The Traffic the Grinch couldn’t Steal #nlpoli

Muppets, lawyers and politicians.

Problems in the fishery, bad grammar and blatant political patronage.

Just another week in the live action edition of the National Midnight Star, otherwise known as politics in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Last week’s top 10 most read posts at SRBP:

1. A bad week for Penashue
2. Change in the fishery
3. The Crowd in the Dark
4. Globe and Mail goes American
5. Danger:  Lawyer at Work
6. Muskrat Falls deal will succeed:  Nalcor boss
7. Ball takes over as Liberal leader
8. Connies pork up offshore board
9. A grain of salt
10. Yes, it IS a Muppet movie, ya wingnut

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There’s no changing the channel traffic #nlpoli

The top stories as chosen by SRBP readers:

1. The problem with the Liberals (post by Craig Westcott)
2. Muskrat Falls Friday Trash Dump
3. The truth hurts
4. Emera buys NL line service company
5. Margin of error defined
6. Dazed and confused, Muskrat proponents version
7. Speech writing
8. “…particularly hypocritical…”
9. We’re sorry – Scouts Canada
10. The price of hydro exports

Someone said recently that the Muskrat Falls story is over, that people need to change the channel and get on with something else.

The only people who think that way are people who back the project.

The more other people learn about the project, the more those other people oppose it.

That’s why the people who back the project want everyone to stop talking about it.

This week’s traffic bears out the continued interest in Muskrat Falls.

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Traffic for the start of December #nlpoli

How do you know Peter MacKay lied about the helicopter flight? 

When PMSH stepped in to defend him he said nothing about the “training flight” story MacKay started with.

1. Stupid politicians and their staffers
2. Offshore board slags CBC
3. Habeas corpus for kids
4. Adult conversation
5. Muskrat Falls plot points
6. More of the same
7. In case you missed it, MF political panel version
8. Rush job
9. The Muskrat Morass deepens
10. With friends like these, Muskrat Falls version

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Traffic that Tweets itself #nlpoli

1. We all can’t be wrong
2. Dunderdale in tweet debate with opposition leader… or was she?
3. The orchestra pit theory of political news coverage
4. Weird or what?
5. Bloc NDP wants more seats for Quebec
6. The Age of Social Media
7. Banging around the Echo Chamber
8. Remember those they left behind
9. A step in the right democratic direction
10. Funny how things come together

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Traffic from Hallowe’en to Guy Fawkes Night

1. Working stiffs and lazy ones
2. And these guys came in second…
3. Kent demoted by Dunderdale
4. Muskrat Review Muddle and Nalcor Competence
5. The value of nothing or Pater knows best, redux
6. Truth in small things
7. The Apprentice
8. I knew Marilyn Monroe
9. Accessible Post-Secondary Education
10. Five for Friday Round-Up

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Traffic that was more sworn on than sworn in #nlpoli

1. Kent demoted by Dunderdale (Yep, your humble e-scribbler got the Steve Kent thing in Number 9 spectacularly wrong)
2. Astroturf
3. Tory snouts back in trough
4. Churn baby churn
5. The rewards of planning an organization
6. The Best Case/Worst Case Scenario
7. The Insiders on Polls during Elections
8. And then right on cue…
9. The indelicate art of cabinet-making (Yep, your humble e-scribbler got the Osborne thing spectacularly wrong)
10. Why should anyone care?

 

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The July 2011 Traffic

Top 10 posts for July 2011, as decided by Bond Papers readers:

1. Trade talks with Europeans = “doing back-room deal with a bunch of serial rapists”
2. Forecasting the fall
3. Skinner makes false statement in letter to Telegram
4. Free tuition at NL university for Nova Scotians:  NL NDP leader
5. Politicians and illness
6. Cross Sheila off your list
7. All three NL parties back Muskrat Falls project
8. Makes it official, then
9. I knew Marilyn Monroe
10. Definitely cabinet material

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Traffic in the heat of the Summer of Love 2011

Fire trucks, Twitter and a 60 year old who dropped a hundred pounds in six months wanting a job today she didn’t want six months ago.

Must be the Summer of Love 2011.

All that is fodder for another post.  For now let’s just check out the 10 stories most Bond Papers readers were pondering last week.

1. Free tuition at NL university for Nova Scotians;  NL NDP leader
2. Like Momma always said…Part Deux und Trois
3. From the Earth to the moon
4. And Harry won’t be running either
5. Rumpole and the Cardinal Rule
6. Nurturing a democratic revolution
7. Bullshit then or now?  Nalcor boss changes story on Muskrat megadebt project and natural gas
8. Making the Most of our Energy Resources – Oil and Gas in the Future
9. Former Tory fin min not giving up fight against Muskrat
10. Containing Ottawa’s Skyrocketing Power Bill

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Traffic that never flip flops

The weekly top 10 Bond Papers posts for the week of July 11 to 15, 2011, selected by you, the readers.

