Recall in the Fall

All bets are off with the oustanding performance so far of the Zalm's HST team.

The BC Conservatives just have to but up a fence post with a wig as leader and they suck enough votes from the Gordo to kill the BC Liberals.

Egomaniac Carol James is hanging on and hoping. And the castrated Horgan and Farnsworth squeek away in their shrill voices cowtowing to the James.

introducing:

The BC Vengeance Party.

We make no promises and have no policies save one: Revenge. The BC Vengeance Party will run on the platform of attaining power and PUNISHING those in the current government. After their loot is confiscated, their network destroyed and their asses in jail, we will immediately call another election. Vote V for Freedom!

Her Majestys Loyal

Her Majestys Loyal Opposition is looking pretty bad on this whole Kash Heed business. Hardly a peep. Where are they? They should be front and centre with the news industry, screaming from the rafters, and gnashing their teeth. If they're so incompetent at being the opposition, they don't deserve to be Government

What about a general strike?

[OFFENSIVE POST REMOVED. -MODERATOR.]

NDP and Heed

It is very difficult for the NDP to get any press or air time on the MSM.

When they do it is usually set up so Palmer,Smythe, Good, Baldry or the like can trash what has been said without any chance for rebuttal.

Hopefully Torstar gets the Canwest papers.

Wasted my time again Rafe

OK Rafe, You have done it again!
One more time you have constructed an article out of nothing about nothing.
I wonder why anyone pays you for such an effort?

No interest in Political Parties Rafe, period

A re-branding?

A re-visioning?

Ban political perties period!

A pox on parties......

It is the party system which is failing our democracy. Like government all parties have a hierarchy where a few voices are heard and the rest don't count. So no matter who is elected power remains with a few. The voice of the people will be heard when we all have a vote on the budget. When this kind of real change happens democracy will evolve as it should. We will have to accept full responsibility for the budget choices we make and we will want to be informed on the implications of our choices. Imagine Rafe, how much easier your crusade to save our precious water would be if you could say to the people "You will have a choice to make regarding BC Hydro and here is how it will affect your pocketbook." This idea needs much discussion and development but it is evident everywhere in the world that the party system as we know it is not serving us well.

How to move forward

Carole James needs to resign immediately. She can cite all the usual cliches such as wanting to spend more time with family etc etc.

Then, the NDP needs to implement a new means for voting for a new leader. I recommend opening up the process to the whole Province. You don't even have to be a member of the party to vote. All voting is one person one vote and done online. What this will accomplish is twofold: creating a sense of momentum for the party going into the next election and giving British Columbians a voice in the political process they so desperately deserve.

This at least is much more realistic and doable then a new party. It would just take the will of Party insiders to open up the leadership process and the will of James to finally admit she is not the right person to lead the NDP forward.

general strike

needs a galvanizing moment, an event, a slogan, an icon, something. Calling for it will get plenty of agreement it is a good idea, but we need a spark to set things in motion.

Contemporary Politics is big business

...and when big-business money is involved, compromised integrity follows. Effectively, deception/misinformation/omission are now institutionalized after waging their relentless, 90+ year propaganda war on the masses.

Offer up what you will as a 'viable' alternative. It will inevitably be more of the same, perhaps a different song will be sung by a different singer, yet the show goes on -- the financial backers will demand their pound of flesh.

In a sane and thoughtful world, the people who should be running the show fail for all the wrong reasons:

* limited funding,
* lacking PR/propaganda,
* lacking charisma,
* communicate outside the soundbite,
* highly principled,
* forward thinking,
* honest

Conversely, the people who do run the show succeed because they are aligned for political success:

* very well funded,
* excellent PR/propaganda structures,
* charismatic, in perception,
* communicate within a soundbite,
* unprincipled,
* stagnant/ regressive thinking,
* dis-honest/deceptive

Although individually people can often be reasoned with, the collective wisdom of people is astonishingly dim. The propagandists know how to tune into the collective public and how to prey on them with emotional motivators while avoiding comprehensive reasoning. This has been the weapon of politics and campaigns since the bludgeon was put down as a motivator of the masses.

And an effective propaganda campaign does not come cheap. Recently, the Harper Conservative government spent over $40 million 'taxpayer' dollars to advertise its CPC stimulus spending package.

And there is the rub. Power is money.

