The time has come, the walrus said…no Rafe, the Liberal leadership only looks like Alice in Wonderland.
It is, though, time for all environmentalists to start looking very seriously at BC politics because after the NDP convention, we’ll be in the countdown to the next election. Even though the election will still be two years away, that will be the time we who care about environmental values must start turning it up, notch by notch.
In doing this I ask to you bear in mind my biases. I don’t give a damn who gets in as long as he/she opens up the private power file, produces all the secret energy purchase contracts so we can see which, if any, are in the public interest and axe the ones that aren’t, then cancels the Campbell Energy Plan, and, after consultation with the people, presents a new one.
When I say I don’t care who gets in this is not a light statement to be ignored.
Let us assume that, in our zeal to save our province, we elect a government that hashes things up but does save the environment, our farm land, our wildlife habitat, our fish, our rivers and their dependent ecologies, and BC Hydro in the bargain, we can then elect another government to clean up the mess.
It gets down to choices (the name of the game in BC politics as elsewhere) – will you trade away Beautiful British Columbia for a short term bottom line? And while we’re on the subject, I would argue that on virtually every point the Campbell government is worse than the NDP of the 90s. I admit that’s damning with very faint praise but make your own comparison even of fiscal policy, bearing in mind Campbell’s gifts to the rich, his inability to see the obvious coming recession, his lying about the 2009 budget and the state of the deficit and provincial debt.
Those who support Gordon “Pinocchio” Campbell’s fiscal record by claiming that he was hit by hard times should go back to the time “Asian Flu” hit the NDP government and see how the Liberals in opposition gave them no peace regarding something over which they had no control and came as a surprise to everyone.
I cannot see any Liberal candidate who will change a thing.
As you follow the debates, see how often the environment/energy issue or BC Rail comes up!
Kevin Falcon is Gordon Campbell, plus, plus, plus. Christy Clark has good looks and glibness but nothing else. George Abbott hasn’t the jam to deal with environment/energy issues by letting the public have a say and Mike de Jong has been an integral part of the Campbell government throughout and is the man who paid the money to end the Basi/Virk case and continue the government cover-up of the BC Rail mess.
A pox on all their houses!
What about the NDP?
They have a big problem with their optics. The real problem with the NDP of the 90s wasn’t fiscal but an inability to look like a government what with its scandals and revolving door leadership. What this demonstrated more than anything else was a lack of discipline.
For one, I have a problem with party discipline where it chokes off independent opinions which is what happens in all Canadian parliaments. That said, there must be sufficient discipline to keep the ship from hitting the Lorelei.
Unfortunately, the public seems to like tough, uncompromising discipline and somehow the NDP must square this circle.
As I’ve often pointed out, the NDP is, by nature, a disputatious lot.
The only candidate to have spoken out, forcibly, on the environment/energy issue is John Horgan. I’ve met and spent some time with Horgan and I believe he means what he says about opening up the IPP contracts and ending the rape of our rivers.
According to a recent Ipsos-Reid poll, the leaders are, in descending order, Farnworth, John Horgan, Nicholas Simons and Adrian Dix.
I’ve spoken about Horgan, who is clearly the soundest on our issues – now let me deal with the others.
Farnworth is a fine man and would, in my estimation, be a good choice depending on his stand on the environment/energy issue. Accordingly, I suspend judgment until we know what his position is.
Adrian Dix carries an open political wound over his fake e-mail in an attempt to cover-up the problem Premier Clark got in over his neighbour who helped fix Clark’s house at the same time he was making an application for a gambling license. Dix, to his credit – and unlike so many politicians – ‘fessed up promptly.
He is a pit bull much like Kevin Falcon and if that match-up came to pass what excitement that would bring to our politics.
Adrian Dix has been outstanding in the Legislature and I look forward to learning his position on the environment/energy.
Unfortunately I don’t know Nicholas Simons except to say hello, so judgment must be suspended. He, like all the candidates, has been offered a blog on our website (www.thecanadian.org) on environment/energy matters..
I’ve already wasted time typing this but the Conservatives may and only may take a few votes from the Liberals.
It’s interesting to consider a third party and the only one with a chance is the BC First Party under the pro tem leadership of Chris Delaney. I’ve been following this with considerable interest since, it seems to me, there is a great gap in the middle and that Delaney has moved from the right (Conservative) seamlessly. I’m not surprised because I believe this has been happening for a long time.
My read of it is that Delaney couldn’t stomach the Liberals so tried other avenues which, to date, have failed.
I believe that Chris has blotted his copybook staying with the Recall movement more out of loyalty than conviction. But time will tell.
There are two times in my memory when a “third party” has been successful – 1952 and 1991. 2013 looks like the situations back then.
In 1952 the Liberal Coalition crumbled and this left a huge gap in the middle which W.A.C Bennett charged into with his HMS Pinafore-like Social Credit Party.
In 1991, again the middle opened up as the Social Credit Party collapsed and the Gordon Wilson led Liberals went into the fray with no seats and ended up with 17 and Official Opposition status.
Speaking of 1991, what will Gordon Wilson do? He’s a political animal as is his wife Judi Tyabi-Wilson. I would be very surprised to learn that they haven’t been talking to Delaney. It would be a very powerful combination especially since the Wilsons would offset any concerns that Delaney was too far right.
The Green Party is the hardest one for me to handle. I’ve voted Green three times but strictly as a protest. On environment/energy issues they are clearly on our side.
