What He Said

Today I attended my second session of the Liberal Renewal Tour. It was, as I expected,  an unusual session. The main theme seemed to that of people who were doing there utmost to maintain faith in a party that has been in disarray. The objective of the sessions as I understand them is to gain insight into the concerns of the grassroots Liberals across NL. To that end it appears to be successful but I would imagine it would be an understatement to guess that they have heard the same things over and over again.

Of course I was not the only one in attendance as there were long time die hards and a few young Liberals as well, so the discussion was an interesting one, and even on the edge of being heated at times. And while the immense frustration was undeniable the positive thing that I left the session with was hope. I felt a collective passion for an improved party that could form a great government, but an understanding that we still have a ways to go. My concern is that these issues being raised are certainly not new and shouldn't be news to the Party leaders as many have been saying them for some time now. I hope that this series of discussions brings home the message of urgency and drive that many people feel about their participation in the Party.

One of the other folks in attendance was Peter Whittle from over at Polemic and Paradox and you can read his thoughts on the session here. It's certainly worth it to head over and have a read of his thoughts because I certainly feel his thoughts are shared by a great number of others across NL. There has to be significant and real change in the way Political Parties operate if they are to really gain back the trust of the average voter. And that doesn't come from rhetoric or from bashing the other parties/members, it comes from a genuine belief that the real objective is to from the best government possible based on sound policies and rooted in a legitimate democratic process. And that applies from the NL Govt to the Liberal Party of NL to each and every district association in the province. It is not just the best way forward, it's the only way.

I'm Done with Muskrat Falls

I'm a bit of a news hound. I enjoy reading, watching searching out the facts behind the stories. When it comes to the media coverage of Muskrat Falls I've had my fill and now I'm done reading the same stuff over and over.

Dunderdale and her gaggle of re-tweeters in conjunction with Nalcor will continue to say the same things over and over in hopes that some it will become more convincing. It won't. Then there are the "naysayers" who either flat out think its the biggest mistake ever or at least feel we need to make sure this is the right project to dump billions of dollars into while at the same time causing residential  electrical rates to skyrocket.

While there's not much doubt as to which side I'm on I am tired of hearing the same stuff from both sides. Very rare is the occasion that any new and relevant piece of information reaches the masses. With  the same people saying the same things without any real debate it's starting to sound worse then the "debates" in the House of Assembly. It has lang since deteriorated into a he said - she said scenario.

The latest development being the development of two teams of business professionals lining up behind their respective camps to try and bring public support around to their side. Sigh. There is no doubt that this is an incredibly  important issue and certainly deserves media coverage and extensive debate. Unfortunately the media coverage is of the same items and people and there is no real debate. This project will go ahead unless the current Government burns so much political capital trying to sell the deal that they decide it's better off to let it die, but that's unlikely at this point. Unfortunately I'd say it's a done deal, the people decided that when they voted in the current Government last year. Yet one more reason why I'm done listening to the Muskrat Falls "news".