Not so sure Rafe

I think that you may have had one too many Caffrey's Irish Crean Ales before penning this article Rafe. De Jong is still trying to figure out who did the deal to end the Basi-Virk-Basi trial. It will either be Falcon on the first ballot or Abbott on the second.

As for the NDP, even the resurrection of Tommy Douglas couldn't stop the infighting. The more comments I read, and callers I hear regarding Carol James' ouster, the more I'm convinced that they just don't give a crap about deposing the Liberals for the good of the electorate. They seem to be much happier finding scapegoats for their mediocrity rather than showing the voters that they wish to do what is best for the regular folks that call BC their home.

I won't even comment on their gender/minority stance, as it does nothing but belittle all those that achieved success at whatever they attempted without an affirmative action advantage. Those people I see at the Food Bank every week could care less whether they are represented by a deemed minority candidate or not, they just want to be able to find meaningful employment that will allow them to provide for themselves.

The illusion of choice...

As usual, Mr. Mair, you say exactly what I am thinking. No other columnist in this province has the balls to say what you do. Well, they can't. Let's face it, we have a media in B.C. that is bought and paid for by corporate interests. I am still absolutely disgusted by the lack of any inquiry into the sale of BC Rail. All these criminals that call themselves public servants are a disgrace and of course these MLAs do not want an enquiry because they will all have their day in court and we will find out that Collins, Campbell, Clark and friends, had their fingers in the cookie jar.
I have never been so disillusioned with BC politics. And now, once again, we are faced with an army of idiots and incompetence to choose from, at election time.
It is no wonder the NDP cannot find a decent candidate. The party has become an absolute embarrassing joke under the tutelage of Carol James. I mean, seriously, Ms. James, I have never seen a more ineffective politician in all my life. If Ms. James could not capitalise off of the criminal and extreme ideology of the BC Liberals, then she has no place in politics. And then to try to hang on, even after it became plainly obvious that nobody wanted her to stay on as party leader, she, once again, buried her head in the proverbial sand.
I cannot think of one person that has been paraded in front of us as a possible leadership candidate, that would be even half decent.
The NDP and the Liberals are a complete wash. And where are the Greens in all this?
Cricket...cricket...

The Only Person That Can Save the NDP - - -

Joy MacPhail. Where are you Joy? Your province needs you!

Tony Durke

The best candidate, from among those that have declared, for office in BC isn't even NDP.

Tommy Chong should run, it would be an improvement.

As for blaming James, I will wait and see if her successor is able to improve on her 47% support.

After all, the Liberal record is what it is so Dana Larsen, Nicolas Simons or Harry Lali I'm sure will have no trouble getting 60 or even 70% support.

Oh what heady days there are ahead.

Joy would be great!

As a young man I was extremely involved in politics and became devastated by watching one election going one way, and the next one exactly the opposite way!

That thought me that the electorate does not have an opinion of it own, but gets influenced by the media and charasmatic personalities.

Given that experience I do not blame anyone for not wanting to run for political office.

Yes, It would work if Joy Mac Phail was prepared to sacrifice her personal life for yet another term, or more, but frankly I ask: why the hell would she?

Indeed why would anyone?

That is why we wind up with people who participate in the hope of future rewards, instead of an interest in the betterment of the people who elected them.

I am sure there are sincere individuals who are ready to have a go at it, only to learn that they are not considered electable for lack of said charisma or perhaps because they happen to be male?

Jenny Kwan

Without Jenny, we would still be stuck with Carole today. It took guts and leadership for what Jenny did and she should take the next step and become leader and the next premier of BC.

Holidays are over for pundits and party poopers

The BC NDP will pass a third important milestone this week (the first being Carole James' ouster, the second was realistically moving the leadership convention up to April.) The pundits have been having a field day with the leadership campaign so far. That will end as the so-called "heavies" announce their contention, most, but not necessarily all before the voting-eligibility deadline approaches this week.

MSM loves to characterize the party as mortally wounded and divided by the caucus revolt. One should remember that James' "yellow scarf caper" denied the badge of loyalty only to those whom the "James Gang" could identify. Many MLAs who were not necessarily James supporters accepted the yellow scarves as they entered the now infamous caucus meeting. Only about a third of the caucus affirmed their support for the embattled leader, leaving about a third as "undecided." Even so, the loyalists do not necessarily constitute a clique now that James has stepped down. In other words the party is not nearly as divided as the pundits have made out. That includes over the issue of gender equity.

Anyone who persists in picking at scabs will be quickly left behind by front-runners who understand this is a leadership campaign, not a general election. The party can afford to stop the elevator on its way up and
let off any flatulent nitpickers or boring doom and gloomers. No one will miss them except perhaps pundits and party poopers.

