Sincere and
sensible politicians will avoid over the top promises especially when they know
that they are playing a limited hand. The Premier squarely placed himself among
the less disciplined. Likely, for that reason, the public seemed to treat them
with something ranging from scepticism to derision.
Ball’s dark
side has been exposed before. His doubtful narrative around the sacking of former
CEO Ed Martin and how the latter still ended up with a multi-million-dollar severance
package contains the same insincerity.
What makes
the Muskrat moment disconcerting, too, was the reaction of Liberal Candidate
Paul Antle – from whom more was expected - and the disclosures of NL Minister
in the Federal Cabinet, Shamus O’Regan, who is a politician best kept on watch.
First, Antle.
The Liberal candidate need not have attached himself to Ball’s claims even if he
found the electioneering irresistible. Echoing
the Premier on Twitter Antle stated that, "ratepayers and taxpayers will
not pay for Muskrat" adding that "Muskrat is Nalcor's liability"
- as if the crown corporation was as disconnected from taxpayers as he seems
from the reality of a $12.7 billion debt on a handful of citizens . Does the
bigger lie always offer the best leverage on the hustings?
A savvy
Antle might have tempered expectations raised by Ball’s implausible claims. He
might even have helped Ball define the terms of his promise to re-impower the
PUB to rate-set Muskrat Falls power, and show some mettle by testing O’Regan’s
already shaky assurances that the Federal Liberals will help out.
But it seems
that public ignorance is always counted on for cover. Only the Premier and a
handful of Muskrat watchers are aware that the power purchase agreement (PPA) -
and its explicit requirement for revenue that fully covers project costs - must
be enforced unless the Federal Government first agrees to the changes.
Equally, Antle,
from whom much is expected, could have helped Ball lay out the case for
Federal involvement in the issue – putting Shamus O’Regan’s feet to the fire.
To that
point, as Uncle Gnarley discussed in a 3 September post, the Federal
Minister was quick to issue a Press Release in response to Ball’s assertion
that at some point the Feds would have to be brought to the table to help with
the overwhelming MF debt. Tellingly, O’Regan did not concur with the Premier’s
latent invocation then. His response – tweeted by NTV Reporter Michael Connors
– served only to remind us that the Feds had provided the FLG which presumably ought to have sufficed.
The release made no mention of another active Federal response.
Yet, following
Uncle Gnarley’s broadside, O’Regan had more to say. The CBC's Terry Robertsfiled a Friday 7 September story on an interview he conducted Thursday, 6 September. The reporter stated:
“He's not
ready to provide any details, but Liberal MP Seamus O'Regan says there's plenty
of discussion about ways Ottawa can help shelter electricity users from soaring
rates during the Muskrat Falls era.”
The CBC's Roberts
put the Minister on the record responding to suggestions that the debt problem
might be alleviated by “the possibility of more federal money in a renegotiated
Atlantic Accord (and) transfer of the Feds “lucrative 8.5 per cent equity stake
in the Hibernia oil field to the province” to which the MP allowed that behind
the scenes talks were ongoing: "I'm trying to be as creative as I possibly
can be. I don't want to talk too much about it yet". O’Regan added: “We're
working on all of it", he said, having been asked about the various
options.
But for NTVO’Regan had a different story. ‘There’s no talks ongoing’ with Ottawa, Seamus
O’Regan says of Muskrat Falls’, NTV’s headlined story by Michael Connors,
reported on September 7th.
Evidently O’Regan had been sent back out
to the media to lower public expectations of a Federal bail-out following the
Premier’s late awakening as to the indispensability of their support.
Just
possibly the Liberals want the Windsor Lake Seat too badly. In the mad dash to hand neophyte Tory Leader
Ches Crosbie a loss and the resulting embarrassment, they are willing to make
Danny Williams-sized claims – which will come back to haunt them, as his claims
will haunt him. Perhaps, the possibility of creating the momentum that has
eluded Ball these past three years, in advance of the general election next
year, is preferable to risking condemnation of the electorate after the vote is
out of the way.
The matter
of integrity aside, if the Feds via O'Regan abandon playing tag with Ball once
their electoral needs have been sated, NL will be left with some vague promise
that the PUB will "be brought back" to set "consistent,
affordable" electricity rates. Knowing as they do that the PUB has no authority over revenue
creation - except to jack up rates - the Liberals will surely have extended their
ownership of the Muskrat Falls mess – and earned the enmity of the public in
the process.
Related:
Ches Crosbie Sending Wrong Messages
When NL Needs a Heavyweight There's Only Shamus O'Regan
Related:
Ches Crosbie Sending Wrong Messages
When NL Needs a Heavyweight There's Only Shamus O'Regan
Of course,
when it comes to Muskrat, the big lie has many manifestations. For example,
Ball claims that “at some point in time” - when the “gap” in revenues is known
– he will approach the Feds. Nalcor already knows those numbers and has
reported them publicly. Ball is merely doing what he does best – delay.
All those
issues ought to be front and center in this byelection and daily in the public
media. But our democratic deficit is such that the Tories won’t raise them
because they would reflect badly on them, too.
Seems the
voters of Windsor Lake are in for a tough few days.