In the end, we do make incremental democratic gains -- occasionally winning smaller, issue-specific battles, but the collective public cannot win the war without a destructive revolution dismantling the institutional structure of governance.

Obviously the power structure has no intention to hand over democracy to the people, so we either take it for ourselves or acquiesce to their rule. Those are our only choices.

As the late Howard Zinn said, "History is a weapon". Our problem is that we do not care to know much about history.

Betting on Horses

Why don't we stop the wagering on what the established political players are going to do or not do and take it into our own hands?

Go to www.fighthst.com and volunteer to do some canvassing or captaining for the Fight HST initiative in your neighborhood. This will teach you the fundamentals of campaigning without having to work for a party.

Most importantly, it will be the perfect rehearsal for the RECALL IN THE FALL campaign, which uses the same rules, the same petition sheets, the same application process, as the current initiative. If the Fight HST Initiative is defeated, our now-experienced mass of volunteers will recall (fire) as many Liberal MLA's as it takes to repeal the HST. And if the NDP or independents elected in the subsequent by-elections so much as dare to not repeal the tax, we will recall their asses too!

Nothing is easy, folks, but there is a way to take the process out of the politicians', and their crooked backers', hands. It's the initiative, and then it's recall. Join up now and do your part!

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafonde

The dismal prospect that a change in BC Liberal Party leadership could resuscitate the deservedly moribund party and give them another electoral victory is most definitely worth plotting about. My contribution is that whether it be a third party or the NDP getting their heads straight on the fragility of "marketing" Carol James, is to call for Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, presently the spirited and savvy BC Representative for Children and Youth, to be graciously substituted for Ms. James or elevatedto the helm of a new party.

'...'the collective wisdom

'...'the collective wisdom of people is astonishingly dim.' Amazingly all democratic progress has been made because of this 'collective wisdom'. With the possible recent exception of Bhutan I don't recall anywhere or anytime in history where power was relinquished willingly. It was because of this 'collective wisdom' that we got the franchise, that it was extended to women, First Nations,other immigrant groups etc. We need to stop pointing fingers and simply seize the power and the responsibility for our future. We should be seeking independent, ethical candidates(no party affiliations) in every constituency for the next election. Like the move against prorogation and HST simply ignore mass media. Use personal and electronic communication to say this person represents a protest vote against the way things are. Better yet in my opinion, the candidate would have a one item platform which would be to work towards giving the electorate a choice of audited budgets to choose from.

Where is the new Party?

Rafe Mair is a hypocrite....when he was a media star he professed to be a republican at heart...ya right!

A republican based party[modeled on the Swiss] ran 22 candidates in 2009, its 123Plan will put the people in charge of the government.

But I guess that is not good enough for Mr. Mair, who made not a mention of The BC Refederation Party, but would rather rant on about dead and dying former parties whose platforms, much like the present Liberals, NDP are so 19th century.

ONE OF THE COMMENTS ABOVE ;. "Why don't we stop the wagering on what the established political players are going to do or not do and take it into our own hands?" The BCRefed Party guarantees that wish!!

What's wrong with the Greens?

"Let's start off by acknowledging that the BC Greens would lay claim to "third party" status today. But their base has proven to be too limited to surge to prominence in the next election."

That's it?? That's all you have to say about the Greens? I, personally think they're a perfectly viable option given the circumstances. If nothing else, at least we'd feel it save to assume there will be no offshore drilling in BC for the foreseeable future. So, why so little written about them?

The electoral system is the problem

Here is the main problem. As George Hallett wrote in 1940

“All popular government is founded on elections. It is of the utmost importance that the rules of elections shall make it easy for the people to get what they really want.”

Until we get to vote using STV we will never get the representatives we want. First Past the Post does not elect the most preferred candidate and good people will not run under the present party system.

Where is B.C.'s game-changing new party?

You and others who have been part of the flawed political hierarchy are too steeped in the oldline party, first-past-the-post system to give the Greens the chance and consideration they deserve. From the outset you have simply written them off because they give the environment a high rating (it is, after all, our world) and fail to follow the traditional greed and dirty tricks that typify the mouldy oldies. The Greens have a solid platform that uniquely features honesty and integrity.

What I "don't get"......

.....is, if the Libs are no good, and the NDP is no good, they why the hell NOT vote Green? How can it possibly get any worse (except - as Grumpy says - to add a few different MLA's "on the take")?

