Thursday, May 19, 2016

This Day In Clarkland...In Which The Dean Chooses To Ignore The (Slightly Stinky) Elephant In His Own Front Room.

QuickWinsIsNotTheBCLiberalLeadershipRace
PretzilianIllogicalSongVille


The Dean of the Lotuslandian Legislative Press Gallery, Mr. Vaughn Palmer, published a column in the pixellated version of the VSun last night that attempted to explain why he and his fellow club members are justified in not doing any digging to find out where, exactly, the stench of pay-to-play money-grubbing and/or voter manipulation clinging to the rotting carcass of Clarklandian ethics is actually coming from.

The following is an excerpt from said column to that is being presented to you, dear reader/cult member in an attempt to prove that point:

...“How did the premier get to become the premier in what was a controversial process involving Mr. Kevin Falcon, who was apparently the front-runner until they counted the vote, which was part of the submission I think Mr. Butcher was reviewing as well,” (opposition leader John) Horgan alleged.

I emphasize the “alleged.” Although a senior member of Horgan’s staff briefed me some time ago on the NDP’s reading of the Dix submission as it related to the Liberal leadership, I saw only unproven allegations that relied heavily on the claims of a single informant. Other journalists also received advance confidential briefings about the supposed implications for the Liberal leadership.

But as anyone could see from reaching the charge sheet this week, Bonney was accused of breach of trust in connection with a train of events that unfolded starting Oct. 16, 2011, six months after the conclusion of the leadership race.

While the special prosecutor concluded there was enough evidence to lay a serious criminal charge in connection with the quick wins scandal, there’s no indication from what has been presented in court that he made anything of the allegations involving the Liberal leadership...



So.

Mr. Palmer doesn't believe, based on what he has been shown, that there is anything to the matter of how Ms. Clark came to be BCL Party leader.

Which is fair enough, I suppose, as far as it goes, particularly given that it would appear that Mr. Palmer is loathe to do any further digging on his own.

But seriously...

Why wave away the potential seriousness that the criminal charge to Mr. Bonney could have on Clarklandian fortunes (as Darth Vader did elsewhere today) because he, Mr. Palmer, cannot see how this can possibly be connected to the above-mentioned leadership race?

Especially given that previously published reports and the work of  the premier's own scullery maid (who does a great job with the white's, by the way) indicate that at least part of what Mr. Bonney was up to related to plans that were being hatched inside the Premier's office.

And while we're talking about all things premier...

Why, also, is Mr. Palmer ignoring the matter of that $150,000 cheque that was given out by the premier just prior to a local election in a far-flung (and windy!) corner of the province that, by the premier's own admission, occurred because she, herself, responded to a direct request from a candidate in said far-flung local election?

I mean, it's almost as if there is a pact among Lotuslandian Legislative proMedia club members to immediately stop digging whenever they get a whiff of the stench clinging to the premier and/or seeping out from under her office door.

Gosh.

Maybe it paralyzes them or something.


______
Cults 'n members 'n all that? (for actually caring about the stench)...Darn tootin'. 

.

18 comments:

Lew said...

Mr. Horgan shared the submission with the wrong people.

As for Palmer's aversion to digging for answers, I asked him in April of 2012, "Were Harry Bloy’s constituency office, staff, or related resources used in aid of Christy Clark’s BC Liberal leadership campaign?" He still hasn't been able to cough up a yes or a no. Seems like a very simple question that Harry should be happy to put to bed, so why is Palmer with his privileged access afraid to ask on the record on our behalf?

Or how about the simple question of whether Wally Oppal was involved in any way in either of the Basi/Virk plea deals? Yes or no Mr. Palmer? Why so hard to get us the answer to a question that can be answered with one word?

Both questions involve the public interest, and relate to elected individuals past and present. Isn't informing us about their activities in that regard what Mr. Palmer does for a living?

RossK said...

Lew--

Based on the evidence before us, my answer to your last question would be...

No.


(Next up...what Justine Hunter and Laura Stone did NOT tell their readers in their Globe piece today)



.

Anonymous said...

spin by omission thus changing the rendition and waiting til the BC Rail lease expires?
which papers, in most Canadian cities, owned by a US hedge fund and the papers are in debt,alledgedly ?

RossK said...

Anon-Above--

Stripped of all assets to satiate said Hedgey Boys while CEO keeps all of his own personal fatted calves and begs for a publicly-funded re-assetization.


.

Unknown said...

