Should Danny Williams lead the NDP

We love Danny here - we're next door to NFLD and Labrador.

Newfoundland's richest man can do no wrong, eh?

Well, perhaps caving to environmental inevitability will become  the winning position for anyone who can read stock market reports. Certainly, Danny boy would know all about the determinants of corporate action, read yearly reports, just as he knows how to play the people.

Well, a note of caution:  it's all words to this point.   We'll see how this plays out.

But with all the plant closures that have been happening over the last couple of years, it's nice to see a politician at least talking about fighting back.

Perhaps when other Premiers see how popular this is, it will start a trend.  And it's a nice shot across the bow of Corporate Pirates in general.

 

 

But Danny Williams has always been a fighter, and has always been very critical of Harper. I don't think he belongs in the same Con category. Danny Williams has always been fighting to get the right things done and you know, this is the first time I even knew he was a Tory (obviously of the Red Tory days).

 

 

I think the Reform incarnations (Block Alberta) got caught being derisive of maritimers in general more than once.   I think when Harper united the wrong under the Conservative banner,  Maritime Provincial Conservatives had to make sure they distanced themselves from that crowd.

So, it's not earth shaking that you see Danny Williams, a Conservative, railling at fellow Conservative Stephen Harper at every chance he can get. 

 

Wow.  Not only is he doing this, but I think Danny Williams is the only premier who is lowering tuition instead of increasing it.

Is Danny Williams leading the progressive movement in Canada.  And if a Conservative is nationalizing shit and lowering tuition, why the hell isn't Gary Doer?

Although it should be noted that it doesn't sound like the government is planning to run it as a crown corporation

Is there ehind the scenes politics...maybe, but you know what, I don't care if it means we have something for the places where these people work. I probably would have been a red tory if malroney hadn't sucked up to americans so much. but growing up through the 80's left a very bad taste in my mouth when it gets down to people who don't give a shit about this country. Or rather I am a natioalist at heart that believes a country shouldn't just throw out it's sovreignty to the highest bidder. I might actually have enjoyed capitalism if it had benefited canadians at all.

So you search for something else...hence the NDP. I can see how there use to be swing votes between dief/cons to douglas ccf/ndp. Over time you learn the system is rotten from the bottom up and that government should control the natural resources. I don't care what household items you want to buy, but you should have hydro, a phone, some TV, water etc Without the profit margin being built in. I guess that makes me a shitty socialist, but it certainly is very doable in capitalism and realistic enough to shift the centre line our way. If nothing else this depression may make people understand that profit margins shouldn't have a human cost, and community is more important than the selfish"homo consumera" that the economic textbooks tell you that you are.

______________________________________________________________________________________ "Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really easy way: stop participating in it." Noam Chomsky

"It's a noble move, but his handling gives his political enemies a lot of ammunition. "

Unless they all move to Nfld and Lbdr before the next provincial election, Danny Williams doesn't have to worry too much, I think.

It's funny about fighting back.  There's a pervasive thought pattern that says, "if we fight back, they'll screw us...."  To which I always point out:

 "they're already screwing us."

The only thing I remember about Danny Williams was him pooing his pants in Kindergarten.  But maybe that was a different Danny Williams?

So would I.

I'll take populist politics if it gives the usual politics a kick in the ass.

Remeber, though, that Danny is sitting in a good short term economic position because of the revenue deal with Ottowa.  It's kinda easy to play tough guy man of the people when when you're sitting on an oil deposit.  Not all premiers have that advantage right now.

I wonder if Williams is influencing McGuinty?  Wasn't it yesterday that Dalton told the banks to stop asking for corporate tax cuts in a populist fashion?

Williams is the kind of "conservative" that would clean up in this part of SWOnt, federal or provincial.  I mean, the Cons and PCs already get strong support... but if Williams keeps this up then the regular Con voters will start asking some harder questions.  Yes, George V, even the Bageant rednecks.   

No kidding. All of Williams' lefty fans seem to be carefully forgetting that right now Williams and his henchman Jerome Kennedy are gearing up for a good old fashioned showdown with the union representing the poorest nurses in Canada, throwing collective bargaining out the window, and introducing pattern bargaining to keep the whole public sector overworked, underpaid and complacant.

Wrong. Every asset that is being expropriated from AbitibiBowater (which includes crown lands three times the size of Prince Edward Island, and several power plants, among other things - but not the mill itself) is now in the hands of Nalcor, a crown corporation. An interesting way of doing things that makes the provincial government almost likeable: taking the profitable assets and leaving Abitibi with the losses.

Danny didn't get to be The Rock's richest fella by being the friend of humanity. The equation with Blakeney, Romanow and Doer is more than a bit of a stretch. I interviewed Daffy Dief. He still didn't understand what he'd done a decade after Arrow.

Exactly my point. He still isn't the friend of humanity. So how come the friends of humanity can't take bold stands at important times as he did?

Exactly my point. When did they take bold stands like this in the face of a threatened corporate closure or anything USian?

Do you? Killing the Arrow was one of his better moments. I simply can't believe the number of nostalgic Canadian pseudo-patriots who wanted Canada to be part of the Cold War jet fighter arms race.

