NS Politics Potpourri
May 26, 2011 - 9:29am
Several members of the Liberal riding association in Cape Breton North have resigned after Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil decided to hand-pick a candidate to run in the byelection next month.
The seat became vacant when Progressive Conservative MLA Cecil Clarke resigned in an unsuccessful bid to unseat Liberal MP Mark Eyking in last month's federal election.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/05/25/ns-cb-north-b...
I'm beginning to wonder if Stephen McNeil orchestrated this little stunt to try and help the Conservatives retain the seat, rather than the possibility of it going to the NDP, who finished just 164 votes behind Cecil Clarke in the 2009 provincial election.
PC - 3476, NDP - 3312, LIB. - 891, GR. - 100
With polling showing the Liberals still in third place in Atlantic Canada, McNeil probably is afraid that an NDP pick-up would slow any momentum they had gained when the Liberals took Yarmouth from the Tories in last year's by-election.
Stay tuned!
The Nova Scotia government says a confusing trail of tax and water bills in Bridgetown shows that a forensic audit is needed.
Municipal Relations Minister John MacDonell ordered the audit on Friday, three days after the entire town council resigned over the town's ongoing money problems.
Department staff have spent the last few days reviewing the town's financial records.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/06/03/ns-forensic-a...
Jack Layton is speaking today at the N.S. NDP's Annual General Meeting, at St. Mary's University.
The place will be packed, so I hope some YouTube videos will be forthcoming with highlights.
Check out the latest CRA poll for Nova Scotia. NDP support has surged by 8 points to 42% - back firmly in majority territory!
http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/blog/post/882309
What is likely to happen in the Cape Breton North by-election set for tomorrow?
Most pundits say that it's a two-way race between Conservative Eddie Orrill and New Democrat Russell MacDonald.
The polls have shown the NDP to be continuing to lead the province, so there is no great voter backlash against the ruling party at the mid-way point of their mandate.
As was the case in the 2001 by-election here, when the riding chose a Conservative over the vacating Liberals, voters could be looking to elect a member on the government side.
Local issues will be the deciding factor when it comes to voter turnout (at least the weather doesn't appear to be a factor!)
Stay tuned!
In the end it wasn't even close.
Cape Breton North By-election - Election Night Preliminary Resultsgeez, sure looks like few people voted in Northern Cape Breton. I don't understand why they would vote conservative considering that Cape Breton north would not be considered an area of people with money and in fact would be quite working class.
Essentially this was a hold. Not a giant surprise.
The results were bad news for the Liberals.
After taking the Yarmouth seat from the P.C.'s in a by-election last year, and poaching the former P.C. member for Colchester North, Karen Casey, failing to be a factor in this race shows that the Liberals aren't the only opposition to the governing New Democrats.
Now I've started hearing rumblings that long-time NDP M.L.A. Howard Epstein may be looking at running for Mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality, since Peter Kelly has gotten into hot water over the money given to the promoters of those outdoor concerts that didn't draw the crowds they had thought they would.
Whoops! Double post!
Nova Scotians on social assistance will no longer be able to get medical marijuana, gym memberships or hot tubs as a special need.
The Department of Community Services is tightening the rules for its special needs funding.
Until now, some people on income assistance were able to force the department to pay for pot or massage therapy, for example, because the rules were vague about what qualified as a special need.
Between 20 and 25 people who already receive support will continue to get it.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/08/09/ns-medical-ma...The latest CRA poll:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1261932.html
The NDP government announced reductions in funding across the provincial health districts today..in typical political fashion on a Friday afternoon, with up to 13-14 million dollars annually in one rural district alone. The unavoidable elimination of facilities, services and positions looms large, along with the accelerated privatization of long term care for the elderly.
Not only are the cutting the big health and education budgets. But it never even at least comes along with any long term stuff about spending what is left more judiciously, re-orientation- whatever. Just across the board cuts you could and would get from anyone.
I would bet they have a three year paln for the big cuts that everyone sees- the three year overall being the timeline before you start gearing for the next election.
Basic script and logic goes something like this:
** You cant cut both education and health at once, the outcry would be too much.
** While the health budget is very sensitive, education has more 'clientele in the pipeline'. Everybody cares about health and education- but by far those who care the most are those who have family members closely engaged. Simple math: there are a LOT more parents [and grandparents] of kids in school than there are patients and their family members. And the cuts to schools is going to be a long as well as bloody battle. So get that one going right away.
** As the biggest dust begins to settle from the attacks on school funding, its time for health care. Former darling of the NSNDP left, Health Minister Maureen MacDonald, has sat on her duff for two years. Now its time to roll out the medicine brewed in the Premeir's Office and Finance. [Maureen essentially bought into all this long before they won government. But thats a tangent.]
