NL election

[SpankyMcFarland]

15 hours ago, August1991 said:

Like Smallwood, there's always the dream of a better deal.

A better deal if he can. Either way he needs to get this sorted ASAP before there’s no deal on offer. 

Edited October 28, 2025 by SpankyMcFarland

[August1991]

On 10/28/2025 at 12:09 AM, SpankyMcFarland said:

A better deal if he can. Either way he needs to get this sorted ASAP before there’s no deal on offer. 

Newfoundlanders are risk takers, they look for the place to fish. Get rich.

They fundamentally don't understand that Churchill Falls is not about finding fish. It is about borrowing money, engineering, building dams. 

[SpankyMcFarland]

25 minutes ago, August1991 said:

Newfoundlanders are risk takers, they look for the place to fish. Get rich.

They fundamentally don't understand that Churchill Falls is not about finding fish. It is about borrowing money, engineering, building dams. 

Rarely does a day go by that we don’t think about it, a seemingly endless stint in Purgatory. We know the fundamentals at this stage. 

Edited October 30, 2025 by SpankyMcFarland

[SpankyMcFarland]

Just watching new premier Tony Wakeham tonight, very pleased with himself and communicating no pressing urgency whatsoever to review the deal ASAP while we still have a chance to get it signed. I think I’m more stressed than he is about the whole thing!  

Edited October 30, 2025 by SpankyMcFarland

[August1991]

On 10/30/2025 at 12:44 AM, SpankyMcFarland said:

Rarely does a day go by that we don’t think about it, a seemingly endless stint in Purgatory. We know the fundamentals at this stage. 

You Newfoundlanders used the name of Quebec to borrow the money to build the dam.

René Lévesque explained all this to Joey Smallwood.

[August1991]

I have always thought that Lévesque was a democrat more than a nationalist.

Trudeau Snr was a federalist more than a democrat.

And Smallwood was an autocrat - like Duplessis.

[SpankyMcFarland]

On 11/4/2025 at 1:08 AM, August1991 said:

I have always thought that Lévesque was a democrat more than a nationalist.

Trudeau Snr was a federalist more than a democrat.

And Smallwood was an autocrat - like Duplessis.

Smallwood got us into Canada, a great achievement after the grim realities of British rule that we remain grateful for. Sadly, it was downhill from there. He was unsuited to high office. 

Edited November 7, 2025 by SpankyMcFarland

[August1991]

22 hours ago, SpankyMcFarland said:

Smallwood got us into Canada, a great achievement after the grim realities of British rule that we remain grateful for. Sadly, it was downhill from there. He was unsuited to high office. 

Smallwood? My father always said that the 1949 choice missed an option: join the US.

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British rule? Commission rule.

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Newfoundlanders have survived for centuries. Like Icelanders.

[August1991]

Bulgarians survived under Turks - for centuries.

[August1991]

From 1763 to 1860 or so, no ship arrived in Canada from France.

Yet people in Quebec still speak French.

[August1991]

Years ago,

I asked a Bulgarian woman this precise question:

You Bulgarians have survived under the Turks.

People in Quebec still speak French. Why?

=====

Her answer: we have a superior culture. 

[John Stone]

On 11/7/2025 at 9:53 PM, August1991 said:

From 1763 to 1860 or so, no ship arrived in Canada from France.

Yet people in Quebec still speak French.

The French  population greatly outnumbered the English until well into the 19th century - great migration (from Europe).  Likely what was going on in the U.S. (Manifest Destiny) at the time influenced the British reasoning that a country with 'a' population was better for defense than a country with 'no' population.  

[August1991]

On 11/16/2025 at 9:49 AM, John Stone said:

The French  population greatly outnumbered the English until well into the 19th century - great migration (from Europe).  Likely what was going on in the U.S. (Manifest Destiny) at the time influenced the British reasoning that a country with 'a' population was better for defense than a country with 'no' population.  

Disagree.

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Nflders survived. Bulgarians survived. Quebecers survived.

