A goodbye to Merv Adey

Posted on by Laila

Kurt Vonnegut once said: “I consider writing to be an act of good citizenship.”

When it comes to Merv Adey, husband, friend and respected #bcpoli blogger, its most fitting. It’s with great sadness tonight that many of us have marked his passage from this earth..

Norm here

Grant here 

And now I find myself called to keyboard too because Merv was more than a good citizen…he was exceptionally engaged even before he began writing about issues that troubled and concerned him. He followed all our blogs, commented and emailed and early on I think we all knew he would be a great blogger too. I encouraged him. Norm encouraged him. Pretty sure RossK did too! And eventually he did, and never looked back. We needed more lights to shine and his was bright-his words concise and pointed. His natural curiosity and sense of outrage for a clear lack of integrity displayed and fostered by the Clark government led to keen observations.

Yet at the heart of it.. and what called to me in his writing…was a heartfelt desire to see goodness done, to make this province a better place for everyone, and to hopefully fill a void lacking in public commentary.

Nowhere better did he display this, than in a post done just in June… and reading it again now…crying… I can sense in his words at that time, an urgency and need to lay clear a legacy for his readers. We must not forget them.

I’m going to leave you with some excerpts of his post, as a reminder of why he did what he did.. and to honour his work, and his memory.  They are inspiring, and full of emotion.

May his words guide you to become better citizens too…even in some small way…because it really does matter.

I’m going to miss you Merv.

Past and future.. We are in between This blog began as an attempt to hold what I perceive to be a biased pro-corporate media accountable. More and more, it became less that and more a running critique of Clark’s government. For this post I want to return to the root…

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What I will do is call for the amplification of buried and lost news, and more than that, amplification of voices who advocate and activate for a good purpose.

Politicians, media, partisans, ordinary people, bloggers..Big news sources, small independents. Like the old book, we will all write it together. Most of all…those who stand up for something just and for the broader public good will need amplification to compete with the noise. Many of the voices.. bloggers, activist groups, will be different.. Where they are honestly trying to achieve some balance they need your help.

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But where have you been??

What I really want to do here is encourage anyone who reads this post to do a few things:

a: Read widely. Sourced factual news is everywhere . So is fake news. You’re smart enough to discriminate.

b: Don’t think your voice doesn’t matter… I’m proud of this blog, (though I’m probably more aware of it’s faults than anyone. I’m not the most technically proficient blogger)…. I’m proud though, not because I’m read by more than a few thousand at the best of times. I’m proud because of who reads…Politicians, journalists, activists and other voices I so respect.

c: If you have an issue in your community that needs to be raised, don’t underestimate the power of your voice. Collective is stronger than individual it’s true, but don’t underestimate an honest, fair, public minded raised voice. It’s powerful.

d: Share the good stuff….Don’t assume because you learned about these unauthorized dams in the wilderness today that anyone else did. Many things I’ve learned from small sources deserve to be front page news. Amplify.

The unknowns of the new reality in BC are enormous. The new government will have an extremely difficult job, but the election result guaranteed one thing. The vice grip of the BCLiberals has been broken. Even if they gain one more seat they will no longer have a blank cheque to do whatever they or their donors want without regard for consequences.

That’s huge. How media covers the new reality will be fascinating. Enjoy the ride. I will.

 

 

20 thoughts on “A goodbye to Merv Adey”

  1. I was out all evening, so I had to rapidly flick through my Twitter feed looking for things I NEEDED to read. Sometimes stuff falls through the cracks.

    Thank goodness I have had the good sense to subscribe to your blog (even if we don’t always agree 😉).

    You are right, we have all lost an important voice, an insightful observer of our political landscape and, dare I say it, a good friend. I never met Merv, except as a Twitter presence and a blogger, but I felt, through the often shared viewpoint, as if he was a fellow advocate for the voiceless and the one who wouldn’t accept the BS spouted by Christy Clark and her Greek chorus of sycophants.

    Rest well, Merv, you have earned your peace.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Thanks for this Laila. I guess when many of us go, we hope for something simple, like our friends being able to say, “He/She was a good person.”

    Indeed, Merv Adey was a good person.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Very sad news about Merv Adey. I never met him but often we corresponded, to my great profit for I always learned something or had a valusble comment to chew on. Everyone who loves free sppech will miss Merv – RIP indeed.
    RM

    Liked by 1 person

  4. So very sorry the note the passing of Merv Adey, he will be missed not only within the ‘Blogging world’ but within the general community of B.C.
    Interestingly another blogger, Gary Edwards of ‘How Bad Is The Record’ passed away (murdered) just over a year ago. Very little coverage and no arrest made in this tra
    gic event.
    Rest in peace Merv and Gary.