What's with all these cuts to health and education? I thought Nova Scotians elected the NDP? Or in the case of Nova Scotia, does "NDP" stand for "No Difference Party?"
I smell trademark infringement.
Here is the steaming pile served up by the Minister for NDP supporters.
Dear New Democrats,
I recognize that health care continues to be an important issue for families in all regions of this province.
The NDP understands that people want, and need, access to better care in their communities. That is why when our government came into office, it committed to provide better care for Nova Scotia families.
That is a commitment we take very seriously, and it is a commitment we are fulfilling through our Better Care Sooner plan.
But we cannot ignore the fact that health care costs in Nova Scotia have doubled in the past decade. Health care now accounts for 40 per cent of the provincial budget and costs continue to rise. Controlling the growth in health care spending is an important part of another government commitment - to get back to balance and protect the programs and services that Nova Scotians depend on.
On Friday, I told district health authorities across the province that they will need to reduce their budgets by three per cent in the coming fiscal year. I also told them that they will need to do this without affecting patient care.
I recognize this is no easy task. However, I am confident that our DHAs will continue to find strategic and innovative ways to cut their costs while delivering the level of care Nova Scotians need, and expect.
This is the earliest a Nova Scotia government has ever provided the districts with their budget targets. I hope that the extra time will help the districts to come up with innovative ways to deliver better care, while addressing ballooning health care costs.
I want to assure you that despite these reductions, mental health and addictions programs across the province will be safe. In fact, earlier this week I announced $370,000 in additional funding for a program that will help people in the Annapolis Valley area struggling with opiate addictions.
We also continuing with our plan to keep emergency rooms open and reduce wait times by announcing more collaborative emergency centres across the province.
Last week, I was in Tatamagouche to announce a new CEC at the Lillian Fraser Memorial Hospital, and yesterday, Premier Darrell Dexter and MLA Brian Skabar were at the North Cumberland Memorial Hospital to announce a CEC for Pugwash and the surrounding communities.
These collaborative emergency centres are an important part of Better Care Sooner. They bring together emergency departments and local family practices to provide better care and increased access to emergency services.
Each model is different, depending on the unique needs of the community, but all the centres will offer same-day or next-day access to medical appointments and 24/7 access to emergency care.
I will be announcing site of the province's fourth collaborative emergency centre later this month, and we hope to announce another four CECs in communities across Nova Scotia in the following year.
I know that when it comes to health care, more than anything else Nova Scotians want stability. I am proud to say that we are ensuring that peace of mind through our Better Care Sooner plan.
Maureen MacDonald
The announcement of the cuts of course went out on Friday afternoon. But we'll say something to the base right away.
The last coupld months we've been getting a steady diet of this stuff: every time there is something negative or outright retrograde- which is pretty frequent- the base gets a dose of special stroking.
Worth noting that the inner sanctum of the government has shown themselves more concerned with their standing among the base than they are with the general public.
The different communications for each around the latest bad news announcements are prepped at the same time. The public gets theirs on Friday afternoon. But there are no illusions the base wont be paying much attention- so its in the Inboxes of members and identified supporters for prime time Saturday.
Maureen has asked for cuts of 3% - 4%?
If that soundssmall to you, I'll explain why not at all.
And it is not just the fact of cuts. Persoanlly, I accept that there would have to be cuts to the health budget.
Officially it's 3% in reductions. One has to bear in mind however that salary increases due to collective bargaining obligations, and year to year inflationary costs must be absorbed within the existing envelope. The reality is 4 to 6%, with upwards of 3% of it being demanded through stealth.
There is a well founded case to be made for cuts to the health budget- captive of the ill health industry- and to re-orientation of spending emphasis.
And social democrats are the ones best positioned to launch this debate. Most of all an NDP government. It will not be easy. But we arent asking for silver bullets or even polished complete solutions- just a start. Simple things like engaging the public.
There was absolutely zero of that. In fact, we get what could not be better designed as the polar opposite:
If anyone is positioned to figure out how to make the cuts, it is the provincial government. But no, lets just fob it off on the health boards, to fumble around duplicating each other, and let them take the shit for making speaking cuts X and Y.
Chicken shit in the extreme.
Maureen MacDonald has been virtually absent for two years, which is just what the Premeir's office wanted. And she bought into this shit a good 2 years before they got elected.
Premier Dexter is not ruling out an election for next year. May will only be 3 years since the last election and now the possibility of a 2012 election. I don't quite understand why he would consider wasting money on an early election, seems opportunistic to me.
Premier won’t 'rule anything out' on possibility of election in 2012
You dont need to wonder why.
They perceive they can get away with it. Like Chretien when facing fragmented opposition- hey its good now, who knows about next year... let's do it.
