An apology to people persecuted for being gay and other news and views

Trudeau promises apology to Canadians persecuted for being gay - Macleans
Trudeau said he will formally apologize on Nov. 28 to people forced out of public service or prosecuted based on their sexual and gender identities.
Joyce: New England opportunists make by-election a “farce” Farm Online

Parliamentary reform and democratic renewal - John Menadue - Pearls and Irritations
Most Australians have little trust in our parliament and in our members of parliament. Parliament has not responded to changes in community attitudes and aspirations. With the end of the two-party dominance it is inevitable that the parliament will be permanently in gridlock with no government controlling the Senate.
We need an independent enquiry to consider parliamentary reform and ways to breath life again into our democratic institutions. That reform would be good politics as well as good policy for the leader who would recognize the problem, listen and embrace the need for change.
Inside the camp, the men were desperate but determined. Sick. Hungry. Trapped. They wanted freedom. This is Manus Island. - New York Times
Veteran UN officials say they have never seen a wealthy democracy go to such extremes to punish asylum seekers.
German election: Preliminary coalition talks collapse after FDP walks out - Die Welt
Germany's Free Democrats have called off coalition talks with Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU bloc and the Greens. FDP head Christian Lindner said that after weeks of negotiations the parties could not find a "basis of trust."
Balance of Power: Merkel’s Convictions Risk Her Downfall - Bloomberg
The political cost of Angela Merkel’s refugee policy is becoming clear.

The chancellor told Germans they had a moral duty to help when she decided to offer shelter to an unprecedented wave of migrants fleeing war and poverty in 2015. But she failed to convince enough people.
A Cultural Turning Point On Sexual Harassment? - NPR

What New Zealand’s “Unfortunate Experiment” Can Teach Us About Medical Abuse - Boston Review
This is about the systemic abuse of women: female patients at risk of cancer deceived by a powerful male doctor whose bogus research was supported by an all-male department at an institution called the National Women’s Hospital.

Iceland knows how to stop teen substance abuse but the rest of the world isn’t listening - Mosaic
In Iceland, teenage smoking, drinking and drug use have been radically cut in the past 20 years.

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