1. Forecasting the fall
2. All three NL parties back Muskrat project
3. A world of their own
4. Ahem
5. Political parties and debt:  the Kennedy perspective
6. You might know it as bribery, Ma’am
7. Cross yet another one off your list and Not much to see [tie]
8. Cross Sheila off your list
9. The Ballot Question:  October 2011
10. Did I say “yes” to Muskrat?  I meant “no”:  Jones

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Election Week Traffic, May 2011

Big week with lots of fascinating political developments, not the least of which was finding out that Al-Qaeda would admit what the Canadian deputy New Democratic Party leader Thomas Mulcair could not:  Osama was dead.

They didn’t need pictures.

Tom wanted proof.

Parliament Hill will be a fun place this year.

Meanwhile, Bond Papers readers found these posts the most interesting ones of the week:

1. Why the Liberals lost…and the way ahead
2. Anyone seen John Hickey?
3. How do they elect these candidates?
4. This is just the beginning
5. Shocker:  local candidate not important
6. Election 2011 Witticisms
7. The Dunderdale Referendum, encore
8. The Dunderdale Referendum Election
9. Jack knows jack
10. St. John’s South-Mount Pearl:  some first observations

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The Weekly Traffic

No one will miss the very fitting result of this week’s edition of your weekly traffic survey.

Frankly your humble e-scribbler was a wee bit surprised that an old post about measuring the effectiveness of your public relations program could garner so much attention.

But there it is.

Take note that two of the big stories this week discuss cheaper alternatives to the Muskrat Falls proposal and another one discusses the government’s overall plan to pay for Muskrat falls by boosting electricity rates in the province.

Maybe people are starting to catch on that this Muskrat Falls project is a money loser for the people of the province.

One other little tidbit to draw to your attention:  Friday’s post on Kathy Dunderdale possibly knowing about the JSS contract in advance (but staying silent) went up on Friday and got to Number Four for the week.

That tells you one thing and that isn;t good news for the Premier.  Friday’s usually a pretty dead day. If a Friday post goes into the Top 10, you know you have something people are very interested in reading.  That story might well carry over into next week.  Evidently this is a story that is too important to disappear in a cloud of foolishness about sexist attacks.

As for the traffic volume here at Bond Papers, it’s up again this week.

Take that for what it’s worth.

1. Mine is bigger than yours:  measuring the impact of public relations
2. Kremlinology 35:  Premier shows strain
3. Former hydro director points to another alternative to costly Muskrat Falls scheme
4. Did Kathy know about the JSS withdrawal in advance?
5. Invented story:  political appointee attacks government’s political opponent
6. Province settles expropriation with Enel, Sun Life and others
7. Making the people pay more for electricity
8. Fukushima kinda meltdown:  Collins cancer contract contradictions crumble credibility
9. Another cheaper, greener alternative to Muskrat Falls
10. Missouri lawyer adds to Collins cancer contract contradictions

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Traffic with no misleading edits, April 4-8 2011

1. A new Sprung greenhouse in the wilds of Labrador
2. Invented story:  political appointee and CBC attack government’s political opponent
3. Another cheaper, greener alternative to Muskrat Falls
4. Numeracy problems
5. Mother Corp news geniuses are Nl electricity price gurus
6. Dunderdale admits to cheap power exports
7. PC Party exec voted to remove “Federal Conservative Party” from party constitution in 2008
8. Average NL family to pay $1000 extra per year for Muskrat Falls power: former PC finance minister
9. PC Party voted 180K for anti-Harper campaign in 2008
10. Getting their stories straight

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End of March Madness Traffic, March 28 to April 1 2011

The top 10 posts as selected by Bond Papers readers:

1. The New Dave Denine
2. No federal dough but big media “D’oh! on Muskrat Falls
3. Don’t step in the media spin:  2011 election edition
4. Election Eleven:  NL seats at the start
5. Bond Papers readers know more than provincial energy minister
6. Torque Wars:  Media, politicians and the Muskrat Falls loan guarantee
7. All good Tories flocking together…again
8. Williams knifes successor
9. Connie candidate’s mother opposes Labrador hydro project
10. Don Mills:  pollster PIFO genius

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March Traffic Madness 2011

Well a month after tightening up comments and eliminating the anonymous types, the traffic went up. 

It still running about 50% higher than September.

Take that, Bembridge scholars!

And what specific posts did these insightful people read?

