The Monkey Cage gone wild

The circus is always in town

Celebritocracy (Image: @PremierofNL/X)

There is a moment when you run out of cute stories, and just stare, chin on floor at the circus that is public life unfolding before your eyes in Newfoundland and Labrador.

You let the politicians and bureaucrats speak for themselves.

Res ipsa loquitur the lawyers call it in Latin.

The thing speaks for itself.

Or in this case, the absurdity does not speak so much as scream.

Premier Andrew Furey announced Tuesday that after 25 years of construction and 40-odd years of planning, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador would finally finish the last bit of work for the Team Gushue highway. $30 million. But not $30 million an DD not finished because they do not have all the land locked up for the roads yet. There may have to be expropriations. So $30 million for now with more to come.

Earlier the same morning public works minister Fred Hutton told VOCM listeners that contrary to what his department told a guy looking for information on government paving contract cost over-runs, his department did track that information. A guy who represents the association of construction companies like the one finishing the Team Gushue also told the VOCM morning pair there were no cost overruns. Companies just got the bids wrong when they won contracts. As VOCM reported: “it is not so much about contracts going over budget, but rather about estimates being off or unexpected things happening.” So cost overruns.

Either the companies cannot estimate properly or the government cannot budget properly or doesn’t care about the final bill and the government either tracks the over-runs and lied to the buddy who asked for numbers or it doesn’t and someone lied to Fred. Neither of these is a good answer unless you are the paving company but there we were on a Tuesday talking about more government spending. It is also why the crowd doing the guv’mint’s uncommunications and political staffing can find better jobs writing for Son of a Critch.

After the announcement Furey was asked by reporters about federal politics. Furey said his government would fight Ottawa to get its fair share of money it is not entitled to under any definition of fair.

Take your pick which part to laugh about.

Crying is another option.

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