For the most part I have no more information than you but someone needs to tell the story, if there is one ability I have it`s the gathering of clear perspective, nothing is in isolation, one must account for history, pattern, truth, and plain old common sense......Judge Judy has the line..
"If it doesn`t make sense, it isn`t true"
I read this story by Peter Ewart
Peter suggests the NDP in 2003 backed off of their demands of stopping the sale of BC Rail over the taint of the deal.....Well friends, it was a well written story by Ewart although too airy fairy, having watched the BC Legislature almost daily in that time period ......Jenny Kwan and Joy Mcphail shouted, demanded, bitched and debated up a storm in the legislature, unfortunately, as I have written about before, oppositions can`t stop anything, PERIOD....All an opposition can do is highlight the flaws. point to the real facts, it`s only public backlash of epic proportion that can stop Government(sometimes)...And an honest media is required, Baldrey, Palmer, Canwest, Global, CTV, Bill Good and CKNW not only failed to report the facts they publicly endorsed every decision made by Gordon Campbell`s Liberals, what we had was a conspiracy of media owners and the Government...Let me be clear, I WAS disappointed with the NDP under Carole James, I was equally impressed with Jenny and Joy...77 Liberals against 2 NDP.
Mr. Ewart, with all due respect, the BC Rail deal was never in jeopardy of coming off the rails, CN Rail was always getting BC Rail as of 2001, the only thing in dispute at that time was when they would receive it and how little they were going to pay for it, the NDP had no ability to stop the sale short of blowing up the legislature(while the Liberals were in it), the fix was in, and with CN Rail`s growing tax indemnity against the Province it appears the CN will get BC Rail for free...
The NDP couldn`t stop Campbell and cabinet from a Saturday late night secret session in the BC Legislature with no media present when they shredded the HEU agreement and fired 9000 women, nor could they stop 3 votes on the Canada line, the NDP couldn`t stop the $500 million dollar over budget convention center, the opposition couldn`t stop the privatization and using BC Ferries as an ATM ....Nor could they prevent giving Translink the power of taxation or stopping the stripping of town`s rights....I have said it over and over again, oppositions are not effective, the only opposition is by taking power and actually doing the right thing for the people of this province....An opposition needs a firm clear voice and the ability to prevent facts to the public but again, if a media is corrupt, if senior columnists and radio voices get their wives jobs with public affairs for Government, if print and TV newsrooms fail to report in lieu of advertising dollars, if all that happens it makes an opposition`s voice silent....
That trend is slowing ending with quality blogs, better detail and inside working`s are coming from the internet, BC is a wired Province, the Canwest, Global, CKNW edge is now gone, .....Back to Ewart`s column, an opposition, this opposition couldn`t stop Gordon Campbell from tripling BC`s debt, they couldn`t stop the massive expansion of gambling at the same time gaming grants to charities and sports groups were taken away, they couldn`t stop $900 million dollar retractable roof and gauntlet into Paragon`s soon to be "house of Horror" casino, the NDP didn`t stop Campbell from running a $4 billion dollar deficit when he claimed a $490 million deficit maximum, the opposition couldn`t stop fees being raised on seniors, the carbon tax, tripling of MSP premiums, user fees on parks, illegal gag laws, outrageous ferry fares, shadow tolls on the sea to sky highway, the NDP couldn`t stop the HST , even when the BC Liberals said on paper on the lead up to the 2009 election there would be NO HST, even with 720,000 BC Voters signing a petition to stop the HST, even with every NDP MLA standing and screaming in the Legislature, with 80% of the public on their side they couldn`t stop the BC Liberal party from doing whatever they pleased and the public be damned!
How many legislative sessions have been cancelled, how many times has closure been used by the BC Liberals, how many times has Campbell used the guillotine to ram multiple bills through in a few minutes, too many times to count, and all along Keith Baldrey, Bill Good, Vaughn Palmer and the media forgave, forgot and moved on......I am not defending the NDP but one must look at the big picture, could the NDP stop Kevin Falcon from trying to sell our BC healthcare and turn your hospital into a medical tourism mecca, no they couldn`t, the Canada Health Act did, could the opposition stop Kash Heed from breaking the election law, Jane Thornthwaite from driving drunk during the Olympics, could they stop Colin Hansen from lying day after day about the HST and deficits, the NDP couldn`t stop Campbell from pillaging ICBC for $760 million dollars earlier this year, ...
The NDP couldn`t stop every BC Liberal MLA from standing up in the Legislature and completely ignoring their constituents and ramming the HST lie and fraud down their throats, the NDP couldn`t force the Liberals to raise the minimum wage, nor could they lift B.C. from 10th and last with the most children living in poverty,the loyal opposition couldn`t stop dozens of BC Liberal insiders from getting directorships at IPPs
The NDP couldn`t stop Gary Collins from getting knee deep in more trash
You see friends, the opposition is only as effective as the media wants it to be, there have been hundreds of items and reasons to throw out the Campbell Liberals, in fact many should be jailed and when the next writ period begins the media, Global, cknw, Baldrey, Palmer, all of them will forget everything again, they will remember propaganda from the PAB spin machine....
