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…
Tom Marshall
The Legacy #nlpoli
There is a lengthy list of political stories in contention to be the top political story of 2014. Start the year with #darnknl, the failure of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Hydro…
Oil and the budget #nlpoli
Lots of people are wondering what the changes to the price of oil will do to the provincial budget. It will have an impact: no doubt about that. But trying…
Errors in judgement #nlpoli
March 13, 2014 was a Thursday. Normal cabinet day. According to Auditor General Terry Paddon’s report on the Humber Valley Paving contract, Nick McGrath, then minister of works and transportation…
Disconnection Trending #nlpoli
Tom Marshall got lots of coverage for his little ego-stroking farewell in the tradition of his ego-stroked predecessors. The media advisory billed it as a thank-you to public servants and…
The Spectators and the “Me” Generation #nlpoli
The official media advisory describes the event at Confederation Building this morning as an opportunity for Premier Tom Marshall to thank public servants “for the support provided by their work…
Trash, Give-aways, and Conservative Policy #nlpoli
Friday is trash day in the world of political communications. It’s the day when you slip out stuff that is unpleasant in the hopes people will miss it. If you…
The Shared Delusion #nlpoli
Tom Marshall is a typical politician. He got into politics to make things better. And, as he reaches the end of his political career, Tom feels a little frustrated or…
A farewell to Tom Marshall #nlpoli
Tom Marshall spent his last few hours ever as a member of the House of Assembly on Thursday, as the spring session drew to a close. Tom’s already handed in…
And then things went horribly wronger… #nlpoli
John Crosbie, the elder statesmen of Conservatives in the province took a shot at Danny Williams for his continued interference in the internal affairs of the provincial Conservatives. Danny blew…
No sense of irony at all #nlpoli
The smart guy they could have had – but frigged over twice - told Canadian Press: “The understanding of the climate isn’t as sophisticated as it should be for those…
Grimes on Frank, Tom, and the Kami project #nlpoli
Roger Grimes’ is through his heart surgery and nice vacation and that has left him with a new vigour. He called VOCM’s BackTalk on Tuesday to talk about the Kami…
Coleman, Marshall, and the Broken Chain of Accountability #nlpoli
The Telegram’s James McLeod started a story that appeared on 26 May with the following sentence: Premier-designate Frank Coleman says he wants to run a premier’s office with fewer people,…
The Friday Night Massacre #nlpoli
Frank Coleman recorded CBC’s On Point with Peter Cowan on Thursday or Friday afternoon. During the show, Coleman acknowledged that he had a personal financial interest in a decision by…
Tom Marshall’s puppet government #nlpoli
Whatever is going on in the Premier’s Office these days, it isn’t an orderly and organized transition from one premier to another. That’s certain. Every transition from one premier to…
Decisive Leadership in Action #nlpoli
How hard can it be for someone to figure out when they want to start a job? Seriously. A job you want, mind you, not one you have been forced…
Prepared Statements and Unprepared Politicians #nlpoli
CBC Radio’s St. John’s Morning Show is so off-put by politicians who issue prepared statements that they’ve found a former journalist turned journalism professor to discuss the growing trend not…
Budget basics: debt #nlpoli
Board of trade president Sharon Horan wrote in her Telegram column last weekend that the unfunded pension liability will make up 85% of the provincial government’s debt not to long…
Horsefeathers #nlpoli
While people have been agitated about comments on Twitter, the Premier has been dazzling the politicians in the House with his explanation of the marvellous financial position of the provincial…