Naw, I don't go along with

Naw, I don't go along with you on this one Rafe. I think it's going to be Abbot who'll get the nod from the Howe Street Boys.

Did you hear about the

Did you hear about the casino industry getting hugh grants from the Liberals over the years? I wonder how the Liberal Premier wannabees are going to spin that one?

metacomet

The party is divided and I don't see any olive branches hanging around.

As for the NDP's big guns joining the race, they're a little late. Signups for new members ends in a week. So much for growing the party.

Van Isle

Abbott is the best candidate in either party at the moment. The Liberals would be smart to select him as he would draw away from the NDP lots of Dipper supporters.

Rafes Hangover

Best give your self another week Rafe, then try again. Takes a little longer to recover from the holidays in the golden years.

Abbot is the only Liberal on the Liberal bench and the only who can soft shoe liberal speaking points while lifting the best NDP polices while sounding credible.

DeJong is a weasel. A go to man. An ABC kinda rhetorical everready bunny that says how high when asked to jump, but BCV has had it with Bilderberg wanna bes.

Horgan is in the race as of right now and is the only NDP'r who agrees with Hockstein on "everything." Cue the marchin bands.

Expect an Abbott interlude on the way to Horgans premiership.

Nothing wrong with questioning direction

Although there are divisions, I agree with metacomet that the hysteria of the MSM pundits and others is feigned and intentionally overblown - no doubt in order to manipulate a 'desirable' effect and outcome for their corporate masters. Despite some obvious divisions, there are also areas where there is much consensus.... which is a good thing. It proves there are still people able to think critically within a party. Only dictatorships are stable....and in 'complete agreement'. I have never looked on dissent within a political party as a bad thing....it is, after all, critical to any democracy. I find the behavior of those who are trying very hard to make this into a catastrophe, indeed those trying very hard to 'create' one out of the dissent, suspicious at best.

Hopefully, the NDP will begin to stand for something again, and not cower or apologize for their socialist democratic roots. They will either stand up for those beliefs - or become another murky waters Liberal party. And the real left will go elsewhere.

Right now I think many of us are questioning the representative process. Again, not a bad thing.

Frank, you have to be kidding about Abbott.

He was the most arrogant, smug, and destructive 'Privatization' Minister of Health ever. Any true Dipper supporter would know that....especially one that worked as an emergency paramedic....or one that was a health care worker:

Remember Mr. Abbott's 'disappointment' at the following Supreme Court of Canada's ruling?:

"The high court had tossed key sections of Bill 29, under which the Liberals stripped away job security for unionized health care workers. Thousands of food service, custodial, care aide and other positions were shifted to private, lower-paying operators after the Liberals passed the legislation in early 2002.

Five years on, those positions remain a matter of contention and hardship, as operators come and go and workers endure serial layoffs."

Vile, mean-spirited actions that ignored human rights and worker rights. I think the United Nations had something to say about this abuse of rights, too, didn't they, dearest Mr. Abbott?

Rafe's RIght

It better be de Jong. He's the only one who wants to open the books to MLA's expense accounts, something Horgan sees loathe to do.
The NDP at this moment don't have anyone who can effectively fight for the interests of the middle and struggling classes.

The Only Person That Can Save The NDP...

" I want to say one word to you- just one word...................CORKY. "

lynn ...

Yes! Absolutely correct.

Precisely. Couldn't agree more.

That would be nice.

How easy it is to forget all the vile actions (there are so very many) of these criminals. Thanks for the reminder.

Another really good post lynn. Thanks.

A political party can't

A political party can't stand for anything at the same time its full of dissenting opinions and split by ideology.

It can be one or the other but not both.

After all if the NDP stood for something yet at the same time 1/3 of its membership wanted something else then it really wouldn't stand for something would it?

As for Abbott, I didn't say he was perfect but in my opinion he's miles ahead of people like De Jong, Falcon, Clark, Simons, Larsen and Lali.

Vote Green and Donate !

You'll hear more from the Green Party of BC in due course. The main limitations for them in "getting out the message" are financial resources and media attention. Anyone who wants to remedy the former, can donate (and will receive a provincial tax credit). Anyone who wants to remedy the latter should
(a) write letters to the editor of mainstream media publications asking for more coverage of the Green Party and
(b) should vote Green next BC election.
Once the Green Party of BC starts trending upwards (more than they are already !) in the polls, the media people will start to pay attention.
BUT DON'T WAIT FOR THE MEDIA TO ACT ON THEIR OWN. If you do, you'll be stuck with the BC Liberals and the BC NDP as your alternatives, more or less indefinitely !

