Dwight Ball is Untouchable

If Dwight Ball has learned anything amid all the turmoil and unrest of his first mandate, it’s that it can’t touch him. He just needs to ride it out.
If Dwight Ball has learned anything amid all the turmoil and unrest of his first mandate, it’s that it can’t touch him. He just needs to ride it out.
My hands tremble as I write these words, this foul admission of my greatest professional shame—and yet, I am filled
With the premier out of the picture, it is harder to hide the hungry abyss at the heart of Newfoundland
In his own words, Dwight Ball reflects on his resignation, achievements, and legacy as the 13th Premier of Newfoundland and
The 2019 NL provincial election is just eight days away, and yesterday marks three years since the #NLRising rally on Confederation Hill, organized by the NL Federation of Labour. I was invited to sing a couple of songs, so I took the opportunity to write a new one, directly addressing the 2016 Liberal austerity budget. Out came ‘Go Away Dwight and Cathy’, which singled out cuts to education and library closures, cuts to healthcare, and the ‘deficit reduction levy’. The 2016 Liberal budget was an attack on the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, there is no doubt about that. But people spoke out. The rally worked, to some degree. The song? The downfall of writing political songs is that they are only usually relevant to a situation for a short period of time, however, they will always remain historically significant. ‘Go Away Dwight and Cathy’ never gets much airplay these…
Political shakeups in the Big Land sent Lela Evans & Jordan Brown to the House of Assembly. Now they're working
If Dwight Ball has learned anything amid all the turmoil and unrest of his first mandate, it’s that it can’t
"I made a commitment to my people and I’m going to live and die with that commitment. I’m going to
As promised in response to the budget/not-a-budget pre-election kick off, I thought it would be useful to take a deeper look at what the Liberals have accomplished in their four years in office. Halfway through the election campaign is as good a time as any. Everything old is new again. As both the Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives have now released their “costed” platforms, it’s probably a good idea to think back to where we were when the parties went through this exercise in 2015. Memories of Elections Past In the spring of 2015, Progressive Conservative premier Paul Davis brought down an austerity budget in response to the collapse in oil prices and the sudden realization that the good times of the previous decade had gone bust. Budget ’15 projected staggering deficits and proposed a series of tax increases (including a controversial HST increase) and a public sector attrition plan…
Is corporate concentration a central part of the province’s long-term strategy for the fishery? How does that benefit Newfoundlanders and
There was something weird spotted in the sky above Main Brook on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula in January 2020.
“We just started last week. I feel like this is the beginning of something.”
Indigenous rights and economic inequality dominated The Independent’s coverage of Muskrat Falls and Budget 2016.
"There is a foundation here for something maybe even bigger, which is democratic and broad-ranging.”
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
With the premier out of the picture, it is harder to hide the hungry abyss at the heart of Newfoundland
Independent MHA Paul Lane speaks out on the ways consensus is formed and decisions are made in N.L. politics, disrupting the illusion of representative democracy in the province.
Lake Melville is being watched closely by all three major political parties, who see potential opportunity against independent incumbent Perry
This is a referendum on negotiating debt relief with the federal government. Your only choice is how much leeway to
So-called parachute candidates can be controversial, but they can also serve important functions—and even strengthen democracy.
The “we’ll come through this” mantra is not helpful for those expecting organization, protest, and change.
“By supporting one another, we all do better. I think that’s part of the magic of Newfoundland and Labrador’s arts
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
Twillingate is in the midst of a yarnbombing that aims to lift spirits while encouraging safe physical distancing during the
Why aren’t we doing more to prevent rich people and corporations from hiding their money to avoid paying taxes while people in N.L. and elsewhere suffer in the name of ‘necessary’ austerity?
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
If Dwight Ball has learned anything amid all the turmoil and unrest of his first mandate, it’s that it can’t
The 2019 NL provincial election is just eight days away, and yesterday marks three years since the #NLRising rally on
“If 10 or more of you get together as a united group you have the power to demand change to this horrible budget. If cabinet is unwilling to act, cross the floor and form the Official Opposition.”
This is a referendum on negotiating debt relief with the federal government. Your only choice is how much leeway to
So-called parachute candidates can be controversial, but they can also serve important functions—and even strengthen democracy.
With the premier out of the picture, it is harder to hide the hungry abyss at the heart of Newfoundland
St. John’s Pride Week festival and parade have grown “exponentially” in recent years and remain important not only as celebrations, but also as platforms for progress on gender equality, say organizers.