Recall

Recall all (and I mean ALL of them) 85 MLA's in the fall, flush these useless teets down the toilet, and start anew with independents and another party. The only way to go.

if I recollect correctly

the problem last time (that invited the vampires over the threshold) wasn't not having a fit party/candidate to vote for. It was all those stupid, malingering, slack-witted, infinitely contemptible gits and lazy dolts THAT DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO VOTE!!

Old remedies

Proportional representation is old idea used in Greece for example and it doesn't seem to have cured anything. The Green Party, the Refederation Party are like other political parties with a hierarchy that operates exactly like the NDP or Liberals so there is no systemic evolution and we would just stutter along same old.

Best Comment? It would be better if Gordo the Great resigned!

@ P. Markunas

I am as stunned as you are. Such is life.

From Laila Yuile Blog
http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/

Donors that know how business works in BC.

* 2009 donation amounts listed only

Teck Cominco and subsiduaries: $150,800.00

Goldcorp: $88,500.00

Encana : $118,000.00

Telus : $68,123.52

Aquilini Group : $ 80,700.00

Brookfield Asset Management/ Brookfield Timber Management : $ 60, 000.00 ( note Richard Legault and Barry Blattman, whose names seem to come up in everything Liberal related.

Timberwest: $ 60,988

West Fraser: $ 108,089

Catalyst: $ 24, 500.00 ( guess they couldn’t have been doing too poorly if they could still afford donations to the Liberals…

Jim Pattison Group and Great Pacific Investments: $10,500.oo ( down from previous years)

All these major players expect a piece of BC's action, this is how politics work today, diverting taxpayers money to friends of the government. This is BC democratic process, this is our democracy.............NOT!

Defang the Greens

Canada's Green Parties consist of a bunch of puerile malcontents that don't work well with others but are in possession of a brand name that environmentally conscious but low information voters identify with. The Green Party, is the most potent weapon in the Neocon electoral warchest and as such ironically the most potent weapon in their efforts at environmental destruction

People that care about the environment need to join the Green Party and pass a no participation in elections resolution, removing this miserable blight forever from the Canadian electoral process.

It has been suggested before.....

There is only one solution to getting rid of Gordo and crew---well actually there is one more, but I can't mention it---and that is for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th (etc.) parties to amalgamate, select an honest, determined, literate, outstanding citizen from amongst themselves (if there are any left, perhaps "Takuan" could volunteer) and steer the course of BC politics back to a position of democracy, where 95% of the populace gets out and votes.

Regardless of one's position

Regardless of one's position on the points made, this column is in dire need of being fine-tuned by an editor.

Great analysis Grumpy

Grumpy, for once you are right on. Our current parties are tired - the Liberals, for being in power so long, and the NDP, for choosing a weak leader who hasn't brought needed new blood into that party. The Greens can't grow because they can't seem to expand from their single issue status.
So where will new leadership and energy come from? I don't know any more than Rafe does - possibly (on the centre left) from Gregor Robertson and his people, possibly on the centre right from the suburbs, Kevin Falcon and Diane Watts. It's unlikely to come from our depressed hinterland.
One thing I do know: if our current parties don't find new energy and leadership, they'll be dead in ten years, gone the way of the Socreds...

The horrors that we've got

By ignorantly dumping on the promise of the Greens, Seth is simply endorsing the arrogant, lying lizards now in charge in B.C. and Ottawa. The Green parties, provincial and federal, are a sound alternative to the disgusting coverups and open corruption of the posturing lumps now filling the seats in our legislatures. Neither Campbell nor Harper would recognize integrity if it crawled up their legs.

The Greens are an alternative?

I thought we already had a Green party type government in power? In the run up to the last election all you ever heard from Greens was praise for Campbell and his people such as Jaccard and Berman and attacks on the NDP.

BC Refed Party

I went to your home page and don't understand why going back to 1867 politically is a good thing. But then I'm a Canadian who happens to live in BC, not a BCer slaving under the yoke of Canada.

