A MAN FOR THE PEOPLE

I had a little fun last night. I happened into a little birthday celebration with a group of retired couples (65 +). Over a couple of rum and cokes, and a few hands of 120s, the conversation turned to the MHAs spending scandal, and then to the Premier's heart surgery. No one in the room had any idea of my past politics, or my blog. I was interested in listening to what they had to say. They should leave the man alone, he has done nothing but good for this province, and besides he saved us a pile of money by going away to have his surgery, was the refrain.

One of the couples has retired from St. John's to their home town out around the bay. They spend the summer and fall in Newfoundland, and the winter and spring in Florida. A family illness caused them to return early this year.

Always up for playing the devil's advocate, I said, so are there many young people out that way? No they replied, all of rural Newfoundland is a retirement village, sure you knows that. I retorted that if Danny was doing such a good job, why has he not created some opportunities on the other side of the overpass.

Well, well! Did I ever get a blast. None of these folks are political in the slightest, but they are true believers. They love the man, he can do not wrong. He is the best leader we have ever had, they said. There was no logic, no concrete reasons to back up why he was so good. It was a truism, not to be questioned, only accepted.

Perception in politics is reality, and the reality is that he is trusted and revered. That he is a humble servant of Newfoundland and Labrador, who has forgone a salary to make this a better place to live and to create opportunities for future generations to come. They like the cut of his gib and genuinely respect him.

While the non-believers talk about propaganda and orchestrated speaking notes, of how the premier's support is a mile long and an inch thick, of goosed polls and fear tactics, the reality is that it is not all spin. The polls are for real, and the voters are unlikely to change their minds anytime soon.

He has a strong social conscience and is a leader who takes a direct approach that people obviously respect. His nationalist brand of left-of-centre politics has resulted in near complete domination of the political landscape.

Danny Williams is a phenomenon, the likes of which we may never see again!

MAKING DRUNKEN PUB BRAWLS SAFE

Responsible drinking in local pubs has been a cornerstone of British society for centuries, but binge drinking is costing taxpayers billions.

In the UK there are an estimated 87,000 glass attacks in Britain every year, costing about $4 billion (US) in health care. Glass attacks are violent assaults by drinkers who've lifted too many pints—and used a broken one as a weapon.

British Home Secretary Alan Johnson says the government has found a solution to the problem. The Labor government is ensuring that drunken bar fights are safer than before. A team of designers has designed new beer glasses that will make them useless as weapons. They added a resin coating to help hold shards together when glass breaks.

Government officials say they are responding to thousands of deaths and hospital admissions every year. Coping with the effects of drunken rowdiness and offending, including policing, health care and loss of earnings, leaves England with an annual bill of up to £13 billion. The official British Crime Survey estimates half of all violent offenses are linked to alcohol – the equivalent of one million crimes each year.


Photo: (AP Photo/PA, Stefan Rousseau)

ADVERTISEMENT
(Click Prev or Next to continue viewing images)

MONOPOLY REDESIGN DOES NOTHING FOR ME

Redesign and change must be the buzzwords in corporate America these days.

Heinz has changed their ketchup packages and now Hasbro has unveiled a new board and digital interface for Monopoly.

The "Revolution Edition" features no more paper money and the board looks like a pizza. The square board has been replaced by a round board, the iconic pewter chacters have been replaced by plastic tokens. and when you pass Go the payout is $2 Million!

I will not be adding this redesigned Monopoly, 75th Anniversary edition or not, to my game collection anytime soon.

Heaven forbid that people actually have to use math and figure out how much they have, need to pay and to give change. I like the game and board I grew up with. I have spent many hours playing the game into the wee hours of the morning.

Not everything in the world needs a redesign

PAUSE AND RESTART: HARPER ACTING LIKE HE HAS THE INIATIVE

Prime Minister Harper is asking MP's to give up scheduled breaks in March and April to make up for lost time from the prorogation period. Apparently, only the New Democrats are questioning the request which will need the unanimous support of the House of Commons.

The NDP say Parliament should be opened immediately. The BQ are reportedly prepared to give the Prime Minister his wish, but House Leader Pierre Paquette said, "we must remember that it's the Conservatives' fault that we lost four weeks."

The Liberals received quite a bump in the polls in the post-prorogation period.. They are now in a statistical tie for popular support with Conservatives, which is pretty significant when you consider they were lagging behind by as much as 15% in the fall.

Despite the gains, the momentum appears to have stalled, and it is unlikely the Liberals will force an election. They have a policy renewal conference scheduled for March 26 to 28, in Montreal. On top of that, the party's financial picture is still not ideal. Several leadership candidates have been unable to raise the cash to repay loans incurred in the last leadership fight and the party war chest is still not filling as quickly as party fundraisers would like. That said, they nearly doubled their income in 2009 when they raked in nearly $10 million, compared to less than $6 million in 2008.

I guess the best one can hope for is a potential coalition scenario. Jane Taber reported last week that the latest EKOS poll shows a potential scenario with a combined NDP-Liberal seat count of 153. In this projection the Liberals would go from 77 seats to 122. The Conservatives could slip from 145 seats to 109.

While some Liberal insiders are saying it would be a mistake to force an election because that would give the Conservatives what they want, I think that the sooner the opposition wrestles the reins of power away from the Conservatives, the better.

However it looks like more of the same. The opposition parties look poised to prop up the Conservatives once again, in the hopes of a better window of opportunity later in the year.

In the meantime, Harper hopes to get a bounce from the Olympics, a compassionate Throne Speech, and his desire to roll up his sleeves and get down to business with a renewed vigor.

DOES ANYBODY WANT THE JOB?

Is the Provincial Liberal Party Leadership doomed to be a farce?

Dale Kirby over at the Tickling Blog provides some thoughts on the process and its likely outcome.