Thursday, June 10, 2010

 

I thought "Less is more". Not here. Les is less than ever. His story is headlined "BC Rail goes out with a whimper". Disgusting man.

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What a shameful piece of "reporting":

B.C. Rail goes out with a whimper


BY LES LEYNE
TIMES COLONIST - JUNE 10, 2010


The latest annual report for B.C. Rail was tabled rather surreptitiously in the legislature late last month.

While we adjust to the news that the B.C. Rail corruption trial is going to last 10 months, not the six to eight weeks first estimated, the new financial numbers provide a diversion.

The 2009 annual report was tossed at a clerk with a minimal muttered introduction first thing in the morning, when MLAs are still getting up to speed. If there was a way of sliding it under the door in the middle of the night, the government would have done that. The phrase B.C. Rail is so toxic now that Liberals no longer want anything to do with it. Etc etc etc {Snipppp!}

Jeez.

 http://www.timescolonist.com/business/Leyne+Rail+goes+with+whimper/3135208/story.html#ixzz0qTE6pY00

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Comments:
Of course the mainstream media do not want to cover the trial in today's paper because Gordon Campbell has his annual fundraising dinner tonight with tickets priced at $350!

Canwest and other corporations will purchase tables of 10 for over $3500 (+ HST charge next time)and they don't want the headlines about how the Premier's office wrote a memo on how to answer questions if the Premier met with Bob Virk during the BC Rail sale and left the answer: "TO BE DETERMINED"

How many people on the witness list will attend the dinner tonight? My guess is close to 20 out of 30! But sadly, no media will ask those witnesses any questions about their role in the sale of BC Rail - that will be up to the defence.
 
Les Leyne wrote a piece two days ago about Campbell's Bildenburg trip and he was practically foaming at the mouth about conspiracy theorist bloggers using ALLCAPS and making mountains out of molehills. Comments, not suprisingly, were disabled. What a pathetic has-been hack!!!
 
Mr. Leyne said:

"The board and two senior executives resigned on March 31...."

Fair enough.

But why didn't he tell us the names of those two executives and whether they are, specifically, on Bill Berar(n)dino's Top 40 witness hit list?


______

Mr. Leyne also said this:

"...Most of the B.C. Rail income came from rents, real estate sales and charges that the company levies on other railways for using the line to the port. It's basically a landlord and toll collector. With almost a half-million cars rolling down that (40km spur)line (to Roberts Bank) each year, it's almost impossible not to make money with that franchise...."

But what he doesn't tell us is that the spur line was supposed to be sold to a second bidder, which may or may not have been the RailCo that Eric Bornmann was working for. However, the sale of the spur was pulled back in the spring of 2004 because of the Mounties apparently were worried about the terrible smell of 'taint'.

_____

Given both of these egregious errors of omission in his piece, I find Mr. Leyne's closing line, which is....

"...It looks like failing to meet expectations had as much to do with the shutdown (BC Rail) as the "evolving scope of work."

...to be disingenuous in the extreme.

Why?

Because his whole column is about how the closing down of BC Rail is little more than a disconnected diversion from the corruption trial rather than a well-connected attempt on the part of the government of Gordon Campbell and Shirley Bond* to sweep a key aspect of the 'alleged' corruption under the rug at the last minute just before the company....errrrr...judge arrives for dinner.


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*And remember, according to what Mr. Paul Nettleton explicitly told us right here at Mary's place, Ms. Bond has been in on this thing right from the very beginning.

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Uh, er, can someone explain to me:

If the matter of BC Rail is before the courts, and the politicians have since the raid said "no comment, it's before the courts". Is it not, by the same principle, incorrect - and blatantly illegal - to change the legislation regarding the incorporation of a public asset. It is, after all, "before the courts".

Doesn't it seem logical if there's a hands/tongues off position on the matters of the sale, then any further proceeding regarding it should be "hands off".

Doesn't it seem someone should rise in court and, as amicus curiae, point out the conundrum to the presiding justice and ask that the fate of the company whose affairs are "before the court", should not be allowed to be changed, or folded up, or shuffled away by some sleight-of-hand?

Because, if Defence's thrust is corrupt, the sale of the railway was illegal, in various ways, and any contracts made in connection with it are null and void?

As I've said before, technically what's only in front of the court is the shilly-shally with OmniTRAX, while the acquisition of BC Rail by CN has yet to really hit the courts....though should.

But since it has come up in court, already (and will again), that the overall sale process and background to it was tainted in various ways, that the court should order the government to cease forthwith and reconstitute the railway; and an investigation should be launched into the legality of CN's contracts, particularly those clauses agreed to by the politicians which said that CN would be immune from Canadian criminal or civil law......

