Headline on a news release issued on Wednesday by the provincial government: Budget 2012 Investments Will … And in the first paragraph, you get this line: Budget 2012 will allocate $1.4 million… So if they can announce some budget details in February, they can release the rest of it, too.
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The Sir Robert Bond Papers: The old cabinet documents ploy #nlpoli #cdnpoli
Premier Kathy Dunderdale and her ministers refuse to hand over documents on more than $5.0 billion in public works spending by the Conservatives since 2004. The documents are cabinet secrets, as their argument goes, and under the access to information law cabinet cannot release that information to him. like her
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: AG Report–Government Liabilities #nlpoli
The latest report by the province’s Auditor General has some information to bear in mind as we talk about Muskrat Falls. Note that total liabilities went up from the end of March 2010 to the end of March 2011. It now stands at more than $13 billion. But… Financial assets
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Muskrat Falls and debt: some quick points #nlpoli #cdnpoli
There are some big misconceptions out there as a result of the way people in government talk about debt. That has implications for any discussion of Muskrat Falls. Here are some quick comments, coming in part as a result of Tory MHA Paul Lane’s call to Open Line Monday morning.
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Paying attention #nlpoli
In order to understand what is going on in the world around you, then you just need to pay attention. Paul Wells makes plain the value of careful reading – i.e. paying attention – in a post at macleans.ca on the letter from the federal health minister to her counterparts
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The reality of her world #nlpoli
Some people are trying to make a controversy out of Premier Kathy Dunderdale’s recent comments that public sector unions should “expect a more modest increase” than the salary rises they’ve been used to from the Conservatives since 2003. Look at “the reality of the world”, Dunderdale admonishes everyone. Well, a
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Stop your “more for me please” rants, Dundernomics edition #nlpoli
Politics in Newfoundland and Labrador is nothing if it is not funny. Last week, Premier Kathy Dunderdale warned the crowd running the province’s fish processing industry – and everyone else in the province too – that they can’t “constantly turn to government” to fix every problem out there. So on
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: One statement, three stories #nlpoli
Finance minister Tom Marshall delivered his fall financial update on Wednesday. Thankfully they no longer wind up being called mid-year updates since they appear long after the middle part of the fiscal year. Having successfully lowballed some of their numbers from the spring budget, Tom’s officials have produced a surplus
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Disconnect in the Brain Housing Group #nlpoli
The provincial Conservatives are a weird bunch. They want to fight the provincial debt by increasing it. They are nominally Conservative but their spending of public money is anything but prudent. Via labradore – who else? – come two posts …
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Minister’s bullshite in excellent shape
How many false or misleading claims can one cabinet minister make in one letter to the editor of the province’s major daily newspaper? Let’s see how Tom Marshall did in a letter to the Telegram headline “Province in excellent shape”. Misleadi…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Bond rater drops American credit rating
From the Globe, in a story that Standard and Poor’s had lowered the United States government’s rating from AAA to AA Plus: “The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the Administration recently ag…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Ahem
From the e-mail inbox this week came a gentle reminder from Kevin Kelly, editor at the Herald: Just wanted to point out that in last week’s Newfoundland Herald, (the one with Kiss on the cover), I did a story entitled "Headed for Disaster"…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Strengthening the Treasury
Consider the simple reality. The current provincial administration has more money – without considering federal transfers – than any other government in the province’s history. Most of the government’s money comes from oil. Oil prices are at…
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