Vote Independent

freebear; Ordinary Canadian;
I cannot agree more. Party politics have got to go. Please join us at the un-party. We advocate running and voting independently. Political parties will only serve those who pay their bills. We have more or less successfully separated Church and State, now we need to separate Business and State.
Visit the Facebook page;
Common Interests / Politics / The This Ain't No Party.

they can be beaten

Don’t believe them. Don’t fear them. Don’t ask anything of them.
— Alexander Solzhenitsyn

political state of bc

I'm pushing 90 and I have voted in every election i could vote in. I was surprised, when I saw what an honest appealing person Mary ellen Lafond appeared to be when I accidently tuned into Vaughn Palmer the other evening. To bad we cant trade her for Carole James. Maybe a third party with her at the wheel would be a refreshing change

AnthonyB

There are many reasons to dump on the Greens, but this one does it for me (from their website):

The government is doing this right now with run of river power, except there is no environmental assessment to determine how green these projects are in the first place. One thing we know for sure: they'll divert a lot of creeks, cost us a lot, and make a bunch of foreigners tons of money!

Changes

Rafe, where do we go from here? A new party will just further divide the vote. There needs to be a rebranding, a new focus on an existing politican movement, not further division. At the very best we have just three years to turn this province into a democracy once again. Time is of the essence. It can and must happen. Never has the population of BC been so incensed as seen in the rush to sign the Regressive HST tax especially after we were promised it would not be enacted.

Getting The Public

involved in the process of voting is the real conundrum waiting to be solved. Not casting a vote in order to protest political manipulation of the electorate is a useless and lazy excuse for allowing politicians to practice politics to their hearts' content, and to their own advantage.

First Past the Post is only representative when two candidates are involved. Proportional Representation inevitably leads to confusion (and entitlement issues - see Greece and Germany, et al).

But Run-Off Voting, especially when the voters can actually foresee and influence the results of balancing and bargaining election issues over a period of a few or several weeks rather than working blindly for an instant result (which binds them for several years)and would dis-allow earlier timezones from setting the agenda. Voters in later timezones could alter the total results if they chose to make changes as the voting transpires.

Power would automatically revert to The People who cast their votes, and Democracy would be better served.

Too young to be so freaking cynical

Alright, alright. Let's just take a breath and get a little grip on ourselves for a minute here.

Just for the fun of it, put aside the anger, well justified though it may be, forget ideology and partisanship. Forget political posturing of all sorts, and just pick some names.

Who's your dream team? Who do you know of from any party, or for that matter, any field, that could actually be honest enough to call things by their right names, and act like a regular human? Who probably isn't a wholly owned subsidiary of some corporate agenda?

Give that person a name and a spot on the cabinet. Make a little list, like The Lord High Executioner did in The Mikado.

All things aside, who's your dream team?

From the ecosphere

I'll bet Alexandra Morton would rate a nomination. There's somebody who speaks truth to power.

Keep in mind I have no idea what, if any affiliation she might have to any party.

Two lonely MLAs

Mr. Mair mentions them en passant above, without their names. Me, I used to watch in absolute admiration as Jenny Kwan and Joy McPhail stood fast against some of the most churlish and crude behaviour by unworthy schmucks in power, during some of the darkest days in our political history.

Illegal laws were passed in the dead of night. The honourable people we trust with our children's education were cast as criminals for speaking truth, and threatened with jail if they didn't shut up. These two women worked tirelessly, week after week spelling each other off to give honour to the parliamentary requirement for a loyal opposition, while those in power tried their damndest to kill it off, and vented their pique when they couldn't.

For conspicuous valour under fire above and beyond the call I would nominate Jenny Kwan and Joy MacPhail, regardless of affiliation.

Minister for human rights

Didn't I read someplace that the Dalai Lama received honorary citizenship in Vancouver a while back?

If he's eligible, let's have him too.

YEP Bailey

Bring back Joy McPhail...and let her pick her own running mates.

Recall in the Fall

For the love of sweet Jesus, Grumpy, if you want recall in the fall to happen, make sure to volunteer when it starts up, even if your riding is not the one - drive in and canvass. That goes for anyone!

reply to Ordinary Canadian

Ordinary Canadian,

You reply negatively to my assertion that 'the collective wisdom of people is astonishingly dim'.

Then you go on to agree with my argument almost verbatim. Obviously we need to define 'collective wisdom'.

For me, it is more than a relatively small collective of people fighting a single-issue within society, but the 'public mind at-large'. This 'public mind' is lead by propaganda. The propaganda campaigns over the decades have molded the public's frame-of-reference to see the world from the viewpoint of the power holders and not from our own.

We look out for, and often defend, the propagandists' desires while not even knowing our own. For example, we banter along partisan lines as though one will bring us salvation while the other won't. Now, 143 years in as a nation, we are still without democracy for the people.