Just like the opposition couldn`t stop Tommy Douglas and keep us from creating national healthcare, the opposition couldn`t stop the NDP from building the Island highway or stop the NDP from building ferries with BC Labour, the opposition couldn`t stop the NDP from creating ICBC or the ALR, agricultural land resereve, the BC Liberals couldn`t stop the NDP of the 90s from building hundreds of schools.
I expect that there will be a thorough public inquiry no matter which NDP leader becomes premier of British Columbia, and as for Peter Ewart and his assertion that the NDP may have possibly stopped the sale of BC Rail, that`s wrong, completely wrong, even with 80% of the public and 700,000 plus signatures the NDP couldn`t stop the BC Liberals from choking us with the HST, BC Rail was ignored by the media at the time and if not for BC Mary and a few dedicated voices no one would care today, what else is wrong is child poverty, for if by selling BC Rail we eliminated or really reduced that statistic...Number 1 in Canada for the most children living in poverty, 9 years in a row, if that number went down it would be worth selling BC Rail...
But it didn`t, 2 members of the opposition or 35 members, it matters not, the only effective opposition is when they take power and do the right thing.
Remember what we as NDP stand for, health care, education, the environment(not a phony carbon tax)..Affordible tuition, let`s not allow the media to re-write the history on the 2000s in British Columbia....A giant step backwards for humanity.
The Straight Goods
Cheers-Eyes Wide Open
17 comments:
Grant, you have no idea how much power your words have resonated with the public at large. With every article that you post, I have forwarded same to hundreds of people in my e-mail address book.
And not one has complained for my "spamming", which is an unexpected surprise! In fact, people always e-mail me back and can't believe what they read and why the MSM don't report same. Just based upon that anecdotal evidence, you should feel proud.
On that note, I wish you a Merry Christmas and everyone in my sphere continue to look forward to your future columns and analysis. Bravo!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/leaked-memos-cast-doubt-on-fox-news-claim-of-neutrality-2162660.html
Global, CTV, Canwest, CKNW, SUN, Province and others - PAB. Neutral? Absolutely not.
Thank goodness for blogs such as this one and Mary's, Laila's, Rafe's, and more.
In order to get the real stories and facts, We must continue to get the word out on how slanted the media is in this province and how they will not report the truth, or ignore it. Email the links to the mentioned blogs to your list of email friends so they may read what is really happening in this province and how we are being sold out, not sold, given away by this corrupt bunch of bandits.
..."You see friends, the opposition is only as effective as the media wants it to be."
Therein lies the truth, the whole truth...and nothing but the truth.
That the media is so willing to use and abuse their position of trust ought to tell us more about them than they want us to know. Yet there are still so many who rely on them for "news." Real news is when media tells you something the government doesn't want you to know! Simply it has come to the point where NO ONE in mainsteam media can, or should be, trusted. No One. How unutterably sad.
As a guy who checks your blog daily and respects your mind - I give you permission to take a week off! This government is dark and you have been in there every day critically revealing the hypocrisies - it has to be draining. It is truly a great public service you (and others) provide, but take some time for yourself and your family and then come back strong again in the new year!
That said I won't hold it against you if you keep it up either.
Well Grant, at least you can hold your head high and feel better for being amoung the ensemble who have awakened the sleeping giant (the citizens of BC) to the fact that the news services that they have relied on for so long have become nothing more than another propaganda tentacle of the BC LIBERAL CRIME FAMILY octopod (or should I say octopi as there are many more than eight).It should also bring a warm feeling to your heart to know that these same news services are slipping into irrelevance and obscurity as more citizens are being awakened from the anesthesia administered by Campbell, his supporters and these Liberal spin doctors. Also many thanks from my family and friends to you, BC Mary, Laila and countless other honest souls that are actually working for the good of this Province and not for their own profit. A tip of the hat for actually exposing these parasites ( BC Liberals, Corporate Handlers and MSM )for whom they really are. Take heart my friends, honesty and truthfulness will prevail. Merry Christmas and a Happier New Year.
Yes, a Merry Christmas and the Best of the New Year to you, Grant! I still remember how pleased I was to find your blog - which is in my opinion the best at speaking truth to power.
Best Regards,
Ron.
Just as incidious as Canwest, Global, CTV, CKNW etc. are these polling groups like Mustel that spread their lies and misinformation like poison. The media loves to report these poll results especially to support the corrupt BC Liberals and to create the illusion that the BC Liberals have the majority of support; I want to meet the people who would support this crime family. Neither party has even chosen a leader yet; lets just skip these polls til there is really something to poll.
Grant, I find it hard to relax and feel contented over the holidays too. This year, I am determined to enjoy preparing a feast for my son and family. Come spring he will be off to Kandahar and at that point relaxation will become a thing of the past for me.
I hope you find contentment over the season. Watch the Lunar Eclipse, maybe do a little moondance in honour of a special solstice.