Someone should file an injunction about this latest move to make-disappear the railway, To render there be nothing to restore. I repeat, ACJ Mackenzie, becaues you probably read these and have sufficient reason to hate my guts and ignore my opinion: but you've already heard there are major questions about the legality of what happened to BC Rail; you should intervene "because the matter is before the courts" to prevent any more sleight-of-hand from the government machine.
 
I've read a couple of articles written by Les Leyne of the Times Columnist and have to say, it's expected from a small town newspaper that caters to seniors & those that pay for the advertising ( to make sure their ad was done right ). Les & others like him are always trying to maintain the status quo instead of really taking a stand and maybe even fight for the little guy. But I guess if you want to write another story and sell another ad you really don't want to upset anyone. Victoria is really a town that wants to be a city. It is evident in it's leadership over the few years that I've been here. There are signs it might get more opinionated. Just the other day, an editorial on CFAX,
on another political topic, actually ended by saying it was a " bad " decision. Now that is saying a mouth full.

Guy in Victoria
 
Is that koot or Grant that uses all caps, of any of us? Satan?
 
Somebody should photograph the red carpet, or rainy sidewalk, outside that dinner and keep track of which of the witnesses or potential witnesses attended (and/or a special prosecutor or judge or, god help us, a juror).
 
I share your disgust, Mary over this pathetic piece of pablum.

Last night - nary a whisper on any of the news stations re: the Premier's Chief of Staff, Martyn Brown being 'fried' and flipped over on the witness stand exposing his smarmy conduct as the Chief political fixer.

These days in the courtroom warrant blazing headlines - as the machinations of misconduct behind the political walls of OUR BC Government becomes blatantly clear.

There is a glimmer of hope that when the Canwest/Global sales completes in a few weeks, REAL NEWS will again, become the order of the day.
 
Further to your post that the National Post has done some impressive journalism on the BC Rail Trial - this could be the "glimmer of hope" I referred to above re: the new ownership of the Canwest chain of papers.

Paul Godfrey has been chosen to steer and revitalize by Golden Tree Assests one of the movers and shakers behind the purchase.

Mr. Godrey is a veteran newspaper guy who has run the National Post (probably under duress by the Aspers) and is now making a turnaround with that paper, for starters, as the following Globe & Mail article states:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/with-a-salesmans-touch-paul-godfrey-claims-canwest/article1563937/

Mr. Godfrey surely knows that papers sell when the public have reason to bother with the printed word & that ain't spin and sanitized guck that has to date been the Canwest brand as Leyne has just spewed.
 
I remember a comment on CKNW from Keith Baldrey that you really need to read all versions of the print media to get a feel for what happened. Rather than read how Mr. Brown answered questions in the paper I decided to go for myself. His body language and facial expressions are not found in any written material. You need to see him and judge for yourself his responses.

The morning started lated given that ACJ Mackenzie had her welcoming ceremony today. Martyn Brown still on the stand and looking uncomfortable all the time given that his governments political handling of the BC Rail sale was under examination. It is clear that the defence have mountains of emails and other docs that go to direct to the Premier's office. These documents can only be recieved by court order and thus are quite detailed and not the usual edited material that the government releases under FOI.

Interesting lines of questioning around Premier Campbell meeting with the Chair of CN in October 2003. Martyn did not remember and did not feel that it was a potential conflict of interest for the Premier to be meeting with David McLean during the bidding process.

Did the Premier have a meeting with Patrick Kinsella, Ken Dobell, Peter Armstrong, David McLean at Savary Island? Martyn denied any knowledge of this meeting but I was left with the impression that the meeting could have taken place and that Bob Virk had information about it.

Questions around the BC Liberal Party buying Martyn Brown a computer to avoid FOI. He denied that but did say government work on that computer would be subject to FOI but he would be the only one that knew.

Many questions around the financial details of BC Rail with the defence pointing out that BC Rail made money and that Premier Campbell made the decision to sell BC Rail to CN. Martyn denied that question.

A direct question that Martyn Brown made a female Ministerial Assistant cry for not calling back a prominent Liberal lobbyist, Jess Ketchum. Martyn could not remember but said that it could have happened.

However, I am still perplexed at how the media have virtually ignored the obvious question from yesterday's event where the defence filed a Premier's office document full of questions and answers. The kicker being that when the premier is asked about attending meetings about the BC Rail sale with Bob Virk the answer was ...."TO BE DETERMINED".

I guess the Premier's office has got it right - the integrity of the Premier on the sale of BC Rail is also "TO BE DETERMINED" at the end of this trial.
 
Les Leyne...A greasy little man, how on earth did Les Leyne win a Webster award this year?

Mary, what do you expect from Les Leyne....

Don`t you recall a document where Les Leyne was branded a Gordon Campbell friendly and he was specifically used for Government spin and propaganda....

