, Ep In conversation with Seamus O'Regan: What does an anti-scab worker bill tell us about the state of labour in Canada? - Jul 9, 2024

I'm away from my newsletter this week and next as I deal with some brutal jaw pain. In the meantime, here's 25 percent off a paid subscription and a photo of an awesome shark! www.davidmoscrop.com/p/unschedule...

Unscheduled Summer Break: Debilitating Pain Edition. (And An Apology Sale.)www.davidmoscrop.com I've done it. I've become the stock image of a guy with an aching jaw radiating red. But I won't use that picture. I must simply draw the line somewhere.

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"Some retailers in Canada and the US, including a handful of Canadian Tire and Walmart locations, have done away with the model. Still, the tech remains widely in use. Even when a store ditches the machines, it’s likely out of concern about shrink than customer experience."

Self-checkout represents the enshitification of every last bit of our lives. I explain why the practice is so insidious for The Warlus. thewalrus.ca/the-scourge-...

The Scourge of Self-Checkout | The Walrusthewalrus.ca The technology promised to make shopping easier. It has done the opposite

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"You can try to bully or coerce workers back into the office, but that doesn’t solve the structural problem of an uninviting and unaffordable core; it merely treats workers as walking ATMs." — @davidmoscrop.bsky.social

You can try to bully workers back into the office — but that won’t solve the real problem | TVO Todayamp.tvo.org OPINION: If politicians and companies really care about revitalizing downtowns, there are far better ways to accomplish that goal.

Self-checkout represents the enshitification of every last bit of our lives. I explain why the practice is so insidious for The Warlus. thewalrus.ca/the-scourge-...

The Scourge of Self-Checkout | The Walrusthewalrus.ca The technology promised to make shopping easier. It has done the opposite

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"Nearly half of Ford’s caucus will now find themselves doing double duty as ministers as the cabinet swells to 36 members; there’s a minister for red-tape reduction, but apparently no one in charge of irony." — @davidmoscrop.bsky.social #onpoli

Ford’s cabinet shuffle is a distraction — and a gravy-train giveaway | TVO Todayamp.tvo.org OPINION: With 36 MPPs now making a bonus of over 40 per cent more as cabinet ministers, the caucus will be kept docile and ready to stump for their boss.

It's well past time for the holdouts to ditch their Trump coping mechanisms and say the true parts out loud. Trump could win again. He could govern as an authoritarian. What's left of US democracy could crumble to dust. www.davidmoscrop.com/p/saying-tru...

Saying True Things Out Loudwww.davidmoscrop.com The decline of US democracy has major implications for America and the world. It's beyond time for the holdouts to accept that we're in serious and literal trouble.

I joined Steve Schmidt to discuss Canada, the US, and Trump -- and the prospect of political refugees coming north after the 2024 presidential election. www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRyO...

If Trump Wins Again, Will His Political Enemies Have to Flee America? | The Warningwww.youtube.com Steve Schmidt speaks with David Moscrop, a Canadian writer and political theorist, about how the international sphere sees the rematch between Trump and Biden in 2024. They discuss a potential second term of Donald Trump - and what it might mean for his political enemies. To become a The Warning Premium Member and listen to the show 48 hours early with access to premium content visit: https://thewarning.supercast.com/ Subscribe for more and follow me here: Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribe Twitter: https://twitter.com/SteveSchmidtSES Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/

Who wins with electric vehicles? If we're not careful, it won't be Canadian and American workers. We can't forget that the EV transition isn't just abstract economics. It's politics. And it's the lives of real people at stake. www.davidmoscrop.com/p/who-wins-w...

Who Wins with Electric Vehicles?www.davidmoscrop.com If personal vehicles are here to stay (they are), we need to think about how workers fit into the EV transition. And how to protect them. That may mean tariffs on foreign cars.