Michael Barkusky

Rafe misses the boat on this one

Mike de Jong is an absolute disaster as Attorney General. The Basi/Virk outcome, and his confusion about it, is only parts of his failures. Rafe understands the need for the AG to be a non-partisan legal advisor to government, not a tool to cover tracks of miscreants.

Mike de Jong also sat back and watched police reform be sabotaged so that business could continue as usual amongst crime fighters.

He also presided over the BC Liberal duplicity that promised increased police, prosecutor and court resources to fight crime but delivered precisely the opposite.

I could go on but de Jong is the among the least capable caucus members. He couldn't win any arguments in the AG department so he would be a disaster in the big chair.

http://northerninsights.blogspot.com/search/label/Mike%20de%20Jong

Put your money on deJong

Appreciated the reference to Henry V, keep in mind that Shakespeares epic attack on the French by England was for entirely political reasons and served no strategic or greater good for England.., sound familiar?, like the French the inept Liberals led by de Jong shall fall..,Should the NDP choose a wise and noble leader (John Horgan) to lead the charge then the NDP shall surely prevail

..." we few, we happy few, we band of brothers for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother", Mr Mair "stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, now set the teeth and stretch the nostrils wide- on, on you noble"

..."Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more"

Ramona777

Since you are supporting de Jong, you should look up in hansard what he voted for. He is Gordon Campbell minus the hair. He voted for every piece of Campbell's regressive legislation, cheerleaded on behalf of it, as did the rest of the BCLiberal wrecking crew, including the wily ones now running for the leadership, who have taken off their pirate hats for the moment, hoping that thee and me will forget all the public loot hidden on board their slimy sinking pirate ship.

If you agree with the corrupt BC Rail deal, the decimation of BC Hydro, the selling of hundreds of our rivers all for the privateers gain, the decimation of senior care, the tearing up of health worker contracts, the deterioration of emergency paramedic services, the privatization of public services, the slow dismantling of CLBC, social workers that are now called quality analysts, the quacky quasi-privatization of BC Ferries, making this province into one big corporate-friendly real estate office through the establishment of one mega all-encompassing resource ministry - then the BCLiberals are your guys and gals. It was under their pilothouse that all of the above betrayals of the public trust were signed. sealed and delivered.

If these are your kind of people, then vote for them.

Frank

A political party is only as democratic and as strong as its ability to allow debate and dissent. How else do you determine policy? I don't see disagreement as weakness.

As for Lali and Larsen, you know they will not be the front runners. At least they didn't vote for the selling of BC Rail, the tearing up of health worker contracts and all of the above mentioned betrayals of the public trust. In that alone, they are miles ahead of any member of the BC Liberal wrecking crew now trying to fool the public once again.

one for adrian

"Vision Vancouver park board commissioner Raj Hundal has donned his provincial NDP hat to assist his long-time political ally and NDP MLA Adrian Dix in his expected run for the party leadership.

“I am helping Adrian to encourage people to sign NDP membership forms and support Adrian,” Hundal said by phone today (January 10). "

http://www.straight.com/article-367800/vancouver/park-boards-raj-hundal-backing-ndp-mla-adrian-dixs-expected-leadership-bid

RumDugger

It wasn't just Mair, lots of us saw the economic problems coming and said so on here. Others here argued with us and said we were wrong, the economy had never been stronger.

No one's right all the time but few are wrong as consistently as Campbell.

lynn

"A political party is only as democratic and as strong as its ability to allow debate and dissent. How else do you determine policy? I don't see disagreement as weakness."

But what's the point of determining a policy if everyone is still free to pee on it? Should the NDP put out an election platform that says 52% agree on #1, chance of enacting it about 50/50, 63% agree on #2 and so on? Would anyone take it seriously?

Disagreements are fine, but once everyone has stated their case and we've argued it out and voted on it, that should be it. Either that or we split into more parties.

Harry Lali is a member of the NDP yet he doesn't seem to like its policies, such as the gender equity policy. So if he's elected as head of the NDP is the NDP for or against gender equity?

As for the record of the other two, Simons threatened Mable Elmore and had trouble saying what he believed in on Bill Good. Larsen was busy making youtube videos and hanging out with Tommy Chong.

All in all not a stellar group of candidates. Although I will admit all 3 are better than Christy Clark and Kevin Falcon.

I've heard John Horgan is entering the race but what will those who ousted Carole James think of him based on what he's said about them and Politics 101? Would Jenny Kwan be okay having a leader who's basically called her an idiot? I myself will probably really like Horgan but I doubt he'll be good for party unity since he seems to be the kind of guy that says what he thinks.

According to Angus Reid the NDP lost a quarter of their support in a few weeks as people, mainly women, turned their backs on the party. The split is not manufactured by the media, it exists, its quantifiable.

