The Price of Revanchism #nlpoli
Churchill Falls occupies a unique place in Newfoundland and Labrador's political culture.Most of what people believe about Churchill Falls is just sheer nonsense. Made up. Never true. Completely ludicrous. But…
Muskrat Falls
A foundation of lies and deceit #nlpoli
You could feel the shock among the local media on Friday as Stan Marshall carefully dissected the insanity that is Muskrat Falls.Didn't matter if you heard the voices on the…
Making the best of a bad deal #nlpoli
Here's the short version of the implications flowing from Nalcor's announcement on Wednesday:1. Continuing Muskrat Falls is a political decision already made by Dwight Ball despite the evidence. It's like…
Martin continues to seet provincial political agenda #nlpoli
On the surface, Ed Martin's statement on Monday confirmed what we already knew.Dwight Ball knew about and approved of Ed Martin's severance payment from Nalcor. Ball may not have known…
The Oracle on the Parkway #nlpoli
Crude oil was trading north of US$50 a barrel for about 30 seconds this week.What with the government's cash deficit being $3.0 billion and all, CBC had someone write up…
How government decides – From Bow-Wow to Basenji #nlpoli
The Liberals' signature policy initiative is Bill 1.It is so important that it is the only piece of new legislation the Liberals have introduced in this session that is directly…
Six Rationalisations Pretending to Be Policy #nlpoli
Policy solves problems.At it's simplest level, policy answers a question.Cancelling Muskrat Falls is a good example. We are facing a financial crisis. Muskrat Falls is a huge expense. There's the…
The Rasputisa and the 2016 Budget #nlpoli
The speech finance minister Cathy Bennett read in the House of Assembly on Thursday was as horrible as the reaction most of the province have been having to it.That's not…
The Rasputitsa #nlpoli
Before we even get into this, let's be clear: the EY review commissioned by the provincial government was never, ever about cancelling Muskrat Falls.Not even remotely or theoretically.Dwight Ball said…
Paying for Muskrat Falls #nlpoli
To understand precisely how insane an idea we have at Muskrat Falls, think of it this way.In Quebec, provincial government policy is to maintain a pool of electricity that is…
How to say little in 34 slides #nlpoli
Consultants have consistently reported that the Muskrat Falls project is well-managed and well-led.Despite that independent analysis, MFP has been dogged by significant cost over-runs, significant problems with performance on meeting…
A tax to build a tax #nlpoli
A tax to pay a tax.Interesting idea, no?Well, that’s what Jim Feehan suggested last week. He told a luncheon meeting of the St. John’s Rotary Club that the government should…
Muskrat Falls electricity prices… again #nlpoli
The infamous JM is at it again."Top 10 Muskrat Myths" (via Uncle Gnarley) rebuts 10 of the arguments in favour of Muskrat Falls. All of this has been argued before…
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…
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…
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…
Blind in one EY #nlpoli
The new Liberal administration is firmly, irrevocably committed to completing the Muskrat Falls project regardless of the final cost to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.We know the Liberals will…
The Quick Clay Dam #nlpoli
A very short post by James Gordon at Uncle Gnarley contains a whole lot of information about the dam Muskrat Falls.Gordon is a retired professional engineer with a 60 year…
The Bonds of Muskrat Falls #nlpoli
15 minutes.That’s all Tom Marshall said it would take to sell out the bonds on Muskrat Falls.He also said that a federal lone guarantee would lower electricity prices for consumers…
The parties and Muskrat Falls #nlpoli
The mighty Muskrat Falls turned up a few times in the leaders’ debate on Monday night. Now that the project’s huge problems are plainer, folks like Earle McCurdy of the…