That said, my read is that Dexter is not even floating this as a trial balloon. He was asked. And while not ambushed, he had only two choices
1.] to say something like "I really cannot see doing that"
OR
2.] what he said: I wouldnt want to rule that out.
The decision to do that or not would be 9 months from now.... even if he isnt looking at the escape hatch now, who knows about then.
If he calls an election in the Fall of 2012 it will be 3.5 years into his mandate - that is within the normal window of 3.5 to 4.5 years that is a typical term. If he thinks he can win one year from now - why not?
NDP support surges in Nova Scotia! They are now at 45% compared to the PCs at 29% and the Liberals sinking like a stone to 22% (familiar pattern!). Gov't satisfaction up to 55%!
http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/blog/post/1043051
If he calls an election in the Fall of 2012 it will be 3.5 years into his mandate - that is within the normal window of 3.5 to 4.5 years that is a typical term. If he thinks he can win one year from now - why not?
I just feel it's a waste of money to have more elections then are needed, I don't understand why there are not fixed date election there. I feel not having fixed date elections, or not signaling well in advance when you'll have an election, is just simply taking advantage of your position as the government and undermining the opposition parties. Did you agree when Harper called an election in 2008?
No. But I didnt think there was any point rounding about it- even with such a generally democratically challenged crowd,
The opposition parties and personnel here are both underwhelming to say the least. Its also several months since the last really deep cuts, and several more before the next round are revealed.
If they continue relatively unscathed, they may well go for it.
From my perspective here in Lunenburg, N.S., I can't see Premier Dexter calling an election before 2013, to be sure that the jobs which are coming from the shipbuilding contract have started up. Happy voters with jobs aren't likely to vote out the incumbent government.
Plus, there will be legislation to redistibute the provincial riding boundaries next year, which I believe won't be coming until the fall sitting of the Legislature. There has to be time for new Chief Electoral Officers to be hired (and getting rid of some of the old Tory cronies that have been in those positions!) amongst other ground-work before the next election takes place.
Right now, I'd say it's 75-25 the odds against an election next year.
Minority Ridings Lose Special Protection
I was speaking with Darrell Dexter at Tom Mulcair's post-debate get-together at the Victory Arms pub, and one topic of conversation that came up was about people announcing that they were seeking the Tory nomination in some ridings already.
Darrell said that with the boundary re-alignment commission's report not due until the fall sitting of the legislature, it didn't make much sense for anyone to announce they were putting their names forth for the next election untill after the boundaries have been redrawn.
So much for all the wasted speculation about a sudden trip to the polls this summer in Nova Scotia.
N.S. university students protest funding cuts
Universities are expected to respond with another tuition hike, leading to complaints that students will end up racking up even higher debt.
"Do you think Darrell Dexter graduated with $30,000 of debt?" said Chris Ferns, president of the Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers.
"All we have is a government whose policies on post-secondary education are the worst we've seen in nearly 20 years."
Halifax regional council is holding an emergency session to discuss the day-old transit strike that has left tens of thousands of people without bus or ferry service.
The city's politicians were set to meet privately at noon Thursday, less than 12 hours after Metro Transit workers walked off the job to back their contract demands.
Metro Transit says 50,000 to 55,000 people rely on the region's transit service every day.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/02/02/ns-transit-st...
School Boards Get Funding Cut
Neoliberalism's button people have gone once again to their mattresses.
Jack Beaton, the superintendent of the Strait Regional School Board, said last year, savings were found in administration, professional development and infrastructure. "The difficulty this time around is that those opportunities were used up in last year's efforts for the most part," he said. "This year it's going to be likely that it's going to have more impact on the classroom."
John McCracken of the Canadian Union of Public Employees said last year's funding cut resulted in the loss of 45 positions at the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board, the bulk of which were special education assistants.
From the Department of Irrelevant Trivia:
"Do you think Darrell Dexter graduated with $30,000 of debt?" said Chris Ferns, president of the Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers.
Actually, I believe Darrell did finish his education with a debt in that vicinty- considering it was over 20 years ago, it would be at least that much in current dollars.
NSNDP Military-Industrial Megabucks Lotto
Schools and Hospitals cut, but on the flip side, the Irving empire is $260 million dollars richer with this latest windfall, courtesy of the Nova Scotia NDP Government.
The government's assistance package, announced Friday, includes a forgivable loan worth up to $260 million and a repayable loan of $44 million for human resources, technological and industrial development.
Strange how those billionaire families can con government into believing that they needed help in competing for the contract, and that if they did not get it, they knew where the blame would fall. Hard for the rustic soul to understand the complexities of the modern political world, but there you go.
That's it is it? Rustic souls? Hillbilly logic too dense to comprehend? Increasingly it seems they know exactly what to do, no organiztion required.
Interesting how everyone says how BC didnt offer as much government money into the pot, and look who got ther big contract?
