Black Gold, Texas Tea

Oil is one of our most prized resources. It has brought us everything from the invention of plastic, the development of drugs and the freedom to drive anywhere we choose.

Oil as a commodity has brought war, political corruption and corporate expediency to the world. On Tuesday, Lukoil, the largest Russian Oil company, opened its first office in Beijing, China. This event, which won’t make the headlines over here, sets the political and economic agenda of the next few decades. China is the second largest oil consumer after the United States and they’re doing something about it at home and abroad.

For example, China expressed interest in buying up Unicol’s share of Exxon Mobil, but that deal was squashed just before close. China has a deal with Nigeria, signed in July, that consists of 30,000 barrels a day in exports from the African nation. Lukoil’s deal includes the shipment of oil from Kazakhstan to the China Sea by pipeline. They hope to be operational by the end of the year. China also signed a deal with the province of Alberta for a piece of the action in tar sands development in western Canada.

Meanwhile, in North America, gasoline prices rise, refineries close and the Gulf platform drillers try to recover from two of the worst hurricanes ever. It can only mean that an energy crisis is coming and it’s going to be worse than the one we had in the mid-70s. Since we depend on oil to drive the economy, as it were, the economic bubble is about to burst, especially in the United States. Just ask Alan Greenspan, the king of understatement, who recently admitted that the Federal deficit is too high and certain borrowers and lenders could be exposed to significant losses. He should have told us to stop living beyond our means, pay off the credit cards and sell the SUV.

But to understand the oil business is to understand our world politically and economically, but it’s not easy. There’s a lot of manufactured confusion out there.

George Bush, Condoleezza Rice and Dick Cheney all come from big oil. Ironically, they probably understand the coming crisis better than most people. Even Bush asked his fellow Americans to start conserving gasoline the other day. [That was remarkable]

So, if the gang in Washington, DC is quivering in their boots, the rest of us may be shivering in our beds this winter.

That’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Generally Speaking

It is remarkable how important one’s allegiances are when you become the Governor General of this country.

Tomorrow, Canada is going to get a new GG, Michaelle Jean. She was born in Haiti, grew up in Montreal, took up a career in journalism and has worked for Radio-Canada and the CBC. She’s also fluent in five languages, and holds a French passport. Yet for some Canadians she’s not good enough.

Once again a deeper issue rises to the surface: racism.

Canada is a tolerant but quietly chauvinistic country. The appointment of the Governor General always brings this feeling to light. Adrienne Clarkson, the outgoing GG, received criticism when she was appointed in 1999. In fact, she was constantly condemned for spending too much money and going on goodwill trips abroad that weren’t appropriate for her position, regardless of their success.

The controversy started for Jean when it was discovered that she and her French born husband, were in sympathy with Quebec separatism. Later, she had to renounce the political position she once had ten years ago in order to be “approved” for the GG appointment. Yesterday she had to renounce her French citizenship in order to get the job. [According to the rules, you can’t have dual citizenship]

Why is it that a country that celebrates its multiculturalism still insists in the purity of the Queen’s representative? Some of us have trouble with the notion of a new Canadian taking a very traditional job within our political system. The older generation prefers an older British-looking male for the role, while the younger set prefer a person of today.

Surely we can rise above this chauvinistic attitude and celebrate the appointment of Michaelle Jean for what she brings to the position.

That’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Audit This

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is entering its 39th day of a lockout of its 5,500 employees. When the lockout ends, and it will mercifully end in the near future, we’ll need to take stock and assess where the CBC is now and where it will go next.

We need a fresh beginning and the best way to start is an audit of the CBC.

An audit is a process with strict standards and conducted in the service of Canada’s parliament. The office of the Auditor General reports to the House of Commons, not to the government or any political party. The Auditor General seeks to reveal the financial activities of public institutions. As they say “independent information, advice and assurance to help hold the government to account for its stewardship of public funds.”

The CBC is one such public institution.

According to the Financial Administration Act, most Crown corporations are audited every 5 years. This is called a “performance” audit. A “financial” audit, is performed annually, just like any self-respecting corporation in the public or private sector. According to the Auditor General's Communications contact, a special "examination report [read performance audit] will be issued shortly'. They will also include the lockout time frame into the next financial audit, which is due in May of 2006.