Problem. Big time problem. Under our “first past the post” system they can’t win in spite of a good leader in Jane Sterk.
Try as they might, they can’t convince voters that they’re more than a one issue party. And that’s a damned shame.
One thing’s for sure – for political junkies it’s going to be a helluva ride!
Rafe
This may be a bit off topic but can you at some point clearly illustrate to the public (you may have with another article and I would be interested in it) how budgets from both parties, the Liberals and the NDP, are loaded onto the backs of the disabled and disadvantaged in BC. The 10’s of thousands of disabled people who collect provincial disability and welfare are the actual people who paid for Vancouver’s 2010 Olympics. The Liberals and the NDP both voted for enormous pay increases and the est. $700 mil that was supposed to have gone to raise welfare and disability rates was used for Olympic projects and Olympic excuse projects.
The disabled people and those with multiple barriers in BC have been paying for BC’s new projects each year as many of them die in horrendous poverty and living conditions.
10’s of thousands of poverty stricken disabled people living in unsatisfactory BC Housing projects pay for the Liberal/NDP game each year, many pay with their lives.With growing inflation and the cost of living increasing all the time keeping the rates the same is tantamount to genocide.
Alan
I won’t argue the article, its too late and my brain just starts translating the “facts” to blah, blah. What I did read seemed to suggest that the governments % revenues to GDP has gone down. I can see how that would illustrate that the government hasn’t done a great job. And I agree. But (and there is always a but, isn’t there?) but, what I’m seeing is that the article seems to finger tax cuts as the reason for this problem. And who do tax cuts benefit? Well, you and I. And based on that fact, that our personal taxes have gone down, it can instill a great sense of fiscal confidence amongst us working class.
Let me go back a little, because I certainly do not want to defend the Liberals. Amongst my peers, when BCL’s were delivering their budget prior to the last election, I said it was going to be a “fudget budget” and damn the media for not framing it as such, and damn the NDP and whoever else was in opposition at the time for not going to town on it.
I think we all can agree that BC is lacking in the “honor” department, politically. I just think the NDP aren’t the right fit right now. They have too much baggage, and they are too disheveled to govern. Troubled times ahead!
Dean, the NDP of the 90’s were know bowl of cherries, to be sure. But you make a mistake buying into the myth that the Liberals have been far superior stewards of our economy. Check out this piece by Will McMartin laying it all out by the numbers: http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/11/08/CampbellPraise/ The Liberals have done a very good job of branding themselves as the preferred choice for our economy. But the numbers don’t support that…But you’re absolutely right to be wary of the NDP – on that point you’ll get no disagreement from us.
Anyone who believes that the NDP of the 90’s is better than the Liberals of last decade must have slipped on a banana peel and banged their head. And by saying so, I’m not praising the Liberals. They have been a pathetic lot this past term and half. But lets not forget, under the NDP BC was a “have-not” Province with a horrible credit rating. Another 10 years of tax and spend under the NDP and British Columbian’s will quickly start to feel like the Americans do now with foreclosures abound.
The NDP in power is a horror film I wouldn’t want to watch.
Sean, your missive, being a criticism of Chris Delaney is easily answered – what the hell has Wilf Hanni ever won?
Chris has two things going for him – he’s not bound to religion and he has an excellent grasp of issues.
As to winning, WAC Bennett was 52 before he won.
You clearly don’t understand that the political vacuum is in the centre not the right. Whatever votes you get will be taken from the Liberals so at least in that regard you’re doing the pubic a favour.
Rafe
I like the parallels you mentioned (1952 and 1991). In those years was there a bone of contention? Like the HST is now. I know CKNW seems to have changed their programming views on the HST. It used to be a well balanced argument but now they only profile people on the bragging they have drank the HST Kool-Aid and everything will be okay now. They now say they have seen the true light and the HST is a good thing. BC needs the HST for more Soylent Green.
Yes there are some major parallels between ’52/’91 and now. One thing that’s different however are some basic demographics, who votes now and who doesn’t and the turnout. There’s a game changer right there.
The HST is a basic lie though. It’s name is false and misleading for people who are ESL and but don’t know the subtleties of English like you and I do The HST taxes new things and is not a truly “harmonized” tax because it taxes new things that the PST didn’t. It could only be called “harmonized” if there was a direct connection between the PST and the GST but there isn’t. If the HST taxed the same thing the PST did then it could be called a harmonized tax but it doesn’t, Which party has drank the most HST Kool-Aid?
Al
Maybe a good time for a few more Independent MLA’s to get elected.
Thanks
Oh, get serious, Rafe. The BC Conservative Party is far ahead of the Delaney First Party, in membership, CA development and fund raising. Unlike the BC First party, the BC Conservatives will actually have a leadership race, rather than an anointing of an ego…uh…leader. There are big names supporting the development of the party and it actually shows up in the independent polling (which the BC First party does not).
Every party that Delaney has been involved with (especially as “leader”) has failed to gain any traction and his recent foray as a leader in the anti-HST fight will not help him improve his lot in the BC Political arena. His efforts in the BC recall are proof that he does not know how to change tactics when the time comes. If Delaney were to move toward ensuring that he had support during the referendum, he might gain support. He won’t, so he will continue to languish in the backwoods of the BC political scene.
You are an excellent journalist and researcher, Rafe. I cannot understand why you cannot see this.
Rafe,
I hate to admit it but I agree with you 100% on this one.
I also parked my vote with the Greens a few times but I think that this time I will back Delaney. At least he seems to know where the target is.