But wait a minute, It was Irving bidding againat the company in BC. And the goal is the lowest bid price. So there are two ways to lower the bid price: Irving expects less profit, or the NS government throws in more subsidy money.
There is a lot of deatil and discussion about the governments slashing of education budgets in this thread of cautionary tale [for Canada's NDP] of the NS NDP
And yes, I am bitter.
I was merely bitter about this Nova Scotia government I invested so much in to get here, before drastic cuts to education first reared their head last year.
Now that they are personally responsible for my wife losing her job because they are wedded to the religion of winning through tax cuts- not just eliminating the deficit- I'm stark raving fucking angry.
Maybe some of us are being too harsh on Dexter as sometimes you just gotta move to where the jobs are.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/as-money-moves-we...
Declining enrolment is the result of young parents having to move away to find good jobs. Also, young parents who have already moved away, but now have kids about to start school and would dearly love to move home so their kids could grow up in a good and familiar community, but can't find work back home.
Ken, I'd be interested in your take on what Dexter should have done to get those parents home or keep them home. Keeping half-empty schools open is not a plausible option in any province under any ideology, is it?
Declining enrolment in the public school sector is due to many factors, not the least of which are the tax deductions for the religious and / or private school sector.
The schools are not "half empty".
This is a smoke screen for the depth of the cuts. Modest cuts would have taken care of the declining enrollments.
But only one-third of the position cuts this year are chalked up to declining enrollments. Two-thirds of them are a consequence entirely of the depth of cuts.
'How to avoid' is the wrong question. Why are they so wedded to the religion of winning votes by tax cuts that they would go this far? If ending the deficit was the sole goal, cuts this deep were not necessary. But if you want to do tax cuts next year that requires some tougher building inn of new fiscal room.
And the reason that the school boards would take such a drastic measure as cutting ALL library staff and giving up on the libraries is that the cuts don't stop with last year and this year. The government has made it clear to the Boards to expect more next year. The provincial deficit will be gone, but need room for those tax cuts.
With unrelenting cuts the Boards dont even have the option of doing some kind of holding pattern with the libraries.
With these announcements of axing all the libraries, it will be interesting if we see the Education Minister trotting out to say that wasnt necessary.
[Like we gave you plenty of money, why did you go and do that?]
She will or she wont? Not sure which I would bet on. But it has happened before after the school boards make their announcements.
With these announcements of axing all the libraries, it will be interesting if we see the Education Minister trotting out to say that wasnt necessary.
[Like we gave you plenty of money, why did you go and do that?]
She will or she wont? Not sure which I would bet on. But it has happened before after the school boards make their announcements.
I'm reading what you are saying about the NS NDP's tax-cuts driven austerity. I hope these school-librarian cuts blow up on the NDP, there is no question Dexter et al should wear it. Although this local school board made the decision to cut libraries, others are closing schools, neither will go over well in communities. Cutting librarians should set off the alarm that this is a service cut, students lost their libraries, people lost jobs, we're into the meat of services now, well beyond cuts by hiring freeze or attrition.
Earlier you made the point that the NDP had largely overcome the "high tax party" appellation of having raised the HST despite campaigning on "no new taxes". I think Dexter and Steele still feel vulnerable to the "high tax party" attack and so are advancing HST tax-cutting as their central plank of a second term, thereby claiming a likely Libs/PCs campaign angle as their own. Sad really, but also a betrayal.
The NS NDP agenda is no longer about getting to balance in a recovering economy, it is now clearly about cutting taxes and cutting services. It's time for a fightback to break out now to stop the NDP cuts and ensure adequate revenue is maintained to preserve services.
I think its charitable to say Dexter and Steele feel vulnerable.
It doesnt really matter, because its no excuse for adopting the tax cut religion wholesale.
But for what its worth, I know them both pretty well. I even like them as people. But I think they have both LONG shown they are prime candidates- vulnerable social democrats if you like- to actually getting off on this role of cowboys doing what has to be done. And I know for a fact that as far back as at least 7 years ago, Darrel was not dettered in the slightest by hearing 'this is the sort of thing you expect from the Liberals and the Tories'.
Again with ominous news out of Nova Scotia:
HMCS Windsor, one of Canada's trouble-plagued submarines, will go into the water this week.
Darrel Dexter has been saying that the local school board is just playing games, and pretty much saying they will not let them cut library services.
So my wife's job may yet be spared. This has the opposite reaction you might expect with her, myself, and another of the librariarns who is also long active in the NDP: happy for keeping the job [maybe], but bullshitter Dexter just makes us want to wretch.