An audit of the CBC can provide management, workers and the public with valuable information about its operations. From this understanding, the CBC can move forward in a progressive and non-combative manner. For far too long the “Us vs Them “ mentality surrounding negotiations seems outdated and outmoded as a means of settling contracts. The climate created between upper management and the union is one of anger, distrust and bitterness.

Once this lockout is over, the CBC’s upper management VPs must resign, because they’ve failed to provide the kind of direction worthy of a public broadcaster. The leadership of the CMG must be respectfully retired, because they are burned out.

It’s time to move into the 21st century with new people. We need a common goal to serve the public and not the dollar; to service ideas and not chase ratings. Only by making a completely fresh start with younger, qualified and energized people, will the CBC be able to continue to do its job effectively. Otherwise it’s business as usual, and that's unacceptable.

That’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Educating Korea

The story of North Korea’s cooperation to “abandon” the development of nuclear weapons marks real progress and an end to the strong-armed tactics by the Bush gang in the region. The deal was negotiated by several countries including China, Japan and Russia. Remember, North Korea is part of the "axis of evil", according to President Bush.

Meanwhile, Starbucks has announced a 5 million dollar promotion fund for education in China. According to Howard Schultz, chair of the company, “ it mirrors what we did in the past 25 years in America in creating profitability and balancing that with a social conscience." I’ve often found that the odds are always tipped in favour of the house, when it comes to corporate social responsibility. Starbucks, the great American invader, needs more outlets. Apparently, they only have 140 stores which really means that the Chinese just aren’t being served! [This looks like a bribe to me.]

North Korea has to have a deal: its bureaucracy is starving the people and isolating it from the rest of the world. China is slowly becoming the leader in world economics. North Korea is a neighbour of China and good neighbours need to get along in order to keep the peace and open for business. Maybe Starbucks will set up a 5 million dollar education fund in Pyongyang.

Bush has to reconsider his “axis of evil” notion of world politics. When he said it in 2002, Saddam was still in power in Iraq, and North Korea was being sold as an evil empire with missiles capable of hitting the American midwest. The case against Iran is still under construction by the Pentagon.

So, no more tea in China, no more nukes in North Korea and all is right with the world. Time for a frappuccino: after all, it’s the American Way.

That’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Poll to Pole

The BBC has recently released a poll of more than 50,000 people in 68 countries. It was conducted by Gallup and called the International Voice of the People Poll 2005. Considering the size of the sample and the BBC’s desire to put world opinion on the front page, this is an important story.

Are the people still hoping to rule the world some day? This poll by the Beeb says it all depends on where you live and how much control you have over your life. Sixty-five percent say that their country is "not" run by the will of the people. Over half say that their country’s elections are "not " free and fair. And most notably, those polled preferred more intellectuals or religious leadership with fewer military and business people and journalists at the top. Key to the third item was the inclusion of journalists. [Ouch!]

Key to the second item was the American result: Fifty per cent of US citizens trust religious leaders and 40% would give them more power. Are you sure you want a guy like Pat Robertson for President? Wait a minute, you already have a religious leader!

I like polls like these because they prove “We the people” never get the governments we deserve. We judge politicians on what they say rather than what they do and we often have memory lapses on election day. Perhaps we should heed the poll and ask for higher standards next time.

That’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.

The BBC series, based on the poll, is called: Who Runs the World? For more information try:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/09_september/15/world.shtml

The Ghost of Tom Jakobek

Politics...It asks for the highest type of men, and there’s nothing in it to attract the highest type of men. So we have to work with what we get, and we get things like this.

[From The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler, 1943.]

Tom Jakobek was a long time elected member of Toronto’s City Council. He served as a Councilor from 1982 to 2000. Among his many responsibilities, he served as Chair of the Budget Committee beginning in 1990. The position as Budget Chief is considered the third most powerful position at city hall. He ran unsuccessfully for the office of Mayor in 2003 after working for East General Hospital, in Toronto, as its Vice-president.

This past week, it was revealed that Jakobek, while Budget Committee Chair, had taken money, under the table, for a computer leasing contract with the City of Toronto and a company called MFP Financial Services. After an extensive hearing and investigation costing 19.2 million dollars CDN, Jakobek was accused of “flagrant, strategic lying.” He was called to the stand many times to explain a $25,000 payment he received from Dash Domi, a salesman with MFP, who secured the lucrative computer contract with the city.

