Bill Barry wants to be Premier. That's nice for him - but what of for us?
The first interview you should watch is On Point with David Cochrance CBC - Press HERE
Let's start with "if everyone in the province wants the same old same old - I can tell 48 people to vote for".
With that one statement Bill Barry eliminated all elected MHA's - from all sides of the House. He does not agree with one of them? Certainly it was a smack at the Party he wants to lead - and maybe that's not a bad thing - but smacking everybody that any of us elected is more than a little scary.
Cochrane did a good job probing some of the obvious questions and therefore the people get a chance to listen to unedited answers. A response to one of the questions regarding political ideology - Barry stated "I am running for the Conservative Party". That statement was very clear and certainly distances Barry from the Progressive Conservatives in this province - who Barry feels are not conservative. "I am a fiscal Conservative" Barry said. Another indicator that his leanings are very/extreme right is when he says only, "I don't consider myself a callous person", he does not say I'm a social Liberal.
Sue's Blog made an initial call on Barry - likening him to Bill Gates - in that both gentlemen appear to love consolidation in their favour and the elimination of competition. They both also like to be in control of who is worthy to receive money and under what circumstances. This comes through again and again in his interview with Cochrane.
As for his comment "most of the crowd in government today - if it's a bucket of shit - most of them wouldn't know it if you hauled it down over their head" - Barry danced like a wounded butterfly to escape what he calls "Billisms".
Barry has his own language - and an ego to match. If Barry was that concerned about governance of the Province since Clyde Wells - then he certainly did not rally the people - speak out - do something to stop all the wastage's.
One of Cochrane's questions netted the following comment, "My life experience and business experience is quite different than would be the norm in the House of Assembly"... On this one I want Barry to elaborate. More particularly his life experience. The idea that Bill's life is quite different than most in the HOA means it is different than the norm of the people who elected them. What in Bill's life is different and not the norm? This particularly - as he has toyed with changing the health and education systems.
We already know Barry blew it on the "Newfoundland Inc." comment - no mention of Labrador - which he corrected in the interview to say Newfoundland and Labrador Inc. Once again it was obvious where Barry would go fiscally - and is one of the real indicators where he would go socially. Businesses - such as the ones he operates are not operated with a social agenda - they are operated to be profitable. The government and it's whole reason for existence may be escaping Barry.
Barry does talk about increasing revenues though royalties and increased activity in offshore exploration - but says nothing about the secondary processing piece - where we use our resources to attract industry with maximum processing output. That is the only way we sustain an economy and grow population. Barry's route would see a continued stripping of natural resources - mostly in the Labrador Inc. part of the equation - for a one time royalty. He sees royalties not industrial development and growth in the secondary processing sector as the way to sustain expenditures. Barry does not get that because it works in his business does not mean it will work to develop and grow a society. If Barry finds a better price for "his" fish - processing or otherwise - elsewhere - then it's gone. Stripping out ores and straight-lining energy out - instead of using the naturally occurring resource to expand industrial processing - seems to be his tune. Ironically this is no different than the government he abhors.
On the political savvy side of the equation - he does not get it. Barry states to Cochrane "I'm not politically smart" - and wears it like a badge of honour. I certainly cannot be accused of wanting politics as usual - but there is no need to deny yourself knowledge - and this appears to be what Barry has done. He says of delegates going to the Tory leadership convention - to go there with an open mind - listen to everybody then decide. Barry clearly does not even understand why most of the delegates would be there. If Barry wanted to do something different - he should be up bellowing for an open voting process - and attract 10,000 people to vote for him.
Bill Barry woke up one morning - the same way Danny Williams did - today I'm gonna become Premier - I'm gonna shake things up - I'm gonna do it my way. Let me take my prowess at making a fortune in the private sector and let me run your government that way. Our unemployment is still way up - we are losing population - we are growing debt and producing deficits - we are making bad deals for the people but great deals for the private elite.
Business as usual - Williams and Barry - same ting....
The two boys are feeling competitive - that's all. That want to use us as their playhouse.
1 comment:
I watched Bill's talk on CBC`s "On Point" with David Cochrane last evening and I was disgusted.
Please, Please tell me that this man Bill has not one iota of a chance of winning the PC election for Premier.
It has been bad enough to have had the inept leadership we have had over the past 65 years (they could not create an economy from all of the great resources we possessed here, plus the great location, other than the great economies they created for themselves).
If he gets the reins we will have to accept having the word Stupid branded on our foreheads.
This man is all about Bill and his family and to Hell with the rest of us.
All I can remember about him is not good. I remember when he got control over ailing Fish Plants and their licenses from the government, instead of starting to build one big vibrant fishing industry from his gains here, with the fish resource and the power he gained, he instead stripped the locations of their fish licences and their operating equipment and in some instances passed the licenses over to other provinces. I remember Burgeo`s fishing license going to Canso, Nova Scotia.
If this man gets power he will strip what is left out of here and we will be much worse off than we are today. He will be no different than the last administration that ran the province, he will, in my opinion, forget about his electorate and start to build a bigger economic empire for himself and his family our of our Newfoundland and Labrador natural resource base.
I am sick to death of been taken for granted by our politicians over the past 65 years and being robbed of our natural and human resources that should have created a vibrant economy right here in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Where were the Watch dogs who should have stopped the corruption surrounding our resources from happening?
We need to rise up and say enough is enough. We want Justice!
A new Watchdog Agency needs to be established to overlook our natural resource development.
Post a Comment