An English-Canadian wrote a bad novel on such a premise.

 

[John Stone]

On 11/18/2025 at 11:49 PM, August1991 said:

Disagree.

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Nflders survived. Bulgarians survived. Quebecers survived.

An English-Canadian wrote a bad novel on such a premise.

 

Acadian expulsion? 1755

Fall of Quebec?  1759

Montreal? 1642

Quebec City? 1608

French priests played a SIGNIFICANT role in the settlement  of New France. 

Newfoundland? - arguably the longest SERVING colony of the British Empire - it was an ACTIVITY (fish, baby) and  not a colony. 

[SpankyMcFarland]

Tony Wakeham exists to annoy me. He got a good spanking from David Cochrane on Power and Politics tonight and probably thought he did well. By the time he completes the review of the MOU and, with luck, wins the referendum on it, a new PQ govt in Quebec may have ripped the bloody thing up.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/churchill-falls-quebec-election-hydro-deal-9.7015060

 

Edited December 16, 2025 by SpankyMcFarland

[SpankyMcFarland]

On 11/7/2025 at 10:23 PM, August1991 said:

From 1763 to 1860 or so, no ship arrived in Canada from France.

Yet people in Quebec still speak French.

Britain was far more anxious to tolerate Catholicism in Quebec than in Ireland because it needed the local population on side to defend against the Americans. 

[August1991]

On 12/16/2025 at 4:58 PM, SpankyMcFarland said:

Britain was far more anxious to tolerate Catholicism in Quebec than in Ireland because it needed the local population on side to defend against the Americans. 

Huh?

At the time, I suspect that that they were ridding themselves of a problem.

As we do now about immigrants....

[SpankyMcFarland]

14 minutes ago, August1991 said:

Huh?

At the time, I suspect that that they were ridding themselves of a problem.

As we do now about immigrants....

What I mean is this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_Act

Quote

The act removed the reference to the Protestant faith from the oath of allegiance, and guaranteed free practice of Catholicism and restored the Church's power to impose tithes. Additionally, it restored the use of the French civil law for matters of private law, except for the granting of unlimited freedom of testation in accordance with English common law; which was maintained for matters of public law, including administrative appeals, court procedure, and criminal prosecution.

It took years for similar reforms in Ireland. Some never came, particularly with respect to the Irish language. 

 

 

 

[August1991]

1 hour ago, SpankyMcFarland said:

What I mean is this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_Act

It took years for similar reforms in Ireland. Some never came, particularly with respect to the Irish language. 

 

 

 

Margaret Atwood wrote a novel "Surfacing". Simply bad writing.

Then she wrote "Survival", it is all wrong about Canada. 

=======

Robertson Davies is a far better writer. And better story teller.

But he's not CBC.

 

[SpankyMcFarland]

On 12/18/2025 at 1:09 AM, August1991 said:

Margaret Atwood wrote a novel "Surfacing". Simply bad writing.

Then she wrote "Survival", it is all wrong about Canada. 

=======

Robertson Davies is a far better writer. And better story teller.

But he's not CBC.

 

I can’t really follow your train of thought there and I’m in no position to judge how good a writer Davies was, although I can say he thought he was very good himself.

[SpankyMcFarland]

This shows how unserious Wakeham is. With the possibility of an unhinged PQ government in Quebec being elected soon he still hasn’t got his review committee up and running here. People on the committee don’t know if they are still on it!

https://vocm.com/2026/01/22/premier-mum-on-reports-suggesting-changes-made-to-mou-negotiating-team/

Make no mistake. The clock is ticking. If we have to wait until 2041 for a deal like Mad Danny Williams is prepared to do there’ll be no province left. 

Quote

A Quebec journalist says the ball is in Premier Tony Wakeham’s court in ensuring that a deal is finalized with Quebec on a collaborative approach to hydro development now that Francois Legault has signaled his intention to step down.

Ottawa Bureau Chief with La Presse, Joël-Denis Bellavance, says Legault will step down as leader of his Coalition Avenir once a new leader is picked in April.

