I disagree with Bernard von Schulmann on almost everything, but especially which party can provide the best government for BC. But I always find him fairly thoughtful and I generally take his posts seriously. So I’m not that surprised at his take on the Cabinet shuffle. It is one crazy mess.
Bernard is a resource consultant and I gather he works with the resource ministries and clients who work with the resource ministries. Check out his posts on the shuffle. I think its fair to say he can’t understand what is going on in the BC Liberal government’s uber-mind over in the Premier’s office when it comes to natural resource management.
“Knowing what a Forest District office does, I can see very little of that work which remains in this ministry. Are all the forest district offices going to become Natural Resource Operations offices?
“So what happens to the BC Forest Service? The Forest Service is a bit of a different set of people within the government. They have a long history, more than 100 years, of being the stewards of the forests. What happens to this history if there is no functional on the ground ministry of forests? From what I can see, the Ministry of Forests, Mines and Lands will mainly be a Victoria shop.
“So where is land use planning? Seemingly in the Ministry of Regional Economic Development and Skills Development.
“The more I read through who does what, the more I am wondering what is the government thinking, it does not make sense to me. The radical change that is going to have to occur in who makes what decisions in relation to lands in BC is going to lead to months of stalling as civil servants are not going to know who they are answering to and what their scope of authority is. You are also going have people from different ministry cultures being put into one pot, this will cause problems and will take time to sort out.”
I was having the same trouble so I’m glad to see an expert as confused as I am. This is some crazy stuff.
And then there is Martyn Brown. Is he unemployable or what? Whatever the reason for parachuting the most hardcore political figure in BC into a civil service position, the effect will be chilling around the deputies table at a time the government desperately needs a reality check. There isn’t a deputy at that table who will feel they are able to speak their mind when Brown is in the room.
I can see Brown now, arguing with the crew, “no, no more god-damned policy. We need to get some stooges calling in to Bill Good to talk up the best place on earth. Here’s the message box. Is Seckel busy? He can call too. He’ll be Curly from Victoria.”
Welcome to the wonderful, amazing world of King Gordo the Idiot (an idiot is a stupid person with a mental age below three years).
It all makes “sense” to Gordo, and he will be on the radio later this week to explain it to all the peasants in his realm.
And his newly appointed Propaganda Czar will explain the wonders of the HST to all the peasants in King Gordo’s realm
With regard to Brown entering the public service, does anyone remember Tony Tozer from an earlier time?
Would you rather that Brown moved to an important ministry and became deputy to the Secretary for HST Information or Deputy Minister of Building Code Renewal?
How do we know there weren’t super-duper, double-secret probation, dual-role deputy ‘no image in the mirror’ ministers appointed by Order-In-Hidden-Triple-Indemnity-Council orders retroactive to June 1st 2001?
Or some such crazy, mixed-up inconceivable thing.
(and I’m only half joking)
.
24 hours in and I am still in the dark why the changes to the ‘dirt’ ministries make any sense.
I am posting more and more thoughts on what the implications are or could be and there is no clear upside.
I still do not know what ministry the Chief Forester of BC is in
Bernard, there are more and more questions rather than less and less – land sales and water rentals one place, administration another and policy another. It’s a mess in the making. Or how about two student financing arms – colleges and universities or the college/university divorce, when the demand direction is the other way, a more seamless system. Very odd.
What evil lurks in the hearts of men? The SHADOW knows. You can fool some of the people, some of the time…..but not this time, VIPER.
The Ministry of Building Codes is pap for the construction industry which is already controlled by Organized Crime. (According to Independent MLA Vicki Huntington)
That Minister knows nothing on this subject.
Vaughn’s column today talks about the VIPER seemingly playing Tinkertoys. Perhaps we can all contribute $1 to fund a delivery of toys to his ofice. That will give him something to do. Apart from exhibiting loss of contact with reality, delusions of grandeur, paranoia, being danger to himself and others….well. you got it. He really is nuts. (What will cost for all that new letterhead, business cards, moving staff, etc.) Cheers.
MLA Huntington’s comments about developers and the real estate industry appeared in the Delta Optimist about Oct. 24/09. She also commented on money-laundering.
Cheers.