"British Columbians
still waiting..."

Don't ya'll get excited now!

G and M of the G and M, or Gary Mason of the Globe and Mail weighed in with the results of yesterday's "first day of the Basi-Virk trial." Without resorting to any and regrettably indelible tawdry bedroom scenes, he fills us in on yet another false start of this Kabuki Play from Hell.

In British Columbians still waiting for the curtains to lift Gary tells us that this "Case promises to shed light on the way Campbell's Liberals do business." Well DUH!

More than seven years after police raided the B.C. legislature.....a trial fraught with particularly unpleasant consequences for the Liberal government of Premier Gordon Campbell was set to begin Monday in B.C. Supreme Court.

And, of course, it didn’t.

Even though a jury finally materialized, it was just as quickly dismissed so Justice Anne MacKenzie could hear more pre-trial motions. This after four years of similar delays threatened the integrity of the proceedings. And you could detect the strain in the judge’s voice as she reluctantly agreed to adjourn the true start of the trial until Tuesday, while the Crown and the defence sorted out some outstanding issues.

But then, of course:

Now because of a publication ban that Judge MacKenzie imposed on pre-trial matters, we can’t tell you what all the bickering was about in court Monday morning.

How convenient. As BC Mary points out over at her place, the proMedia went all googly over the actual, maybe, for real start of this long awaited trial. In her post from yesterday (since updated, it would appear) BC Rail: What the news media is saying... she has a really comprehensive review of various proMedia and what they had to say. It will be entirely another thing when something happens that can actually be reported. Some wag (it must have been a wag, it is so "wag-like") said that perhaps Justice Anne MacKenzie should sequester the jury rather than the rest of the province.

Over also at Mary's, this morning's latest post, is by Robin Matthews, un-accredited journalist without equal on this file, wondering why all this proMedia is finally at the courthouse and what their true mission might be. He fears that with their lack of preparation and/or understanding of the case and its issues, they are there more to smother the story than help the public grasp the meaning of it all. From "Professional" Reporting ... or something else? by Robin:

Maybe we should wonder about the "mainstream media" that jumps into reporting the BC Rail Scandal, Basi, Virk, and Basi trial for almost the first time. Is it a bid to smother the real story? Is it me-too-ism because other papers are there ... and so ... we have to be there, too?

Already I am feeling ill-at-ease in talking to those msm people who show they know almost nothing about the issue and aren't particularly interested in finding out.

Is their mission a propagandizing one? Are they there to brainwash the public on the real issues?

Who knows, the trial could even start today, we've been given so many start dates that they seem almost meaningless anymore.

To Bill Tieleman,

I'm sorry to hear about your mom, Bill. We all regret that you, one of the only two loyal "reporters" who have followed this case since the beginning cannot be in the courtroom each day now that it may actually proceed. But you are being where you belong and need to be for now. I can only express my hopes that all goes as well as possible for both you and your mom. It says a lot about her, and why you are you, that she "insisted" you attend at least the first (?) day of the trial, yesterday.

Good vibes, wishes, hopes (and prayers, if I were a praying man) are coming your way from this corner of the bloggosphere!