He says “the clock is ticking,” and the ball is now in Newfoundland and Labrador’s court with Legault’s pending departure and the strong likelihood of a Parti Quebecois win in the next Quebec provincial election in the fall.

https://vocm.com/2026/01/15/ball-is-in-nls-court-on-finalizing-hydro-mou-as-time-ticks-down-toward-quebec-election/

[CdnFox]

2 hours ago, SpankyMcFarland said:

This shows how unserious Wakeham is. With the possibility of an unhinged PQ government in Quebec being elected soon he still hasn’t got his review committee up and running here. People on the committee don’t know if they are still on it!

https://vocm.com/2026/01/22/premier-mum-on-reports-suggesting-changes-made-to-mou-negotiating-team/

Make no mistake. The clock is ticking. If we have to wait until 2041 for a deal like Mad Danny Williams is prepared to do there’ll be no province left. 

https://vocm.com/2026/01/15/ball-is-in-nls-court-on-finalizing-hydro-mou-as-time-ticks-down-toward-quebec-election/

I don't see anything happening before the election, the outcome of that will set the stage.

[August1991]

On 12/20/2025 at 3:13 PM, SpankyMcFarland said:

I can’t really follow your train of thought there and I’m in no position to judge how good a writer Davies was, although I can say he thought he was very good himself.

Robertson Davies is a sorta-good writer. I recommend his "Fifth Business".

Maupassant, Hemingway were good writers.

Balzac, Dickens wrote well for money.

Pushkin was a good poet.

Tolstoi used this medium.

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In the year 2200 or so, no one will read a book/story by Atwood.

I suspect that they will still read Somerset Maugham.

[SpankyMcFarland]

23 minutes ago, August1991 said:

Robertson Davies is a sorta-good writer. I recommend his "Fifth Business".

Maupassant, Hemingway were good writers.

Balzac, Dickens wrote well for money.

Pushkin was a good poet.

Tolstoi used this medium.

=====

In the year 2200 or so, no one will read a book/story by Atwood.

I suspect that they will still read Somerset Maugham.

You are a tough marker! Do you not think much of Tolstoy? War and Peace was good I thought. What am I saying? I really wouldn’t consider myself worthy of rating anything by Tolstoy or the other great Russians. Nearly all of it flies over my head. 

I’ve read Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities. Great Expectations is one of my favourite books - I strongly identify with Magwitch, a self-described ‘varmint’ in the colonies sending money home. I’ve only read Maupassant in French because I had to at school! Atwood I find rather 20th century English in her style. The prose is fairly spare. I prefer something more ornate. 

Edited January 24 by SpankyMcFarland

[John Stone]

On 11/7/2025 at 9:45 PM, August1991 said:

Smallwood? My father always said that the 1949 choice missed an option: join the US.

=====

British rule? Commission rule.

=====

Newfoundlanders have survived for centuries. Like Icelanders.

pre-WWII Newfoundland was an economic wasteland. 

Arguably the war saved Newfoundland in several ways.

GB definitely wanted to dump Newfoundland as a Dominion responsibility - GB was broke and basically couldn't continue supporting the island

Newfoundland was strategic in WWII and it's economy basically boomed during  the conflict - GB  negotiated Newfoundland territory for lead lease agreements.

Newfoundland had a tariff on imports from Canada ..... to protect the islands commerce - the island was basically controlled by family compact. Joining Canada would have meant dropping the tariffs and a loss of the status-quo control. 

There was (2) provincial ballots to join Canada ......... the first ballot didn't include the option to join Canada ..

During strange  political machinations - the Canadian option was included on the second ballot?  

......... the options then became: status quo (self government), stay with GB or become a province of Canada. 

The 3rd option  won by a slim margin ......... it's said that the promise of Canadian government benefits carried the vote. 

Canada was largely indifferent to whatever happened. 

Becoming a U.S. State was never seriously considered - more the pity. 

 

Edited January 29 by John Stone