Blogistics ... Blogging on Politics
Well, it’s not “W” for win. It’s “W” for welfare.
Kathy Dunderdale referred to hand-outs for the fishery as “Welfare”.
We have to wonder how this will play out for those fishermen and plant workers who have been out of work because her government failed to address the problems with the fishery.
It’s pretty sad when you’re a political junkie and you have an election taking place in your province that produces very little to write about.
This election is absolutely boring. There’s few things to write about unless you want to listen to all the candidates talk about their “great support” and how everyone wants “change”.
Very few people are tackling the issues of Muskrat Falls and when Danny Dumaresque tried to make it an issue in the St. John’s Board of Trade debate, he came across looking like … well … Danny Dumaresque. This has been perhaps the only highlight of the campaign so far as it looks fairly evident the Conservatives are going to cruise to a victory.
We’re just not seeing Muskrat Falls being a polarizing issue in this election. People don’t seem to care as much as the politicians and those politicians hanging their hat on this peg, are doomed, including Dumaresque and Aylward.
Other things we have noted here has to be how Liberal Leader Kevin Aylward never stopped in Humber East to promote their candidate Charles Murphy. Eddie Joyce, Donna Luther and Dwight Ball all got a visit but Murphy was left from the agenda. Perhaps it’s their way of conceding defeat in that district already?
Pam Pardy Ghent in Bellevue is putting off a very strong campaign. Aylward is scheduled to be with her on Wednesday, September 28. This is one seat the Liberals have a great shot at winning. If what some of our sources are saying, the Conservatives are more than worried about their candidate here.
Speaking of being worried, Liberal Eddie Joyce is running a very strong campaign even though he’s facing two opponents in the Bay of Islands. The former MHA is being consistent in his message and listening to the people. He is campaigning on his record of being accessible and vocal for the people. Meanwhile, incumbent Terry Loder is running a low-key campaign, steady and to the point. He has his supporters and his campaign office is perhaps one of the busiest in the entire province. Watch for Dunderdale to make another stop here to sure up the seat because Joyce is known for pulling a rabbit out of the hat.
Meanwhile, NDP candidate Tony Adey is being seen as a contender by many and is getting a great response door to door. He does however face an uphill battle, regardless of his own rhetoric about being a “credible” candidate. He has taken to social media sites and to YouTube calling out his oppponents using terms such as “old and washed up candidate” and “invisible Terry”. Those following Adey on the campaign trail should let their candidate know both Joyce and Loder have strong support and if the NDP is going to win this riding, they will have to turn over 2500 voters “orange” – that’s NEVER going to happen.
Sticking to the West Coast, Liberal candidate Donna Luther, touted by Kevin Aylward as a “star candidate” is struggling to make any gains on her opponent Vaughn Granter. Insiders involved are citing a lack of organization as being the major cause of Luther’s dismay. Perhaps her star is fading quickly as a hopeful gain for the Liberals. She does however, have an experienced campaign manager and dedicated workers who can turn this around in the next two weeks.
Labrador is shaping up to see some battles as the NDP is poised to gain a seat here. There are some within the party hoping to see a breakthrough province wide. However, we’re not seeing it that way. The NDP support is largely on the Avalon and while they will take some of the votes from the other parties, there will be NO ORANGE CRUSH in the province.
There is however, a definite sentiment the NDP will make some noise in this election. Poll after Poll is placing them in second place ahead of the Liberals. They even have a full slate of candidates this time around and have done so well ahead of the Liberal Party. This is great news for their supporters but to be perfectly honest, the bump in popularity because of the late Jack Layton will be but a flash in the pan. They may attract some sympathy votes this time around but other than their St. John’s ridings, there’s very little hope in the NDP forming government and an outside shot at best, to form the opposition even with the Liberals in a total mess.
Dunderdale is continuing to spew her rhetoric about “New Energy” and a “New Directions”. She doesn’t have to hit a homer in this election and can talk about anything she wants. Her opposition are looking like a bunch of rag-tag wannabes and have failed to offer any sense of opposition.
When the likes of Stephen Kent, Clyde Jackman, Ross Wiseman and Shawn Skinner look like “star” candidates, it’s a sad state of affairs in provincial politics.
Here at Newfoundland Political Junkie we are calling this election a bust and even though we’re close to many of the happenings taking place, there’s nothing really to report or to write about. Perhaps we should have taken our vacation now?
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It’s been three full days of campaigning (at least officially) and we’ve seen some interesting developments.
