The West-Link deal - we're not unique

serfboard

Came across this here.

Today, the highway is valued at over $10 billion, and the Progressive Conservative party has been heavily criticized for the poor terms of sale, including underestimating the value of the road. Many "905ers" in the rapidly growing Greater Toronto Area who had been expecting to be served by a much-needed non-tolled Highway 407 consider its sale and skyrocketing toll rates a sellout, thereby significantly eroding the Conservatives' formerly strong support base in that region. The CAA considered the 407 contract a fiasco and adopted a platform where they would not support the tolling of any new or existing highways. Even though the succeeding Liberal government have been unsuccessful in their attempts at legal action against the 407 ETR operators, the contract still reflected badly upon the opposition Conservatives who defended it. Current Conservative leader John Tory has distanced himself from his predecessors on this issue and has said that he would not have sold Highway 407 if he had been Premier.

And I thought I'd replace it with:

Today, the West-Link is valued at over 600 million, and the Fianna Fail party has been heavily criticized for the poor terms of sale, including underestimating the value of the road. Many "M50ers" in the rapidly growing Greater Dublin Area who had been expecting to be served by a much-needed non-tolled West-Link consider its sale and skyrocketing toll rates a sellout, thereby significantly eroding Fianna Fails formerly strong support base in that region. (Would that really happen here?) The AA considered the West-Link contract a fiasco and adopted a platform where they would not support the tolling of any new or existing motorways. (Didn't happen here either). [snipped a bit about Fine Gael winning an election!] ... the contract still reflected badly upon the Fianna Failers who defended it. Current Fianna Fail leader Brian Cowen has distanced himself from his predecessors on this issue and has said that he would not have made the West-Link deal if he had been Taoiseach.

Funnily enough, neither Fianna Fail, nor anyone else, have ever, AFAIK, been held to account about the original deal.

DWCommuter

And considering the misery and financial burden caused to the GDA taxpayer for many years, someone somewhere should have been held accountable. We should never, ever forget that or let the administrators forget it. No amount of spin can take away from this disasterous example of Governance.

Tipsy Mac

The finest part of the original West-Link contract was written in it that a competing bridge could never be built.

AlekSmart

It would be my contention that a contract entered into in such conditions as were stipulated is in essence one of bad faith and therefore open to repudiation.

I STILL maintain that the current scam can and should be challenged on the grounds that it compounds an already anti-social one enacted in bad faith by a thoroughly discredited group of public administrators....worth a punt surely ???? :eek: