ProgressiveHorse1AVille
Well, well, well....
If you weren't really paying attention you may have come to the conclusion that one of the horses running in the middle of the BC Liberal Party Leadership Race pack, Mr. George Abbott, actually called for an inquiry into the selling-off of BC Rail yesterday.
However.....
Mr. Abbott most definitely did not call for a wide-ranging inquiry into what really went down when the real deal was done.
Instead, Mr. Abbott suggested that he might be amenable to a narrowly-focussed inquiry that looked ONLY into the 6 million dollar pay-off that put a sudden stop to the Basi-Virk-Basi trial just when it was getting down to brass tacks.
Dharm Makwana best described what Mr. Abbott really said in 24 Hrs. Here is his lede:
George Abbott is only willing to dig so deep into the B.C. Rail scandal.
At a press conference announcing his policy platform in Vancouver Tuesday, the B.C. Liberal Party leadership hopeful said he would not entirely close the door on a full-scale public inquiry on the influence-peddling affair. Instead, he would rather focus government’s attention on the taxpayer funded $6 million settlement paid to cover the legal expenses of David Basi and Bob Virk.....
Now.
There are two things worth considering here.
Number One....The other horse running in the middle-of-the pack is Mike de Jong, who most definitely WAS involved in, at the very least, the approval of the pay-off.
Number Two...Why, precisely, would one of Mr. Abbott's political advisors, a fine fellow named Mr. Mark Jiles, who is also a principal in the most excellent strategic communications firm known as the 'Progressive Group' along with one of Ms. Christy Clark's political advisors, Mr. Patrick Kinsella, counsel his horse to call for a wide-ranging inquiry into anything and everything concerning the sell-off , including the terms and, most especially, the deliverables of this particular contract?
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It is worth noting that, according to Mr. Vaughn Palmer, the good Mr. Kinsella advised Ms. Clark during her doomed attempt to win the NPA's mayoral nomination r way back in 2005.
Meanwhile...... Ron Obvious once again attempts to eat Chichester Cathedral AND simultaneously swallow the limited hang-out.... Hook, line and sinker.
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10 comments:
Good work. We need to keep this kind of analytical scrutiny up so people don't succumb to wishful thinking after a quick read of empty words.
What may come out of such an enquiry anyway? A bunch of yes man politicians saying we screwed up? We can't take it back now.....it was part of the plea bargain leading to a big fat 'guilty'. Sorry, we won't do it again.?
Abbots' empty call for this type of enquiry is meaningless and only seems to try to keep the angry public happy. That is that part of the public that don't really know what went on with this wholesale corrupt affair of BC Rail.
What in the hell good is a partial investigation? Campbell's corrupt sale of the BCR, needs to be investigated, right from day one. I read, the Crown has filed, to get all of the documents, regarding the corrupt sale. We all know what that means. The documents will be shredded.
What good is a partial investigation?
Well, for one thing the Third Party Review would automatically protect the documents which the Crown will be demanding from Defence, back in BC Supreme Court on Jan. 11, 2011. The immediate Third Party Review would stave off the possibility of the incriminating documents being destroyed.
2) once the beans start spilling, it could i.m.o. lead to the wider Public Inquiry and the laying of more criminal charges.
It's not a question of curiosity, it's really important as our last opportunity to clear out the rot.
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I understand what you are saying Mary. However, the investigation is only regarding, the pay out of the legal fees. That's only as far back as the Liberals are willing to go. So, this will stop the Crown's filing for all of the documents? Has a further investigation, been put into play? A legal guru I'm not. I'm afraid I am too suspicious, of everything the Liberals say.
First, the deleted comments....We don't character assissinate around here...Attacking arguments is fine but not slagging somebody personally.
(while the response to the slagging may have been appropriate I removed it as well because it made claims as to identities that I can't verify)
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Second....I take Mary's point....but I really do see this as a limited hangout that will allow both the pols and the pro-pundits to close ranks when wrist slapping and/or the throwing under the bus of an apparatchik or two is done*.
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*and, of course, the pavement under said bus will be heavily cushioned with corporate soft-landing pading....After all, it's not like it hasn't happened already....
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Isn't a "limited hangout" better than doing nothing at all??
Even a limited inquiry about the pay-off is a start. It scares me that people are going to pull back and do nothing ... even tomorrow or Tuesday (Jan. 10 & 11) when a bunch of strange stuff is coming up again in BC Supreme Court in Vancouver. (Mysterious details are at my place.)
Promises to "look at" something "if" the moon turns purple of a summer morning, or to decide on a Public Inquiry later "if" they become premier means they'll do the cube root of s.f.a. if we don't push hard, right now, everywhichway.
Nailing something down now - even a Third Party Review - will start rolling out those boxes full of documents for public scrutiny ... gets us started ... AND protects the documents from ... ahem ... unintended destruction.
My view.
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I got a phone call this evening... boiler room telemarketer consultant introduced his company as being NRG..... who was hired by by BC Statistics on behalf of Elections BC to phone the miscreants who dared to sign up for the HST initiative....
NRG is usually hired by the BC Liberals to pose questions that produces a poll result that is always favorable to promote the BC Liberals and lambaste the opposition.
I hung up as soon as I hear NRG!
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