Meanwhile, we have voted and therefore legitimated the political process which has 1) removed the majority of us from the land, 2) got us wholly reliant on the business interests to sustain ourselves almost on a day-by-day basis, 3) turned over the vast majority of the resources we all rely on to the business sector, and 4) enriched the top strata of society beyond any reasonable, arguably moral, proportion. Soon the rich will be eating their young.

I trust you agree, in this light, we have very little wisdom collectively.

Hope is offered to BC

How just like Mair to again do an injustice to the ONE political party to offer BC a shot at democracy.

BC Refederation has these goals;

1. Direct Democracy. Giving people the power to control us. We will grant people to CONTROL us, from the first sitting.

2. Written Constitution. We will solicit the people of BC a chance to write a constitution for BC, that is similar to what Campbell did with the Citizens Assembly, except there will be no pre-conditions. we are not so naive as to think we are going to govern forever. Therefore, the people should have a chance to write a constitution, will controls all future politicians. And the system of governance should be a no holds barred thing. No system should be excluded from consideration.

3. Go after the feds for our stuff. All of it.

After that, let the chips fall where they may. We will administer, but the final say belongs to the people. Anything passed by the legislature is subject to a cooling off period, during which time it can be challenged by the people. If not challenged, after the cooling off period, it's law.

We believe that you should be asked. For a change.

"...and the Refederation

"...and the Refederation Party are like other political parties with a hierarchy that operates exactly like the NDP or Liberals so there is no systemic evolution and we would just stutter along same old."
________________________

I have no affiliation with the Refederation Party, and speak as a resident of BC only, but if there is a better suggestion being tabled anywhere in BC or Canada, let me know.

The Refeds are offering solutions, not just window dressing, to revamp a decrepit system that operates to serve the corporate interests first.

Rafe Mair is giving us his two cents yet his voice does not even address this larger, systemic problem. Is this because he fails to see it, or does he believe it cannot be fixed and so it is a moot point?

It reminds me of a conversation I had fifteen years or so back over a couple single malts with Jack Webster on Salt Spring Island. Knowing full well his legendary status in journalism, I listened intently when he complained bitterly about the youth not reading the news or keeping informed; how we were a distracted generation.

Though when I played devil's advocate with 'it hardly mattered since being misinformed was no big leg up on being uninformed', he continued to argue quite vehemently. Was it because he did not appreciate the problem regarding the fog of propaganda, or did he think it was moot? (Or was it the whiskey?)

I think this same blindness permeates us collectively. We see the repeated abuses of government yet we believe changing the political soldiers in the government will lead to a significantly different result. It does not because it cannot. The current system does not allow representative democracy for the people. And who else even suggests systemic reformation??

samuidave

The people had a chance to vote for system change (electoral) and they declined, preferring the status quo.

People don't want real change or more choice, they want government to keep all the tools at their disposal that they have now but to just be "better" somehow.

The stuff proposed by the BC Refed party wouldn't change anything because their platform assumes people will make the changes themselves given the opportunity. Which ignores the fact they've had opportunity already.

It is true what he says

It is true what he says about NDP. The biggest mistake was not Carole James stepping down on election night. Then bringing back Moe Sihota.

They are clueless. Quiet about Kash Heed, hopping on Vanderzalms anti HST bandwagon, they could not even figure out how to run the last election campaign, kept changing 'theme'.

As long as Moe and Carole are with the BC NDP I will not be voting for them. I think the NDP is basically finished in BC or will be soon.

Like Rafe says it is more anti Campbell as to why Carole is ahead in the polls. Get Diane Watts or Carole 'I removed BC Bank tax' Taylor the Libs will jump ahead again.

I really do not know why the NDP does not get it or see it and how the membership allows this to continue. The only other party that comes close to incompetence and direction-less these days are the Federal Liberals.

The NDP need a Corky Evans, Libby Davies or Jenny Kwan at the helm or even Vancouver Mayor Robertson or Even a Jack Layton type.

The NDP need someone to inspire people, yet it seems these days they leave the inspiration to the guy that put the final nail in the Social Credit party Bill Vanderzalm.

Randy White? lol His party may be the only one in Canada other than the Wildrose Alliance in Alberta to the right of Harper..