While many applaud Deep Pockets Danny standing up to a corporation many here in the province still see it as a leverage for popular support. Give his team credit (Dion, Mcguinty, Layton, Doer all should heed) the PR has been successful, especially at this time of year...while people focus on consumption (all the mall are filled to capacity here on the Avalon) they now have a corporate bogey  man to rail against....nothing better in a province of cultural complaint....we still though have problems with other resources---our trees, rocks, water, people, land being sold off to the highest mainland bidder (remember over half the population now lives on the Avalon, who cares about the rest of the province), are all ignored now....what a great marketing campaign....baa hum bug...no just the same ol same ol......remember all MLAs have their guaranteed income, they do not work in a mill, logging camp, or as an underpaid nurse........

freddychef: 

"While many applaud Deep Pockets Danny standing up to a corporation many here in the province still see it as a leverage for popular support. Give his team credit (Dion, Mcguinty, Layton, Doer all should heed) the PR has been successful, especially at this time of year...while people focus on consumption (all the mall are filled to capacity here on the Avalon) they now have a corporate bogey  man to rail against....nothing better in a province of cultural complaint....we still though have problems with other resources---our trees, rocks, water, people, land being sold off to the highest mainland bidder (remember over half the population now lives on the Avalon, who cares about the rest of the province), are all ignored now....what a great marketing campaign....baa hum bug...no just the same ol same ol......remember all MLAs have their guaranteed income, they do not work in a mill, logging camp, or as an underpaid nurse........ "

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You have just taught me something about Newfoundland. The geographic/political  division. The overlooked hinterland.

Thanks for that insight and your take on political culture generally. 

More please.

 

How does he compare to Alexa's dad?

Are you sure it is the Left that wants the Unions?

Are Unions not a Very Powerful Entity onto themselves, Right?

Rich, Powerful, Controlling,Influential, Dangerous(stories u no TV)

I find the Unions to be a thorn in a working man's side, but then I'm not a Union benefiting off a man's labors.

Hey mybabble. Why don't you read what the Newfoundlanders have to say about Danny and quit embarrassing us all with your ignorance.

When push comes to shove, Danny is no friend of labour.  The 2004 NL public service strike was an example of how nasty and stubborn he can be.

Brian Peckford was a populist PC premier as well, but he became somewhat less popular as time went on, his ranting and raving against Ottawa didn't seem to have much of an impact on the lives of constituents beyond the entertainment value.  His credibility became suspect after he 'sprung' the idea of growing cukes just outside of St. John's during the dead of winter in gigantic greenhouses that required more energy costs to run than the cukes were worth on the market.

The difference between then and now is that royalties from hydrocarbon production started to have a recent impact on the Provincial treasury, which provides him with the leeway to fund the cult of Danny.  As for theatrics, he’s probably closer in style to the other Brian (Tobin) for his use of prop politics.

Well, for the workers the cost would be more like $-70

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Shaw_(socialist) 

When he talks about "province of cultural complaint" D, he's only saying that that is what the rest of Canada thinks of Newfoundland. A complainer.

Danny Williams said the same thing on CBC radio interview this morning. Then, he said, that that period is over, thanks to Newfoundland's new resources and resolve.

I hope freddychef reappears to confirm this. But it seems obvious to me.

Try this:

http://tinyurl.com/8zxptg

I think Williams is a political conservative who is breaking ranks with the neoliberal right in Canada. Very interesting for sure, but would Danny simply pawn off the resources again at some later date? Or does he mean true nationalisation and actual worker and communal input on economic decisions and resource allocation/control as the CCF advocated in Ottawa of the 1950's?

Economic Crisis: Confronting Industry Shutdowns in Canada

Multinational’s Assets Seized in Newfoundland

I think it is time the NDP talked about nationalisation and all that good stuff Jack spoke about there being better uses for the Bank of Canada several years ago. Yes, it's time.

 

 

Maye it's the "only nixon can go to china" crap. Good on danny, it might be political oportunism, but if it brings left ideas to the forefront I don't care. Look at how Martin brought in  far right economics to the nation from the reform platform. I think danny might have finally realized that being a branch plant country isn't desirable. Nothing is worse than being nothing but a resource pit with no say politicaly. Which is where we have been headed since 1984(the year not the book)

Oil is not like most commodities. It takes specialized equipment and people trained in oil drilling tecnniques etc especially if the oil and gas are deep-seated or offshore, or tied up in oil sands. The oil industry enjoyed important technology transfers from governments and academia for the know-how to do slant and horizontal drilling techniques in the 1960's. And so several governments around the world have various production agreements with transnational energy companies splitting the profits and production.

But there are different end results in different countries. For example, Russia signed some fairly lopsided oil contracts with transnational energy companies in the early 1990's when that country was at a disadvantage economically. They've since renegotiated those contracts with western energy companies and renationalising in other cases where the oil is shallower and more easily extracted. Norway deals with transnationals, too, and "energy nationalism" in that country has created one of the largest petroleum-pension investment funds in the world. Russia now follows Norway's energy plan and created a stabilization fund worth more than Canada's CPP  and Alberta's Heritage Funds combined. It's all in how contracts are written up and taxes levied, and energy companies in Canada have gotten away with daylight robbery for a long time.

The NDP understands this and has pointed to unnecessary and excessive tax cuts and rock-bottom per barrel royalties ever since the Liberals handed our gas industry to Americans in the 1950's and oil similarly by successive governments in Canada. We just need some shrewd socialists in Ottawa to cut all Canadians in for a fair share of the energy profits. And there is more energy than just oil and natural gas in Canada and being exported to the US in massive-massive amounts, too.

As far as Newfoundland's offshore oil is concerned, Newfoundland is in for only a small share since its not underneath Newfoundland, The oil is offshore and falls under federal control. And Williams' Newfoundland wont be dealt in for a larger share by either the transnationals or that other conservative government in Ottawa very soon.

Given the maverick nature of Newfoundland politics, I wonder whether there's more of an inverse possibility, i.e. once Danny's time is up, the next Newfie premier'll be Jack Harris?

The other thing to keep in mind is that Williams was just as harsh on Paul Martin when he was Prime Minister. Remember the Flag Flap?

Yes, because other provincial premiers never blame Ottawa for things that they themselves screw up. Only those rambunctious Newfies do that.

Where's the old eye-roll emoticon when you need it?