The material below the separator line was first posted at IN-SIGHTS in April, 2013. Today, an acquaintance reminded me about Sean Holman’s important work across many years. In the early days of […]
BC’s uncomfortable political reality — REDUX
Power from the powerful
Politically connected individuals took advantage of citizens’ desire for clean, renewable energy and the Liberals wrote contracts with “lucky firms” that bore no relationship to market prices, guaranteed massive private profits and ensured all financial risks stayed with the public. The contracts in British Columbia last as long as sixty years and allow prices that are as much as 5x market value. In addition, the contracts have annual inflation escalators, a privilege allowed no other commercial segment. All taxpayers get is more power to sell at a loss.
Still too timid to act
Freelance reporter Bob Mackin wrote that BC’s Legislature was a scandal waiting to happen and he quoted journalism professor and former Legislative reporter Sean Holman about the significant potential for abuse. Mackin blames excessive secrecy and lack of transparency…
Square the circle
Rich Coleman flatly says to Mr. Holman that every file in government generates multiple pieces of correspondence. Now, think back to all those times that researchers and journalists used Freedom of Information to request documents and were told there was nothing.
Good news, bad news
Bill Good is in the news this week. David Ball wrote about this news reader turned political activist in the The Star Vancouver. In years past, Mr. Good was a favourite subject of this blog, even though he seemed to have little regard for bloggers…
Rafe Mair’s eloquence
British Columbia’s most informed political commentary comes not from people at rewrite desks in the Legislative Press Gallery but from a retired — but not retiring — newsman. I refer, of course, to Rafe Mair, whose recent work should not be missed. It includes an assertion that, while true, is seldom discussed in corporate media: Canadians are governed by a fraudulent charade called a “parliamentary democracy”…
Liberal astroturfing
Damien Gillis of The Common Sense Canadian talked with Ian Jessop on CFAX1070 about a group that is funded by government and industry. The audio segment is available below. We should pay […]
A billionaire’s views on lost democracy
There is little wonder uber-wealthy invest in politicians because the yields can be high. Two decades ago, California developer Charles Keating gained infamy by looting Lincoln S&L of $1-billion, an amount that […]
Looking beyond deception
In a preceding entry, I linked to a Times Colonist article by Jim Sinclair, President of the BC Federation of Labour. The way it was presented online, I didn’t immediately realize this […]
Particle board cabinet under micro-thin veneer
Will McMartin wrote this a month ago in The Tyee about Finance Minister Colin Hansen: “Hansen was true to his word — he didn’t set out any ‘new directions.’ A new direction […]
Drive-by punditry
Succinct comments from a few of BC’s mainstream pundits indicate that Adrian Dix is the NDP leadership candidate who most worries their cohorts, the BC Liberals. In politics, little time is wasted […]
Inaccurate reporting in the Globe & Mail, what a surprise
After looking at the Globe and Mail headlines this morning, I planned to write about Sean Holman’s contribution. However, Ian Reid at The Real Story beat me to the keyboard. Reid makes the […]
Masters of disaster exposed
Sean Holman of Public Eye provides an example of good enterprise journalism. “. . . let me share a government document I FOUND last week. It describes the behaviours senior civil servants are expected to […]
Hiring foxes to redesign the chicken coop
Corrupt politicians believe public watchdogs should never criticize government policies and programs and must be restricted in how they engage the media. That has been a BC Liberal preference since soon after they took power in 2001.
Breaking news of broken government
T. Richard Turner had a stake in a Paragon Gaming Inc. casino development in Alberta while he was chair of British Columbia Lottery Corp.’s board of directors…
British Columbia blog scene
As Canwest Newspapers and television news faded from legitimacy, alternative news sources became vital for any reader aiming to be informed about politics. Voices from all parts of the spectrum are available […]
in-sights.ca 
Getting closer to actually looking at the dark side of private ownership