Payments, Paintings and Purging

If you’re anything like me you've probably heard just about enough of the so called "spending scandal" at the Newfoundland and Labrador legislature. Until now I've avoided speaking on the subject because the mainstream media have reported it to death anyway. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t think every penny that was overspent or double billed should be returned (with interest) but the media outlets in the province seem to have developed a serious case of tunnel vision on this story to the exclusion of all else. We all need to remember that while the evening news, radio and the papers are crunching out statistics on top of statistics about who spent what, when, where and how much, life goes on and the very serious issues facing the province haven’t gone away.

The situation reminds me of watching CNN ever since 911. Thank goodness there are other news services being produced in the U.S. because anyone who receives all of their information from that network would think there is nothing happening outside of Iraq. It’s the same in Newfoundland and Labrador these days when it comes to the potential “sticky” fingers of our political elite. Major issues like how the Lower Churchill will be developed, what's going on in fisheries management and the critical issue of outmigration, to name a few, have simply slipped to the bottom of the pile.

The only reason I've decided to discuss the issue at all is because from my own perspective what’s happened here may have a silver lining that nobody (at least in the media) has mentioned. I don’t know if anyone from either party has done anything illegal or not, but regardless of that, good things may come from this fiasco.

Already we are seeing a tightening of controls when it comes to doling out taxpayer funds to politicians. There is a review of policies underway and eventually more changes will take effect within the system in future. In addition to this we have also seen a spate of resignations from office (including two MHAs who were not connected in any way with the actual scandals). Consider as well that while the Auditor General has identified overspending by 5 members and double billing of expenses by a handful of others, he has yet to release his final report. This report will detail exactly how MHAs have been using their constituency allowances over the years and what they’ve been buying with them. I suspect that it is this report that will be the most enlightening of them all and may lead to even more changes.

There will likely be those who have spent your hard earned tax dollars on everything from wine, to art work, to lavish trips, to personal promotional materials designed to help them stay in office a little longer. Perhaps even a gross or two of ivory back scratchers will be thrown in for good measure. It doesn’t matter precisely what was paid for from the public purse, what matters is that it’s likely that even more political figures will be embarrassed into either resigning, not running for another term or (for those who decide to tough it out) will be defeated at the polls. Finally, all the mud raking is also likely to dissuade many long time political party members from putting their name forward to fill the shoes of those that have been deposed before them.

While I personally hate to see the pain this is bringing to those in public office, much of the blame, at least in the cases of overspending and future cases of “questionable” purchases, rests (either legally or at least morally) with those who are being exposed. While these individuals and their families may suffer some personal strife as a result and politicians in general may lose even more respect, the big winner in all of this could well be the people of the province.

With the mass exodus, or house cleaning, underway these days the door is now wide open for a great deal of new blood and new ideas to permeate the hallowed halls of the Confederation building. I’m of the opinion that nobody should get too comfortable in their job. I remember reading a study once that said, on average, a person’s skills, productivity and abilities steadily improve for the first 7 years in any job. After 7 years they tend to level off for about the next 7 however after that, they suffer a continual decline until the day of retirement.

If you equate that to the political figures in our province, anyone who has served 2 terms has already completed their growth cycle and anyone in office for 4 terms or more is a liability.

Consider that in most cases (perhaps Danny Williams as a newcomer may be a bit of an exception) but in most cases the average politician has worked diligently within his or her party for years and slowly risen through the ranks over time. They have done this by building up enough support and internal alliances (by holding their noses in some cases) to seek a nomination and eventually to run for office. This means that by the time they finally get elected they have likely been involved inside party politics for at least a decade or two and are already well past their “best before date”.

Although it’s sometimes hard to believe in Newfoundland and Labrador, the world is changing faster than it ever has before. New technologies, new directions and new ideas are coming along faster than most people can keep up with them. This province will never find a way to take advantage of the new opportunities that come with this rapid change by leaving career politicians in office for decades or electing individuals who have been pushing the same tired old agenda since the 70’s or 80’s.

With any form of government, be it democratic, totalitarian, dictatorship or whatever, eventually there comes a time when a purging of sorts has to take place in order to move the agenda forward. Our time is now and while I wish the media could find a few minutes in its day to address other issues, in addition to this one, I for one am happy to be here to see it all happen. Now it’s up to the voters of the province to ensure that we allow some new faces to get into the game and gracefully wave goodbye to the old ones.