Jakobek’s political ghost has come back to haunt the people of Toronto. When he was active in municipal politics, he did the glad-handing, baby-kissing and community picnics without much flare. To many, he was a stubborn chair of the budget committee, often losing control of meetings and his temper. Yet, he kept getting reelected every 3 years as a City Councilor in the Beaches neighbourhood of Toronto. Perhaps he mastered the craft of municipal politics: perform a good service for the riding, make sure your election literature has good photograph of it, and hope voters forget your performance at council meetings.

Now we know why voters become apathetic and the right people never step up to perform their civic duty, there’s nothing in it.

That’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Exit Strategy

Today is the 29th day of a lockout imposed by CBC management on its 5,500 workers across Canada. The CBC is Canada’s public broadcaster operating since 1936, with three principle streams: radio, television and on-line. It has been a qualitative and intelligent source of information for Canadians and people around the world. It has survived strikes, budget cutbacks and lockouts since its inception.

The Canadian Media Guild [CMG] represents the workers. This is the first work stoppage in the 53 year association with the CBC.

But like the Bush gang’s invasion of Iraq, CBC’s upper management decided to lock out its staff, before they could strike. This is a kind of unexpected preemptive move, designed to get the upper hand in future negotiations. However, resistance has been stronger than anticipated. The union has proven itself a powerful force by seeking and getting the support of Canadians, politicians and other unions from the civil service to the steelworkers.

Clearly, the Neo-con managers at the CBC underestimated their opponent. They sought to divide and conquer the workers and failed to recognize the CMG’s collective strength. Now that CBC workers are into the 29th day of a management imposed lock out, the question becomes: what is management’s exit strategy? How will they demonstrate good will, leadership and vision, after the staff has been mistreated this way? This could used as the CMG’s ace that wins the last hand of poker.

The CMG, which has the support of its members, needs the best deal possible because the workers have had enough. I can faithfully say, based on my participation on the line, the locked out staff will not reject any contract. I wonder if the management negotiating committee knows this? It could be used as Management’s ace that wins the last hand of poker.

That’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.

The Life of Brian

Peter C. Newman, long time historian and writer of all things Canadian, is about to release a book featuring the wit and wisdom of Brian Mulroney, one time Prime Minister of this great country and a Baie Comeau street-fighting man through and through.

Newman’s book features selective portions of 7,400 pages of interview transcripts he conducted with Mulroney over a period of several decades. Apparently he interviewed him 98 times. Newman and Mulroney go back to 1961, when they first met and hit it off. Can you imagine talking to this guy, this long? Excerpts appeared in the Globe and Mail this morning as penned by Roy McGregor.

The book should receive the Stephen Leacock award for humour because it sounds like a hilarious collection of outrageous commentary from Canada’s most hated PM. Said Mulroney on his place in history, “By the time history is done looking at this and you look at my achievements as opposed to any others certainly no one will be in Sir John A’s league; but my nose will be a little ahead of most in terms of achievements...you cannot name a Canadian prime minister who has done as many significant things as I did, because there are none.” That’s funny, I can name three. [Frankly I thought his chin would be a little ahead of most politicians]

That is what this book will probably be: a version of I did it My Way. To say nothing of the support from loyal party members, the business elite and his own family. I hope Mulroney takes a dose of humility along the way. I may be naive but nobody gets to the top by themselves. You need political support, financial support and a vision. After all, that worked for an ambitious Corporal many years ago.

That’s just my opinion; I could be wrong.

The Politics of Katrina

This past week a lot of pundits were suggesting that the sluggish response to the people of New Orleans was based on race. I would suggest it echoes the continuing story of the American Civil War. In many ways, America is still a battle of North vs South, rich vs poor. The poor always getting the short end of the stick, be it disaster relief or affordable housing.

The black population of New Orleans are victims of history.

For 300 years, the African American has been treated like a second class citizen in their own country; the post-Katrina rescue efforts only confirm this notion. Yet to suggest that if the hurricane struck north of the Mason-Dixon line, FEMA would have moved faster, and the White House would have acted sooner, is probably correct, but not because of race. It’s because of chauvinism. America is still fighting the Civil War, not on the ground, but in attitude and until the wounds of 1864 are healed, and clearly they’re not, it’s always going to be this way. The elite, privileged North determining what’s best for the South, who are mostly Black, poor and disenfranchised. As Bob Dylan once said, “I saw a black branch with blood that kept dripping”.

That’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.