NowVille
...To learn that this pay-to-play thing is going on in the land of BC Liberalism:
"...At a recent dinner hosted by Simon Fraser University chancellor Anne Giardini, 10 guests paid $10,000 each to mingle with Ms. (Christy) Clark and later sit down to a multicourse dinner. At a party fundraiser in Kelowna, a small group who paid $5,000 each got quality time with the Premier at a non-advertised, private reception before the main event. According to a source, admission to some of the more exclusive get-togethers with Ms. Clark can be as high as $20,000..."
I mean, seriously, fool us once, shame on them.
But.
Fool us twice (for the 17,432nd time), shame on who, exactly?
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All of which brings me back to Bigger E and my Lotuslandian version of an old Phil Ochs tune...
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And, based on the latest over at Norm Farrell's place, we might soon learn more about apparent pay-to-play #17,433, citizen-based fundraising to pay for things our government should tell us for free willing, of course.
It's quite interesting to see the hard and fast pushback from the Clarklandian 'digital influencers' on all this (guess the wizards have focussed/polled on this and know they are in danger here; you can see a wee bit of the danger/fed-up-with-this-crap zone in the comments to Mr. Mason's story linked to, above, I reckon)....Essentially, the influencers are screeching long and loud about the Dippers' previous fundraisers...As for screeching/mentioning/whispering/miming about the NDP's previous calls to get big donations, regardless their origin, out of the game?...Well, not so much of that.
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19 comments:
Hopefully Giardini had all the required city permits for the commercial transactions on the premises.
I wonder what section covers influence peddling out of your house?
We should all be thankful that Christy and her cohorts are arranging such fund raising events on the same day that she is in a city such as Kelowna to conduct government business.......... ya right ?
Taxpayers should be screaming because there is no way in hell that the Liberal party is NOT using tax dollars to fly this egotistic individual to various fund raisers across the Province.
The other side of this will be... well the NDP does it... or if elected we will review this practice.
God save us from this corrupt Liberal party.
Guy in Victoria
http://blogborgcollective.blogspot.ca/2015/11/christy-clark-and-yesterdays-bc.html
When Peter Fassbender flew up to Kamloops on a Sunday, for a community public event on Monday. He used that extra day, paid for by taxpayers, to put on a special .... BC Liberal Party ... fund raiser at the local golf course on that Sunday.
How many events is free flight enterprising Leader Christy Clark billing wholly to taxpayers rather than being borne by the BC Liberal Party?
The travel plans of the Premier is not made known to the general public (security) BUT if you're a member of the BC Liberal Party you know a month in advance to purchase tickets to sit down with the PREMIER. Perks for the insiders.
Interesting the allegations about NDP fundraising. For one thing, it is impossible for the NDP Opposition to be in a conflict of interest as they have no power to deliver favour. The act applies to government for good reason-- to prohibit the trading of money for influence over decisions. The Opposition has no decision-making power. In addition, the Act prohibits the "appearance" of conflict. Does this not constitute such? Recent conflict rulings in Alberta and Ontario are interesting here. In Alberta (because Premier Notley held a fundraiser in Ontario for the NDP in that province) the commissioner ruled that it was OK because NO money was raised for the Alberta NDP, BUT THAT THE SECRECY TROUBLED HER and suggested the Premier refrain from the activity in the future. Surely, the BC situation is far more problematic. Namely, SECRET meetings with unnamed individuals where money changes hands.
It's interesting to look at the donation patterns of a lot of corporations on the Election BC website. Many who had never given a nickel to the NDP ponied up for them in the months before the last election when it was assumed by most that the NDP would form government. When that didn't happen, it was back to normal with nothing for the NDP.
As Glen illustrates above, influencing those in power is clearly the goal. Openly soliciting the means of influence by those in power has a lot in common with another form of solicitation that frequently takes place on shady street corners. The latter is more honourable in my view.
These 'Pay-to-Play' deals should be reported as lobbying, and all the attendees names need to be made public (along with the total amounts paid per event)?
What kind of upbringing did Brucy {the mexican}and Christy afternon delight flyer have.Does any one remember when Brucy leased the Bby Hotel from Alvin what a s--t show that turned out to be.Keeping it all in the family!!! the saga continues.
In a land where Bill van der Zalm remains a holy of holies is it any wonder the golf club cult that Harper relied on to pave his way to a nation's decade of ruin think the routine of conflicted, avaricious behaviour should still be considered The Way.
Here is some hard core massive pay-to-play at the international level:
from Australia's Fairfax Media's The Age
The Bribe Factory
also here at The Huffington Post
There’s A Huge New Corporate Corruption Scandal. Here’s Why Everyone Should Care.
But Christy`s MLA`s won`t represent their own constituents- Steve Thomson (Kelowna) wasn`t vocal about the laundry privatization in Kelowna, Dan Ashton wasn`t at the meeting re school closures in Trout Creek, and Linda Larson wouldn`t attend the meeting re Osoyoos school closures. When folks got up in the Okanagan they don`t really get an MLA.