I congratulate Mr. Palmer for obtaining his law degree at such an advanced age, so that he is better able to question the abilities of Mr. Butcher, who has been a lawyer since Palmer was the go-fer at the VSun. It's nostalgic to read your report, RossK, in which Liberal staffers are actually writing stuff down. This incident obviously had its murky beginnings prior to the Post-It/Triple Delete Era in which consideration was finally given to the preservation of paper products. I'm pretty sure the BC Liberals will do anything to ensure this incriminating mess never sees the lights of a courtroom.

Mr. Beer N. Hockey said...

I do love it when Harry Bloy's name comes up. He is kind of like our very own Dan Quayle.

RossK said...

Excellent point Mark--

And, if I remember, it was still problematic to be caught doing the deleting.

_____

Beer--

Sure.

But only if Mr. Quayle had run amok on a gross of ibogaine.


.

e.a.f. said...

why Palmer and some of the rest can not or will not dig for facts? either incompetent or too lazy or perhaps they are simply too old for the jobs. or they may feel it is not in the best interest of the readers to know the truth. I think it not unreasonable to conclude palmer doesn't do some digging and printing of the whole story because he might just think a government which is morally and ethically corrupt is still better than the NDP.

PERHAPS PALMER COULD JUST POST HERE ADN LET US ALL KNOW WHY HE DOESN'T WRITE IN THE MANNER HE ONCE DID.

Anonymous said...

Makes me wonder if the near retirement MSM reps in Vancouver have ever listen to this radio host " Drex " ( I've never heard his program ) on CKNW ? Yesterday he made it clear what his job was in the media:

" All the shots this show has taken at the mayor, the city and the police we’ve always used facts. Prove me wrong.

Hepner just doesn’t like the fact that I call her out for her idiotic decisions, she also doesn’t like that I call out the people around her that also make consistent idiotic decisions.

That’s my job, to get angry for the people who can’t.

To speak up for them, and also give them a platform to express their dismay and anger at those same idiotic decision that affect their time in the city."

" to get angry " for us poor schmucks in BC. Isn't that a novel idea.

http://www.cknw.com/2016/05/19/drex-live-surrey-state-of-the-city-address-falls-short/

Guy in Victoria

Anonymous said...

SH: @ RossK

Justine was similarly disappointing on CBC's Daybreak South with Chris Walker (with Zussman). Kept waiting for her to throw Chris at least one juicy bone to gnaw on, but nothing.

RossK said...

e.a.f.--

I've been told, by unamable sources, that the Dean continues to be the hardest working club member. I think, if I'm reading your comment correctly, that you and I both want him to write harder.

(I have also been told that the Dean admits to knowing absolutely nothing about this little F-Troop listed blog

_______

Guy--

To give Mr. Drex his due, he does get worked up in a 'Look what they're doing to us poor schmucks!" kind of way.

But.

It's all surface stuff because, in my opinion, he doesn't really understand what's actually going down. Thus, he never gets to the deeper truths. It's easier that way to flap around and point whichever way the wind is blowing on a given day, a la MSmyth, of course. Thus, it may be somewhat strategic.

However, it is also important to recall that Mr. Drex was a cut rate schlock jockey over on the North Island before he did something infamous (in a surfacey, schlockey, schmuckey way) during an interview with the (then still un-elected) Premier that brought him notoriety and, presumably, to the attention of the geniuses running the (no longer) Giant 98.


.

RossK said...

Thanks SH--

Post on that missing thing from Globe piece now up.

(sorry to be so slow - lot going down in sci-geek world the last few days)


.

Anonymous said...

SH @ RossK,

I honestly don't know how you balance all the demands on your time.

Lots of us are bloody grateful that you keep pushing back. You truly are one of BC's top political analysts, and gleaners of truth (and lies).

Not sure if you got my post re the Dean, and his disclosure re special "indoor" pet, posted by Merv Adey in 2015.
If you did... I completely understand the delicate nature of such references and the need to exercise circumspection.

e.a.f. you might want to have a little Google...

Lenin's Ghost said...

Like when the dippers were in power!

RossK said...

SH--

Send me an email at pacificgazette at yahoo dot the two letter thingy for canada.

And, re: the time....Avoiding the TeeVee helps...Not to mention ignoring the yard and the garden, etc., for weeks at a time...The real thing is that I am blessed/cursed with this thing my kids call 'two track' that allows me to concentrate two things at the same time...Goes all the way back to when I was a kid myself...Used to drive my friends crazy when we fooled around in class and then, when we were called on it by the teacher and I could often answer their pointed, designed to prove not-paying-attentionish-type questions.

_______

LG--

I hate to say it but, based on the evidence, it's pretty darned hard not to come to that conclusion.

.

Anonymous said...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTunhRVyREU

Eleanor Gregory said...

I finally cancelled my subscription to the Vancouver Sun.

RossK said...

EG--

Really?

.