What a difference a federal election can make to provincial poll results. According to the latest Angus-Reid poll, 43% of respondents are satisfied with Kathy Dunderdale’s performance as premier down from 55% in February and 67% for her predec…
Continue readingAuthor: Edward Hollett
The Sir Robert Bond Papers: Quentin Jurgens he ain’t
Bloc NDP member of parliament Ryan Cleary had the chance to make his first remarks to the House of Commons on Monday. He didn’t speak about anything of concern to any of constituents. There wasn’t even a reference to his pet project, namely havin…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Building permits down in April
The value of building permits issued in the province in April fell by 16% compared to the same month in 2010 according to information released on Monday by Statistics Canada. Permits in April 2010 were valued at $94 million and $79 million in April 20…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Nightmare on Muskrat Falls #nlpoli
The intrepid labradore takes yet another slice at the official government rationale for Muskrat Falls by showing the electricity rates Nalcor has been charging for the period 2005 to 2009. He’d probably have used more recent information but
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Williams ex-chief of staff lands at Muskrat project
Not surprisingly, Brian Crawley – Danny Williams’ former chief of staff – is now a manager with the Muskrat Falls project. Williams announced the project last November as a prelude to his retirement a week or so later. His successor – Kathy …
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Mythbusting: Not Kari, but still worth a look
labradore charts the total electricity output from Nalcor, less Churchill Falls, Menihek and a few other bits and pieces. Note that thermal generation – mostly Holyrood has been less than 20% of the total in four of the past five years. Tota…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Harris Centre: A prosperity plan for Newfoundland and Labrador
Mark this one on your calendar: “Over the past ten years, Newfoundland and Labrador has gone from poverty to prosperity, all due to revenues from non-renewable natural resources, especially petroleum. How should we spend this new-found – but tempo…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Unite the Left
Some members of the Bloc NDP think the party needs to take a turn to the left in order to capitalise on the gains from May’s general election. As the Globe and Mail reports: Its wish list of convention resolutions include calls to close “the A…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Manitoba-mooseless Traffic
All the stuff people were reading at Bond Papers rather than getting excited about a hockey team. Or maybe it was in addition to. In any event, here’s the list for may 30 to June 3. Well she asked for one… Dundernomics 101: Al…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Dundernomics 101: the promise of problems ahead
Take a look at this picture. It comes from Wade Locke’s presentation at a conference of the province’s credit unions in Gander in the latter part of May. The blue line is government income (revenue). The red line is government spen…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Can Len Simms be far behind?
Ross Reid quit his job as deputy minister of the Penny Rowe department and a short time later picked up a new gig as the provincial Conservatives’ campaign manager for the fall general election. No one saw that coming, for sure. That’s exa…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Dundernomics 101: All your toasters are belong to us
labradore does yet another fine job exposing the completely ludicrous claims of those backing Kathy Dunderdale’s Empire of Debt, doing business as the Muskrat Falls project. Specifically, labradore tackles the idea that electricity demand in the pro…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Give Danny the money
Your humble e-scribbler is no fan of handing public cash to private sector companies for any reason. And make no mistake: when Danny Williams claims the provincial government would make its money back 20 fold on the hockey team, he is as full of shite…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Dundernomics 101: the cost of doing business
Premier Kathy Dunderdale, displaying her keen awareness of mathematics – among other things - in the House of Assembly on Monday, May 9: Mr. Speaker, Hebron costs are driven by reserves, as are most projects in the offshore. So as we do our…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Well, she asked for one…
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, if somebody can name a reason why this government would not want Kiewit to be successful in this contract earning thirty-five years of work for people of the Province, Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what it is. …
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The Galaxy Quest for Relevance
Where is Jason Nesmith when you need him? The fictional commander of the fictional star ship Protector at least took a firm stand when delivering a stock line: Never give up! Never surrender! Noob Bloc NDP member of parliament Ryan Cleary co…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Crude price forecasts don’t support Dunderdale’s empire of debt #nlpoli
Crude oil prices are the pedestal on which Kathy Dunderdale’s empire of debt called Muskrat Falls is built. The provincial Conservative’s plan to burden the people of Newfoundland and Labrador with a huge public debt and grossly increased electric…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Monday? Back to “No!”
Kathy Dunderdale told reporters on Monday that she was clear in her answers before. That explains why she was back again for a third day trying to find her position on cash for jock straps. To recap, the provincial sports minister said on the first d…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: If this is Friday, it must be yes…
Or is it no? First, they were going to give Danny his cash for his hockey team. Then 24 hours later they decided – emphatically and unequivocally – that the new answer was “no” because the government did not fund that sort of thing. But …
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