When Gordon Campbell was Premier, advantaging insiders and friends became the BC Government’s raison d’etre. Liberals were damn good at it too. When that sated Premier moved on, he left behind a gang worthy of a Jimmy Breslin novel. If they could shoot straight, it would be right into their own
Continue readingTag: vaughn palmer
Cowichan Conversations: It Is Time To Get Back To “The Culture of Why!”
Richard Hub Hughes-Political Blogger It is disconcerting to see so many of our politicians embrace an escalating level of disrespect and even contempt for those of us that they are elected and entrusted to represent. We see it from the PM Steve Harper and many of the Provincial Governments and
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Evening Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Robyn Allan notes that there’s plenty of weakness in Christy Clark’s position on the Gateway pipeline. But Barbara Yaffe writes that Clark has little choice but to stick to at least the requests she’s made so far – and Vaughn Palmer points
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Vaughn Palmer discusses the unfortunate gap between the outrages that may lead to a government being pushed out of power, and a new government’s ability to actually reverse what’s been done. Which, a propos of nothing, makes it rather important to push
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Sid Ryan rightly criticizes Tim Hudak’s anti-labour plans as a push toward poverty rather than prosperity. – Via Climate Progress, Steven Mufson reports on the causes of Enbridge’s Michigan oil spill – with Enbridge’s complete failure to repair known defects over a period
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Friends caring for friends
Bill Good mounted a defence of Christy Clark today following release of David Basi’s accusations that Premier Christy Clark was very much involved in the corrupt sale of BC Rail and was leaking confidential information to fixers involved in the deal. Good was joined by Keith Baldrey who wondered even
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Liberal’s own fast ferry
Last August, Chad Skelton of the Vancouver Sun reported on a conference call between BC Hydro president Dave Cobb and senior staff. Cobb said the utility was being forced by Liberal policy to pay private power producers huge sums for unneeded electricity. ” ‘If it doesn’t change, it would be
Continue readingNorthern Insight: A false notion of the purpose and end of law
A replay from June 2010 that seemed to me worth repeating because, after almost two years, Vaughn Palmer, the Vancouver Sun’s main pundit, finally noticed the BCR scandal keeps BC Liberals mired in rough and unpredictable terrain. Weekend is a time to reflect on broad issues and to search for
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Not a story to be ignored, after all
The following conversation between the three voices of NW’s Trailing Edge from the Ledge was first reported at Northern Insight in October 2009. Today, the boys got to say what they really think about the blog world: Keith: “Vaughn called them nut cases in the past . . .” Vaughn:
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Wingnut alert!
REPLAY: First published Oct 22, 2010, this small piece, with minor updates, remains apropos. BC Liberals Keith “Fore!” Baldrey and Bill “That’s an old story” Good, with Mr. “I’ve Seen No Evidence” Palmer, said on Corus Radio that bloggers are anonymous “wingnuts” writing “things they don’t know.” I might be
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Trailing edge from the Ledge
A reader commenting in the preceding article about corporate journalism left this statement: “A means must be found to reign in the illegality and criminal activity in BC’s provincial government.” I believe that exposing unvarnished truth is the single most important thing. The co-opted mainstream media must be forced to change or
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Toothless media accommodates political fraud
In 2006, Rafe Mair wrote News Media, Defanged for The Tyee. It included the headline: “Politicians, not too long ago, feared the press.” Of course misreants particularly feared Rafe Mair during his post-politician days. Rafe had been a successful lawyer and a capable cabinet minister in Bill Bennett’s coalition and
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Time for BC’s media to admit its conflicts
When the media notes conflicts of interest in the business of politicians and community leaders, the reporting is immediate and relentless. Ask Glen Clark or Bill Vander Zalm. However, when conflicts involve fellow journalists, disinterest and silence is usual. So we have people presenting news that affects industries that pay
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Self-interested blather from Edge of the Ledge
Wonderful demonstration today of how BC’s tight little circle of political reporters is wilfully blind to the real issue at stake in the CBC conflict of interest matter. Of course, I did not expect anything else from this trio on CKNW because I question their own journalistic ethics because of
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Taking issue with journalism in the MSM
I left this comment at Ian Reid’s article about Vaughn Palmer but the audio link does not work within comments, so I repeat the comment intended to follow Ian’s item at The Real Story and the audio link: “You have of course identified the frustration with Palmer. He would be
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Can someone report news while making news?
It is appropriate to ask if political writers can report objectively after they become paid participants in the public forum, earning appearance fees and other remuneration from businesses with interests in their coverage. In 2009, Charlie Smith at The Georgia Straight wrote this: “There are members of the press gallery
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Can we believe anything they say?
Pavco’s convention centre and stadium deals fascinate me. People residing beyond BC’s lower mainland are probably more pissed-off than fascinated. These deals clearly demonstrate the disaster potential when public and private enterprises work together …
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: A crime family depends on its enablers – rerun
I quoted from a Lewis Carroll poem The Walrus and the Carpenter in a comment thread at the Vancouver Observer. My obvious suggestion was that Tzeporah Berman had been like oysters that naively went for a stroll on the beach to be consumed by their ushe…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Good riddance
At long last, B.C.’s HST has met its end. Vaughn Palmer reminds us why, while Iglika Ivanova looks at what comes next.
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