They don't know what they want, but they know how to get it. Or is that ass backwards? They want cuts, but nothing that might damage them to any great extent politically. It's called being detached from any sense of reality besides their own version of it. They've got everyone's genitalia being compressed in a vice as a result, until they're given answers they don't want to hear, which is that when you make cuts of this magnitude, the potential negative impact on your traditional support base is unavoidable.
Schools board have a lot of power in NS. NB abolished them years ago and replaced them with tootless DECs.
A lot of us wouldnt care if they abolished the school boards. And I say that knowing some good people on them.
But we won't be getting that from the Dexter government. They want to be removed from the bloodletting.
They want cuts, but nothing that might damage them to any great extent politically.
Right. They will have their cuts. Thay also expect the Boards to do it in a manner that leaves them unscathed.
Since they are not at the moment getting it both ways, the Dexter government are as we speak retroactively changing the rules of the game to make sure that the responsibility stays away from their door.
Several months ago in post #22 above I mentioned the use of stealth tactics, which as we know can only endure for so long before the people affected take their opportunity to weigh in by speaking out. The targeted school boards had already implemented the first round of austerity measures the previous year through management efficiencies. As a result, slim pickings remain to assist in accounting for the deeper requirements of round two, without looking directly at more full time teaching positions. By necessity, it's been made the turn of the librarians, the special needs kids, and their assistants, and now the fault of boards for inconveniently offering them up.
They also avoided deep cuts last year by deferring all maintenance that is not an immediate emergency. With 50's and 60s bldgs that have flat roofs and old boilers, you can get away with that for one year. Only.
The government was fully aware of that.
Bu no excuses, this school board failed in its job: do all the dirty work without effecting the precious government.
So now they'll be slapped up the backside, maybe out of sight thrown a little bone to keep Board members quiet.
They are axing plenty of teaching positions by the way, considerably more than proportional to enrollment declines. The Board "chose" cutting libraries over cutting even more teachers. Plus, they have looming over them the implications of what they are going to do for next year's cuts, when they have been told to expect more of the same. Got to have fiscal capacity for tax cuts and the so-called "industrial policy" buying high profile but expensive jobs, while the teachers and librarians trek out of province.
If Dexter forces a sparing of librarians, it just means more teachers who thought they seemed to still have a job will start waiting again.
Can we be sure that Bob Rae is still with the Liberals?
Got my picket sign for tonight's Board meeting.
Dexter LIES
betray
NDP
members
Grammar question.
My daughter says 'Dexter LIES betrays'
Methinks it would be 'Dexter betrays...'
but 'LIES betray'.
I'd make Dexter possessive.
ie. Dexter's lies betray NDP members.
Darrel Dexter has been saying that the local school board is just playing games, and pretty much saying they will not let them cut library services.
So my wife's job may yet be spared. This has the opposite reaction you might expect with her, myself, and another of the librariarns who is also long active in the NDP: happy for keeping the job [maybe], but bullshitter Dexter just makes us want to wretch.
Do you mean "retch" as in "dry heave"or "nausea"?
I'd make Dexter possessive.
ie. Dexter's lies betray NDP members.
People in northern N.S. are probably still resentful of the increase in the HST, which drove so many people to shop across the border in N.B. Many voters had broken with party loyalty to vote NDP, only to feel betrayed by Dexter and the party that has backed his policies.
The NDP govt gets endless plaudits from the media for good governance. It was widely accepted that the HST increase had to be done. The NDP never paid a price here for that reversal on taxes. Nor did they promise it was short term only.
The HST increase is mentioned only in passing as history. The opposition parties of course bring it up, and will continue to do so in the coming election. No one takes them seriously.
The NDP is hated and wont be able to elect anyone for a generation in SW Nova Scotia for ending the expensive [vacationers] ferry to the US. But even in northern NS the HST barely registers.
So 3 years later, you're willing to accept as an excuse that a supposedly social democratic government has a legitimate "need" to keep making severe cuts to education so they can protect themselves with a tax cut no one was demanding?
Anyone in Nova Scotia will have seen, the Premeir, the Minister of Education, and other Ministers saying how the school board used 'targeted funding' earmarked for the libraries, which the Baord allocated for other purposes.
Bullshit.
There are a limited number of actual targetted funding envelopes, and libraries are not one of them. Everything else, including libraries and unspecialized classroom eduction are just indicative figures in the allocation. It is EXPECTED that the Boards will diverge widely from them in making their budgets. A necessity under the NDP government that has been hugely heightened since the demands for cuts are so steep, and the figures dont add up.
Ironically, the 'envelopes' that do get targetted funding serve to undermine the school boards' room for budgeting. For example- special education in this Board gets $22m in seperate targetted funding. But even paring things down steeply, to meet minimum required standards they cannot budget less than $27m. And of cource, those indicative figures allocated for special education are only $22m. The shortfall difference of $5m is WAY more than the entire libraries budget.
