Blazingcatfur

Ontario politics in recent weeks has played out as something like a real-time satire of itself, with the Latent Methodist Brigade still insisting Premier Doug Ford’s plans for the demon liquor will lead us all to untold poverty and perdition. The news this week has only made them more upset: Japanese convenience store empire 7-Eleven will open licensed areas in 58 of its 59 stores in Ontario, in which you can enjoy an alcoholic drink with your hot dog, nachos or chicken nuggets. The company says it’ll add 60 jobs.

Are Canada’s political leaders behaving like children when they label each other as wacko or as weird? Or are such put-downs a sound, even winning strategy in politics?

Whatever the answer to those questions, I’ll suggest that the hottest political debate just now is whether “PeePee is weird” or “Trudope is wacko.” Yes, our politics has come to that. Maybe it’s just the summer silly season. And, to be clear, if you’re blaming any one political leader for starting the blaming and belittling of opponents, you might need to brush up on your world history. Demonizing the enemy is a practice as ancient as dust.

Over the course of many weeks in July, thousands of locals hit the streets of Spain’s major tourist destinations saying they’ve had enough of tourists. The protests are the latest in an anti-tourist sentiment gripping much of Europe, with experts warning that they could have ripple effects all over the world.

From Barcelona to Mallorca, Spanish protesters have called for a more balanced approach to tourism, arguing that the sector has been contributing to the country’s housing crisis.