Newfoundland and Labrador is one big Flea Market

As Danny babysits the oil and gas sector - he gives away our wind - and the lucrative FPI fisheries marketing arm.

It should be unacceptable to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to have the Italian government have partial ownership of a wind farm while we ask for no equity involvement. This is the beginning of a very bad policy. You see we have to be in on the front end - as Norsk Hydro has done with oil and gas. We are backpedaling now trying to get in on the offshore action - while we stupidly go forward with new wind development with no equity and no energy plan.

It seems to me that SNC Lavelin - currently holding training programs in Labrador related to the Lower Churchill development - knows more about what the Premier plans for that project that we do.

While we are at it - what happened to the draft royalty regime on gas - distributed to the oil companies but not the people of the Province. The media has yet to deal with that issue.

The there is the NAFO fiasco - where major changes are being proposed which if adopted could further harm our control of the fishery. We had to be informed of those changes by a retired civil servant from Ontario - while our millions of dollars of expertise didn't make a peep. As for the Fisheries Minister or Leader of the Opposition - not a speck of concern - nothing. They are - after all - on a 5 month campaign trail to get YOUR VOTE.

What of FPI? Well the historically successful marketing arm of the company is about to be sold to a Nova Scotian company with the Icelanders coming in on the rest. Nothing - no leadership here either. Newfoundland and Labrador is like a giant flea market - with everybody coming around to take a look and buy bits and pieces of us. Did you ever hear one of those stories where somebody buys something from a flea market for a buck - only to find out later from an appraiser that the item is valued in the thousands of dollars. This is an indication that the original owner of the goods had no clue of the value of some items. Well Danny you are turning out to be the vendor of our giant flea market while Lorraine Michael and Gerry Reid are like nosy neighbours - watching what you do - but doing nothing themselves.

When Danny Williams is the best of our lot - and he supports the export of reliable - cost competitive - renewable hydro - from Labrador - we are in a sorry state. When he continues to present himself as the defender of Newfoundland and Labrador - but can offer no more of a solution than to prevent the election of Conservatives in a federal election - we are in a sorry state - When our Premier therefore assists career politicians Judy Foote and Oliver Langdon to bail from the provincial fisheries fiasco and head on up to Ottawa for a second pension - we are in a sorry state.

Then we have the backroom of Ross Reid - Doug House - and Dean MacDonald influencing policy privately - while our role is simply to follow Danny with pom-poms. The Premier is roaming around Newfoundland and Labrador in his hamper-pamper-camper with his flunkies in Cabinet and Caucus following him in the US BUS - enjoying his ability to trounce on Opposition by distributing our own money like Santa Claus. Should we have pity - no - the Liberals have done the same when in office - I think Tobin used helicopters. What we should demand is better candidates - we should be rejecting this lot outright.

What we should realize is that our excitement over getting any provincial money is just a reflection of how poor the policies of these politicians have left us. In other words - keep the people desperate and they will be joyful over crumbs.

Meanwhile not one of these lot have been able to stop our young educated people and their families from leaving. Not one of them is able to deal with the collapse of rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Not one of them is showing any vision - when there is a fire sale on hydro-electric power. Not one of them has any guts as Danny let's Stephen away with broken promises costing us billions - when Danny lets Stephen walk away from fallow field legislation - while the Liberals idea is reduced to say nothing about FPI and capitulate to the oil companies. And where is the NDP? Good question.