Create a dysfunctional situation where one didn't have to exist and then crusade to fix it.
It's a bit like backing a dodgy proposition which you, yourself, had previously rejected, and then crusading against the position you endorsed.
If this keeps up, Harper will pledge to change the rules on election spending so that something like the in-out scam never happens again.
Sheesh, where have we heard that one before?
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With some renewed strength in the American dollar, coupled with decreased demand, the price of crude oil for September delivery closed the week at US$111.
“The dollar is on fire again so that's causing people to re-evaluate everything,” said Phil Flynn, oil analyst at Alaron Trading Corp. in Chicago. “It means oil prices could fall dramatically. We could see prices get to double digits if this continues.”
An OPEC forecast of lower demand also put downward pressure on prices.
Newfoundland and Labrador finance department officials may not be sweating yet, but if the trend continues to the end of the year, their forecast average price of $87 might not hold up.
Even if the provincial government skates through the current fiscal year, it may have to restrain spending over the next couple of years or - a more likely scenario - boost borrowing to fuel the spending spree.
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While the conventional media have been fixated on the Connie's deliberate effort to undermine parliamentary committees by co-ordinating a refusal by witnesses to testify, some details of the in-out scheme were entered by witnesses who did show up.
Here's one excerpt from the testimony of a former provincial cabinet minister. Two other witnesses, from the campaign in random-Burin-St. Georges gave similar evidence: money sent down from Ottawa on condition it be sent back a couple of days later. No sign that any national advertising ever appeared using the taglines of the local candidates.
Hon. Charles Hubbard: Where was the money spent?
Mr. Joe Goudie (Conservative candidate in Labrador; former provincial cabinet minister): We have no idea.
Again, I remind you and the honourable committee that I, personally, was not aware of this until after the campaign was completed and really, in any detail, not until the news report came out in April. The money was not spent by us.
Mrs. Singleton [campaign manager]and Mr. Barnes were both.... More specifically, Mr. Barnes, my official agent, was directed by a gentleman, Mr. Hudson of the Conservative Party of Canada, to, once funds had been transferred to our account.... It was explained that 60% of that amount could then be claimed on our election return, which seemed unusual but nevertheless they were following directions, and that the amount of money transferred to our account would then have to be returned to the Conservative Party of Canada as soon as possible.
Hon. Charles Hubbard: To clarify, if you gave somebody $10,000 and wanted it back.... They could claim that $10,000 in the expense, which they didn't spend. Do you mean to tell me you'd get $6,000 back from the Government of Canada as a result?
Mr. Joe Goudie: As I understand it, that was the implication of the explanation. Yes.
Hon. Charles Hubbard: Where would that $6,000 eventually wind up?
Mr. Joe Goudie: In the campaign account, as far as I know. I know nothing other than that.
Hon. Charles Hubbard: It almost sounds, Mr. Goudie, like a very fast way of making money.
Mr. Joe Goudie: It sounds that way.
No wonder someone wanted to shift the media coverage to something other than testimony.
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Changing global economic circumstances for the paper industry have been pressing on the industry in Newfoundland and Labrador for years.
The future of the AbitibiBowater mill at Grand Falls-Windsor, established in 1905, may be known as early as next week, according to CBC News. This follows an extensive review within the newly merged paper company of all its assets.
There are a few things to bear in mind:
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A stand-alone corporation devoted to a single ocesan species with enormous economic value: now there's a direction the FFAW should be taking rather than clawing a paltry ten grand from the provincial government in order to have local lobster fishermen keep records of their catches.
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Cynthia Downey, who ran in Newfoundland, said her campaign could have made much better use of the $7,700 transferred by the party in and out of her account.
On the face of it, this looks like a great project: a bunch of provincial government cash to pay a bunch of lobster fishermen to track their catches.
"This project is an example of harvesters taking a direct role in the stewardship of the fishery and having input into the management of the resource," said the Honourable Trevor Taylor, acting Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. "As such, our government is pleased to approve funding for this initiative. This is important work because it is the most extensive attempt to date to profile lobster stocks."
Ummm.
Not exactly.
The fishermen involved in this provincial government project can't make any decisions about the lobster fishery. They can't have any meaningful input on quotas, season or anything else.
That's because all they are going to do is write down in a notebook how many lobsters they landed (excluding the unofficial ones to be sold under the table later on), how big they were and so on.
Now while there is lots of talk about this whole thing being scientific, note that it is being run by the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union. That's right, the union which represents the people who will be getting the cash for making notes in a book.
There's no mention of Memorial University, the Marine Institute or any other crowd of scientists.
There's just the people who catch lobsters and their union.
Now for an example of fishermen having real control over their livelihood, take a look at the Eastport Marine Protected Area, now expanded to five sites along the northeast coast.
As for science, the whole approach in these lobster management areas is based on science. It has been since they were established.
