Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

THE SIDEWINDER: MacDUFF'S NAIVE CALL



I have just struggled through Cheryl Ashlie's column (MacDuff’s Call: A political novice with a sizeable ego), in the Sept. 22 edition of The Maple Ridge News.


To say the least, Ashlie's comments are naive and show just how totally out of touch she has become with political reality.


Ashlie lauds the decision of Darryl Plecas to accept John Horgan's invitation to become the Speaker of the House, a move described by almost everyone else as self-serving and a betrayal of the trust of the constituents who voted for him.


Ashlie claims Plecas' turncoat move will help provide good governance but in making this claim, she fails to explain how he will achieve this lofty goal.


I cannot recall a single instance of a Speaker not enjoying the support and respect of all members of the legislature. In Plecas' case, he will surely not enjoy any support or respect from Liberal MLAs. While NDP MLAs might pay lip service to supporting him. many of them will probably also hold him in contempt.


Following the May 9 election, Plecas threatened to throw a tantrum if Christy Clark didn't resign as party leader. We cynics think that was intended as an open invitation to Horgan to approach Plecas in regards to the Speaker's post which until then was potentially going to put a big dent in the NDP/Green majority.


Plecas knew exactly what he was doing and anyone who thinks the decision didn't involve greed and self-interest is deluded.


Ashlie claims Plecas has integrity.


Really? 

 

If Ashlie actually believes that, I will never again be able to take anything she says seriously. Try running that integrity claim past his Abbotsford-South constituents. I don't think many of them view him as anything other than a self-motivated person who is entirely lacking in political integrity.



SANDY Macdougall ... aka The Sidewinder ... is a retired newspaper reporter. He was elected for three consecutive terms to Maple Ridge municipal council in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and also ran for the Progressive Conservatives in Kim Campbell's ill-fated federal election campaign.
Labels:

Comments

  1. IslanderSeptember 28, 2017 at 9:06 AM

    Funny how folks label her SIDEWINDER. Google 'sidewinder' and it now goes straight to her.
    Guess Liberals hope to bury the TRUE RCMP OPERATION SIDEWINDER REPORT (a RCMP whistle blower's story) . Liberals hoped to bury that story 20 years ago.
    And now the real OPERATION SIDEWINDER will be washed away on the Internet, many url pages behind SANDY Macdougall... aka The (New) Sidewinde?. "Clever move Liberals", but some have saved the whole SIDEWINDER REPORT.
    http://www.primetimecrime.com/Articles/RobertRead/Sidewinder%20page%201.htm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan ForsethSeptember 28, 2017 at 7:14 PM

      I'm not totally sure what you are referring to, however the blogger Sandy Macdougall (AKA The Sidewinder) has been using The Sidewinder for editorial comment since the later 1970's. It has nothing to do with the Liberals ... the RCMP ... or any reports

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Budget 2027: After a Decade of Decline, NDP Budget Delivers an Assault on Seniors, Working Families, and Small Businesses

Peter Milobar, BC Conservative Finance Critic, condemned the NDP government’s latest budget as the result of a decade of decline that has left British Columbians broke, unsafe, and paying more for less.   “After ten years of NDP mismanagement, this budget is an assault on seniors, working families, and the small businesses that drive our economy,” said Milobar. “The NDP have turned their back on the people working hardest to make ends meet and the seniors who built this province.” Milobar pointed to a new $1.1 billion annual income tax increase and warned that the government is piling new costs onto households already struggling with affordability.   “This government keeps asking British Columbians for more, while delivering less,” Milobar said. “The question people are asking is simple: Where has all the money gone?” Milobar noted that BC has gone from a surplus in the first year of NDP government to a projected deficit of more than $13 billion this year, while prov...
Post a Comment
Read more

WARD STAMER -- Those are REAL forestry numbers, not just made-up numbers

The following is a condensed version of remarks Kamloops – North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer’s made, regarding Forestry, in the BC Legislature, on Tuesday afternoon (02/24/2026)   Let’s talk a little bit, when we talk about Budget 2026, about the forest industry, which is near and dear to my heart. Forestry remains one of British Columbia’s foundational industries. It’s a pillar that built this province. Entire communities depend upon it. Interior towns, northern communities, Vancouver Island regions, the Kootenays, the Lower Mainland, with manufacturing facilities in Surrey and Maple Ridge, just to name a few — everywhere in BC is touched by forestry. One word that was not mentioned in Budget 2026 was forestry. That’s a shame, an incredible shame. It wasn’t an oversight – it was intentional. This government has driven forestry into the ground .... INTO THE GROUND! We can talk a little bit about some of the initiatives that this government has brought forth, to try to resurrect ...
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH -- Before anyone gets excited about one poll showing a candidate with a 25 percent lead, and 44 percent support overall, let’s give it a few more weeks

Is this based in reality -- how accurate are the numbers? In the past couple of weeks a couple of candidates, for the leadership of the BC Conservative Party, have been presenting polling results that they lead the pack – one even going so far as to say they have a lock on 44% of those who will be voting, and a twenty-five percent lead over the individual ranked second. I am going to say that this one, from Kerry-Lynne Findlay, is highly suspect. First of all the company conducting the poll, ERG National Research, is not a Member of Industry Bodies (the Canadian Research Insights Council), meaning they do not adhere to established industry standards for research, such as transparency, privacy, and methodological rigor. AI Overview states that ... based on alerts from the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) and reports, ERG National Research should be treated with extreme caution regarding its reliability, and legitimacy, in conducting political polling. Before I even read this in...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more