Danny Williams Goes Nation-wide

[blueblood]

His academic credentials make Harper's look like a community college diploma.

A law degree and a Master of Health Admin make a Master of Arts in Economics look like a community college diploma?

Really. I had no idea that an MHA is so widely regarded and strenuous in nature.

then Memorial University, where he received a degree in political science and economics. In 1969, he was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship and went to Oxford University, earning a Degree in Arts in Law and playing for the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club. He then earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax.

From wikipedia

I'll say a rhodes scholarship and a degree in arts in law from Oxford University trumps that one. Plus he has the other degrees.

[Michael Bluth]

I'll say a rhodes scholarship and a degree in arts in law from Oxford University trumps that one. Plus he has the other degrees.

So an MA in Economics is a community college diploma?

That's what you said.

[August1991]

He is no idiot, he knows what he's doing. His academic credentials make Harper's look like a community college diploma.

Danny Williams made his money in cable TV which is the ultimate industry for a schmoozer. Success depends entirely on having a State-granted monopoly so the "entrepreneurs" in such a business keep the politically appointed regulators happy.

Danny Williams fits the personality type.

[Canuck E Stan]

I'll say a rhodes scholarship and a degree in arts in law from Oxford University trumps that one. Plus he has the other degrees.

Stupid is as stupid does.

Oh Danny boy . . .

Newfoundland is getting 32 per cent of revenues from White Rose and Terra Nova. Adding Ottawa's 21-per-cent share means governments are taking more than half the revenues from the offshore. That take rises as oil prices climb. Hebron alone, at $50 a barrel, would mean about $8-billion for Newfoundland during the life of the project.

With that kind of money, it's hard to fathom why Mr. Williams thought the Hebron deal a bad one. It's also a little hard to figure out why he reportedly demanded an equity stake of 4.9 per cent (down from an initial demand of 10 per cent), since that share would have given the province neither a seat at the board table nor a veto.

Negotiations broke off in late April between Mr. Williams and the Hebron consortium. The key industry executives quickly left the province. Other Hebron team personnel scattered. Estimates vary from six months to two years for how long it would take to reassemble the team after an agreement.

In characteristic fashion, Mr. Williams blamed the companies for the collapse, saying they had been unreasonable. He vowed to keep the oil under the sea until the province got a better deal.

Equally characteristically, the people rallied to his side, since almost no one will criticize the Premier these days, or even raise arguments about whether he misplayed or overplayed his hand. In a public relations fight between the popular Premier and the bad old oil companies, the knockout winner was known in advance.

What Newfoundland needs is a steady offshore industry, with some projects in various states of exploration, development and production.

That kind of industry doesn't exist without Hebron. After all, although Newfoundland's oil represents only 0.4 per cent of world production, it's worth 16 per cent of the province's economic output, twice as much as the fishery. It puts about $1.3-billion into government coffers. That sum represents about 40 per cent of all government revenues generated in Newfoundland.

Mr. Williams reckons the companies will return, because Hebron is too valuable a field to be left alone for very long. His previous threats about expropriation or legislation to force companies to produce are hollow, given the lawsuits that either step would provoke. His demand that Ottawa become involved was stonily rejected by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The Hebron companies presumably believe future declines in production and government oil revenues will soften up the province's position.

The bottom line: Newfoundland needs Hebron, if not now, then reasonably soon. That prospect does not appear likely.

[blueblood]

I'll say a rhodes scholarship and a degree in arts in law from Oxford University trumps that one. Plus he has the other degrees.

So an MA in Economics is a community college diploma?

That's what you said.

Easy, I said in my view Williams has better credentials than Harper, which is why I said look like a community college diploma. I like to use analogies. Sorry a rhodes scholarship and a degree from Oxford are a little more prestigious than attending the U of C. Plus he has other degrees along with that. So, yes Williams has more credentials than Harper.

[Michael Bluth]

Danny is definitely over-playing his hand.

As a former businessman he should defintely know that there is no quicker way to get businesses to back off than talking about expropriation and legislating the businesses to undertake a project.

[blueblood]

Danny is definitely over-playing his hand.

As a former businessman he should defintely know that there is no quicker way to get businesses to back off than talking about expropriation and legislating the businesses to undertake a project.

I don't agree with this tactic of Williams, but he figures he can net a lot of money. He knows he has a gold mine, all he has to do is wait. Is it dirty, hell yes. Will it end up pumping lots of money to NFLD, in time.

[Rovik]

After this betrayal of trust from Harper and his Conservatives, mark my words, the Conservatives will lose all three seats in Newfoundland and those three seats could be the difference between a majority or a minority.

