For a start, it should be noted that the fall session of the legislature was not formally wrapped up - progrogued, to use the proper term - so there is no need to actually start a new session when MLAs return to the chamber next week.

And, in that case, there is no need for a new speech from the throne, the highly ceremonial reading by the lieutenant-governor in which the government lays out its plans for what it wants to accomplish in the months ahead.

But that does not relieve the government of its obligation to tell the people what is going on, and what is in store. The government, starting with Premier Christy Clark, has a responsibility to all British Columbians, and we have a right to know.

With that in mind, consider this email sent by the premier's office to the media on Thursday:

"In place of a formal throne speech, the premier will be appearing on CKNW's Bill Good Show to outline the government's agenda for the spring session."

Reporters from the legislative press gallery - based, of course, in Victoria - have been invited to listen in next Monday morning while Clark fills in all the details for Good on his Vancouver radio show. She will be available for a quick scrum once the show is over.

The premier's office has made it clear that it doesn't want reporters asking pesky questions that might come across as being, well, critical or oppositional. After all of her years in the public eye and on radio - by some strange coincidence, on CKNW - she should understand that that is what journalists are supposed to do.

This might seem like a nice scoop for CKNW, but the negatives far outweigh the positives.

We can understand that the premier wants to carefully control her message and connect directly with the people, but her 90-minute free ride will undermine her credibility, as well as the credibility of CKNW, which now runs the risk of leaving the impression that it is the official spokesstation of the premier of B.C.

We can also understand that when times are tough, it's a natural impulse for her to head back to the safe, friendly confines of a former workplace.

We can't understand, however, how a premier so mediasavvy - so well-versed in creating an image and getting her messages out - could be blowing it as badly as Clark.

She doesn't seem to see the bad optics of a stunt such as this.

Throne speeches might not offer immediate value (last fall's version was filled with the nice, meaningless phrases and vague promises, the highlights being the plan for cameras in courtrooms and a new holiday in February) but they are an essential part of our legislative system. When an appearance on a radio interview is considered by the premier's office to be the equivalent of a formal throne speech, common sense has been tossed out the window.

Clark's decision to use the radio waves to lay out her plans for the province is an insult to British Columbians and to the legislature. All MLAs, both New Democrats and Clark's own B.C. Liberals, have good reason to be angry about this, and to question her suitability for the highest office.

It's fine for Clark to pitch her agenda on CKNW. It is not OK to do so as an alternative to the speech from the throne, in isolation from the rest of the province's MLAs and those who scrutinize the government.

Clark might feel at home at CKNW, but Victoria is still the capital of B.C., and the legislature is where she belongs.