Thank you for linking my Horgan post above. I thought it would be a good time to ask those questions that the MSM just won't ask.
Let's all look forward to next year as the year that collectivism clicked and we beat the drum so loudly that everyone awoke, just in time to take that first progressive step...Peace brother.
Kim, your son has a guardian angel in YOU riding on his shoulder, and may he come home healthy, and soon.
And thanks to all for the kind words...And remember folks, the greatest gifts are from the heart, home cooked food, hugs, kisses, words of wisdom...
No one will remember the Ipod or gift card, the guilt, the pressure to conform and spend next year`s money for this year`s gifts.
Merry Christmas to all....And I intend to keep posting, for like I said before, the people`s blog, this site is not only to inform and anger..
It`s also a personal diary for me, and you...Welcome to our house, the fireplace is crackling, the egg nog is spiked, the bowl games are on TV......And the Grinch(BC Liberals) has stolen his last Christmas.
Salut
Grant,anyone who loves cats exhibits those qualities of humility and truthfulness. I can see in your musings truthfulnsess and honesty, qualities that have been totally lacking in the MSN. Will someone please tell Christy to CLUCK OFF!
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Grant, and Grant's Anonymice:
Merry Christmas to all ... and a very happy New Year. It's good to see this warm support for The Straight Goods.
Thanks too, for my share of those kind words because they do provide the encouragement to keep us going. It's an astonishing amount of work to keep a good blog running, as Grant and Laila and others do.
I've been in a knock-down, drag-'em-out battle with a piece of new computer equipment, which has kept me offline for the past week or more. At least, it gave me time to think some things over.
For example, when the Incoming Mail had been taken care of, right down to about 100 news stories, I could see that they had taken a sharp turn into the steaming swamps of political partisanship.
I've said this a thousand times: partisan politics cures nothing, if all it amounts to is one group of citizens squabbling with another group of citizens. If they have a stated policy which serves the public interest, well, OK ...
but not if it simply boils down to neighbours yelling "Me good, You bad!" at one another.
The issues. We need to stand together and address the issues: we all need the same basic elements ... and those, as we speak, are being threatened.
Anyway, that's where my heart is: how to preserve and protect the beautiful province we call home.
Happy New Year.
All the best Mary, we all echo your concerns about saving the Province, the only way to do that IS political.
The corrupt BC Liberals must be removed from power and as much as you would like policies only, it ain`t going to happen, he said she said doesn`t matter, the history and record does and the BC Liberal record is brutal.
To go "non-political" would mean forgetting the past, and you know that old saying..
"Those who forget the past are destined to repeat it"
The BC Liberals will cheat, lie and distort to get elected, and whether you like it or not that is the way it is.
Is this site political? You bet it is Mary, is this site factual...Again, you bet it is!
The truth Mary is not political.
Good Day
The reality is that even with a legitimate MSM, the opposition can stop nothing that a party with a majority is bent on doing. The opposition can argue until they are blue in the face but when it comes time to vote, the ruling party can still impose its will upon The Legislature. We live in a pseudo-democracy at best, although I would think that an elected dictatorship is much more descriptive.
Peter Ewart's assertion that the NDP didn't do enough to stop the sale of BC Rail is absolutely nothing more than a pile of rubbish. How were 2 people supposed to outvote 77?
I'm getting too frustrated to even think and write in a coherent manner.
Merry Christmas to you Grant and your many followers.
Cam
Apathy will be our downfall, and will take us all into the ditch where we will bitch and complain about the conditions.
May there be no muddy middle in the new year.
Is $900M really the new estimate for the retractable roof? They estimate it will be open 18 times per year. That price is just sickening when one looks at how Gordnocchio has stuck it to the poor and infirm in this province. He and most of the Liberals are sick puppies. It really is pathetic, just thinking about they and their media apologists leads one into a terrible funk.
They should be in prison.
So true about the media bias. You'd think the liberals paid their wages! The past 10 yrs have been like a bad dream you can't wake up from as far as governmental abuse goes! Then an election, and you think "hey, I'm going to wake up tomorrow and it'll all be behind me", but no, they're still there, undermining everything that has made BC a great place to live.
Campbell and the BC Liberals, have damaged pretty much every aspect in this province. We need to totally, eradicate the BC Liberal party, to try and save, the little we have left of BC. Campbell has thieved our province and the people in it so badly, we will be forty years trying to get BC back on it's feet. Much of Campbell's damage, can never be repaired. Campbell's theft of the BCR, and his theft of our rivers, are just two examples. Over a $121,000 BC children live in poverty, because a monster has enforced our kids hunger. The same monster, has refused to raise the minimum wage, starting at, $6.00 per hour. And Campbell the idiot says, BC is the best place to live??? I think, Campbell needs a mental evaluation, he just isn't normal. Decent people, would never allow children to go hungry. Campbell and the BC Liberals, have no problem ignoring them. The media, are just as bad as Campbell, they ignore the hungry children as well. Their fawning over Campbell is disgusting.
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