Trying to gain insight into why government and business leaders pursue questionable, even dangerous, projects, I recently bought books that focus on management and, more importantly, leadership.
In one of those publications, Warren Bennis and Bert Nanus listed actions of real leaders.
Among them were:
- do the right things,
- see what and why things could be done,
- share information.
Politicians like John Horgan understand the value of scholarly prescriptions for leadership but their actions are tempered by a preference for secrecy and political expediency and the need to reward patrons that helped obtain office. The primary objective of most political leaders is to maintain power.
In Horgan’s case, he promised in 2017 to do great things. Like:
- $10 a day child care,
- proper funding for classrooms and school equipment,
- a comprehensive poverty reduction program,
- making reconciliation with First Nations a priority,
- funding energy efficiency retrofits to public buildings and residential homes,
- making BC a leader in climate action,
- being guided by science and human health in regulation of fracking,
- effective and sustainable management of BC’s ecosystems, rivers, lakes, watersheds, forests and old growth, while accounting for cumulative effects.
- restructuring BC Hydro and rectifying operations, particularly related to private power purchases,
- gaining a fair public share of the value of natural resource production,
- assuring government transparency and freedom of information.
Unfortunately, the Premier quickly decided that promise making was merely an aspirational ritual.
Sad, because good government must have principle, purpose and direction. According to Bennis and Nanus, purpose has to have resonance and meaning. They note that promises (also read platforms) may look good on paper but without committed implementation, they are of little value. The authors remind of us Lucy’s statement in the final panel.
Categories: Horgan, John
in-sights.ca 
So sad to hear of the Site C worker dying of Covid.
We are offering up human sacrifices to what god?
Not capital, the dam destroys money
Not mother earth, the dam destroys ecosystems
Not human rights, the dam destroys indigenous lands
It must be a very private god only Gordon Campbell, Christy Clark, Rich Coleman and John Horgan know and worship
I’m afraid this god will demand more sacrifices before we are rid of his acolytes
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While I agree that Horgan has been a disappointment.
I guess the alternative was…….. Andrew Wilkinson? Or Christy Clark?
Our leadership options are depressingly limited these days and until major changes are made to political election funding and lobby groups we will continue to see saw from “pro union ” backed Premiers to “pro business” backed Premiers.
Sadly
Our democratic process at work……
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My “Dud” theory on BC politics from an earlier post.
Here is what has happened to our politics and why we now have duds galore.
In today’s government, real government emanates from the Premier’s or Prime Minister’s Office and the trained sheep who are in the majority support what the P.M.O. or P.O.tells them to support.
Woe to the independently minded MLA or MP who votes against the P.M.O or the P.O. This is why minority governments tend to be good because the Premier or P.M. must listen to non party supporters of the government.
Thus the party must insure that the stupider candidate is nominated because a smarter or more independent candidate may vote against the government, as we saw with Trudeau’s Liberals an election ago,
Over time, only duds run for office and only duds are elected and as we see provincially and federally, we have government by dud, rather stupid people who will support the government at any cost.
Until we assure smart people run for office and not duds, Canada will eventually collapse under the the weight of combined political stupidity, which is the now “Dud” politic..
The Metro Vancouver mayors are an extremely good example of government by “Duds”.
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We could vote green…. they haven’t been “DUDified” yet
The better way to go, especially in municipal elections is a pool of pre-qualified candidates enter a random draw to be chosen as a representative for a defines term. The representative can easily be recalled with say 15% of voters starting a recall campaign
No more career politicians and no whipping because it’s unlikely they’d get elected again, we could keep the mayoral election in place
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Really useful framing from Jane Jacobs in Systems of Survival
Horgan is using morals and ethics from the “gaurdian” syndrome. The real problem is that he and his advisors all suffer greatly from the Dunning-Kruger effect…. and they are not self aware enough to realize the limits of their competence
In this case, the emperor is not ever going to be convinced that he’s naked
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The premier is allowing TMX to contravene Burnaby by-laws as they begin cutting in excess of 1,300 mature cedar and cottonwood trees on private and public properties.
https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/burnaby-wont-get-bcs-backing-in-tmx-tree-removal-case-3280151
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Mr. Horgan needs a history lesson. Lest he forgets the behaviour that earned the BC NDP a 77-2 shellacking and 16 years in the sin bin. He could start by reading this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_British_Columbia_general_election
Citizens do not like being told to wait silently in the corner while their future and that of their descendants is being compromised.