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"Ultimately, it’s Ford who bears responsibility for this mess, and it’s Ford and his government that ought to pay the political price." — @davidmoscrop.bsky.social #onpoli

The Greenbelt scandal won’t truly be over until Ontario has a new government | TVO Todayamp.tvo.org OPINION: It’s good and right that we should learn more about the land-swap scandal. But don’t we already know enough to reach the most important conclusions?

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New from @davidmoscrop.bsky.social on Poilievre and the unmitigated bullshit torrent factor open.substack.com/pub/davidmos...

Pierre Poilievre Is Spreading Bullshit. Does Anyone Care?open.substack.com Can we fact-check our way to better politics? Not really. But sort of. Either way, it's worth trying.

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“Help! Our plagiarism machine built on a web of lies is doing exactly what everyone warned it would!”

Google Researchers Say AI Now Leading Disinformation Vector (and Are Severely Undercounting the Problem)www.404media.co It’s much easier to produce AI-generated disinformation than it is to fact check it.

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"The key to good policy is making it in the right way and for the right reasons and then backing it up through verifiable data that’s shared with the public." — @davidmoscrop.bsky.social #onpoli

Is Ontario letting irresponsible drivers off the hook? | TVO Todayamp.tvo.org OPINION: There’s a case to be made that the PCs’ approach to impaired-driving charges is reasonable — but the key to good policy is making it in the right way.

Pierre Poilievre is spreading bullshit. Does anybody care? www.davidmoscrop.com/p/pierre-poi...

Pierre Poilievre Is Spreading Bullshit. Does Anyone Care?www.davidmoscrop.com Can we fact-check our way to better politics? Not really. But sort of. Either way, it's worth trying.

The right is big mad about paper lids and plant-based ice cream. The culture-warification of our politics means we can't even talk about solving problems properly. t.co/PAV0lo6q8B

Who's Afraid of Plant-Based Ice Cream?t.co When every little petty grievance and misunderstanding opens a new front in the culture wars, we're in big trouble.

Canada's wildfire season is off to another terrifying start. Are we prepared for it? www.gzeromedia.com/gzero-north/...

Five-alarm fire: Why Canada’s wildfire season could scorch last year's recordwww.gzeromedia.com The 2024 wildfire season is set to be brutal for both Canada and the US. Are they doing enough to prepare?

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"It's very much in keeping with Doug Ford’s approach to governance — lots of showmanship, lots of faux-populism, and few results." — @davidmoscrop.bsky.social #onpoli

Auto theft is a serious problem. But Doug Ford’s approach won’t solve it | TVO Todayamp.tvo.org OPINION: With the new penalties, it’s not quite clear what the government’s plan is beyond trying to look like it’s tough on crime and treading on federal territory to do so.

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When Premier Doug Ford says, “You don’t come to Ontario, no matter what culture you are, and stir things up,” who is he talking about? — by @davidmoscrop.bsky.social #onpoli

Doug Ford’s encampment comments aren’t folksy — they’re dangerous | TVO Todayamp.tvo.org OPINION: When the premier says, “You don’t come to Ontario, no matter what culture you are, and stir things up,” who is he talking about?

In an era of information overload and an internet filled with trash, good information and sources you can trust are gold. A week offline reminded me of how important good information is. www.davidmoscrop.com/p/why-good-i...

Why Good Information is Goldwww.davidmoscrop.com I spent a week mostly offline and it reminded me why being online is necessary. And dangerous.

I'm off for the next week while we move (in this economy?). So, for Substack this week, my piece is...a sale on paid subscriptions. Come join at 20 percent off or maybe help me pack some of these books? www.davidmoscrop.com/p/its-a-very...

It's a Very Special "I'm Moving (In This Economy?)" Sale and Personal Notewww.davidmoscrop.com It's short and sweet. I'll be back soon, but in the meantime...

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From @davidmoscrop.bsky.social on MAiD in Canada “our underfunded and subpar administration of care in Canada has led some up to, and through, the door of assisted death. As things stand, more will follow. It’s grotesque.” jacobin.com/2024/05/cana...