Liberal Leader Kevin Aylward and Conservative Leader Kathy Dunderdale have crossed paths in Corner Brook. It was an awkward moment and from sitting and watching the somewhat “cordial” handshake occur, it was easy to sense the tension.
Dunderdale came to the west coast to shore up support for Bay of Islands MHA Terry Loder. PC insiders have indicated Loder is in trouble as he’s facing two opponents – Liberal Eddie Joyce and NDP Tony Adey.
Both Joyce and Adey have both tweeted about some strange sign incidents. Adey went as far as saying other “campaigners” were removing his signs, prompting him to tweet about contacting Elections NL and the RCMP. We have not been able to determine if anything was done.
Joyce had signs stolen and apparently Loder signs appeared overnight on the front lawns of many of Joyce’s supporters. From what we can tell here at NPJ, this was done to give Loder the appearance of having lots of support when Dunderdale showed up. Perhaps Loder should tell his campaign workers it’s illegal to trespass.
The Liberals are doing what everyone expected – resurrect some old policies on the fishery, forestry and wildlife. Nothing new but it may hit a chord as some of the rural areas are struggling. These once relied on these areas to survive but according to Aylward, the current government is obsessed with oil on the mind.
NDP Lorraine Michael has chosen to stay close to home, riding the so-called orange wave. Anyone inside the political circles will tell you this is artificially inflated numbers and Michael herself will be lucky to hang on to her seat.
Our prediction early on is 12 Liberal Seats, 2 NDP Seats and the remainder PC. We’ll fill in details as to why we think this later.
It’s a different perspective sitting and riding around, watching the action up-close!
What will tomorrow bring?
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The following is a letter received and were asked to publish. It’s published in its entirety complete with spelling / grammar errors.
Dear Premier Dunderdale,
I’m a rural Newfoundlander. I’ve made a living from fishing. I’m not a highly educated man and no nothing more than putting in a hard days work. My life was on the water from the time I was forteen.
All my family, my friends and now I’m finding myself, having to think about going elsewhere to work. There’s nothing left remaining in these rural parts. There’s nothing more to offer our children.
Your government has drived the salt from my bones. There is no future.
I’m stuck without chance of living out the life I want because there is nothing more to give. You can’t get blood from me anymore.
You want us to believe the future is oil. It’s hard to believe there is prosperity in the island like you wants us to believe. Where is our prosperity here in rural Newfoundland? Where is the prosperity in the fishery? Where is the prosperity in the oil going to come to benefit me and my kids that are already moved away?
The oil does nothing for us here. The oil has taken those of our family to Alberta or to St. John’s, while the rest of us try to have a life.
Ms. Dunderdale, how can you say we’re in the best position we’ve ever been? Have you never listened to what the common man such as myself has had to say over these last few years?
We’re nothing in rural Newfoundland. Our way of life is gone. Our future is gone.
Convence me to vote for you again. You’re no Danny and yet we have little alternatives to vote for here.
Maybe life will pass us by and we’ll continue to scrape a living while you sit and do nothing.
Convence me things will be briter.
You now stand and try to seel that Muskrat Falls and want us to think that doubling our power bill is going to be good for us? How can it be? Where are we people going to get the money to pay for that when we have nothing now only our dignity left to survive on?
Listen to the people please. You have me beggin you as a person who is just about as defeated as they come.
Convence me you have something more to offer rural Newfoundland than the death we’re seeing now.
You will have my vote if you can do that.
Name Withheld by Request
Premier Kathy Dunderdale has indicated publicly in a tweet that she will head to the Lt. Governor’s office at 10:00 am. It is expected she will be asking to have the writ dropped for the “official” start of the election campaign as the province heads into a provincial election scheduled for October 11.
As many of us here at the Newfoundland Political Junkie are involved in many aspects of the election, we have some busy times ahead of us. We will however, provide some inside scoop and some commentary as we see it on the campaign trail.
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“In my opinion Elizabeth Matthews, of all the women I have met in politics, including my ministers, was one of the most competent women I’d come across.”
Former premier Danny Williams spilled the beans about what actually transpired when it came to the highly criticized appointment of Elizabeth Matthews to the CNLOPB. He was the person who wrote the letter appointing Williams and discussed this with Premier Kathy Dunderdale.
Previously, Dunderdale had indicated it was solely her decision to appoint Matthews. She had indicated she had signed the order of council.
Natural Resources Minister Shawn Skinner had even gone a step further when he indicated:
“She was appointed to the board the date I wrote that letter. After I wrote the letter, I mean I certainly communicated to my staff and asked what the process was I needed to follow as minister to be able to appoint somebody to the board. I signed the letter. I sent it off.”
