You should never buy a man’s chicken until you’ve seen his bookshelf. At least so says Joel Salatin, a countercultural conservative organic farmer profiled in Michael Pollan’s brilliant The Omnivore’s Dilemma, because, “The way I produce a chicken is an extension of my worldview.” Surely that’s also true of political platforms. So I wonder what our politicians are reading these days. Click here to read the rest.

Can I complain about technology here? Not my usual curmudgeonly bit about how machinery can’t save our souls, social media are stupid and electric light killed the night sky. I mean why are we surrounded by so much fancy stuff doing so little? Click here to read the rest.

OK all you Ontario Tories. Now will you listen up? Click here to read the rest.

Who’s running this country anyway? They seem to be doing an appalling job. So how do we make them stop? Click here to read the rest.

Apparently it’s not safe to send naked pictures of yourself to strangers even if you use the Snapchat feature that supposedly deletes them afterward. Who saw that coming? Or needed to? Click here to read the rest.

How can public servants enjoy such lavish perks yet seem so unhappy? Click here to read the rest.

It’s very nice to come to France and have my preconceptions confirmed. Non, non, don’t look at me like that. I mean in a good way. Click here to read the rest.

The shock and sorrow that greeted Jim Flaherty’s sudden death are a tribute to the genuine warmth he brought to the often cold and ugly world of politics. He deserves to be remembered for his grit, kindness and the twinkle in his eye. But his legacy was not what they claim. Click here to read the rest.