Rebecca Graff-McRae

Solidarity. It's a blessing to find a space where your skills and passions converge ... And it feels like a curse when you can't make that your life's purpose *and* meet basic survival at the same time.

The "Irish-American" commodification of republicanism is a subject for an entire thesis in and of itself. But yeah, commemorative plates ... for hunger strikers ... seems especially gauche.

A commemorative plate featuring images of the 10 Republican hunger strikers who died in Northern Ireland's Maze Prison between May and August 1981. The plate, white China with black portraits stamped round like a clock face, features an H emblem in the centre with the words 25th anniversary of the Hunger Strike. It was featured by the American group Friends of Sinn Fein at their 2006 commemoration event.

It's giving

To support the UFF from Tiger's Bay is almost understandable from a socio-economic & politico-historical lens. Lived experience, community ties, mutually exclusive narratives of history.

But as an American ex-pat in feckin London?! With coffee table merch?! That's a choice, and a nasty one.

As do we.

Thank you for the work you do, from this beleaguered hauntologist struggling to keep doing meaningful scholarship alongside a job that actually pays me 😮‍💨

Research by @alonghurst analyzing the impacts of the ASI showed that CSFs were increasing wait times for critical surgeries by siphoning HCWs & OR time from public system.

In 2023 & again in 2025.

3 years of screaming into the void.

And MUN has already been cutting close to the bone, as far back as my time there (2009/2010) 😬 The cumulative impact of constant "trimming" over a decade and a half is devastating.

Alberta two-tier health system not comparable to European models, says report - Red Deer Advocate Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives releases report

Alberta is trying to legitimize the creation of a private health insurance market for medically necessary care by falsely claiming its two-tier health care plan is comparable to western European and Australian models

reddeeradvocate.com/2026/02/13/a...

Absolutely correct. Alberta holds up Australia but waits are longer for most priority procedures—and the public subsidizes the private insurance insurer big time!

Public dollars into private hands

Eamonn McCann on life at 80 The Derry socialist, civil rights activist, author, journalist and politician tells Brendan about living with Ataxia and how football, family and music keep him going

Eamonn McCann sharing his recollection (@min 18) of the creation of Free Derry Corner in January 1969 said he was inspired by a student movement in Berkeley, California calling itself "Free Berkeley". Some guy from Bellaghy would later pen a line about history rhyming ...

www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

Yesssss! Where my Irish studies people at? We love to see it.

YOU ARE NOW ENTERING FREE MINNEAPOLIS painted on a wall in the style of the Free Derry Corner.

This rules. I love how delighted they all look!

One of my lesser claims to fame is that Browning's sister was the Owl leader for my Brownie troop 😂

And I agree - during the Men's Free program he displayed so much empathy for each skater. His experience of having been in their shoes (skates) meant as much as his technical analysis.

An orange cat, curled nose to tail with his front paw just about covering his face. One bright yellow eye peeks out through the fluff.

The cat tax demands payment.

Waves to Muji 👋

I humbly submit this lovely bit of perfection from Dermot Kennedy:

share.google/hAdbng6PsIOW...

Comment: The Shannon Three – awaiting judgment For the last two and a half years the state has done all it can to reserve judgment on Israeli genocide.

A private jet touched down in Shannon Airport. Onboard were Palestinian deportees from the US, their wrists and ankles shackled.

It’s not that the Irish state doesn’t want to involve itself with this depravity – it doesn’t want to acknowledge it.

www.ontheditch.com/comment-the-...

Albertans, pattern recognition is going to be the most vital skill you possess in coming months.

New from me:

The growth of private-pay long-term care demonstrates insufficient investment in public long-term care in BC—forcing many to pay out of pocket or go without.

#bcpoli

Sure. My point is that the word "sovereignty" has real meanings, but now it also has a Smith meaning - i.e. an attempt to make it mean something that suits a political purpose. "A sovereign Alberta" cannot and does not exist "within Canada", no matter what title she writes at the top of the bill

Strictly speaking, provinces are *not* sovereign territories. Provinces have devolved powers that are *borne from* a sovereign, federal parliament, and in that sense have sovereign power over devolved jurisdiction only.

three men standing next to each other with the words you keep using that word Alt: Inigo, Vizzini and Fezzik from the Princess Bride standing next to each other with the immortal lines spoken by Inigo: you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

"Sovereignty":

Fun Fact: UofA's alternative to DEDI is called ACaB 🙃

Heartbreaking and deeply, deeply wrong.

"We don’t provide loans to the health care system or schools; we just pay for them."

For the love of all that's holy, please don't give Danielle Smith any more bad ideas.

Alberta cuts access to health care for some temporary workers, raising concerns in the Bow Valley | CBC News Alberta has stopped offering provincial health coverage to some people on working holiday and young professional visas, a change that came into effect earlier this year without a public announcement. ...

"Alberta is now an outlier among western provinces. British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba all confirmed to CBC News that Type 58 visa holders are eligible for public health coverage in their provinces."

And the limiting health care begins.

#abpoli

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Important lessons in effective resistance from those on the ground in Minnesota.

Picture of a stack of hundred dollar bills with a wrapper that says "health care insurance." Next to it are a stack of credit cards, and in the top left corner is a calculator.

Saturday | 10:15 Researcher Andrew Longhurst joins us to talk about Alberta’s amendments to provincial health care legislation and the dangers they pose to Medicare in Canada. @alonghurst.bsky.social @poliscirish.bsky.social @policyalternatives.ca #canPoli

Alberta cuts access to health care for some temporary workers, raising concerns in the Bow Valley | CBC News Alberta has stopped offering provincial health coverage to some people on working holiday and young professional visas, a change that came into effect earlier this year without a public announcement. ...

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has mused about cutting or limiting public services for temporary residents. It turns out that already happened last month with public health insurance www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... #AbLeg #AbHealth

Ah but you could get from Bangor (Wales) to Bangor (County Down), which sets up all sorts of delightfully comic scenarios. Won't someone think of the sitcom writers?!

Alberta legislation could pave way for two-tiered health-care system, new report says | CBC News A report that was jointly produced by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Parkland Institute finds Alberta's Bill 11 could pave the way for a two-tiered health-care system.

ICYMI

The Alberta govt claims that its health care changes mirror other provinces & countries

My new @policyalternatives.ca/Parkland Institute report with @poliscirish.bsky.social busts this myth

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

@picardonhealth.bsky.social
@avisfavaro.bsky.social

#abpoli #cdnpoli