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The NDP just do not learn from history and keep repeating it ad nausem.
FastFerries sunk the NDP, yet they have repeated, with site C and the Broadway subway.
Horgan’s gross indifference to the realities of BC politics seems he has remembers nothing and learned nothing from previous NDP administrations.
Campbell’s 10 year free reign of terror, destroying this province can be laid at the NDP’s door and they are doing it all again.
I just cannot vote for such a politcal party and tens of thousands of BC voters are doing the same. Horgan’s NDP are savouring a skewed victory of the BC Liberals, lead by a inept leader, the next election could be a repeat of 2001 or worse.
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Thats disgusting and shameful too block you. Dirty slimey politicians whom we pay our taxes for their wages, pensions and lifestyle so they can represent us but don’t. Oh well no worries because these cowards came up against your courage to fight for accountability and transparency, and they didn’t like it. They’re nothing but entitled losers.
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I know I tend to be tiresome with the NDP, but really, to block me just sends the message that they do not give a damn about anything, except their politcal agenda.
Horgan’s NDP has become as bad as the previous government they replaced and it is shameful, especially for a politcal party that claims to be the party for the people.
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Can you get over the name calling & add something constructive?
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Just a note.
I sent out an email to all Fraser Valley politicians, regarding the Rail for the Valley project and the fiscal issues of the current expansion of the SkyTrain light-metro system.
I also sent a copy to the NDP, the Liberals, and the Greens.
I have received an polite letter from the the BC Liberals, the Greens were more interested and had a, again, polite response.
I have been blocked by the NDP.
This is a very good example of Horgan’s open government.
And for the record, i have been blocked by the city of Langley, the city of Surrey and the
city of Vancouver.
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During this unfortunate crisis brought to us by nature, Horgan decided to selfishly go for a power grab. He and his people, and his irresponsible Health Minister and out to lunch Health Officer perpetrated mayhem and unnecessary deaths upon the loved and lost souls of LTC because of their stupidity in neglecting rapid testing with staff and seniors. But hey, hockey’s all covered.
They won’t even reduce the the class sizes in overcrowded school rooms, but the pathetic hypocrites were all over the sleazy Liberals when times were normal. But it’s okay during a life and death crisis. Even no mandatory order for masks in schools. These useless willfully blind politicians don’t even go into schools to actually see the real situation. Transparency regarding information is tossed to the curbside. John Horgan even had the nerve to say Kids aren’t transmitters. Bonnie Henry gives her little arrogant laugh and downplays everything along with Dix.
John Horgan could get ten reports about Site C and nine could say its unsafe One could say , it’s questionable but proceed with caution, it might be fixable. The hypocrite would take the one that gave him an out too proceed, all for the special interests. Billions saved could be helping so many people right now, in their time of need and danger. Reclamation would still create lots of work. But its better too spend way more and keep people working too shore up a white elephant.
He could have just use some portion of spine and closed made a rule for no non essential travel into BC but the wimp went to court. He should have closed it then seen if there was any challenge. He had the power to close it because of transmission, and it has happened. But the liar and his lying Heath Officer downplays everything.
Too many cowards in the press gallery, political columnists and media and radio broadcasters don’t even have the guts to be critical and objective or ask tough questions. The government butt kissers and calender go too gals and guys have sold out the public good and safety even for the lost loved ones in senior’s homes. These disgraceful creatures are too gutless to question the masters in government. They have stained their profession and sold out the people and enabled the tragic results we see today.
We now had the willfully blind from the BC Liberals when it came to money laundering. Now we have the willfully blind, liars, hypocrites and negligent BC NDP and Health Officials leading the charge too more death and destruction since early last year. Oh yes, we can’t rule out the incompetent’s in Ottawa that caused more tragic outcomes. Just look at the stupidity regarding vaccine acquisition.
A Health Ministry with around three quarters of a billion bugdet and they screwed everything up. Where do these people come from these days.
The billions the citizens pay to such people is astonishing.
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I understand another virtue of a good leader is to be a good listener. Horgan doesn’t, he doesn’t even pay attention. He’s had a whole pile of long time strong NDP’ers who have quit in disgust; in particular over Site C.
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