Let's face it, Harper and the Conservatives broke their promise to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia so they could put in place an equalization regime that is favourable to Quebec. It's funny, how Conservative supporters were so gung-ho attacking the Liberals about broken promises, but now are staying silent after the stream of broken promises by the Conservatives; guess they abandoned their ideals, now that see a possible Conservative majority. And to those you say that they didn't break their promise to the Newfoundland and Nova Scotia governments, here's an excerpt from The Telegram that explains how they did:

War of the Promises

First of all, let’s address the promise — or perhaps more to the point, the two promises made about equalization.

Harper has classed the current arrangement as a promise made and a promise kept, but in fact, there are two things going on here.

The federal Tories made a commitment to exempt resource revenues from the equation — that is the promise that Premier Danny Williams rightly suggests has been broken. It’s a politically unpalatable approach to other parts of the country — just look at the reaction to this province’s concerns about the deal, reaction that basically says we’re trying to have our cake and eat it, too. So the federal government decided to keep a different, less-valuable promise instead.

The Tories now cast the argument as being about a promise that no province would actually lose ground under an equalization change.

They maintain they’ve kept that commitment.

But the commitment was not to allow Newfoundland and Labrador to keep the gains it made from changes to the Atlantic Accord. The actual commitment was to exempt resource revenues, with no cap on the amount of money a province could receive.

The changes may not harm this province: we’re no worse off today than we were before March 19, when the changes were introduced. But they appear to harm potential revenues.

Political promises are a devalued currency at the best of times.

But Harper clearly promised one thing, and did something else.

[Michael Bluth]

After this betrayal of trust from Harper and his Conservatives, mark my words, the Conservatives will lose all three seats in Newfoundland and those three seats could be the difference between a majority or a minority.

Let's face it, Harper and the Conservatives broke their promise to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia so they could put in place an equalization regime that is favourable to Quebec. It's funny, how Conservative supporters were so gung-ho attacking the Liberals about broken promises, but now are staying silent after the stream of broken promises by the Conservatives; guess they abandoned their ideals, now that see a possible Conservative majority. And to those you say that they didn't break their promise to the Newfoundland and Nova Scotia governments, here's an excerpt from The Telegram that explains how they did:

War of the Promises

Read the article and you'll see that it isn't that cut and dried.

The Atlantic Accord has and will be honoured.

That provides NFLD and NS with at least seven years total off equalization payments to build their economies after they would have been cut off under the rules that were in place.

Those three seats *might* be the difference between a majority or a minority. But Harper won't bend over for Williams. Paul Martin did and he lost seats anyways. There is no reason for the Prime Minister of Canada to be perpetually held hostage by the Premier of Newfoundland. Harper understands that. Danny Williams doesn't.

[jdobbin]

Harper plans ad campaign against Williams.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/070402/...ds_newfoundland

he federal Conservatives are hitting back at Newfoundland's premier with radio and newspaper ads that accuse him of running a misinformation campaign over the federal budget.

The federal response to Danny Williams - who has virulently criticized the budget and who last week took out an attack newspaper ad against Ottawa - will begin running Tuesday. An internal government memo obtained by The Canadian Press says the ads will carry the message that Newfoundland comes out financially ahead from the recent federal budget.

The memo also includes talking points for Tory MPs when speaking about the federal-provincial imbroglio.

Wonder how much this will cost.

[jdobbin]

Meanwhile MacKay is on the attack in Nova Scotia.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/070402/...s_mackay_accord

Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay says it's time for Nova Scotia's premier to move beyond the rhetoric and recognize that the federal budget and new equalization deal were good for the province.

MacKay, in the Halifax area Monday for a funding announcement, defended Ottawa's latest fiscal plans, saying they mean more money for his home province - $227 million more.

Provincial Finance Minister Michael Baker said he's well aware the province is getting more money this year. It's the long-term prospects that bother him.

[jdobbin]

And the NDP are attacking in Saskatchewan.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/070402/...on_equalization

Premier Lorne Calvert recently pointed out that means Saskatchewan is in line to receive a "big fat zero" in equalization payments next year.

The federal New Democrats have not held a seat in Saskatchewan since the 2004 election when they were shut out for the first time since 1965.

[Michael Bluth]

Harper plans ad campaign against Williams.

Wonder how much this will cost.

Why?

The Conservatives have a clear advantage over the Liberals in terms of cash on hand. They have far more than they are legally allowed to spend during a campaign period.

Why not spend Party money to fight the Government of NL funded attack ads?

Seems like they are respecting taxpayer money and using their own.