    Liked by 1 person

        1. Laila, I sent you a message via your contact site per Gary. No arrest and absolutely no follow up per Gary’s murder. Interestingly I note the various murders within the Vancouver suburbia receive a great deal of follow up and publicity. Gary received the one news article that you linked and that was that. I will write a letter to the Editor of the local paper on my return from 2 weeks vacation. Probably title it ‘Murderer or Murderer’s within our midst’
          . Stay well, Laila.

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  5. I did not know the man, but when one passes from this mortal coil, the epitaphs of others shows the mettle of the man and Mr. Adey seems to been the honest broker; the honest scribe who wrote what he thought from fact, for the betterment of his locale and province.

    In a world where those who blog are seen as practitioners of “fake news” and “alternative facts”, those who have posted before me are the real journalists of the truth; who have worked tirelessly for hours to find honesty in a sea of corruption and Mr. Adey seems to be one of the leaders of writing the truth.

    To quote Dickens; “It is a far, far better thing you have done…………..”

    Liked by 1 person

  6. When I first received the e/m from Norm Farrell’s blog yesterday re losing Merv Adey, my first response was What! Noooooo. Still in shock and disbelief.
    The world was a better place because he was in it and we are all better for having known him whether in person or via his writings. His intelligent writings set a standard.
    His goodness and decency shone.
    My condolences to his family and friends for their loss. They are fortunate to have had his presence.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. That those in this Province, who are called journalists, by self-labelling and political puppetry, have failed to mention Mr. Adey’s passing, is an acknowledgement I think he would smile and nod at.

    Liked by 1 person

  8.  

    Hello Laila,

    Have you written anything about NAFTA forcing BC Hydro to privatize? According to that agreement our provincial utility has no choice after reaching 50% private enterprise. We lost 33% when Accenture got the bookkeeping contract. It's located in the Bahamas now to save labor.  Power rates are expected to increase by at least 300% so they are the same as average across the US. My friends and I produced a newspaper insert years ago which is still totally relevant.

    Cheers,

    Arne Hansen

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Sent: Monday, August 21, 2017 at 11:23 PM

    Liked by 1 person

  10. thank you to John D. Hackett for informing us about Gary Edwards, How Bad Is The Record, passing.. His blog had no further posts following 16 Aug. 2015, “The Great Gas Rip off”. Thinking he had ceased to write, checked in once in a while to see if he had resumed, never thinking he was dead. There are several articles at the time of his death advising the death was suspicious but no further details were forthcoming. (same information, different media) Have searched for an obit, but found none. There are no RCMP updates on the cause of death or investigative reports.

    Reviewing his blog back to his first post on 26 Feb. 2008, “the Big Lie” regarding B.C. Rail, was a walk through our recent B.C. History. He certainly didn’t care for Gordon Campbell or the B.C. Liberals. In his posts he refers to his “young bride”, the joy of the birth of his daughter, Mack E, and then a second daughter 15 months later. He wrote he thought of no greater gift in his early retirement.

    From his blog it is apparent he had a first family in his younger years. Two of these children he did not maintain a relationship with but in his 15 Aug 08 post he writes about staying with his adult daughter in North Vancouver. His post is about his travel from her home to the Court house on Smythe St. for the B.C. Rail Trial. He counted 9 homeless people sleeping on the street.

    His blogs reflect his opinions on a number of environmental issues in the province, the HST, the B.C. Rail “sale” and trial. His 7 Jan. 2009 Post announces it is his 200th post and he and “the young bride” are taking their 4 month old daughter, Mack E. to visit relatives. His post on 28 May 2009 tells his readers his daughter Mack E. is one year old, a bundle of joy and has a 15 word vocabulary, and “one day after I’ve finished my fight here you could see her carrying on. Let’s hope”

    Laila, if anyone has any further information regarding the case, is it possible that you print it? I do wonder what the status of the case is? What efforts are the RCMP making to find out what happened? Is a reward being offered for information on the case?

    .

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Eaf, it doesn’t look like this crime is solved and occurred at a time when there was much strife in his life personally. More on that later.Rest assured I am looking into it more.

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  11. Thank you, Laila, for this post. The importance of independent, thoughtful voices can never be underestimated. As I have learned in my day job, one of the best ways to learn is to write.

    Like

    1. First… I have missed you. And this place. And blogging again will come in starts but it feels like home Eleanor. And you are appreciated.

      You are so correct. Nothing like sitting down and getting to it. I think I need to have that on a plaque on my wall…lol

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