Questionable+Chance for a split vote=anythings possible!

I do not really believe we can paint all MLA's the same.They are given a certain amount for a budget and are told to stay within it.
The true question should be is - who is deciding how the money is spent. Since MLA's tell their deputy's then they tell the departments heads and it keeps going down the chain till it is spent.

Not quite ... it all starts somewhere in the middle parts of the chain, works its way up the chain before heading back down the chain. If you were to study up on what a budget process is and how it works within government, you'll have a much better understanding of how our tax monies are allocated

I have a friend who is part of planning the budget for their department.

MLAs don't tell anybody anything. Bureaucrats run the departments and government, MLAs can only simply lobby.

Well Ministers have to be MLA's to be appointed to their job.
The ones that do not have a ministers seat i do agree they lobby for what they need or want.

I also think you will find in our political system that the Ministers do not have as much say as we like to think. Deputy Ministers and the Premiers office basically run the show in our current political system.

True enough.One just has to watch the House sitting at budget time to see this.
The deputy ministers inform the ministers on the budgets and are there for their question on when the ministers do not know the answers.

I'm not sure if this is house cleaning or jumping from a sinking ship?

Rumor has it two to three more will have to go too.

Hearing the same thing. Apparently one name has already come forward to challenge Bush Dumville for his seat if he doesn't run. It is rumored he is not. It is also rumored that early next week, Ronnie is announcing he will not run. I guess that is good news for Drake as he would not technically be a sacrificial lamb if Ronnie steps down.

Perhaps this house cleaning will rid the Liberals of all their arrogance and ignorance?

Almost 100% sure Dumville will be stepping down. That decision was made well over a year ago.

As for MacKinley I'll believe it when I see it.
He is getting too many meals and too many trips on the public dime with a very light work load. Why jump off that gravy train.

Maybe he is tired of people having this opinion of him.
I think if Ronnie stays he might be pushed back to sit beside Brown and Ronnie likes to be out in front and in the limelight.

If he is tired of people having that opinion of him he has only himself to blame.

The reason Ronnie will win, by a landslide, if he runs is because he looked after constituents concerns. Regardless of what your concern was, if he had to take it to the floor to get an answer for people he did. He was not always articulate. Hell I don't know if he was ever articulate, but he fought for everyone. I know a fella who drives the conservative candidates around his district every election. The guy bleeds blue. But there was a time he needed a new culvert in his community back when Binns was running the show and Ronnie was the only Liberal. This guy didn't live in Ronnie's district, but after months of asking the people he still supports to this day and getting no where, he gave Ronnie a call. The culvert was installed
2 days later. Not bad for a 1 man opposition.

And lets be honest. Ronnie is of the age he can start drawing a pension, one that has to be significant with the years he has put in. He owns a farm. He owns a lot of land that the province will eventually need to buy if they are going ahead with a Cornwall bypass. Ronnie will never be stuck for cash.

You are thinking of the old Ron McKinley.

The current one doesn't resemble that at all and hasn't for a long time.

Resemble what exactly?.....I have heard of people getting government jobs through his influence. I thought that this sort of "old school" politics was abolished years ago? If he does run again he will probably win but he won't be front and center anymore.

That is not just Ronnie, but every MLA from both parties. This is all done through the EDA. When an MLA calls the EDA looking for someone to be "assisted" in finding work, there are several pots of money there they can go to. The last resort is the pot that is assigned to each MLA. Every MLA has a certain amount of money that the EDA can use to find people work and it is reserved for subsidies for constituents that MLAs approve. This includes opposition MLAs.

Don't get me wrong, these are funds to provide subsidies for high paying jobs for party supporters. These are funds to subsidize, often at 50%, minimum wage jobs so that people will get hired on at small businesses that may not otherwise hire. This helps the person get their hours for EI. May in some cases even keep them off Welfare.

The point is Patronage is alive and well on PEI. Always has been, and likely always will be. And both parties are taking advantage of it.

I do agree.I have talked with a few people i know in his riding and they have this opinion too.
I think his expenses have changed quite a few peoples opinion on him.