The surfacing of this letter is obviously damaging consideringNewfoundlandandLabradoris just 5-weeks from an election.
Having Williams going on CBC and publicly taking responsibility for the appointment and taking another swipe at Dunderdale with his comments is likely to have an impact in the election but how much is yet to be seen.
How far has the Williams’ knife sunk into the back of Kathy Dunderdale with this revelation?
The two opposition parties have not commented on this and why should they?
The Conservatives are doing enough damage to themselves and this glimpse of what actually went on with this government should be eye opening to the public.
Will anyone actually care?
Probably not. Matthews withdrew her name from the process.
It will be interesting to hear the spin that Dunderdale puts on this. Skinner has said he was not aware of the letter by Williams but what’s Kathy’s take on this?
As a province, we are now getting a true look into how politicians lie to the people and how things are spun when their feet are held to the fire. Surely, there has to be someone who will hold them to task on this.
Will this impact how you’re voting in the upcoming election?
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It appears Brad Cabana and Terry French are headed to court after a very heated exchange on VOCM’s call-in shows.
Cabana first took to the air to finally put to rest why he had left the Provincial PC Party. He alleges Minister Terry French stood before party faithful during an election preparedness meeting encouraging candidates to hit up contractors for donations.
French fired back calling Cabana a “political prostitute”, statements that one would hardly consider worthy of a minister.
After the exchange, Cabana took to twitter calling for French’s resignation and an apology.
People are questioning Cabana’s motives and VOCM commentators called it exactly what it was – political. Cabana is seeking the Liberal nomination for the upcoming election and there was no denying Cabana’s claims were probably steeped in partisanship.
His credibility is in question over his flip-flopping between parties and wanting to run for the PC Leadership and then the Liberal Leadership. Mr. Cabana has remained consistent in his position of wanting change in the political system, accountability and transparency. However, there comes a time when you have to let things die away.
The Liberal Party doesn’t need the press. They are in enough trouble as it sits right now.
Why would the Liberal Party even want him as a candidate? Who is Mr. Cabana hurting?
No one is questioning whether or not these statements were made. Cabana has always appeared sincere and consistent. That’s something you can’t deny. What we have to question is the timing and the judgement being displayed.
If you’re going to swim with sharks, you have to be prepared to be bitten. Politics is a tough game and when you throw mud, expect the other party to pick up rocks and throw them back.
Terry French should have used better judement in his choice of words. It is disgusting to hear a minister of the crown sling around the terms he used to describe another individual.
This is what is wrong with the political system. It draws out some of the most colorful characters from the fringes, gives them a stage to voice their opinions and does nothing to bestow confidence in its leadership.
Both Mr. Cabana and Mr. French have to realize it is the people of Newfoundland and Labrador who are helpless in what’s going on while these two gentleman have a pissing contest on the public airways. Calmer heads have to prevail and both men have to come clean, apologize to one another and move on with the election in October 2011.
If it were me living in either of their districts, I would be ashamed to have either of them represent me right now. They do not stand for what Newfoundlanders and Labradorians want in their MHAs.
It has to be about respect!
Grow up boys!
You can listen to their exchange here:
Brad Cabana’s original call that prompted this latest fury
Terry French’s response to Brad Cabana
Brad Cabana’s calls back after French’s statement
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NDP Leader Jack Layton has died at the age of 61.
Canada has lost a great man and a great politician, someone who set out each day to improve the lives of Canadians.
Jack Layton became the face of NDP and he worked hard to improve the Canadian political system. He continually pushed government to do the right thing and was there for the average citizen.
He will be missed.
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The major announcement on Muskrat Falls that has brought many provincial and federal politicians to St. John’s was hyped for days. There were hints of the loan guarantee being put in place.
It was supposed to be a “great day for Newfoundland and Labrador” and was being heralded as a new direction for federal and provincial relations.
The only thing, someone forgot to tell everyone it wasn’t a loan guarantee.
What was signed was a memorandum of understanding that says the federal government will continue to study the project and do its due diligence before committing anything.
What this is boils down to smoke and mirrors and while we hate to use this term here at the Newfoundland Political Junkie, it’s bullshit (we know, a provincial politician got in trouble for using the “BS” word).
Kathy Dunderdale has seen her popularity dropping in the polls. The media outlets have hammered her government for her numerous pre-election spending announcements. People have questioned this governments spending spree.
This is an attempt for Kathy Dunderdale to save face and look good.
Give the people here credit Kathy – if it looks like a muskrat, smells like a muskrat and walks like a muskrat, chances are it’s a muskrat!
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