a Grim/m Fairytale? Cop-Boyscout-Lawyer

 Is this a grim/m Fairytale?

You decide.
 
Stretching another 4 years out of this tired government is difficult when one considers the polling trends.

The back room of the Newfoundland and Labrador PC's must be abuzz with plotting, scheming, and planning in an attempt to squeeze another term in office. There are many more resources they want to "develop".

So let's pretend we are in the room listening to the suggestions for extended office.

The first discussion probably would have been dragging the election date out - to compensate for Kathy's early departure. That damn law they might have said - and we put it there too - they might add.

The first plan therefore might have been to use whatever method possible to drag the term the full 4 years - giving them more time to attempt recovery in the polls.

The second discussion likely was who and what to blame the poor poll results on. Well we cannot blame it on Muskrat they may have mused and we can't currently blame the feds - so what then? The second plan could have been to blame it on communications - if all else fails it was her failure to communicate our message. Not policy - they could not blame it on policy.

The third discussion might have been - yah maybe not all policy but some stuff is bad. Bill 29 for example. That we can blame on Kathy and all we need to do is extend it out - buy some time - pretend we are listening. It won't stop Muskrat from proceeding but it will get their attention. So the third plan might have been Bill 29 - off to examination.

On to the fourth discussion - okay but what about leadership - we need a new face they may have suggested. Okay but we got to be careful here - don't want any radical change to our resource development policy. Protect Muskrat - Protect Muskrat - at all costs was probably suggested. So the fourth plan they might have concluded was to "con"vince somebody - totally non-political - a business person - somebody who looks professional - somebody who supports Muskrat. Further - we have to get somebody who can eventually win a seat - and we need a seat where somebody is leaving. Not as easy as we think - they might have uttered - how do we convince such a person. Fourth plan - Voila - Frank - but how do we convince Frank. And so it might have been done. He was convinced. Poor fellow though - he looked and acted like he was being dragged through the political streets of Damascus - under the Dannymon Empire.

Now to the fifth and they probably have agreed to plead it - how do we drag this on to extend the election? They might have suggested, alright we gotta get a few months out of Frank - let him get used to the people - don't swear him in right away. Then if we extend that long enough - perhaps Frank could leave at the last moment - if he does not work out and we can bring in the back-ups.

 Picture Evening Telegram - See my back? Job done?

So the plan perhaps became to drag out Frank as long as possible - then call a new leadership process when Frank quit. We have the back-ups and we can assign each of them some Cabinet support - well who do we get? Well Kent is always ready to cooperate - he's a social media animal - we can get some twitter, facebook, and web page support out of him. And best of all - we might be able to robo-call the VOCM question of the day - to get the results we want and we are sure VOCM will report.

Be Prepared - to Robo-call and Tweet

How about the diplomat? How about the fellow who likes Harper and loves Muskrat.

Yes the silvered hair guy who looks knowledgeable and even-keeled. Good Tory boy  comes from the right schools - has a stately name - and can speak circles around Kevin O'Brien. Surely they must have considered this.

Remember Me? I don't remember me!

So Ottenheimer it is they might have concluded.

Finally we need somebody in-between - almost like Goldilocks - you know the just right fellow. That is a task - not too much political baggage, looks good in a blue suit or uniform - able to speak coherently - has communication experience - family guy - PC district and is re-electable. Can we build a resume that highlights some areas but downplays either the lack of ability or lack of desire to lead? A fighter - that's what he is - on the side of good - almost like running Spiderman for election. Spin a web - fight crime - on the side of good - and be able to hide any underlying deficiencies. Yes that's him they all might have exclaimed at once. We got it! We got it! Paul Davis -  they all might have chimed together on the Atlantic Place escalator.

I'm the Good Guy. Is Muskrat Falls a societal crime?

They might have mused that with mini-me in control of the party wing

 - we can keep Danny out of the circus while quietly helping delegates to make up their mind - with the exception of Mount Pearl - who will send in the city scouts to support their boy/man Steve.

Okay - Okay - they probably gasped with some short-term relief - now we need a plan - we need to attract the people back into our fold. Alright - spend money - lots of it. Employ people to do whatever up there in Labrador. Keep the trades involved - the nurses happy - and take advantage of the BBQ circuit. Announce - re-announce - put fillers in pot holes near and far. Announce hospitals, schools, arenas, fire-trucks, pavement (a km. each), a new penitentiary, and Muskrat jobs. Now do this right where if we happen to lose we already got the Liberals committed to billions over the next decade and if we win - we can delay delay - study study. In this way we can put it all out another 4 years - if we win - or torture the Liberals to make good on the billions in commitments we made.

Win win win - now - let's get at it. Nothing better than buying them with their own debt - they might have convinced themselves.

A grim Fairytale or a grim Reality?

PC Party spending taxpayer $$$?

Let's review the situation we have had and continue to have with the PC Party and its leadership.

1. Kathy Dunderdale quits.

2. Marshall named interim Premier.

3. PC leadership rules and process announced.

4. Three candidates qualified to run.

5. One is thrown out (Tommy Williams and party exec) - a second bows out due to process (Danny Williams condemns him) - one candidate remaining.

6. Candidate remaining was involved (guarantor) with a company that was released from its bond obligation.

7. Auditor General called in to review the HVP contract circumstances.

8. Frank Coleman - Premier in-waiting admits he had personal guarantees attached to the bond.

9. Minister Nick McGrath attempts some sort of explanation regarding the bond/s.

10. Bonding experts claim Minister did not know what he was talking about.

11. Premier Tom Marshall fires most of Office of the Premier staff.

12. Premier Tom Marshall hires staff for the Office of not-yet Premier Frank Coleman.

13. Province admits road left by HVP will now cost 1.5 million dollars more.

14. This would not have been the case if the bond was not released. 

13. Premier designate Frank Coleman - prior to actually taking office - quits.

14. PC Party starts over to find a new leader - and a Premier.

The Tories celebrated their new House of Assembly Act in 2004. This great new democratic tool to ensure everybody had some expectation of a regularly called election on a fixed date. They insured that if a Premier quit too early - then an election could be called earlier - so as to give the people a say in the new leadership and direction of the government.

Who talked to Frank Coleman and encouraged him to run? He came out of the blue and certainly did not appear prepared for or really that interested in politics. We should assume Mr. Coleman had some idea before he decided to run that his business HVP would be released from a bond - in which he was a personal guarantor. Is this enough to make somebody run?

What would be the value to the Tories? Well it certainly has delayed the call of an election - and they are in losing poll territory. However - if Mr. Coleman stayed - they would not get the same delay. They have bought themselves another 3 months. Many people speculated the fix was in for Frank - so it is more than coincidence that there was no contest - for if there were - we would still have a leader and an election could be called.

It has now become a conspiracy theory that all this is innocent. Any thinking - inquiring - mind would have to be cynical.

It is time the Opposition Parties demanded an election - visited the Lieutenant Governor and dealt with the obvious manipulations by the PC Party.

The PC Party is not the government. The PC Party and its representatives like Tom Marshall - should not be spending money for a Premier not yet in office. The PC Party should not be able to control through slight of hand the laws of this province.

The only way not to smell a rat - is if you have a tightly squeezing partisan clothespins on your nose.

Has it become so bad here that the most stinky of events - seems normal?