The Memory Hole Nineteen eighty-four is popular these days. People think that the ideas in the book like the memory hole are modeled on communist or fascist dictatorships from the early part of the last century. What those people forget is that George Orwell worked at the BBC during the
Continue readingTag: Dwight Ball
The Sir Robert Bond Papers: The Walking Dead Duck
This evening Liberals will elect a new leader. And about two weeks from now – likely Friday, February 14 – the new leader will take the oath of office and become the 38thfirst minister of Newfoundland and Labrador since it became self-governing (May 5, 1855) and the 14th Premier since
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Bollocks #nlpoli
Kill the wabbit? Moody’s has changed its outlook on the provincial government’s debt from stable to negative while sustaining the A1 rating it gave the province in July 2019. That, by the way, was a downgrade. In a statement issued Wednesday, Moody’s said the change in outlook reflects the company’s
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: All around in circles #nlpoli
Going around in circles must be frustrating. Plummeting crude prices have dropped refining margins to negative numbers and so it isn’t surprising that Come by Chance refinery announced Sunday it is shutting down operations for upwards of five months. The official excuse is the pandemic but the real reason is
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Experience Counts – COVID Economic Balls-Up Edition #nlpoli
On Friday Premier Dwight Ball took a question from reporters about the Liberal leadership that is still underway. In a moment of egotistical boasting, Ball said it “takes experience to get through this crisis that we’re dealing with. Someone said to me this morning it takes experience to do that job,
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Transitory Records #nlpoli
In dealing with one aspect of the business of getting Carla Foote from Executive Council to The Rooms, deputy minster Ted Lomond suggested to The Rooms CEO that he delete the email in which Lomond had forwarded a proposed draft of a letter. cbc.ca/nl ran a story on it Monday
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: A mouthful of burp #nlpoli
Not one mitigation scheme. Not two mitigation schemes. Three mitigation schemes. Delivered by the end of January. All wonderful grand and all believable if you have had the sense knocked out of you by the endless string of promises Dwight Ball has made about mitigating the impact of Muskrat Falls
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The Rookies, the House, and the Orchestra Pit #nlpoli
What is reported is seldom what happened even though what happened is far more interesting than the stuff that falls into the orchestra pit. Events in the House of Assembly are the result of decisions by members of all three parties. Any analysis that ignores the simple realities of the
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Dippers go home #nlpoli
The latest quarterly poll from Narrative Research shows that a gaggle of folks who were likely New Democratic Party supporters returned to the fold in the past quarter and are now happy to identify as New Democrats once more. So while this is good news for Alison Coffin and the
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: More to the Trimper Affair #nlpoli
The most important implications of the Trimper Affair escaped notice. _____________________________________ In the midst of all the public commentary about the Trimper affair last week – strikingly racist as it was in some respects – even the people ostensibly supporting the Innu missed the most obvious and most meaningful aspects
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The Political Doldrums #nlpoli
Last week, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians got a few reminders of the magnitude of the political problem they face in addition to the financial and economic problems already lurking. The most obvious was word that one of the longest-serving members of Dwight Ball’s inner circle has decided to leave for the private
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Captain Dildo, Dwight Ball, and the New Approach to Old Stereotypes #nlpoli
Last week, the Premier’s Office sent out a picture of the Premier standing next to the mascot of a town in Newfoundland and Labrador. Nothing odd about it until you realise the mascot is called Captain Dildo and the Premier named Ball is standing to the left of the figure,
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The Slaughterhouse Five #nlpoli
Coupled with comparable high rates of staff changes in the senior ranks of the public service, unprecedented staff turn-over in a critical part of Premier Dwight Ball’s office raise questions that need to be addressed. Premier Dwight Ball has entered the history books. He has chewed up more communications directors
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Mitigating Muskrat Falls: Ron, Harry, and Hermione are still baffled #nlpoli
Mitigating the impacts Muskrat Falls will have on taxpayers of Newfoundland and Labrador remains the single biggest unanswered question in the province nine years after the project started and the politicians first started talking about how they might do it. To mark the 14th anniversary of The Sir Robert Bond Papers,
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Paddon’s report on Martin contract just bizarre #nlpoli
After a lengthy review, Auditor General Terry Paddon said Monday that the provincial government hounded former Nalcor boss Ed Martin out of his job. He had no choice but leave and since he never quit and no one fired him, Martin was entitled to the multi-million separation payments he got
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Paddon’s report on Martin contract just bizarre #nlpoli
After a lengthy review, Auditor General Anthony Paddon said Monday that the provincial government hounded former Nalcor boss Ed Martin out of his job. He had no choice but leave and since he never quit and no one fired him, Martin was entitled to the multi-million separation payments he got
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Duff in the hole encore #nlpoli
Oh dear. The CBC has gone off to the mainland to get Duff Conacher to make a comment about the need for political finance reform in Newfoundland and Labrador. Three observations: 1. There is a desperate need for campaign finance reform in Newfoundland and Labrador. SRBP has been writing about
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Putting the sunk in sunk cost #nlpoli #cdnpoli
Muskrat Falls is basically an $800 million tax on the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. That’s roughly the amount you get using numbers Nalcor chief executive Stan Marshall made public last summer. Muskrat Falls is a tax on the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Always was that. Never was anything
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Brutal #nlpoli
Any Liberals who thought they were out of the political woods got a harsh reminder of the truth on Tuesday. Their leader remains as unpopular as ever. According to Angus Reid, only 20% of respondents to their recent poll thought Premier Dwight Ball was doing a good job. That’s scarcely
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Poll numbers not very comforting #nlpoli
A little over a month ago, only about 16 or 17 percent of respondents told pollsters they thought Dwight Ball was the best choice for Premier. In November, 27% of respondents picked Ball above Paul Davis and Earle McCurdy in Corporate Research Associate’s quarterly survey. That’s a big jump in
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