Friday, July 19, 2013

This Day In Snookland....Swing Teams Then And Now.

WhenSwingersBecameSparklePonies
8:01ClubForeverVille


It all seems so long ago now...

The following is the lede from one of Cassidy Olivier's many bombshells, in The Province, back in March of this year:

Premier Christy Clark’s inner circle developed and executed a comprehensive strategy that used government resources for partisan purposes in an effort to advance the interests of the B.C. Liberal Party in swing ridings, The Province has learned.

Evidence of a second plan originating from the Premier’s Office that violates government standards of conduct and blurs lines between partisan and government work comes a day after the premier claimed no prior knowledge of the controversial multicultural outreach strategy.

Sources say the so-called Swing Team Strategy was executed through the Premier’s Office beginning in 2011 by Clark’s former principal secretary, Dimitri Pantazopoulos, a well-connected Tory, with involvement from Kim Haakstad, Clark’s former deputy chief of staff.

“Dimitri was the driving force behind the swing teams, from its inception through to the operational phase,” a confidential source told The Province. “Swing team leaders reported directly to him, and he co-ordinated activities between the teams and the party.”

Confidential correspondence provided to The Province places Pantazopoulos, who left the Premier’s Office in March 2012 and is now on contract with the B.C. Liberal Party, in a conversation with the leader of one of the swing teams.

Efforts to contact Pantazopoulos by publication deadline were unsuccessful....



Of course, since then there was an election.

On May 14th, 2013.

Which, according to the good Mr. Pantazopoulos at least (and maybe a fine fellow named Andrew Wilkinson too), means that anything that may (or may not) have gone down in the past no longer matters because, apparently, election success turns everything into unicorns and sparkle ponies.

Or some such thing.

How do we know this?

Well, in the wake of this week's revelations, via Emails and an interview, about how a former Clark government staffer (who was an apparent list-maker) was allegedly offered an inducement to not divulge potentially damaging information about said government (presumably relating to the afore-mentioned apparent list-making) Mr. Pantazopoulos sure is talking now.

Or, to be more precise, tweeting:



All of which has me wondering...

If the emergence of new, post-election evidence of attempted bribery is something that can be sparkle-ponied and unicorned away without a thorough, truly independent, investigation...

Well...

What, exactly, cannot?

Be disappeared, I mean.


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And speaking of investigations that may or may not be entirely independent or thorough....Well, it turns out the suddenly loquacious Mr. P. has more to say about that too...Also via the Twittmachine.


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6 comments:

Grant G said...

Well Ross K..

I wrote in this post.

http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.ca/2013/03/christy-clark-creates-her-ethnigate.html

I wrote that there was proof ethnicgate was acted on, as did others.

I have no sympathy, and those that voted BC Liberal don`t need to be hit on the head with a hammer, you know, like the ads for V8 juice.

BC Liberals are gosh...Dirty, cheating, lying, thieving, gosh darn, really, who knew???

The election can`t be undone and question period in the legislature, if there are no answers given then time wasted in question period must end, meaning end question period, have the opposition hand questions to media, to honest media and have them ask the questions in the hallways, or on radio shows..

The dog and pony show question period needs to end.

It`s time the NDP scrutinized our provincial revenue sources, when, where, who, how much and for how long, questions need to be asked in a theatre where answers must be given..

It would mean far more if the NDP stood up on masse and walked out on question period, maybe, just maybe then the media and public would start to care.

RossK said...

Grant--

I take your point that there are other very important things that must be delved into.

However...

The only reason this is getting any media play whatsoever, now, is because there is a question period.

Without it, especially from the Legislative Press Gallery (i.e. Cassidy Olivier is not a member), there will be nothing but crickets on all subjects associated with the doings of the provincial government.

And, of course, various and assorted sundry cronies, lackies and lickspittles.


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Grant G said...

What did we already know?..We knew Brian Bonney wrote 1100 private emails, we knew John Yap thanked employees for hiding the plot/scheme, we knew Pamela Gardner and Bonney schemed on turning the Burnaby hospital germfest into a "quick political ethnic win"

We knew list were compiled, we knew the ethnicgate plan plotted "to create ethnic block-buster events"

We knew private emails were used, back-channels, we knew Kim Haakstad and the Greek were involved, we knew John Dyble couldn`t investigate properly, he couldn`t compel testimony, he didn`t talk to the Liberal caucus, or party, we knew Dyble was beholden to Christy Clark..

What the hell Ross K..We knew it all, except..

Except we didn`t know one woman had some dirt and was bribed for silence.

Smoking guns and shell casings were everywhere.

And you think one more wisp of gunsmoke mattered?


What I am saying is questions need to be asked in a theatre or courtroom or under hot lights, questions need to be asked at or in a place where answers, truthful answers must be given.

When questions get asked in question period, when scandal is highlighted in question period the scandal gets buried, the media, the public believe if the issue was raised in, questions asked in question period and answers given there(non answers or surely back-sass) that the issue was covered, resolved and over with.

The dog and pony show of question period must end, how pointless, the same question asked a dozen different ways and no answers given the same single way.

What a waste of time..

Let the media do their job and ask the questions in a public forum, chase down the politician at their home, their car, on vacation, give the questions to the media or the RCMP and ask the questions where they have to answer, like at a photo-op, in front of children, why waste an issue in question period.

Ala Stone-Wally Oppal

That`s my point

RossK said...

OK Grant--

I hear you and I get where you're coming from.

But I, personally, think that the previously unknown evidence of a potential bribe is a big, new deal.

And I don't think an election nullifies the potential bigness of said deal.

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e.a.f. said...

Grant, you need to take a break. Getting upset isn't going to help you or anyone else.

This information maybe new but it is doubtful anything will happen. We have seen so much happen in this province, it is beyond thinking about. It gives you migraines.

The RCMP aren't going to investigate, They have their 20 yr deal. Its in the bag. The lieberals will refuse to answer questions. There isn't much anyone can do.

What we can do is give it about as much exposure as we can and they move on. Things are not going to change in this province until the current government practices are so blantant, it impacts on the bottom line of the lieberal party supporters.

When the people of B.C. finally figure out they are going to go bankrupt, then they may express some interest. Until then do not expect anything to happen.

things will get a lot worse in the province before it gets better. Until then, not much will happen.

kootcoot said...

Don't forget that one of the myriad Harpocrites pointed out that it is called "Question Period," not Answer Period.....thus both Harpocrites and Christy crumbs both think answers are not required!