And its like that right down the line with the REAL targetted finding- the Boards MUST fill the mandate, and they cannot do it with the targetted funding amount. So they have to rob the rest from some [already very stressed] function that is NOT targetted funding, like libararies, or classroom teachers.
Special needs education is enormously expensive and the numbers of students in it is rising MUCH faster than population. So much for the governments 'budget cuts according to population declineè.
Result: classroom teachers reduction four times greater than enrollment reduction from population decline. And total elimination of libraries- which now that the government says thist cannot be done, will have to mean more teacher reductions [salaries are 85% of budget]. And this with administration cuts, maintenance cuts, and custodial cuts many times greater than the 1.7% pop decline.
Tax cuts paid for off our backs.
Dexter Delays Fracking Decision - until after the next election. A 'sensitive and charged' issue to be sure, considering Mulcair was next door in NB urging people to rise up against fracking. No need for the casual observer to wonder if he'll be repeating that message for the benefit of Nova Scotians anytime soon.
Here's something personal.
I'm getting a surprising amount of pushback and hostility when I run into Dippers I know.
It's like there is this divide. There are my friends with whom I almost universally share a basic opinion of this government and what it means to us as Dippers [most of us long ago not being the least bit active]. And there are a number more who I dont know as well or just meet, who easily fall into the same general opinion sharing.
And then there are the Dippers who I know and who take some degree of offense about my opinions. Some of these people are habitually uncritical, some are not. The ones who are more inclined to be critical [over anything] are not very likely to be hostile.... just understandably taking exception with me.
It has been several years since I have been active IN the NDP. Being engaged in the leadership race is the only even partial exception to that... and even there I did not get involved with a campaign.
But the NDP is the government, and I am pretty active and to a degree public around a couple issues. So I'm around Dippers a lot anyway, as well as Dippers who I dont see but know where I stand.
Yesterday I got ambushed by a long time friend who I worked with a lot. The whole thing made me sad. And that it has already been going like this. Got a provacative prod at a school board meeting from an MLA who I like and had not personally directed anything at.
And so it goes.
Survey sent to NS NDP members in March:
The party does follow-up on these, giving the results from those who answered. There is a reason we did not get an answer this time.
Note the loaded 'ask' of the first question: should we not keep our promise?
We made a pre-election promise not to raise taxes. If it was really a question it would be asking whether we need to go back and rectify that? Do people who vote for the NDP need that to vote NDP again?
Raising the HST was not sold as a temporary move, and there was and has remained a broad consensus it was necessary. The only ones who have shown any inclination to wave this arond are the sad sack opposition parties and cranks who wold never vote NDP anyway.
But all of a sudden, as soon as Dexter floats it, defenders of the faith treat it as if it was an acknowledged long standing political necessity.
But really interesting is the last question:
Should we consult widely about whether to reduce the HST, or just do it?
Already, when that was written, there is no question if the HST was going to be reduced. The brain trust had already decided that.
But there is the timing question. And its funny, but the so-called "survey" is clearly tilted towards the "Consult widely" choice.
This is what the Graham Steel on the road dog and pony show has done for the other big "questions". You ask Nova Scotians what you know enough of them will tell you the answer you want to hear. We listened. Now we do.
And as far as the "survey" goes, the Consult widely "choice" is the one that is guaranteed to sound best to the membership.
What a nice coincidence.
So this was their original communications management plan for reducing the HST. Makes sense. It has worked well before. Reducing the HST isnt part of this year's budget. Lots of time to run that one around, who is going to say we dont want a tax cut?
But they obviously changed their mind how to roll this out.
"Oh, that survey. Oh well."
Maybe the communications roll out for reducing the HST was changed primarily for reasons of managing the general public opinion.
But another serious 'communications issue' was bound to turn up.
Suppose it was done in the order of first this year's budget with yet more really deep cuts, then you go around 'asking' Nova Scotians whether the HST should be reduced.
One group that will be speaking up when asked is NDP members and advocates for education and social justice issues... often the same people wearing different hats. And some of them you already primed by asking them to think about it in the "survey" above.
So, likely "our government" felt that it was better to wrap it all up now as a done deal.
And throw in the tax cuts, [now] also something we supposedly always needed to do.
The government did a good job of staying out of sight last week.
The school boards from around the province started announcing their cuts late in the week. And this week we are supposed to get the results from the government's overseer of the board whose deep cuts Dexter said were just playing games.
Presumably we'll get the rest of the Boards announcing their cuts.
And then the tweaked government communications strategy will be....
