Sue's Blog

Friday, March 09, 2012

Blunder - Stunder - Thunder - Media, Liberals, Kennedy

Yesterday if Gregory Parsons was watching the House of Assembly - he must of been proud of what Jim Bennett did for his constituent - as it was exactly the approach used by then defence lawyer Jerome Kennedy when he was fighting for him.

The only problem is Jerome Kennedy became self-righteous and showed indignation toward his colleague Jim Bennett for doing exactly what he would have done.

Let's look at what Jerome said in July In 2003 when he was frustrated by the refusal of the Newfoundland inquiry commissioner, former Supreme Court of Canada chief justice Antonio Lamer, to examine the role of trial judges in the wrongful convictions. National Post Story

"It's the trial judges, some of whom don't know what they are doing...Part of it is as a result of political appointments. Part of this is a result of intentional or unintentional biases."

Then how about this?

Kennedy said Lamer's findings — particularly that police investigators had "tunnel vision" and prosecutors were excessively focused on winning cases — would be read closely in other Canadian jurisdictions.

"This notion that we have to win — that's not the role of the Crown," Kennedy said following the release of the report.

"I would suggest that Crown culture [involves] deeply seated attitudes and beliefs. You can put all of the resources and money you want into a department, but unless you change the attitudes, you're not going to change the system itself," he said. 

And what about this one? CBC Story

Meanwhile, Kennedy lashed out against criticism this week from retired judge John Gomery, who was appointed in 2004 to oversee the federal commission on the sponsorship scandal.

Gomery said it was inappropriate for Williams and Kennedy to have spoken out, and particularly said Williams should not have used the words "witch hunt" to describe the tone that inquiry counsel have taken. Gomery also said that his reading of the inquiry so far indicates that some witnesses have been covering up what they know.

The justice minister said it was "presumptuous" of Gomery to make what Kennedy slammed as "uneducated opinion."

"Judge Gomery is entitled to his opinion," Kennedy said.

"[But] prior to his being appointed to this commission, no one ever heard of him. He conducted a $60-million sideshow in Ottawa," Kennedy said.

"So who he is to come down here and start to tell us what to do — I have questions with that."
Kennedy also said that Gomery was accused of "holding a bias" during the inquiry into the sponsorship scandal, which examined how the former Chrétien government used the federal sponsorship program to bolster federalism in Quebec.

You see it's like this - both Bennett and Kennedy are lawyers, both were representing interests of people. Both got the result they wanted. Both people they were representing were fighting for their lives. Both were right in talking about incompetence in the system.

The difference is: the media missed the irony and reality of the political side-show. The Opposition did not enjoy good research and advice on the situation. International Women's Day was used by Kennedy and the government for a great political game.

The media bought it hook - line - and sinker. It was amateur day all round yesterday as the boys fought it out during a day to celebrate women.

I have not even started on the Cameron Inquiry - remember that one Jerome?


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