Going it really alone

"We're pleased that [Jack Layton]'s joined sides with the Conservatives in terms of providing a guarantee for the development of the Lower Churchill."

That was Tom Rideout, speaking with CBC on January 17, 2007.

Of course, Rideout, on behalf of Glorious Leader, was playing the usual Danny game: putting words in other people's mouths. Harper himself never said any such thing. What he did say was:

We support this proposal in principle and believe that it is important for Newfoundland and Labrador to have greater control of its energy mix. A Conservative government would welcome discussions on this initiative and would hope that the potential exists for it to proceed in the spirit of past successes such as the Hibernia project.

Which is fine, because according to Dean MacDonald on the Ministry of Truth today, his and Danny's Sinn Fein approach to developing the Lower Churchill doesn't need no stinkin' filthy Canadian lucre anyway:

Lower Churchill Do-Able Without Feds; MacDonald
March 30, 2007

Chair of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, Dean MacDonald, says the province shouldn't settle for anything less than what other Canadians are enjoying. MacDonald says he's angry that Prime Minister Stephen Harper reneged on his equalization promises. But he says the Lower Churchill project will proceed despite the controversy with the feds. He says a sub-sea route for the project would cost an extra 1 billion dollars but he says it's very do-able.

Dean and Danny may not have any other option than "Ourselves Alone" in any event. That would be so even without the unprecedented total demolotion of anything even vaguely resembling mature intergovernmental relations, thanks to Danny's hilariously ironic slap in the face to Quebec last fall, and his anti-Conservative-cum-anti-Confederate actions and words of late.

Steven Harper, Gary Lunn, Loyola Hearn, and Jim Flaherty now have three fantastic outs:

- Danny has never actually asked for a "loan guarantee".

- Harper never actually offered one, Danny's paraphrase notwithstanding.

- And now Dean MacDonald says they don't even need one.

But one thing is really strange.

How is it a multi-billion electrical transmission cable, a technically much more challenging engineering project, can be built without government assistance... but a $15-million communications cable can't?