Right pritty speech

Wade Verge — pfffft — either got the privilege of responding to the Platitudes from the Throne on Monday, or was forced to:

MR. VERGE: Mr. Speaker, our Province is in the midst of an exciting and promising period. It is a rewarding time for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. As a Province, we have persevered and believed in ourselves and in this Island of ours. We knew we had the right stuff. We also knew that one day we would see the benefits of living on our Island in the sea or the Big Land in the North.

And just in case you are wondering who would be so clueless, this day in age, to write "this Island of ours" into such a momentous speech, here's a textual clue:

PREMIER WILLIAMS: In closing, Mr. Speaker, William Faulkner once said, and I quote, "I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail." Well I believe with all my heart and soul that Newfoundland and Labrador will not merely endure: we will prevail. I look forward to continuing to work with Newfoundlanders and Labradorians right across this Island and the Big Land, because I believe that our brightest moments are yet to come and that that glass is half full and will be full when we are finished.

Mr. Verge, it would seem, is not only entitled to his own opinions, he's entitled to Danny's opinions as well.