TOP TEN POSTS OF 2019 AND OTHER SNIDE REMARKS

It is time to list the top ten posts of 2019 and to thank those who contributed to the work. But, first, a quick word about the year that was. Most notably, the province's fiscal position continued to slide, lacking as it does essential political leadership to deal with the problem. The Ball Government remains stuck in a prescient mindset, one preoccupied solely with the Liberal Party's re-election.  

The annual cash deficit of the Government remains at the $2 billion level. The Governing Liberals and the Opposition Parties — PC and NDP — have the same agenda: keep the public placated, maintain the illusion that there is no crisis, and otherwise keep public expectations of them low. 

As to other sectors of Newfoundland and Labrador society, including business and unions, short-term self-interest prevails. For all of them, serendipity (translated as “offshore oil”) will provide a “fix” for gross mismanagement in a Province boasting the second largest per capita revenues of any Canadian Province. 

Nalcor continues to perform as well as it ever has. The additional delay in commissioning at Muskrat has been trivialized by CEO Stan Marshall, who committed to a schedule for first power in the fourth quarter of 2019. The Nalcor Press Release, which carefully omitted any reference to the moniker “international experts”, was timed for burial under the Christmas tinsel! It did not advise of the additional cost of the delay anyway. A back of the envelope estimate is $3,000,000 or so per day! And that may be low. 

The software problem experienced on the LIL transmission line is equally emblematic, as is Nalcor's refusal to provide the PUB current Reports from its software contractor. Second-rate (that might be too generous) Minister of Natural Resources, Siobhan Coady, is still puzzled why she is in the job. Many members of the public are equally puzzled!

Little wonder that Commissioner Richard LeBlanc needs another three months to finish his Report. I had considered sending him a one-word thesaurus for Christmas but thought the better of it. I expect that, by now, he knows all the synonyms for Nalcor beginning with the word “incompetence”. 

What can we laugh about in 2020? I'm thinking two words: “Chinese turbines”. 

HA.....HAHAHAHAAAAA!!! Happy New Year! - Des Sullivan

Now for last year's top ten Posts based solely on the number of pageviews each received according to Google:

1. "ANONYMOUS ENGINEER" IDENTIFIES DEVICE USED TO LOW-BALL ESTIMATE" by the "Anonymous Engineer"

 

2. MORE PRE-SANCTION FRAUD OR INCOMPETENCE? by PlanetNL

        

3. MINORITY GOVERNMENT LIKELY SHORT-LIVED

4. ATLANTIC ACCORD: DEAL OF A CHARLATAN

  

5. CARLA FOOTE AFFAIR: DOES OPPOSITION HAVE METTLE TO FACE DOWN DISHONESTY?

6. RATE MITIGATION AND OUR FISCAL CLIFF by Ron Penney

7. RATE MITIGATION - GRASPING AT STRAWS by David Vardy and Des Sullivan with research by PlanetNL

 

8. THE NORTH SPUR: WARNINGS IGNORED by David Vardy

(A related post by Jim Gordon received almost identical readership, so I have arbitrarily judged them a tie.)

NORTH SPUR: JIM GORDON TRIES AGAIN TO GET SIOBHAN COADY'S ATTENTION by James L. Gordon

9. BEWARE FEDERAL SHAPESHIFTING ON ATLANTIC ACCORD by CABOT MARTIN

 

10. HOW GOVERNMENT HAS GOUGEDRATEPAYERS FOR 30 YEARS by PlanetNL

HAPPY NEW YEAR!