Promise made. Promise ...well...you know.

Some choice bits from the now infamous Blue Print:

During its first mandate, a Progressive Conservative government will make it illegal for government to spend money without prior legislative approval when the House of Assembly is in session, and restrict spending by Special Warrant to a specific emergency that occurs when the House is not in session.

In a recent radio appearance, finance minister Loyola Sullivan admitted some of the money spent on the logo came from special warrants. Does that Little Shop of Horrors thing count as a "specific emergency"?

Limit political contributions by a person, corporation, or union in any year, including an election year, to a total of $10,000 to a registered political party and a total of $5,000 to one or more district associations of a registered party or one or more candidates in a provincial election in relation to their candidacy, by way of cash, cheque, money order, credit card or goods and services, but excluding the purchase of tickets or passes and donations in kind to fundraising events sponsored by a registered political party or district association of a registered party.

Put that one in the "yeah, right" category.

Set and publish content rules for government advertising that will stop the use of public funds for political advertising.

Check newspapers in the province and see yet further examples of personal advertising by the Premier using public money. He isn't alone. Everyone is doing it. The practice was banned in 1989, but in 1996 the old system returned apparently to stay.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have grown tired of the flurry of closed-door, invitation-only consultations in recent years that were little more than "telling and selling" exercises.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have grown tired of them. Unfortunately, politicians in power love to restrict access. Try getting into a fisheries consultation without an invitation to the closed-door session.

A Progressive Conservative government will base policies and regulations for the procurement of goods and services and capital works on the following principles:

* Open and effective competition.

So explain how this works again. The provincial government is the majority shareholder in a telecom consortium with Persona, Rogers and the Manitoba phone company.

The provincial government is the largest telecom customer in the province.

The provincial government will call tenders for telecom work.

How does that promote open and effective competition?