'Long live the new sh*t disturbers'
Introducing 'Without Diminishment,' from yours truly, Geoff Russ, and Caroline Elliott.
I come bearing news, and more projects. My show on Juno News, ‘Not “Sorry”’ with Alexander Brown, has now expanded to three days per week. Thank you to all those who have subscribed and helped make that a success.
And myself, Geoff Russ, and Caroline Elliott — both terrific writers who are a real force in the Canadian political sphere (if Caroline ever runs for prime minister, we’d all be better off) — are thrilled to announce the debut of Without Diminishment, a new opinion publication, designed to elevate that landscape, and to serve as a leading voice among Canada’s new right.
While I own this email list 2500 long, I wasn’t going to port you over without your permission. I believe in earning your trust and your support each and every day, and my respect and gratitude for this audience has never wavered.
I’m hoping to see hundreds of you join us over there — on merit — and you can click here to subscribe today.
Little will change here. Acceptable Views will remain a priority, but as with the expansion of the Juno Show, the success of Project Ontario, my role at the NCC, and now the launch of Without Diminishment — which has received early public endorsements from the Hon. Gordon Campbell, former Premier of B.C., and
, who is the “long live the new sh*t disturbers” in the title — these are key moments to build economies of scale on the right, to ensure the next ten years don’t go like the last.So join us over at Without Diminishment; take a man with the Order of Canada’s word for it. We think we have the chance to build a special publication there, and we’re invested in fixing the present to again unlock Canada’s future.
Subscribe today. Thank you, as ever, for your support. And read on for our introductory post.
Welcome to Without Diminishment
Introducing a home for plain truths, and the voice of Canada’s new right.
There are those who think we can keep pretending things are the same as they were 20 years ago. They act as though the big issues of our time can be defined exclusively in economic or pocketbook terms, and that restricting discourse to the merits of things like tax cuts and deregulation is a sufficient remedy for what ails our country.
They think we can avoid the tough social, cultural, and historical issues that are affecting Canada in very real ways. That if we close our eyes and focus enough on ‘free enterprise,’ the so-called “progressive” paradigm won’t continue to seep into every aspect of our professional and family lives, affecting not just the economic future they all claim to care so much about, but also our very sense of who we are and who we want to be as a people.
This perspective forms the backbone of the conventional wisdom that “serious” people ought to stay out of what they call the “culture wars” and “stick to the issues that matter.” The lines are thus drawn between the acceptable issues and those that are out of bounds.
But we have to be able to talk about the hard stuff, or we’ll continue to cede the narrative – and, more importantly, the policy ground – to progressives who have so effectively owned this terrain for so long. We need a place to explore history and current events with the nuance left in, where we can dive into sometimes-inconvenient facts and data, and where we can propose the hard solutions.
We also need a place to consider the tough questions: Is our nation’s history something to be ashamed of, or to celebrate? More to the point, what, actually, is our nation’s history?
Where is ‘reconciliation’ really taking us and is it compatible with our collective well-being?
Is mass immigration really the only solution to our demographic challenges? And what effect does it have on our sense of cohesion as a society?
Is one’s ethnic background such a determinant of one’s future that individual responsibility is no longer a thing?
What is the role of the education system and what do we do when it conflicts with what parents see as in the best interests of their children?
Are cultural issues really the antithesis of economic discourse, or are they, in fact, an essential aspect of any discussion aimed at a prosperous economic future?
Let’s explore these and many other questions in a genuinely curious way. Let’s go beyond the state and consider the integral role of family and community in shaping the society we want to see. Let’s take an honest look at our past and see what lessons it has for our future. Let’s re-consider the premises so many have unquestioningly accepted and reject those that don’t withstand an intellectually rigorous examination. And yes, let’s touch that third rail from time-to-time to bring issues to the forefront that matter, even if it means taking risks.
We’re here for it, and we hope you are, too.
Welcome to Without Diminishment. Subscribe today.
-Geoff Russ, Alexander Brown, and Caroline Elliott