1. HMV
2. Patronage, pure and simple
3. Matthews bails on board position
4. Operation Ridiculous
5. Cleary to unquit for NDP again?
6. Good Tory?  End of story.
7. Head-scratching and nose-pulling over latest twist in Matthews appointment debacle
8. Taking power without an election
9. Dunderdale boosts Tory support from last Williams poll
10. No Equalization offsets for Quebec.

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High cholesterol Traffic: Now with extra pork!

From a pork-barrel almost appointment to a minister welcoming federal pork that never comes, this week the most popular posts are about Conservatives and patronage.

1. Matthews bails on board position
2. Operation Ridiculous
3. Head-scratching and nose-pulling in latest twist in Matthews appointment debacle
4. Matthews appointment to offshore kept secret until leak
5. Anyone seen John Hickey?
6. The disease spreads
7. Inadvertent media humour
8. Good Tory?  End of Story
9. No more give-aways indeed:  provincial government considering cash breaks for major oil companies
10. Pushback in New England on hydro lines

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Traffic without patronage, Feb 28 to Mar 3

1. HMV
2. Provgov pollster seeds ground for bad news
3. A cheaper, green alternative to Muskrat Falls
4. MOU PIFO
5. Are city councillors paid enough?
6. Patronage, pure and simple
7. CB city council by-election down to five
8. Birds of a Conservative feather
9. Court docket now online
10. 35% unsure of Dunderdale

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Traffic without restructuring

1. Layton will cave
2. Quebec interested in lunatic megaproject
3. Noseworthiness, redux
4. Connies drop
5. Atlantic energy co-operation:  where Lower is higher
6. Whiff and poof
7. Dippers fear Byrning in St. John’s East
8. The Four Horsemen and government finances
9. Never heard that before
10. Jackman runs from fisheries restructuring report

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Traffic that needs no loan guarantee

1. Cheryl Gallant sinks
2. Here’s hoping… (political campaigning in Humber West)
3. The road not taken (public debt, Conservative fiscal mismanagement)
4. If only… (Search and Rescue)
5. Humber West:  Mark Watton on CBC Morning Show
6. Will the fake Premier Dunderdale please stand up?
7. A rose by any other name would still stink to high heavens (patronage politics)
8. Abuse and power
9. Taking the voters for grantered
10. The Force

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Environmentally debatable traffic, Jan 31 to February 4

Two stories this week to lighten the mood.

First:  a poster in the Health Sciences Centre announcing an event for February.  Someone crossed out the first “r” as a spelling mistake.  Likely the same person changed the spelling just down the hall to read nook-yoo-lur medicine.

Second:  Surely to merciful jumpin’s Conservative candidate Vaughn Granter did not dismiss Liberal Mark Watton’s experience in the Prime Minister’s Office or a federal cabinet minister’s office as cavalierly as it sounded.

“Some experience”?

“Could be some advantage”?

Could be a disadvantage?

That’s pretty sad for a guy who isn’t from Corner Brook originally who is trying to play himself as the local boy.

Take a listen to the campaign report linked above, by the way and notice that Granter did little besides run down his opponent and talk himself up personally.  Mark Watton, on the other hand, talked sensibly about issues that are actually of concern to the people in the district.

Huge difference.

Anyway, for those who came for the weekly hit parade, here are the week’s top stories as selected by readers.

1. Tweet of the week (early edition)
2. More of the same…
3. Financials key to Lower Churchill
4. Not the best campaign strategy, maybe
5. A Hugh Shea for our time
6. Strings and all
7. The old hum on the Humber
8. PIFO:  newly minted minister in trouble in own district
9. Ronald Harper
10. Finance minister cops to unsustainable spending

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The January Traffic 2011

Okay so if January comes in like a political nut-bar, it makes you wonder if it will go out in a straightjacket.

Like is this the most sane the year will be or is this like a tiny taste of the mania to come?

Maybe the traffic pattern for January will give us a clue.  The numbers are still running at more than 20,000 readers a month with close to 40,000 page loads.  There’s no shortage of interest in political commentary and that’s a decent thing for someone who writes a political blog.

See if you can find a pattern in what dominated the news based solely on the top 10 posts as selected by the readers:

1. Tory angst may be well founded
2. Connie leadership rigged?
3. Watton to carry Liberal banner in Humber West
4. Brad and circuses
5. Rick Hillier?  Tim Powers? No thanks, say NL Tories
6. Is anyone surprised?
7. Logically challenged Conservatives
8. Cabana candidacy causes Connie caucus consternation and Dunderball Run! [tie]
9. Fear and Loathing in the Caucus Room and Democratic Deficit [tie]
10. Coo-coo for Connie Puffs

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