Glen Clark's re-emergence into the spotlight continues. He took the stage at the NDP convention last month to celebrate the party's 50th birthday. It was a brief but blistering barnburner of a speech. He made it clear that he may now be the president of Jimmy Pattison's huge business empire, but he's still a New Democrat.

And this week he was featured in a three-part series by Global TV. It was about the incongruous pairing of a multi-billionaire and an ardently leftwing former premier who left office in disgrace in 1999.

Reporter Jas Johal offered a fascinating look at how Clark worked his way to the top of the business world after falling so heavily from the political heights. It's more than a story about a second start. It's a look at a man who is one of NDP Leader Adrian Dix's closest friends. And it's not hard to imagine Clark's new lease on life influencing the man who could become B.C.'s next premier.

Clark may have fired Dix as his chief of staff in 1999. But politics is like the Mob. "Nothing personal. It was just business."

They're still tight. Dix has said he values Clark's input. Clark donated $2,500 to his former aide's leadership bid last year.

Both are on the same page when it comes to how another NDP government should operate - do less, do it better.

In an interview with Johal posted on Global's website, Clark said he doesn't talk politics much, although that sure seems to be changing. He had a few observations.

"It's easier for me to get along with conservatives than it is liberals...

Sometimes liberals think business should be kinder or nicer or something like that ... I've never had that illusion...It's up to the government in my judgment to make decisions on the basis of the public good, it's not up to business," Clark says. "Business has got a job to do, that's to create profits and jobs and everything else that goes with it. It's government's job to deal with all the public policy issues.

"Should a Crown corporation basically not make any money but in fact treat people better? Or should [it] make as much money as it can and then give it to the government who can then decide what the best thing to do with that money is? I prefer the latter to the former."

The former ironworkers' union organizer also had some thoughts about labour relations. Unions should co-operate more with companies trying to stay competitive, without giving up the fundamental right of fighting on behalf of workers.

"In the world we're in now ... labour really has to think hard about how they approach private business."

Clark said his business career has also reduced whatever confidence he may have had in large systems.

"I have less confidence in big bureaucracies, government or business, because they become so unwieldy and difficult to manage."

He said as a politician he would make decisions and expect them to magically happen. "In business, you realize you make a decision and that's the easy part. The hard part is the execution."

Business is simpler than government in some respects, because there's only one over-riding goal: Make money.

"You do it ethically and you want to treat people well, but you want to make money. So the decisions you make you have to follow through and execute, because you can't lose money," Clark notes.

"It puts a discipline and focus on the organization that I think is very helpful."

Clark's government was a tempestuous, scrambling affair. He picked a lot of fights he didn't win It's remembered for the fast ferry debacle, the casino scandal that brought him down and the fudged budget.

But in his convention appearance he reminded members of successes, like more parks, social progress and infrastructure development.

Looking back, he said; "If I was criticizing myself, I'd say: Make less decisions but make the more significant decisions and make sure the execution is followed up better. I think that would make for better government." It's no surprise that turned out to be Dix's theme as well.

Dix has few friends in the business world. But the one key friend he has is right at the top.

lleyne@timescolonist.com