Not so-simultaneous translation

In the public interest, here is today's St. John's Telegram editorial, translated into plain, plain, English:

Tuesday, August 8, 2006
Danny Williams gets a smackdown
By The Telegram

You had to know this was coming: after a few short days of consideration, Supreme Court Judge Raymond Halley has resoundingly ruled that Danny Williams has acted reprehensibly in continuing to block the appointment of Max Ruelokke as head of the Canada Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (CNLOPB).

Premier Danny Williams has squirmed and wriggled and done just about anything he can to install his own candidate as chair of the board.

But unless someone decides to play fast and loose with still more of the taxpayers’ money, the wriggling is now over.

Here’s the nuts and bolts of Halley’s decision: “It is therefore declared that (Ruelokke) is the de facto chair and chief executive officer of the board and has been since Dec. 5, 2005. It is further declared that (Danny Williams) is legally bound by the panel’s decision to select (Ruelokke) as the chair and CEO of the board.”

It doesn’t get much plainer than that.

It doesn’t get much plainer because, on top of everything else, Halley has determined that Danny Williams’ behaviour is so unreasonable as to be judged “reprehensible,” and the government has been ordered to pay Ruelokke’s legal costs.

Here’s what the judge had to say about Danny Williams’ stubborn insistence that St. John’s Mayor Andy Wells should get the job: “It may have been a mistake for (Danny Williams) to promote an unqualified candidate for the position of chair and CEO of the board prior to the panel’s selection of (Ruelokke), but it was mischievous for (Danny Williams) to continue to ‘push’ for his appointment after the panel had made its decision. … (Danny Williams) chose to support one person and urged the panel to select his candidate, who was a long-term local politician. (Danny Williams’) campaign to promote his candidate was ‘doomed to failure’ because he had neither the professional background nor the industry experience to be qualified to act as the chair and CEO of the board.”

Ouch.

Then Halley took the gloves off: “On the whole, (Danny Williams) has treated (Ruelokke) with contempt and disrespect.”

On top of everything else that has now transpired, you have to look really hard to see just how Danny Williams has gained anything from his foolish intransigence.

How exactly is Ruelokke supposed to work with provincial officials, especially after Williams darkly hinted that he was against the appointment because of Ruelokke’s former employment with the oil industry?

This was a process that was badly and pigheadedly dealt with from the beginning — Danny Williams made a bad choice, and then dug himself further into a hole with each passing effort.

If Danny Williams decides to appeal this case, let’s hope everyone realizes that we’re staggering into an area where due process is being abused to the point that it does personal injury.

If Danny Williams appeals and loses again, the judges had better be thinking about punitive damages on top of everything else.

Believe one thing: taxpayers are already going to be paying through the nose for the stubbornness of Danny Williams.