CanadianLatitude

If you want vision and to be inspired, stick with Gordon Campbell. Most people just want their government to be run effectively, their services to actually be there when needed and not having to read about corruption and bullshit every day in the papers.

I'll take a quiet administrator that works to make things better over the speeches about "5 great goals", "the golden decade" and "7 prophecies I had while drunk in Hawaii" all the while shovelling money to friends.

Canadianlatitude

You never voted for the NDP and never would even if the whole bunch of them walked on water. Who are you trying to impress with this kind of nonsense? There is nothing the NDP did or could do that would rival the shenanigans of the current bunch of liberals and if you are hoping for the greens in conservative clothing you are really grasping at straws.

Carole is ineffective, Moe has some issues but nothing comes close to Campbell's pillaging of the province and a vote for the greens has given Campbell an additional 8 years. Nice going!

I am currently in Norway,

I am currently in Norway, some of you may have heard of it, a small socialist country that is also the richest per capita on the planet. 5th in oil production and the local gas\oil company, Statoil, is approx 60% owned by the government.

I say this because we should all be taking note of it's political structure.

I had the opportunity this evening to sit in on a town meeting in a place called Finnsnes, a meeting run by a local politician. The topics were Haitian aid and oil production. To focus on one moment for the oil, they are worried over the pressure mounting against offshore drilling (of where most of their production exists). The politician himself was voted in under a proportional representation style of election. He stresses very much that they continue to ensure that the citizenery here continue to support their democratic government by ensuring that the wealth of the country continues to be shared, equally, that their oil company continues to be run by the government and that they continue to disallow major companies like Walmart and Ikea (just as examples) from entering the markets here. A wise man, he understands that if you have balance in your economy and likewise your government you ensure a continued wealth and welfare of your people.

This is what I hope for in my home Country and province of BC.

Our current situation not withstanding I feel the focus should not be on which party we vote on in the next election but that we ensure we change the voting process. It works. Itæs proven that it works. Our media does not focus on it enough though as it will take away from their interests and the same with our governing bodies. The NDP committed a massive error as they withdrew their support of the STV last election. Regardless of the very very small chance of voting in the second best representative (which is very small indeed considering the size of our voting districts) proportional representation in some form is needed, desperately. While we may not fix our current problems come next election we must ensure for our own good that we change the voting process which will in turn change the tide and hopefully start to balance the way we govern ourselves.

A footnote, where I am currently has one person who is voluntarily homeless (the locals built her a house and she refused to move in), the prisons are populated with drunk drivers primarily and crime barely registers a tick. There are no mansions and no outward showing of excessive wealth. Our mindsets as well as our ways of life need to be adjusted along with who we vote for, why we vote for them and how we live our lives.

I have a problem

I have a problem with people who seem to need someone to 'inspire' them. In fact, I can think of several very offensive historical examples of where that kind of 'leadership' gets one.

I think I'm more inclined to support the kind of quiet, non-demonstrative cooperative approach that happens in places like Norway.

As for voting for the STV, I think the vast majority of NDP voters - certainly most of the ones I know - voted YES in the last two referendums on the subject.

Some may have followed Bill Tieleman - but I hardly think HE'S setting NDP policy either now, or in the past.

Fact of the matter is...

NDP support for STV was lukewarm:

"...Some progressive leaders have even gone beyond neutrality and are actually opposing electoral reform. This smells of opportunism as the B.C. NDP can win a majority in the province under first-past-the-post. ..."

Dave Meslin is a New Democrat

http://www.rabble.ca/news/2009/04/coalition-bc-stv-and-next-steps-left

Where Is This Gov't Going?

One thing I've noticed is that Mr Campbell has literally disappeared from the entire BC scene. He was in Europe when the heat came down on Colin Hansen, he has yet to explain the real rationale behind this governments choice to implement a much hated tax. Yes People are mad, but does Gord and his supporters care all that much?, nope I don't think so. If Gordo and his group had any morals or even cared then he and the BC Liberals would start explaining. I think it's more about having a majority and being arrogant, unfeeling, uncaring and generally obtuse about policy, unless it's good to make a profit. People are angry for multiple reasons, being lied to is a major reason but there are many other reasons you can think of and there are many. Once again people will vote out an unpopular gov't only to replace them with more of the same, Has anyone heard what the NDP would do in this situation, during a world wide recession, what alternatives do we as a society really have, I mean it's obvious, like him or leave Mr Campbell has divided the electorate very successfully. Honestly what I think would be a better solution is to have a minority gov't in BC where as they would have to work as a parliament should. Sad but this is true. We as a society need change, if we want it to happen then we all collectively have to demand it. I don't think a general strike would be all that effective, mostly because the gov't knows the more desperate people become the more willing they are to accept whatever their leaders want to put into place, just look at Greece, general strikes, civil unrest, yet the cuts will continue there no doubt, same here only on a different scale but the results will be the same, In the end maybe Mr Campbell will go but regretfully the damage has already been done.

