Regrets I've had a few
But then again too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
Daniel E. Williams, QC, MHA, was the 9th Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. For most of us… on this wind-swept eastern edge of Appalachia, donned by the pitcher plant, puffin, caribou, black spruce and John C. Crosbie, he is simply known as Danny. A man with a twinkle in his eye, a fire in his belly and a rhetorical punch that could land the best of em flat on their derriere.
Williams’ premiership was considered controversial outside of Newfoundland & Labrador. Events such as ordering all Canadian flags to be removed from provincial government buildings over offshore oil revenues, and launching the ABC campaign in the 2008 federal election, among other events, garnered national attention for this political warlord.
While Williams remained a controversial politician outside the province he was ranked one of the most popular premiers in Canada, with incredibly high approval ratings in the province. Who gives a rats ass what inept and obsessively insecure editorial writers in central Canada thought of him. Regardless of one’s personal opinion of the man, he was/is genuine…. as he planned each charted course, each careful step along the way, and more, much more than this, he, rightly or wrongly, did it his way.
Please don’t stop reading yet! This is not a Danny love-in like the one you saw on the television the day that he announced his retirement from politics. Unlike John Hickey and several other caucus members, I have no intentions of bawling at the sight of his backside. My mind have already raced ahead to politics without him.
You see, I was never really a fan of Williams’…but I didn’t really dislike him either. I sort of sat on the fence and enjoyed the pain of the picket. I found him incredibly agonizing to listen to but I was always comforted by the fact that our province was in capable hands.
Inarguably, Williams filled a leadership void when he entered politics and subsequently became premier. Contrary to what some may think, however, he was not the second coming of the Messiah. As much as his independent style of governing gave us comfort that he had our backs, his tight reign on MHA’s (including cabinet) created a culture of ‘followership’ as opposed to leadership and cultivated a sense of defeatism as a means of controlling ambitious minds.
Williams aced his short-term economic agenda and has positioned the province to reap the rewards of our natural resources for years to come. History will define his legacy as putting the province on a sound economic footing to address the incredible social challenges that continue to exist.
History will also note that during his tenure the plight of rural Newfoundland and Labrador continued, our healthcare system imploded and our fishery was set adrift. It does not mean that he did not necessarily care about these issues but rather that he saw economics as a priority, a means of stabilizing the province, and as a more glamorous and noteworthy bequest for future historians.
At the end of it all, at a time when he was riding the political crest, at a time when he was as close to the second coming as mere mortals get, he made ‘his’ decision to cash in and walk away.
Pundits will undoubtedly pontificate and question for some time as to his true rationale for leaving. Was it because staying would have meant at least a three year commitment? Was it because he did not have the interest and/or conviction to embrace an impending social agenda as opposed to an economic one? Was it because he realized that he had expended all his political collateral in keeping the mill open in his own district and, like Stephenville and Grand Falls, that the inevitable was lurking around the corner.
Ah, as Anka would say:
Yes there were times I'm sure he knew
When he bit off more than he could chew
But through it all when there was doubt
He ate it up and spit it out, He faced it all
And he stood tall and did it his way
When he bit off more than he could chew
But through it all when there was doubt
He ate it up and spit it out, He faced it all
And he stood tall and did it his way
