Saturday, March 22, 2014

Blowback Against Gang Of 13?...Won't You Listen To What The Dean Says.

'TwasNotTheDippersWhoTimedTheReleaseOfThe
AuditVille


In a post I wrote last night before Mr. Palmer's latest came out in the VSun this morning, I noted that Rich Coleman waited 246 days before he released the Portland Hotel Society Audit late this week that has since led Dipper MLA Jenny Kwan to write cheque to the society for more than $30,000.

Which got me to wondering if maybe the timing of the audit's release was the Snooklandian wizards at work, doing their best that to jam the newsycle that had John Horgan and NDP riding high in the proMedia all week long.

Then an anonymous commenter wrote this:

"Problem with this theory is the Kwan stuff was leaked by the NDP."


Which led me to go searching through the detrious left behind by the Twitmachine shills to see if there was one nugget out there that I had missed.

And this is what I found so far....

From today's column by Mr. Palmer:

...So when the government was preparing this week to release two explosive audits of the society, word spread that there might be something in the contents to embarrass Kwan.


Some of those rumours came from the Liberals, keen to see the holier-than-thou Kwan neutralized on issues of poverty and hardship. But tongues were also wagging inside the NDP, where Kwan is a polarizing figure because of her role in fronting for the revolt that led to the resignation of Carole James as party leader in late 2010...

****

Now.

Here's the thing...

When you are a shill you will use pretzel logic to twist anything in an attempt to bamboozle folks into thinking that that thing is something that it is not.

So, with that in mind, please note that Mr. Palmer did not explicitly say that a 'leak' of the audit came from the Dipperians.

Instead, what he indicated was that tongues were wagging once people knew that Coleman, who sat on his hands for nine months, suddenly signaled, apparently in the wake of Mr. Horgan's announcement last Monday evening, that the audit would soon be released.

Which doesn't mean that there aren't Dippers with memories who do not like what was done to Ms. James.

But, particularly in the absence of something harder, it also does not mean that it was a pre-organized Dipper lynch-mob that went out last week (i.e. prior to the 'preparing' by Mr. Coleman et al.) and bought the pen that Ms. Kwan used to write yesterday's cheque.


OK?


______
Regardless, again....In the wake of all this frenzied hysteria against entitlement (a lot of which is justified) that is being whipped up the proMedia 'round here, why aren't fine folks like Mr. Leyne of the VTC also writing, at least by way of comparison to $800 limo rides, about stuff like, say....This?
Thanks to Merv Adey, also in the comments, for helping point us back towards Mr. Palmer's latest.


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13 comments:

North Van's Grumps said...

Refresher course, Gang of 9 sitting as MLAs with #1 on leave of absence.

1 Jenny Kwan, Vancouver-Mount Pleasant MLA
2 Norm Macdonald, Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA
3 Katrine Conroy, Kootenay West MLA
4 Robin Austin, Skeena MLA
5 Gary Coons, North Coast Nil
6 Guy Gentner, Delta North Nil
7 Leonad Krog, Nanaimo MLA
8 Harry Lali, Fraser-Nicola Nil
9 Lana Popham, Saanich South MLA
10 Doug Routley, Nanaimo-North Cowichan MLA
11 Michael Sather, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Nil
12 Nicholas Simons, Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA
13 Claire Trevena, North Island MLA

RossK said...

Thanks for the update/refresher NVG--


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Anonymous said...

SH: I doubt most NDPers did not have the sang froid and cunning to formulate a conspiracy against Kwan, until perhaps, NOW.

Many of us are just getting up off the mat after the election, and have been drifting in grey and murky waters while our wounded leader,anchored to the past, and bent on redemption, hoists his dulled blade, to no great effect. This flattening effect extended to the young-bloods who are looking to climb more satisfying hills, at least for the moment.


The NDP, now neutered, and discredited, are really nothing more than a soft target for smug PABsters to ridicule online.

So, big Rich lovingly coddled his UXB close to his fulsome breast... No more feeble attempts to tarnish the NDP with sexless memos and such, a head-shot was needed, and an impeccably timed one.

The Honourable John Horgan's soul-lifting-triumphal return was achingly brief. As the PHS story played out early on, it was easy to be drawn into the theatre, to watch agog at the irony of the silver-spooners lapping up the cream that ought to have been proffered to the least among us.

Our innate disgust at the grasping-grubsters stealing crusts from the desperate, raised our hackles, and many of us clucked amongst ourselves, smuggish in our righteous, secure positions. Then Coleman, the surprisingly silent assassin, deftly launched his coup de gras: one of our own was apparently sipping at the same chalice!!!

The concussion has left its mark, progressives voices muted on the Pro-Media comment boards.

Predictable, dark-side gaming, yes? But, after languishing post-defeat in beige-land, and spun dry, we have collectively been lulled into a state of torpor, just like Christy's new economy.

Anyone who frequents CBC comments, or elsewhere, witnessed the rapid onset of a not-so-familiar famiglia, mercenaries replete with sharpened Neocred screed. As the verbal sputum sprayed out at progressive commenters, my shilldar switched to high alert.

While my brain rattled around in my skull, I sensed of feeling of foreboding: that Horgan-joy was our own hubris-- sensing that this "revelation" was a set piece, I came across this concise and provocotive timeline of the set-up for the set-up.

Thanks to "Joe" for this (Joe you may notice this appropriated and used elsewhere with a little "tszujing").

Posted on CKNW: "NDP MLA caught up in a spending controversy"

Joe on Mar 20, 2014 at 07 00 pm said: Something is not right about what’s going on .
“Billion dollar plan” for the Downtown Eastside. C.K.N.W. February 27, 2014
Social housing operator sets off “red flags”. C.K.N.W. March 04, 2014
City of Vancouver “approves” DTES community plan. C.K.N.W. March 15, 2014
Leaders “step aside” from group that runs safe injection site. C.K.N.W. March 19, 2014
Gov’t “appoints” interim board to run Portland Hotel Society. C.K.N.W. March 20, 2014
NDP MLA caught up in a “spending controversy” C.K.N.W. March 20, 2014
I don’t know, coinsidence ?

Anonymous said...

Sorry eyes buggy: correction:

SH: I doubt most NDPers HAD the sang froid

Anonymous said...

Been asking a number of questions about this myself regarding BC Housing's concurrent activities in the DTES.

See Here: http://www.francesbula.com/uncategorized/phs-top-executives-made-up-to-186000-a-year-deserved-it-because-they-worked-so-hard-said-board-chair/

Namely, how does this PHS "witch hunt" relate to BC Housing's totally bizarre decision to finance Worthington Properties' (a scandal-ridden developer) Sequel CONDOS on East Hastings (old Pantages site)?

BC Housing has already given 3.75 million at 1.29% interest to Worthington, and some say they may lend up to 20 million more to ensure this condo project goes ahead.

Why is BC Housing financing a condo development that will transform half a block in the heart of the DTES, and drive up real estate values? Wouldn't this make it much harder for BC Housing to buy/build social housing in the DTES?

Kneecapping the largest social service agency in the area, and removing two of the most vocal champions for this community, sure would help take the wind out of local opposition and organized protest against the Sequel development.

Interesting, too, that this bizarre policy turn into condo development more or less coincided with the Condo King, Bob Rennie, being appointed to BC Housing's board after Snooki got elected. He is, of course, heavily invested in gentrifying the DTES, and his 20 million dollar offices are in Chinatown, a block away from Sequel.

One would think that BC Housing deciding to finance an uber high-risk developer of condos in the DTES (rather than using the money to build Social Housing) might raise a few eyebrows in the MSM, given not only the fact that the "cupboard is bare" and every penny counts these days, but also that they are selling off real estate assets left right and center.

Dr. F

Anonymous said...

Either improperly claimed expenses are not important enough for Minister Coleman to address promptly or the practices of the members of the Portland Hotel Society are so similar to the practices of other government Boards and Ministries as to be unremarkable. I expect someone finally realized that they had been using the NeoCon standard when they should have been using the Socialist scale.