No more donations to political parties from corporations and unions- and some form of proportional representation might change things- ain`t going to happen with our uneducated premier.
The "pay to play" scheme is a form of "bribery of public official(s), via political donation, and a good case could be made in court. The use of taxpayer funds, for a political party to raise "party funds" is theft, pure and simple. Whether its aircraft, buses, trains, or donkey's. The party should be responsible for "all" its own expenses.
Corruption is the cornerstone of criminal malfeasance in any government. Whether "party influence " over its associates or even the civil service is involved the result is the same. Political donations in this country and indeed most of the world, are the crux of this problem
A reader above talks about the Huff Post article, a new corruption scandal on a world wide scale, and interesting enough, a link to Jihadist ideology and its use of the issue corruption and influence to ferment terrorism within its members and in recruiting new individuals.
Interesting that in an Islamic Malaysia, a political scandal that could end up destabilizing their government, where terrorist's may already be at work, that the B.C. Liberals are "cozying" up to their new business partner.
Connecting the dots? You bet, the B.C. Lib's have a front row seat to corrupt democracy at work, and perhaps a newly "emerging business partner"...a country maybe on the brink of a terrorist jihad.
Is it worth the risk? I think not.....
Lew--
Permits?
We don't need no stinking permits!
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Anon-Near-The-Top and NVG--
Interesting point...Now, if someone were to compare the dates of all those private flights and the private fundraisers???
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GlenC--
I agree that it is the secrecy that is the real problem here (just as it is with secretly funded groups that push crap in the pre-election run-up).
Regarding the difference between the Opposition and Sitting Gov., hard to argue with you there, generally. However, I think there is some wiggle room there as election time approaches (especially if Opposition is supposed to be way out in front as happened in 2013 and for which I think the Dippers legitimately took some heat for their prez' 'letters' to 'potential' big donors). Lew, as he so often does, hits this nail on the head with his 2nd comment.
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Anon-A-Bunch-Above--
Excellent point about the lobbying, because, of course, that is what this really is.
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Anon-Above-Beer--
I'm getting that wiretap feeling all...over....again.
Gosh.
One can only wonder, once again, what tapped-out stuff from Railgate we never got to read, or, you know...
Hear?
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Beer--
'The Way', indeed.
Which reminds me, once again, of Phil Ochs, Lotuslandian edition...
Will get that up pronto on the post page.
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Anon-Three-Above--
Thanks for the international Pay2Play update
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Chuck--
Excellent point about the BCL MLAs being absent from matters that actually matter to citizens.
Not sure that the lack of change has anything to do with education...Instead, as Beer said, why would the hucksters change anything that works, and works big, for them if they are not forced to do so.
And it is we the citizenry that have to do the forcing. Of course, doing that is much harder with a somnolent media, but it can be done.
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Anon-Above--
I honestly believe that our local hucksters have an extremely difficult time seeing beyond their own politically expedient noses.
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Man, Phil Ochs, your giving me flashbacks of Ashby Ave. back in the day.White Boots In A yellow Land. That stuff made you think.
Would it surprise anyone if the BC Liberal's Laura Miller's name turned up related to one of these two articles from the Globe and Mail?
Hydro One players paid for exclusive access to Ontario cabinet ministers
Sousa defends secret Liberal fundraiser as ‘part of democratic process’
Meanwhile in Washington...
How Corporate Lobbyists Conquered American Democracy
sd--
If I can make just one person think of Ashby Ave. I've done my job.
(had an interesting Twittmachine back and forth with a current Canadian ExPat working at Berkeley who currently lives in El Cerrito...Somehow we got to talking about Rod's Hickory Pit, which is gone now...But the Bowling Alley is still there!...And for any of you Green Day Fanaticals out there...Ya, we were talking about 'that' place)
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Thanks for the links Anon-Above--
While I won't impugn anyone, specifically, without evidence, nothing would surprise me in the pay-to-play environment that seems to be taking over literally everything in this fine country of ours.
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Ross,I spent many a Saturday morning at that bowling ally in the early 60's.Our team was sponsored by a local rental company "Arnold's Rentals". Yes I remember Rod's . About 3 blocks from my house as a kid.
In today's Globe and Mail...Christy will be reining in the "Pay-to-Play scheme", really, go figure. Why now? What, you have too many donations, or is the list of "paying players" getting to long to keep track of?
Someone is getting nervous...in other news, a Site C contractor might be on the receiving end of a Unaoil Bribe, who knows, maybe others. The biggest corporate scandal in the world now being investigated by a group of police agencies from different countries....maybe a B.C. connection?
Things are getting warm in the sparkle pony political world..with a bit of luck, they'll get a lot hotter...maybe the cracks are starting to appear...
Really sd?
Wow!
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Thanks Anon-Above--
I'm on it!
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