Diogenes

Conservatives in Canada are generally a different breed than in the US. Canadians pay high taxes for a generous social safety net and public health care; no political party in Canada would advocate dismantling any of this, conservative or otherwise. Fiscal conservatism in Canada usually means things like rolling back subsidies for corporations, selling off state-run industries, eliminating supply management in agriculture and curbing the considerable size and compensation of the civil service.

Ah, yes - Carl.

I had a moment of disorientation as I gradually surfaced from a deep sleep. What day was it? Was I late for school? Sunlight was seeping into the bedroom through the closed curtains, and I could feel Dan’s naked body stretched out beside me, radiating warmth, his arm casually draped over me. Through the fog of sleep, I realized that it was Saturday and I had two days of freedom to spend with my boyfriend. Maybe we’d start with some slow, lazy love-making. I rolled over to face him, gazing at his

Another heartwarming chapter, Parker. I love stories like this - ordinary men finding love in real communities. It may seem commonplace to straight people, but to gay men like me it's really sweet, and unusual.

Thanks, Parker. Yes, those darn cell phones seem to be going off at the most inopportune moments. This particular cell-phone scandal is based on a real event that happened a few years ago to an Ontario politician during an election. He too was forced to step aside with just weeks to go before election day.

Thanks - it's good to be back to writing again now that I've finished off some other projects. I'm enjoying taking these characters off in a direction that is completely fictional - I can indulge in some fantasy with them. This new story is also a way for me to incorporate my love of politics - particularly appropriate right now, I think.

There seems to be something about politics that brings out the worst in some people. I wonder if the rush of being a politician encourages some men (it always seems to be men) to engage in risky behaviour, or if risk-takers are just naturally attracted to politics.

Yes, ridings are redrawn every 10 years after the census. The principle for redrawing boundaries is that every riding has the same number of people in it. Consequently, cities have latge numbers of geographically small ridings while rural ridings like Selkirk-Ettrick River are very large but sparsely populated. This is similar to Congressional districts in the US.

The bell rang announcing the end of the last period of the day, and my students noisily gathered their things and headed out the door. In the hallway, locker doors slammed, and 900 teenagers, glad to be finally released on the last day of the week, headed for the school buses. Over the din I heard the familiar burst of static from the school’s ancient PA system, warning that an announcement was coming. My ears perked up when I heard my name. “Mr. Nielsen to the office, please. Mr. Nielsen.” Da

Most of the characters in Loyal Opposition are involved in Canadian politics, either directly or peripherally. For non-Canadian readers, here’s a brief civics lesson on the Canadian political system which might help explain some unfamiliar terms used in the story. Canada is a federation comprised of ten provinces with full powers and three territories that have partial powers, each with its own elected government responsible for constitutional areas of regional interest. There is a federal gove

This fiction sequel to "About Carl" follows the story of Mark, Dan & Carl a few years later. It takes place in the same fictional Selkirk County of Eastern Ontario, Canada. Mark is caught up in a political scandal that puts a strain on his relationship with Dan, while Carl continues to complicate things.

Thanks for your kind words - I`m glad you enjoyed the story. And yes, things have worked out well for me in my own life too.

I'm just getting caught up on this story, Parker. Beautiful conclusion to a beautiful story. I love these two characters.

Thank you so much everyone for your kind comments. I've been taking a break from writing for a few months while I worked on some other projects and haven't logged on to GA in a while - what a pleasant surprise to see this wonderful review waiting for me. I'm so glad this story meant something to everyone who commented. I'm planning to write some more about Mark and Carl later this fall - I've been working out the rough story details and I'm almost there. Stay tuned!

Great start - looking forward to following this story. You have a real talent for writing dialogue.