NS NDP Chooses Austerity Management as its Agenda
Those of you around here in Fall of 2009 might remember an exchange between myself and members of Halifax Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
I took issue with their characterization that there was nothing more to the new governments' fiscal situation messaging than buying into the continent wide ideological hysteria about debt. I meade the point that there was a real long term structural issue. As the government said: since the early Nineties government expenditures had been rising steadily with steady increases in gas royalty and equalization revenues. Those revenues had now been flat and declining for several years, and were guaranteed to decrease more.
That is a structural deficit. No two ways about it.
But in discussions among the base, this government and its legion of inside cheerleaders has turned the necessity to slay the budget into slay the budget and cut taxes..... without skipping a beat, and with no discussion whatsoever.
Who wants discussion when its convenient to just act as if everything is a self-evident necessity?
When the Budget comes in next year there will be no deficit.
There was a political and fiscal choice in how that was done, and this govermnet chose the one that completely ditched social democracy- even social democracy in tough times.
Fuck the social democracy side, we'll just go with the tough times and aren't we good managers?
Coming into the election year of 2013 with the deficit already gone came with a very steep price: austerity budgeting on steroids.
The slaying of the deficit could have been phased over 3 years instead of 2, which would substantially mitigate the depth of the cuts.
In that case the government would next year be presenting a budget that brings the end of the deficit spending, and go the people of Nova Scotia as the government who ended the structural deficit inherited from Liberals and Tories, while moderating the cuts to the social fabric as much as possible.
"And now we can get to work on Nova Scotia in the 21st Century." Or whatever.
This government has got nothing but accolades from the MSM for its fiscal management, no one has forgotten how we got here, and the two opposition parties are hapless half-wits.
Nahh... who wants that?
Fuck social democracy. Lets go for the big prize: the bad ass managers of austerity.
Slaying the deficit isn't good enough. We need to cut taxes too. Most all, we need to give back the two points of the HST we raised when we came in.
That and a bunch more of tax cuts, and being able to throw money at the Irvings and buying other expensive jobs, means that the cuts to education [and health next] will have to go deeper and last longer.
Ending the deficit spending in 2013-2014, we have to end it now. AND, the really brutal part, those cuts need to extend at least two or three years into the next mandate to pay for the tax cuts.
When its all over "we" will presided over the cutting of social spending to fit playing along with cutting government revenues.
And do that when we had the political capital, and the choice, to do the much easier job of cutting social spending to fit levelled government revenues.
The government did a good job of staying out of sight last week.
The school boards from around the province started announcing their cuts late in the week. And this week we are supposed to get the results from the government's overseer of the board whose deep cuts Dexter said were just playing games.
Presumably we'll get the rest of the Boards announcing their cuts.
And then the tweaked government communications strategy will be....
Yes, it will be interesting to see how the Department of Education overseer alternatively guides the Chignecto board cuts. Education Minister Ramona Jennex said the cuts would largely be implemented by attrition, not high-profile pink slips to school librarians as with the Chignecto board.
If there is one tell-tale sign that these cuts go beyond falling enrollment, it is that the class size cap has been moved from 25 students to 27 last year and now to 29 this year. 29 and 27 students per class is just too many in my opinion. The NDP needs to commit to getting class sizes back down as a priority.
http://www.ipolitics.ca/2012/02/10/nova-scotia-cuts-funding-for-school-b...
The problem with the Dexter NDP gov is that while "Back to Balance" fiscal austerity has, perhaps understandably, been made the first priority, tax-cuts have been made the next priority.
The NDP has already delivered considerable tax-cuts in their first 3 years (Large Corporation, Small Business, Surtax, HST off home heating), all redistributing money back to the wealthy, and then has enshrined a further 2% HST-cut now passed into law to follow in a second mandate.
Meanwhile education, health and other services take successive cuts with no pledge to reverse them.
With the NS NDP running a program mix of fiscal austerity and tax-cutting -- Chicago School BS -- it doesn't leave much room for the province's Liberals and Tories to run on. But is this the right course for the NS NDP and if not how do NDP members respond?
Nahh... who wants that?
Fuck social democracy. Lets go for the big prize: the bad ass managers of austerity.
Slaying the deficit isn't good enough. We need to cut taxes too. Most all, we need to give back the two points of the HST we raised when we came in.
That and a bunch more of tax cuts, and being able to throw money at the Irvings and buying other expensive jobs, means that the cuts to education [and health next] will have to go deeper and last longer.
Ending the deficit spending in 2013-2014, we have to end it now. AND, the really brutal part, those cuts need to extend at least two or three years into the next mandate to pay for the tax cuts.
When its all over "we" will presided over the cutting of social spending to fit playing along with cutting government revenues.
And do that when we had the political capital, and the choice, to do the much easier job of cutting social spending to fit levelled government revenues.
Good fleshing out of how Dexter and co are wholly bought into the Chicago School BS of austerity and lower taxes. I'm going to compile the list of NDP tax-cutting so far. The tax cutting is totally not necessary, the economy will improve anyway with the Ships and US recovery (exports), the tax-cutting just further impairs government services for no good reason.