If the provincial fisheries department and the hunter-gatherers union really wanted to get interested in fisheries management, conservation and a scientifically based approach, they'd be working with the federal fisheries crowd.
This provincial initiative doesn't look like anything significant. It looks more like make-work in another guise or a political statement.
After all, it's only $10,000.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Legacy Nature Trust already administered over half a million in federal cash on one study four years ago.
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1. Layoff of 40 staff, as Newfound NV looks to stick to its core business lines.
2. A brief profile of the new boss at Newfound NV.
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1. Anyone else notice that the not-campaigning Stephen Harper spent all his time in Fabian Manning's Avalon riding? Seems a bit odd since there are supposedly two Connie incumbents seeking re-election. H Harper never did anything with St. John's South-Mount Pearl except pass through it.
2. Harper's comments at the Renews-Cappahayden come home year celebrations were remarkably unremarkable. Like incredibly flat, boring, generic. Still, he got a loud and enthusiastic welcome. That night be worrying some people in the province who still believe the Anybody But Conservative thing had a meaning left in it [Hint: it doesn't. Williams will personally stay out of the federal election, restricting himself to making comments favouring the Dippers. The rest of the local Tories will work for the Connies - as they did in the last election - if they feel so inclined.]
3. But the unremarkable remarks warranted a news release. Of course there's no chance these guys are worried there'll be an election.
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“I think the viewers should be able to understand that, in the national interest, for the perception of the country, this was an extremely important and serious matter,” Chen Qigang, the ceremony's chief music director, said in an interview with a Beijing radio station.compared with:
“But we also believe strongly in ensuring strong and visionary leadership for the people’s university. I cannot stress enough the importance of Memorial University to the educational, social and economic future of Newfoundland and Labrador. Just as the Board of Regents has an obligation and a duty to find the appropriate candidate, so does the government as mandated by the Memorial University Act. We take this obligation seriously."
and...
During a scrum on the search for a new MUN president last week, Danny Williams told reporters that the province puts $300 million into MUN and that he's asked past presidents "to get more involved with government to promote the interests of the province."Apparently, coupled with marketing considerations, the national interest can justify fakery and a bunch of other things too.
"If, in some way, we're supposed to be doing specific, applied bits of research, you know, for the province rather than following our interests then there are questions of ... academic freedom looming," says [politicial scientist Steve] Wolinetz.
An Obama mash-up [tip of the straw sun hat to John Gushue]:
And then there's a Tony Blair one done before Blair resigned:
While the crowd at Tammany on Gower are fighting over the recent firing of an internal auditor, they are missing a fairly obvious solution to the problem of ensuring that the City's books are well-watched: let John Noseworthy have a look at them.
The City of St. John's has been run for far too long as a closed shop without much in the way of public oversight or scrutiny. The current council - every single one of them - has yet to demonstrate the slightest concern for transparency and accountability particularly when it comes to the way city council spends public money.
Sure there has been plenty of talk, especially from Ron Ellsworth. But Ellsworth's already shown himself to be good at talk, but not much when it comes to the action of disclosure. Heck, when confronted with a simple question about a political poll he'd commissioned, Ellsworth couldn't figure out whether to fib or fess up. So he did both, first fibbing and then confessing he was behind it.
Talk is cheap.
If Ellsworth and his cronies at ToG want to earn public confidence, they'd start by letting John Noseworthy audit the city books.
At the same time, since they've made such a public spectacle of the internal auditor, it is incumbent on city officials to disclose the details of what went on. They will howl at the prospect and try and find every legal means to keep the whole mess under wraps, but the whole episode stinks to high heavens.
A little sunlight will help disinfect the place.
Something says, though, the council and senior officials will be doing everything possible to put up blinds, all the while talking a good game about the benefits of solar energy.
It's what city council does.
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It is far easier to expand an existing refinery than to try a greenfield project.
That's something Bond Papers has contended since NLRC first floated its plan for a 300,000 barrel per day project that is now in bankruptcy protection, without having turned sod one.
Meanwhile, Harvest Energy is looking at a $2.0 billion expansion of its existing Come By Chance refinery that would take production from 115K bpd to 190K bpd.
Harvest Energy is now looking for a partner in the project.
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Passing environmental approvals is one thing, but as the NLRC refinery project showed, there's a lot more to building a greenfield project than some might have you believe.
Let's just wait until the last seam is welded before we get too excited about a liquid natural gas project that - as of right now - exists only on paper.
NLRC passed the federal environmental milestone on April 30 2008 and was under bankruptcy protection less than two months later.
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Crude oil hit US$114 a barrel Monday on the New York Mercantile Exchange down from the record high of $147 set only a month ago.
The Monday price was the lowest closing price for crude since May 1. It continued the fall in price from last week.
The folly of budgeting based on volatile energy prices would seem obvious. Crude oil prices have dropped 22% in four weeks.
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