With dozens of applicants to choose from, many with excellent credentials, the Liberals should have no trouble picking one with enough credibility to satisfy the public and the Opposition MLAs on the committee.

Mr. Palmer is quite right. Their failure only reinforces our fears about just how bad things have gotten due to the cuts and endless restructuring of the past 5 years and just what it is that they're trying to hide.

Forget Vaughn Palmer he has no respect. I remember a couple of years ago when the BC Liberals had their convention in Pentiction. At the start of the days fomalities Oh Canada was sung. Palmer was the only person that never stood up and sang the anthem, he sat on his seat looking over his notes. If you don't believe me check with him!

Well then, off with his head, eh. Hey give it a break, the national anthem isn't played at political events for any nationalistic reason, but rather to pump up the troops and, perhaps, to let then think they are actually participating in something that mght be considered patriotic, like serving your country rather than manipulating the voters.

Palmer did what any self-respecting journalist would do and that is to keep out of the rituals and the window dressing thereby having the opportunity to observe what is really going on.

I should hope that MCFD and the Premier are staying out of it. They are the ones that cames up with all the "bright ideas" that led to a system in crisis and the establishment of the committee in the first place.

The subject of the committee came up this evening on Voice of BC. We heard about the governments being just so busy they don't have time to meet etc etc. Palmer was asking the questions and the Leader of the Official Opposition was answering them. It would appear that Gordon is in no hurry to do what Judge Hughes told him to do a year ago. He drags his feet at his peril in my view. If there are lots of applicants who qualify, why not interview them come to a decision and call the house in to vote on her or him. But gosh calling the house into programed session dates would be a waste of time according to Gordo and Mike DeJong. So the kids can wait.What's another year or so if it upsets Gordons schedule. Besides Gordon is arranging a conversation with the people again

It's very uncharacteristic of Palmer to describe BC Liberal, or in earlier times, Socred MLAs in this caustic fashion. He normally reserves that kind of commentary for members of the NDP or labour, or sometimes certain bureaucrats or academics, whom he dislikes or disrespects.

Is it too early to identify Palmer's new attitude -- coupled with CanWest's willingness to publish it -- as a sea change?

T/C Editorial this morning said. MLAs 'too busy' for kids. Have the Liberals learned nothing from the Hughes report into problems in the way children are supported in this province? Seems the opposition is available at any time. Gordon said they would meet as soon as possible and so on. Are they meetings right now? NO.

I sort of like Reaside today( Check out his site) about Talking to BCers about Health Care. Palmer has mentioned this is the third time around on the subject for the Premier. Palmer said the same thinbg in the Sun this morning.

Hell what's another 10 million bucks if it can slow things down for another year. Palmer talked about the same thing last evening on Voice of BC which gets re broadcasted a few more times in the next week. He was talking to the Leader of the Official Opposition.

Mr. Palmer surely doesn't need me to defend him, but I've carefully followed his occasional covereage of MCFD issues for many years and have always respected his fairness on this particular topic. But yes, the passion evidenced above is not typical and I can't speak for the wider political issues that are more often his focus.

I do recall when the NDP were government Palmer often tore off a strip. Maybe he has a sick relative or friend or knows someone with a child in care. Or maybe he is doing what he is supposed to do , tell us what he thinks. We sometimes don't like his position but hey it's life. Few of us are really far right or really far left. Maybe Palmer is working the middle. The present governemnt is spenind around 10 million of our dollars to find out what most ofus already know. The system needs fixing. Kids in care have been shabbily treated since the present government decided to cut a few programs. And yes, the previous government did a few sleight of hand adjustments. But the previous governemtn never wharehoused the records of almost 800 young people. I would tend to listen to Palmer and a few other columnists than Gordo the great communicator