Anonymous said...

SH:

Entertaining to see a former? multi-level fixer, now, itinerant I-am-the-last-word-on-anything-and-everything radionista tweeting pronouncements calling for Kwan to step down (which she should).

Consistently, inconsistent: this high optics co-architect of Bill Bennett's take-down of the civil service in the early eighties, may have been one of the original "change-agent" recyclers--taking "down" manager-playas, only to silently rehire them on contract with some really sweet upgrades.

Anonymous said...

SH:

Speaking of being consistently, inconsistent: the CBC has left their Jenny Kwan piece up on their front page since the 21st.

Curious how, after a relatively brief period, the CBC justifies taking down the first positive news piece for the NDP for sometime: John Horgan's leadership bid...hmmmm

G West said...

Interesting observations all - especially relative to the role Coleman has played in this mess...I happen to have been selected/offered the chance (what is the correct word?) to take part in a 3-day online 'discussion/forum' with a group of similarly chosen(?) volunteers from (one assumes) carefully selected target populations all over the province this past week. The thing was run by Mario Canseco, late of Angus Reid, of Insights West and took place during three 30 minute online sessions. A series of questions were asked each day and the members of each sample group (I have no idea how many there were) were asked to respond to these questions about politics, government, education, health care and the economy.

I have no idea when or how the information generated will be used but, from my quick perusal of the answers given by my fellow panellists ( 6 or 7 people) I'd have to say that if one expects intelligent and insightful analysis on any of the important issues confronting the province these days if seems highly unlikely that good results are going to he forthcoming.

If the progressive forces in this province are going to start to make a difference (something I agree with Ian Reid as being what's actually needed here in BC) then we're going to have to engage in new and different ways and stop feeling hurt about the fact that the other side doesn't always (ever) play fair.

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to add, that while I review the Premiers Office expenditures for the period end 2013, it's interesting the amount spent at select wineries like over $1,400 at Quails Gate... or the over $8,000 at Cove Lake Resort in Kelowna..... which by the way when you visit their website... the first thing that appears is a big logo saying.... "Indulge".

So I guess when you use tax dollars for those types of spending & the government defends it..... then it's okay.... heck even Mr. Baldrey would agree with those expenditures.

The bottom line is..... you can spend hundreds of thousands at your friends airline because the Premier must travel......just don't allow anyone else to do it.

( http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/ocg/pa/12_13/Purchasing%20Card.pdf )

Guy in Victoria

Anonymous said...

SH:

G West: "If the progressive forces in this province are going to start to make a difference (something I agree with Ian Reid as being what's actually needed here in BC) then we're going to have to engage in new and different ways and stop feeling hurt about the fact that the other side doesn't always (ever) play fair."

Exactly.

...let's embrace the bitter lesson taught by this betrayal of trust: "progressive forces" must be scrupulous in their conduct, and must be seen to be scrupulous.

Then we'll see what longevity the Pro-gamer's freshest gotcha card has...

Elizabeth said...

Why are not the names and pictures of the actual board members of PHS, not being published? Ms. Kwan is not a board member of the PHS her ex-husband was, can I please see what the others look like
Nothing is mentioned as to why Coleman sat on the audit for almost a year and again the MSM play nice and demand a lynching of someone from the NDP, not a peep about Coleman's role in this, the usual game of if the Liberals do it, it's fine but if the NDP do it, it's criminal
I spent 15 min listening to the ONE SIDE of the story out of NW today (their usual practice of reporting a story involving the NDP)
Perhaps it might be an idea to remind everyone that it was our premier who paid back the taxpayer 75,000 last year from just one of the many scandals that seems to follow the govt. and it's various ministries that the press choose to not talk about.. for very long at any rate
As well, I think something like this was bound to happen as this govt. has abandoned it's citizens and abdicated any responsibility in regard to the social contract to the people of this province
It seems we are all at the mercy of contracting out yet again!, Coleman needs to resign and no severance for anyone on the board

Anonymous said...

Here is an interesting article about a Liberal, today, Mar. 25.

http://willcocks.blogspot.ca