Long overdue sez many and I'd agree.
So here's a link to his most recent online column (at macleans.ca) in which Paul points out that the Premiers' recent meeting in St. John's was a dismal failure.
Oh no. I fear I have fallen into the mocking tone that sometimes provokes a letter of rebuke from Benoit Pelletier, the Quebec intergovernmental-affairs minister, who plays the same role in the Council of the Federation that the former Cardinal Ratzinger once played in the Vatican: stern-eyed guardian of doctrine and lecturer of apostates. How could you take glee from the provinces' hardship? How does Canada benefit when the provinces lose? Doo-dah, doo-dah. But in fact, the provinces, understood as places where Canadians live and consent to be governed, are fine. Eight of them are in budget surplus. All enjoy near-record low interest rates and unemployment. It's the "provinces" -- understood as jumped-up satrapies whose potentates get to tell the governments of Brazil and China how to trade, as a break from telling the government of Canada how to budget -- that had a bad couple of days in St. John's.Good thing Paul didn't say something about Danny. Then it wouldn't be an ersatz Ratzinger sending e-mails.
Nope.
The Premier's personal publicist might pick up the phone or, if the slight was grievous enough, the thin-skinned Prem himself would give you a ring.
It's another thing Danny picked up from Brian one day when they were playing golf together.
There'd be no chance of spoofing one of those calls.
Nosirreee.
BTW, speaking of spoofing e-mails: if any one of the eighty people or so who got e-mails purportedly from the Premier's e-mail address actually thought that an address saying "premier@gov.nl.ca" was the real thing, then none of those 80 people ever got an e-mail from the real account. Apparently, they also completely missed that the content defamed the Premier hisself.
lookit, people. A spoof has to mimic not merely the address of the sender but the content typically sent from that address. A real spoof is one of those supposedly from your bank or eBay asking for your account number and password. People get fooled because they look real.
If people actually though this fake e-mail came from The Danny, then they likely had never seen a real one.
If the computer nerds shut down the e-mail system on the off-chance these were real, then those guys need to re-evaluate the security system of the government computers.
Seriously.
The shareware obviously ain't cutting it.
But I digress.
As for Paul Wells, when all is done, head over to Inkless Wells, Paul's blog. It is - as usual - an eclectic mix of comments on everything from failing printers to Iggy the erstwhile Liberal leader to a devastating - but brief - review of the Miami Vice movie.
Biting. Funny. Worldly. Thoughtful.
Paul Wells.
What every blogger wants to be when they grow up.