Christine Saulnier's (NS office of CCPA) Rabble blog post on the HST cut is a good start at looking at NDP tax cutting.
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/alex/2012/04/hst-cut-nova-scotia-detract...
Nova Scotia Taxation Changes implemented and promised by NDP 2009 - 2015
2009-12 Large Corporations Tax on Capital eliminated. Changed from 0.15% rate in 2009
to 0% in 2012. 0% is the same in all provinces now.
2010-12 Small Business Income Tax cut by half a percent in each of 2010, 11 & 12, now 3.5%,
Nova Scotia among the lower third in Canada now.
2010-12 2% HST increase = +$215 million revenue rising to +$380 million in 2012.
Offsetting Affordable Living Tax Credit = -$53 million 2010 rising to -$70 million in 2012
2010-12 10% Surtax eliminated on $80k-$150k personal income = -$27 million
Fifth tax bracket created of 21% rate for income >$150,000 = +$59 million
2013-14 Balanced budget promised
10% Surtax promised to be re-instated on income >$80k = +$27 million
Fifth Tax Bracket promised to be eliminated for income >$150,000 = -$59 million
2014-15 1% HST cut = -$190 million - promised by legislation
Eliminate offsetting Affordable Living Tax Credit? +$35 million?
2015-16 1% HST cut = -$190 million - promised by legislation
Eliminate offsetting Affordable Living Tax Credit? +$35million?
The Darrell Dexter government certainly faced a financial mess on being elected in Nova Scotia in 2009, inheriting a $260 million structural deficit amid falling tax and resource revenues in a troubled global economy. All-in-all the NDP has done a competent job stick-handling through 2009-12, primarily by raising the HST for badly needed revenue but also thru public sector restraint: negotiated 1% pay raises, relying on attrition to cut personnel and repeating the mantra "Back to Balance" endlessly. In 2012, still running a budget deficit of $211 million and having promised a balanced budget for election year 2013, it's becoming very uncomfortable as year-on-year cuts increase class sizes and wait times, require layoffs to current personnel and run up against pent-up public sector demand for wage increases that keep up with inflation. Everyone is aware, cutting that final $211 million this year to get "Back to Balance" is going to be painful.
However, Dexter, Finance Minister Graham Steele and the NS NDP have set themselves a new challenge: reduce the HST by 2% and willingly go back into structural deficit, requiring even more years of austerity as the HST cut will cause a $190 million revenue hole in 2014 and $380 million by 2015. This is even more than the original $260 million "hidden deficit" inherited from Rodney MacDonald's Conservatives who were regarded as inept. Willingly setting Nova Scotians up for years more of restraint, reduced services and job losses in various communities is a betrayal of the NDP members and voters who worked hard for a social democratic alternative to the Conservatives and Liberals.
Finance Minister Steele needs to explain how, still struggling with a $211 million deficit despite all the extra HST revenue, he will not only cut the $211 million deficit by next year but then tackle the further NDP-legislated revenue gaps of $190 million in 2014 and $380 million by 2015. Steele owes this explanation to NDP members who the party pretended to consult this month via a "survey" but then announced the HST cut within about a week of mailing out the survey. In that Dexter and Steele have in three years only whittled down the inherited deficit by ~$50 million, to now willingly forgo $380 million in HST revenue makes it clear that they are either undertaking a desperate re-election trick (they won't deliver on the HST cut on schedule due to budget 'circumstances') or they have sincerely placed a large bet on the "Chicago School BS" of lower taxes and fiscal austerity to somehow create jobs, jobs, jobs and revenue, revenue, revenue. Whichever it is, re-election trick or voodoo economics, NDP members are owed a full explanation of how this $380 million HST revenue cut will work before we are asked to go door knocking to defend years more cuts.
Because the numbers, they just don't add up, except as economic "shock doctrine".
V
Dexter's Midnight Runners to the Health Sector Unions: Raises = Pink Slips
This is funny.
Ha. Ha.
I was planning on at some point introducing into the thread on austerity budgeting, that health care and health care workers are next. [But not until after the election.]
But the Premeir beat me to it, and said it himself.
Of course, if you want to just take his words literally, then he isn't threatening anyone... he's just saying there are certain realities.
And there are.
But as to whether what he says is the whole truth, this is the same guy who last year when there was a shocked initial reaction to the outline of the austerity future in schools, said unequiovacally "classroom teaching will not be impacted." Repeated many times by Ministers and MLAs speaking to concerned parents.
Not a hint of that promise this year. It obvioulsly flies in the face of reality. And they had the 3 year plan- including more cuts next year to pay for that tax cut- when Dexter made that promise last year.