The problem we all have is

The problem we all have is changing our own ideas. Those who have an affinity for the Liberals or NDP continue to argue the relative merits of either party. Those committed to proportional representation see it as a cure all. I think political parties are the problem so argue against new party formation. Truly no change is possible if we don't work together. Our North American individualistic cowboy culture looks for heroes and leaders. European cultures having experienced wars, strong family ties etc are more adept at considering strength through group effort. Hopefully discussions such as this one can move us forward.
When I speak of 'collective wisdom' I consider that each individual is capable of behaving ethically and if we all did we would have a wiser society. Perhaps the only time that happens is when too large a proportion of the population is suffering and we are fast approaching that point.
If we don't want violence we have to let people feel their voice counts where it matters. I maintain the electorate being able to choose the budget they like best would give people that voice, however we proceed to achieve that.

Campbell's absence?

he never was necessary to the looting programme. Just as Shoe-boy Bush was a convenient pinata for the Cheney presidency.

Change Parties?

Why would we bother to change parties? Is there really anything out there that would be all that different?
As much as we dislike many of the actions of the current group in power lets not forget that they offered a way out early on in their reign. The Citzens assembly put together a potential way out of the current paradigm and we were to afraid to support them. Even those progressive Greens balked, thanks Adrian, no I think we get what we deserve and maybe the real key to taking back power is to recognize that there is more than one way to vote and that is with the dollars we spend or do not spend. Business responds to consumers and business is government. Cheers!

so propose a program

of targeted, scheduled boycotts.

surlysheep

People need to buy energy products, we can't all boycott Terasen, BC Hydro and the gas stations.

boycott?

Boycott? I think it is less political and more personal than that. Why not think about what we say we care about and then consume accordingly. ie. lets take energy products, look at your personal consumtion patterns and see if you can do with less, or take the time to look around and see if you can make purchases that take less energy to produce, like local in season produce.

BC is no longer a funtioning democracy

the government, the courts, the police are all bought and paid for. The people cannot use traditional open force or they will be met with open force with all the weapons on the wrong side.

We can either lie down or do nothing, or we can use asymmetric economic warfare. Boycotts, strikes, civil disobedience, refusal to pay taxes, exposees and soliciting the outside aid of other political bodies are all on the table.

What is needed is central organization and coordination for these measures to work. Instead of trying to work inside the framework of the enemy by forming or backing political parties,it would be more effective to just organize to oppose the existing kleptocracy first. Political alignment can come later, after the thieves are on the ropes and running scared.

This is traditionally the role of youth in society.
Where are our firebrands?

Takuan said:

"Where are our firebrands?"

Look in the mirror!

If not you,then who?
Enough talking already, let action follow words.

Third party or Coalition parties like Israel

General strike
General Strike
General Strike

"Where are our firebrands?"

Look in the mirror!

If not you,then who?
Enough talking already, let action follow words.

Out of the ruins comes a coalition government like they have in most parts of the world.

Why? if you don't trust one party then get together a bunch of people who are determined to work together.

Lets do it.

Political parties

There must come a time when we, the people, choose whether we want democracy or the pseudo democratic dictatorship we presently live under.

It is the party system that polarizes the electorate to such a point that any rational discussions on issues become impossible. All you get is my side is better than your side.

CKNW ran a couple of phone in polls on who people would vote for in the next election and the majority of callers picked a party. What if their party of choice decided to run a fencepost and give it a name. Would they still vote for them. I suspect that this fencepost would actually garner some votes, and not as a protest.

Too many people don't know which party represents their riding and many less the name of their representative. In my opinion this is because during an election campaign the majority of advertising is centred around the various leaders of the parties while the actual candidate plays second fiddle.

Then when the votes are counted, the victorious candidates that win their seat become an entity answerable only to their party and their constituents can go to hell.

It's time our political system entered the 21st century.