The Canadian State Is Euthanizing Its Poor and Disabledjacobin.com Canada boasts one of the world’s highest assisted-death rates, supposedly enabling the terminally ill to die with dignity. However, this suicide program increasingly resembles a dystopian replacement ...

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"Ottawa doesn’t need a lobbying office that acts as a de facto arm of the premier’s office. It needs a team of elected representatives and civil servants — who are perfectly well-equipped for this work — to do their jobs." — @davidmoscrop.bsky.social #onpoli

Doug Ford’s new Ottawa ‘regional office’ reeks of gravy-train politics | TVO Todayamp.tvo.org OPINION: The idea of a regional office isn’t in and of itself a bad one. But creating one from the top down and staffing it with a patronage appointment is.

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The keffiyeh may be cultural or political or both, depending on who’s wearing it and why. It isn’t the business of the Ontario legislature to decide. — by @davidmoscrop.bsky.social #onpoli

The keffiyeh ban is unjust — and unjust rules should be ignored | TVO Todayamp.tvo.org OPINION: The keffiyeh may be cultural or political or both, depending on who’s wearing it and why. It isn’t the business of the Ontario legislature to decide

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Holy cats, this is such a good episode. I could quoted almost everything Cory said to offer incentive to listen right now. But I’ve narrowed it down to two. “Prisoners are the early adopters of our future technological dystopia. And if you want to know what kind of world you’re likely to be living…”

I am so excited to share *episode 100* of Open to Debate with you, featuring our very special guest, Cory Doctorow. How is life becoming enshitified? Let us count the ways! Listen below or wherever you get your pods. playpodca.st/opentodebate

If you're getting your summer-reads pile ready, I've got you covered. Here are three books about politics and power you shouldn't miss. www.davidmoscrop.com/p/three-book...

Three Books About Politics and Power That You Should Readwww.davidmoscrop.com Plus, an appeal to help Umar Zameer and his family recover financially after his acquittal.

What is "Kenneyism"? Does Jason Kenney still matter? Check out the latest episode of Open to Debate, in which @jeremyappel.bsky.social joins me to talk about his excellent new book! podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/w...

‎Open to Debate with David Moscrop: What is Kenneyism and why should we care? on Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com ‎Show Open to Debate with David Moscrop, Ep What is Kenneyism and why should we care? - Apr 22, 2024

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“When governments constantly reverse course, that suggests poor or no consultation, a lack of forethought, botched communications internally or externally (or both), or incompetence.” — @davidmoscrop.bsky.social #onpoli

The Ford government is making it very difficult for me to write op-eds about the Ford government | TVO Todayamp.tvo.org OPINION: Last night, I wrote a column about UP Express service cuts. By the time I submitted, the Tories had already backpedalled.

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The first major assessment of Kenney’s legacy, journalist @jeremyappel.bsky.social’s “Kenneyism” charts the rise, fall and philosophy of the enigmatic conservative’s career. The book ought to be on the shelf of any respectable political observer in this country. @davidmoscrop.bsky.social writes.

‘Kenneyism’ Blazed the Trail for Poilievre and Smith | The Tyeethetyee.ca Jeremy Appel’s book profiles an enigmatic politician and his contradictory Canadian formula for authoritarian populism.

I am so excited to share *episode 100* of Open to Debate with you, featuring our very special guest, Cory Doctorow. How is life becoming enshitified? Let us count the ways! Listen below or wherever you get your pods. playpodca.st/opentodebate

Expertise is essential in a democracy -- for instance, when it comes to setting climate policy. It's also not enough. Here's why. jacobin.com/2024/04/left...

The Unbearable Necessity of Expertsjacobin.com Right-wing populism’s disdain for the opinions of experts can be mistaken for the Left’s scorn for technocracy. But democratic principles and mass politics are the real antidote to the appropriation o...