Norm Doyle has snapped completely under the strain of people wanting him to put province first, while Norm himself is putting his party before all.
In an interview with VOCM, Norm insisted that had the government supported a motion to split the offshore money from the budget bill, the province would have had its money right away.
Norm is now confirmed as being willing to say anything at all in a desperate bid to prop up his position.
Even if the bill got through the House before Norm and his fellow Conservatives defeated the government, the province can't get a nickel until the bill passes the Senate and gets Royal Assent.
Ok. I just thought about it again.
Maybe Norm isn't nuts after all.
Maybe what Norm is saying is that if we can get the bill out of Harper's clutches and into the Liberal-dominated Senate it will pass irrespective of who wins the next federal election.
Maybe what Norm and the Premier are telling us is that if Norm Doyle's party brings down the government our offshore money is history. But if we could possibly get it past Harper then maybe it would be safe - but only because Liberals are steadfastly behind the deal.
Norm Doyle: pinocchiosis-induced insanity or disloyal to his leader? Geez. This is getting harder to read with every passing moment. What will Norm say next?
Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, Michael Harris has decided to kick the crap out of Danny Williams.
Here's a link to his column in the Sun chain.
It contains such comments as:
"First of all Danny, you are the premier of Newfoundland, not Napoleon. There are limits to a local potentate's powers, even one as rich as you are personally. Last time I looked, the province's MPs took their marching orders from Martin and Harper, not you."
or this one:
"He [Williams] even had the cheek to describe his ugly fiat to all provincial MPs as non-partisan. What could be more partisan than supporting a government and party that have made your corner of the world more prosperous while corrupting the highest public institutions in the land?" [Emphasis added.]
Mike, I got a question for you. Did you ever write screeds for John Crosbie? I do know you wrote a fawning book about the former federal governor of the former poorest province.
Maybe Mike has been inhaling Charlie Lynch columns by the snoutful.
But man, Mike's anti-Danny invective in this column will make people appreciate Margaret Wente for her frankness.