If Dwight Ball has learned anything amid all the turmoil and unrest of his first mandate, it’s that it can’t
You’re probably wondering why a person would create such a tiny space for themselves, this prison cell. Well, why does
Growing up bisexual in the Big Land made me who I am. Never once did it make me feel small
Women’s rights advocates hold rally outside closed-door discussions on domestic violence at Confederation Building, say Budget 2016 puts women at risk.
Two months after a mistrial was declared in the Snelgrove case, a panel convened in St. John’s to demand justice
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
If Dwight Ball has learned anything amid all the turmoil and unrest of his first mandate, it’s that it can’t
St. John’s songwriter rewrites classic Newfoundland song “The Government Game” in response to the Liberal government’s austerity budget.
"There is a foundation here for something maybe even bigger, which is democratic and broad-ranging.”
Lake Melville is being watched closely by all three major political parties, who see potential opportunity against independent incumbent Perry
Voters do not have the ability to give properly informed consent so far in the 2021 election. That's a major
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador should immediately tap the international bond markets and borrow $3 billion.
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
With the premier out of the picture, it is harder to hide the hungry abyss at the heart of Newfoundland
In his own words, Dwight Ball reflects on his resignation, achievements, and legacy as the 13th Premier of Newfoundland and
“We need to stand together and show that we are more than the quaint people hanging clothes in tourist commercials.”
Lake Melville is being watched closely by all three major political parties, who see potential opportunity against independent incumbent Perry
Voters do not have the ability to give properly informed consent so far in the 2021 election. That's a major
Find out where candidates stand on issues including the province’s changing demographics, paths forward for its troubled economy, climate change,
Minister Gerry Byrne’s recent comment that the filibuster served as a deterrent for women entering politics told only part of the story.
With more women listed on the ballot than ever before, candidates and advocates highlight their experiences—and barriers to political participation.
With the premier out of the picture, it is harder to hide the hungry abyss at the heart of Newfoundland
If Dwight Ball has learned anything amid all the turmoil and unrest of his first mandate, it’s that it can’t
As residents and groups ramp up direct action efforts while resistance to austerity grows, some observers are calling for movement to embrace mutual aid.
"There is a foundation here for something maybe even bigger, which is democratic and broad-ranging.”
Lake Melville is being watched closely by all three major political parties, who see potential opportunity against independent incumbent Perry
Voters do not have the ability to give properly informed consent so far in the 2021 election. That's a major
For all the negative things it will do to our province, the Liberals’ austerity budget is bringing people together in a very meaningful way.
Here, people can’t afford to lose jobs. In the instance that someone does because of racist rhetoric, our failure to
“We just started last week. I feel like this is the beginning of something.”
It’s easy for white people to deny that racism exists in Newfoundland & Labrador. Black people in this province can’t
It was published almost 40 years ago, but the People’s Commission on Unemployment report reads as if it were written today.
In Labrador, the election fiasco adds another layer to the inequities imposed by a government founded on the denial of
Lake Melville is being watched closely by all three major political parties, who see potential opportunity against independent incumbent Perry
Voters do not have the ability to give properly informed consent so far in the 2021 election. That's a major
“[T]his government did not concede anything out of ‘caring’. They were drove to their knees by the pressure from the marchers…”
In Labrador, the election fiasco adds another layer to the inequities imposed by a government founded on the denial of
Nature abhors a vacuum and when the attention economy is starved of real information it will begin to produce and
Last Wednesday, after a meeting with heads of government, health officials, police, and even the local fire department, Joe Dicker
The Nalcor scandal is just the tip of the iceberg.
Lake Melville is being watched closely by all three major political parties, who see potential opportunity against independent incumbent Perry
Voters do not have the ability to give properly informed consent so far in the 2021 election. That's a major
Find out where candidates stand on issues including the province’s changing demographics, paths forward for its troubled economy, climate change,
It might sound too simple or gauche, but is it possible the personal wealth of Dwight Ball and Cathy Bennett might actually lie at the very heart of the budget about to go before the N.L. legislature?
With the premier out of the picture, it is harder to hide the hungry abyss at the heart of Newfoundland
In his own words, Dwight Ball reflects on his resignation, achievements, and legacy as the 13th Premier of Newfoundland and
And it seems to me, you ran the place like a candle in the wind... and that candle's burned out