[jdobbin]

The ads in Newfoundland are to be paid for federal money. The information is in an internal federal memo.

An internal government memo obtained by The Canadian Press says the ads will carry the message that Newfoundland comes out financially ahead from the recent federal budget.

Party ads are not mentioned in government memos.

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Atlantic/070402/t040219A.html

[August1991]

The ads in Newfoundland are to be paid for federal money. The information is in an internal federal memo.

Who paid for the ads Danny Williams placed? The Newfoundland taxpayers or the Newfoundland PC Party?

I'm not defending the federal Tory policy but I am putting it in context.

Government advocacy advertising is way out of line in Canada. All levels of government are by far the largest buyer of advertising.

I think any government ad campaign - from tourism to pension changes - should require all party approval. This would keep it non-partisan and strictly informative. It would also possibly reduce the amount spent.

[Michael Bluth]

Government advocacy advertising is way out of line in Canada. All levels of government are by far the largest buyer of advertising.

I think any government ad campaign - from tourism to pension changes - should require all party approval. This would keep it non-partisan and strictly informative. It would also possibly reduce the amount spent.

That would be a good way to go in principle. However, advertising would inevitably get bogged down in partisan bickering.

The ads in Newfoundland are to be paid for federal money. The information is in an internal federal memo.

Does anybody understanding these ramblings? The story this guy linked to doesn't say who will be paying for the ads.

[jdobbin]

Who paid for the ads Danny Williams placed? The Newfoundland taxpayers or the Newfoundland PC Party?

I'm not defending the federal Tory policy but I am putting it in context.

Government advocacy advertising is way out of line in Canada. All levels of government are by far the largest buyer of advertising.

I think any government ad campaign - from tourism to pension changes - should require all party approval. This would keep it non-partisan and strictly informative. It would also possibly reduce the amount spent.

It seems to me that the ads I saw from Williams were placed by the Newfoundland government. I wonder how much they cost as well.

I'm not a taxpayer in Newfoundland though. I do pay taxes federally. I find it annoying that governments do political ads on the government dime. The Liberals did "feel good" ads all the time and it was ridiculous. The Federal government under the Conservatives are now doing political ads in Newfoundland.

http://www.940news.com/nouvelles.php?cat=23&id=40266

Federal government takes out radio, newspaper ads challenging Nfld premier at 19:42 on April 2, 2007, EST.

[August1991]

MB, good point. I assumed the following choice of words implied the taxpayer was picking up the tab for Ottawa's ads:

The feds will respond to Danny Williams - who ran ads of his own last week accusing them of breaking a promise to his province with the recent federal budget. The ads will begin running Tuesday, according to an internal government memo.

To me, "the feds" means the federal government.

That would be a good way to go in principle. However, advertising would inevitably get bogged down in partisan bickering.

Let it get bogged down in partisan bickering. At least then they wouldn't spend the money.

I think one of the best methods to reduce government spending is to encourage partisan bickering. When politicians bicker, they don't have time to think of new crazy spending schemes.

[Michael Bluth]

MB, good point. I assumed the following choice of words implied the taxpayer was picking up the tab for Ottawa's ads:

To me, "the feds" means the federal government.

You are right, that's what it means to me too. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Either the CBC has proof the Federal Government is paying for the ads and they neglected to mention that in the article ... lazy journalism

*OR*

The CBC doesn't have proof the Federal Government is paying for the ads and they just implied so in the article ... dishonest journalism.

Either way the story is a little sketchy.

[jdobbin]

Danny Williams blast Harper on federal government ads in Newfoundland.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...?hub=TopStories

The federal government are countering Newfoundland and Labrador ads in national newspapers by launching a radio and print campaign of their own this week.

The ads, which are only to appear in provincial media outlets, accuse Williams of spreading misinformation about the recent federal budget.

And now Williams has the three Tory MPs in his sight.

Now Williams has trained his sights on his Conservative cousins in Ottawa, pledging to campaign against the province's three Tory MPs in the next election.

I wonder if that means Harper will support provincial Liberals in an election.

[Michael Bluth]

And now Williams has the three Tory MPs in his sight.

I wonder if that means Harper will support provincial Liberals in an election.

Consider this ... Danny Williams got everything he whined to Paul Martin for before the 2006 election. So one would *hope* he campaigned for Liberal MPs in the 2006 election.

And the Liberals lost a seat there.

So maybe it isn't a bad thing to have Danny Wiliams campaign against you.

I doubt Harper will involve himself in the next Newfoundland eleciton. The best way to deal with a pest is to ignore him. Too bad Harper can't put Danny on ignore. Then again that isn't very mature.