Happy Trails To You
The Premier is a renowned C.F.
Control freak.
Nothing gets past him and nobody says or does anything without his Holy Blessing.
Independent Operators in the BC Liberal government - not there are any or have ever been any or ever will be any - go straight to the back of the bus.
They get dropped off at Palookaville toot sweet.
How then is is possible that:
- a law firm that makes regular contributions to The Party gets to have one of their own as a Special prosecutor? Try about $50,000 in recent years.
- one Solicitor-General, John van Dongen, has to resign because, although he is the region's Top Cop, he has lost his driver's license to speed? 2009.
- another S-G, John Les, hs to resign because of possible shady land deals? 2008.
- a third S-G, Kash Heed, has to resign twice in three weeks, because of possible election campaign irregularities? 2010.
How are these things possible, we find ourselves musing over the back porch at twilight, with a man Who Knows Everything, Who Sees Everything?
So far the only answers that emerge are these:
1. His Granite Face doesn't really know everything and see everything.
2. He does know everything and he does see everything and he just doesn't give a damn, Scarlett.
3. He has pre-scripted all of the above a) to keep everybody on the edge of their cheap seats and b) in the most recent fiasco, to get all the original charges against Kash Heed's gang of ethnic-baiting rabble-rousers thrown out.
Diabolical.
No.
Even Gordon Campbell is not this clever.
The truth may be something closer to this.
Conflicts of interest and rules of behaviour simply don't impress the Premier very much.
If I want to appoint a Special Prosecutor, frankly I don't waste much time worrying about how many dollars that guy's firm may have given me over the years for my own election war chests.
If I want Kash Heed or anyone else that I favour this week as my Minister of Cups and Saucers, well then I will bloody well appoint him.
Everything is Vanity and Vexation of Spirit.
The truth is closer to this.
Gordon Campbell's run as Premier of the Province of British Columbia is coming to an end.
His tattered skirts are showing and in the not too distant future someone else will have the opportunity to mismanage our affairs on a grand scale.