And who could forget Les Leyne`s classic propaganda piece....

"So What"

Perhaps Mary if you put Les Leyne`s "So What" story on display .....The viewing public could see how amateurish and biased Les Leyne really is....

Les Leyne...."The dirtiest reporter on Vancouver island"

No Les Leyne, I didn`t make a typo error...You are not a columnist, you are a water boy, the guy who brings coffee to his masters, you have no skill, no insight, your writing is bland, you have never busted a story or brought any special insight to any topic....

You Les Leyne are not worthy of a Webster Award...

You qualify for an award.....Les Leyne..."The reporter who kept his nose in Gordon Campbell`s ass the longest and enjoyed every minute of it"

Good Day
 
Skook:

"Is that koot or Grant that uses all caps, of any of us? Satan?"

What in the hell is this about? I'm blogging about the Leastest Leyne at the moment and instructions to install his new orifice will be posted shortly at the House
 
"These days in the courtroom warrant blazing headlines "

You mean like we were inundated with during the nightly Glen Clark deck show complete with nightly promo clips of extras from the Sopranos exiting a North Burnaby card club? It was wall to wall from the 6:00am to 11:00pm news daily all week -every week - month after month - until Justice Bennett acquitted Glen Clark of all charges, which wasn't covered quite so thoroughly for some strang reason..........

I still can't get out of my head those shots of Glen pacing in front of his kitchen window while the back lane of his home is filled with cops and TeeVee paparazzi, with a cut to the Sopranos in Burnaby............
 
Bill T seems to be the first out of the gate today

GAB
 
Jess Ketchum, Kinsella, Armstrong and Brown . . . same old gang that played around with VanderZalm - Liberals my foot . . . how 'bout private political 'Clubbers' that have been in the same selfish sludge for decades; some of whom used to know the meaning of decency and fair play until money/power ruled their every play.

Greed is an ugly trap.
 
I remember well Koot the whole disgusting manufactured charade set up to destroy Premier Glen Clark - a decent man who truly tried to get BC back on track with innovative economic ideals done in by a corrupt bureaucracy and the power players he didn't play to.

The irony is that Glen Clark wasn't unlike the greatest Premier BC has or probably will ever see: WAC Bennett. It's all about vision for the people

Quite the contrast isn't it?

But Glen got the last laugh - look where he is today!
 
koot, don't take it personal, I was just asking as to who of us it was that likes to use all-caps....

I know some of the PAB trolls/ anonymooses do too......

just had me wondering who had Campbell's goat by the throat....
 
Les is all over the map on many subjects but if he writes a couple of articles on one subject he seems always to end up leaning to the right. He is so often wrong that some of us read his stuff just to get a good laugh. Let's face it, he works for a newspaper that charges for 7 day service but only delivers for six days. Some of his articles lean toward stupid comment. But who else would hire him? You learn more about what's going on in Victoria by reading most anyone else.
 
Anon-Above at 1:11pm--

Thanks very much for that eyewitness report.

Just want to clarify, one point....

Are you saying that Mr. Brown was asked about a meet-up at Savary Island involving Mess'rs Patrick Kinsella, Ken Dobell, Peter Armstrong, David McLean and that he gave a non-denial denial?

Can you tell us if this ask and response happened in court today, Thursday June 9th, or yesterday, Wednesday June 10th?

I ask because I want to be able to quote the correct date if this issue comes up again later on in the trial and because of the discussion that broke out on the comment thread at the bottom of this post over at my place.

Thanks very much.

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Anon @1:11pm--

CPress in the Globe is confirming your account of the questioning regarding the alleged pow-wow at Savary. You can find it near the bottom of this report.

Thanks again for telling us about it.

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My thoughts on this matter are now up at my place, here....

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Hey Skookum!..........

Just to let you know, I don`t use CAPS....Although I occasionally use big letters...And I do start sentences with a capital letter...

As for hands around Gordon Campbell`s throat......

I do tend to wake up with clenched hands...Especially if I was dreaming(or nightmaring) about the present Government...

We bloggers will bring down Gordon Campbell.......

"Recall in the Fall"

Good day
 
More from Mr. Brown on personal computers, FOI, and cabinet meetings:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/government-staff-used-private-computers-for-some-files-corruption-trial-told/article1599652/
 
LOL I was using Google to short-cut to get to "BC Legislature Raids" so I could correct something someone euhemerized on that wikipedia article (changing 990 year lease to 90 year lease "because it must have been a typo") and noted this on the bottom of the Google search page:

Searches related to BC Legislature Raids

*shark atacks British Columbia
*bear attacks British Columbia
*cougar attacks British Columbia

Somehow seems more than fitting in all three cases...."bear" - Wall Street...."sharks" is obvious...."cougar"...well, there's a few of those....
 
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