Call an Inquiry or "Simon Says" Call an Inquiry

This from a CBC story July 06-07

St. John's blogger Simon Lono, however, believes it is not the job of the police to look at where the constituency spending system broke down.Lono is spearheading an online petition calling for a public inquiry into the operations of the house of assembly.

Gerry Reid today in the Telegram on MHA spending:

"There is enough guilt to go around and everyone feels bad enough as it is," he said.

"I don't think that should become an election issue, because it can work both ways."

Question is will Gerry speak to Simon and ask him not to mention the issue - or will Simon do what he is passionate about and call for a public inquiry during the campaign?

What does this say to you?

"There is enough guilt to go around and everyone feels bad enough as it is"

and

"I don't think that should become an election issue, because it can work both ways"


These are quotes by Liberal leader Gerry Reid found in a Telegram story today about the party's candidate Linda Goodyear raising the issue of double billing during a campaign event on Bell Island.

It says - I think voters are FOOLS

If that's not bad enough - Goodyear's figures on her Tory competitor and incumbent Diane Whelan were wrong. Very wrong. Apparently Linda got her figures from a story she read in the Independent either read improperly or written factually incorrect - and not from the Auditor General's Report.

First Gerry Reid has determined that the spending scandal should not be an issue in this election. He also believes that politicians already feel bad enough. Here's the deal voters - leave them alone - it was not their fault. Voters should back off and understand that because all political parties were involved - therefore voters can't just blame one.

This means - Reid has not accepted that taxpayers were ripped off - treated like fools - their money like a cookie jar. He wants people to understand how hard it's been on all the embattled MHA's - who cares about someone who needs life saving drugs or a medical test - or a safe house - or food for their kids - the politicians need a break from this incessant criticism.

As for Linda Goodyear - she gave Diane Whelan a pass to re-election or at least a good fight between her and NDP's Gavin Will. If Linda Goodyear cannot get that level of research correct and she uses that false information to take the last and biggest swipe at her opponent - she probably won't be so hot when examining legislation.

Then Reid states in the Telegram that:

"I'll have a talk to Linda and tell her it's not just Tory MHAs that double-billed. Liberal MHAs double billed as well."

First of all - it appeared on a CBC Morning Show report that Linda did know that all political parties were involved - and if she did not as Gerry seems to think - then Goodyear is not in the same world as the rest of us.

Disarray - Confusion - Mixed Messages - and Continued Cover-Up would seem to be the Liberal's campaign theme.

This is one big reason Danny Williams is so high in the polls. An awful lot of Liberals just do not want to vote or are switching sides.

Liberal Policy could see Lower Churchill developed the same way as the Upper Churchill

Liberal oil and gas development policy if applied to other energy resources could see the Lower Churchill developed under the same terms as the Upper Churchill.

Here's what I mean - Yesterday Linda Goodyear - Liberal candidate for Conception Bay East Bell Island - repeated what most Liberals MHA's - including Gerry Reid - have already articulated - it's time to get on with Hebron. When asked by host of Open Line Randy Simms what about "no more giveaways" Goodyear explained that Hebron was already discovered and it is not fair to change the rules now.

Let's extrapolate from that policy and insert the same thinking to the Lower Churchill development. Hydro Quebec and Quebec took the original risk on the Upper Churchill - the Lower Churchill is just another "well" already discovered in the 1960's - so why change the rules now?

Here's the deal - everybody says if we had only known that oil prices were going to triple - we might have thought of an escalation clause for the Upper Churchill contract. In other words if the market circumstances changed substantially - we could have reaped billions more for the people of the Province. The Labrador highway would be finished - there would be major infrastructure developed in Labrador - which in turn would have attracted more industry to that region to utilize the power.

The Liberal Party should acknowledge that oil has since tripled again - and this time we are not locked into a permanent contract with no ability to improve our lot - so this time we are invoking our "escalation" clause.

The Party's inability to see this tells me and should tell the voter that giveaways would continue for the sake of quick development and long-term agony.

Just a note to Linda Goodyear - as she talked about the possibility of getting some post-secondary trades training on Bell Island - I remembered the bitter fight we had when Roger Grimes - Brian Tobin - and Vince Withers made the decision to close the campus on the Island. I stood with the people of Bell Island but we lost the fight. She needs to ask the incumbent Liberal MHA's what they think about her idea.