Clowncil should try honesty, not more secrecy #nlpoli
The problem at St. John's city council isn't the recent budget.Council is a nest of ego and ambition. Not so very long ago, council members fought among themselves privately and…
Ed Hollett
Nalcor: Generations #nlpoli
Telegram editor Peter Jackson took a hard look this week at the implications of Nalcor’s effort this week to jack up electricity rates.As part of the company’s rate application to…
Politicians and Public Debt #nlpoli
Remember the debt clock?Finance minister Tom Marshall went around the province during that year’s budget consultation – now “rebranded” as “engagement” – with this big electric counter that purported to…
Decision-Based Evidence-Making #nlpoli
The government’s “renewal initiative” is supposed to be guided by something called “evidence-based decision-making.”It’s right there, right after “affordable and sustainable public services” as one of five principles listed in…
Using his words #nlpoli
Politicians are usually very careful about the words they use.That’s why it’s important to notice the words Premier Dwight Ball used this weekend in an interview with Tom Clark for…
Old whine still sour #nlpoli
"I'm concerned that we have an aging asset,” natural resources minister Siobhan Coady Siobhan Coady told CBC in explaining the most recent break downs at the Holyrood generating station.About two…
Get the message: get a grip #nlpoli
Two former Premiers sent a very pointed message to Premier Dwight Ball this week about the way Ball has been handling the provincial government’s massive deficit problem.Brian Tobin was in…
Fiscal Stabilization Program #nlpoli
On the one hand, it’s great to live in a country that has a program to let the federal government shunt money to provincial governments that run into financial difficulties.On…
From a decade of prosperity to $2 billion deficits: What happened?
By Roger GrimesReflecting upon becoming the eighth Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador 15 years ago this month, I found myself chatting with a few friends and associates about where the…
Using data aggressively #nlpoli
These days campaigns are about collecting information on voters and using the data.The Ted Cruz campaign has been especially aggressive in Iowa with a mailer that highlights the poor record…
Newfoundland government finance, 1832 to 1949 #nlpoli
Before Newfoundlanders stopped governing themselves in the early winter of 1934, they’d run a sometimes arduous course.Newfoundland gained a limited form of self-government in 1832 and in 1855 gained Responsible…
Junkyard wars
Syrian rebels have been using modern technology in the simplest of ways in their war against the Assad regime in Syria.In the picture at left, a rebel crew are shown…
AG reports on suspected frauds in FY 2014 #nlpoli
In his most recent report, Auditor General Terry Paddon disclosed alleged frauds identified during his review of the provincial government's accounts:The finance department's Professional Services and Internal Audit Division discovered…
E.A.M.
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Moody’s warns NL government on finances #nlpoli
Moody's Investor Services is the second rating agency to give the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador a negative trending in light of the government';s financial problems.In a release, Moody's said…
Revelation: Labrador hydro edition #nlpoli #cdnpoli
“I wonder how I would feel if a province or a region in another province prevented Hydro-Québec from building its transmission line. I would feel exactly like the people in…
Jerry Earle won’t retweet this post #nlpoli
Apparently the surest way to piss off a couple of university academics a.k.a the NDP policy brain-trust is to point out how their take on the government’s financial crisis is…
Revenue problem #nlpoli
Jon Parsons has an interesting take on the provincial government;s financial mess. It’s worth taking a few minutes to go through it. Follow some of the links he offers as…
Turmoil tamed #nlpoli
Few people would be brave enough to start out a book on politics in Newfoundland and Labrador with the words “Paul Lane.”Fewer still could bring it off successfully.Telegram political reporter…