Put Your Money On ...

Rafe,

Neither party is ready for either a leadership convention or an election with the choice of candidates available. None of these candidates have (enough) charismatic appeal to be a real 'leader'! This is bad news for B.C. :(

Frank

"But what's the point of determining a policy if everyone is still free to pee on it?"

Well, a policy must have been determined by a majority vote, so it holds until it is over-turned. That doesn't mean, anyone shouldn't 'be free' to disagree with it. As long as the majority agree it remains policy.

Now if at some point everyone 'pees on it'. Game over. Or, if even a significant amount of the members question it, don't you think it should be worth re-considering?

(That is all that was being asked of Ms. James by those who did not like the direction she was taking the party - Have a leadership convention - if you win the support of the majority, you remain leader. If you don't - a new leader is elected.)

One correction:

What you stated about Simons and Elmore is inaccurate. In fact, it is Elmore that apologized to Simons. Here's the real story from our local paper. Simons is our MLA - I find him an intelligent, kind, helpful, funny, unpretentious and honest guy. Much like you, Frank.

"Keith Baldrey, Global TV reporter, reported that he witnessed a confrontation between Simons and Elmore, a James supporter. Baldrey said Simons was jabbing his finger at Elmore and saying, “Do you want to fight? Do you want to fight?”

Simons said Baldrey never asked him about the incident. He said that Elmore has formally apologized to him and that he accepted the apology. “I think the details of it don’t serve any interest to my or anyone’s cause,” he said. “The reports were inaccurate. I obviously did have a disagreement and I was somewhat incredulous, but obviously I’m not picking fights. I’ve spent my career trying to prevent fights."

It's amazing how the MSM gets it wrong - and how reporters makes assumptions without researching and questioning the context of events.

Come on now lynn

I read the article too. Your leaving out the reason WHY Baldrey never asked Simons about the "incident"

quote: "In an email to the Peak, Baldrey wrote that he couldn’t ask Simons about the incident because he quickly disappeared."

“I couldn’t find him for the rest of the day. What I reported is accurate. He may not have meant it, but I quoted him accurately,” Baldrey said."

http://www.coastreporter.net/article/20101123/SECHELT0101/311239998/-1/SECHELT/simons-has-serious-concerns-with-party-leadership

Horgan

Just heard him on CBC's morning radio show.

I was impressed.

Even Rick Cluff sounded impressed

lynn

Whether Simons was unfairly attacked or not is kinda academic because there's no way he's electable provincially. (and thanks for the kind words)

With Horgan in the race Dippers finally have a real candidate. I will now say George Abbott is the second best candidate out there.

If Abbott and Horgan end up against each other in the next election BCers will have nothing to complain about.

Frank

It doesn't matter if Simons is electable or not, it is likely more than academic to him that the truth not be misconstrued.

That is important in itself.

Frank, seriously, you surprise me in your defence of Abbott.

Who would have thunk it.......?

Lest we forget -

All those health care workers - that had their wages cut in half, and were threatened with firing if they didn't sign their new and privatized contract. Many of them single older women with nowhere to turn. I saw the tears...and the fear in their faces.

And I still do.

Yes, The Infamous and 'Talented' Mr. Abbott....

No thanks, Frank.

Frank

Unfortunately, Horgan is a bit too dogmatic left (certainly left of Carole) and, as Tieleman has confirmed, has a nasty temper with his colleagues. Seems like Glen Clark 2.0. He only has a 10% approval with the populace at large based upon ARS' latest.

Farnworth is the NDP's best bet, doesn't have an ideological bone in his body, and is from the federal Liberal mold of Mike Harcourt/Dan Miller. He's certainly right of Carole.

Nevertheless, my nose tells me that Dix is the front-runner due to his massive sign-ups in the Filipino community (esp. in Vancouver) and his massive sign-ups in the Sikh community, esp. in Surrey. He has been assisted in that regard by MLAs Harry Bains and Sue Hammell.

It's the OMOV in the NDP that will likely take Dix over the top and he'll likely also take Lali's large Sikh sign-ups as well.

What's with the silly Jan 17. NDP membership cut-off BTW?

As for the Libs, Clark seems to be the front-runner with the most momentum and most new sign-ups. I suspect most of the 2nd votes from the Abbott/Deyong camps will also split in Clark's favour edging out Abbott in the end.

Falcon would be an ideal candidate for the NDP.

So right now, I handicap the outcome as a Clark/Dix match-up. BTW, I would also like to see Abbott at the Libs helm.

Luke

Horgan is left-wing but that's what makes him attractive to the many Dippers that didn't like Carole James. That and he's not a wallflower. (Although its often forgotten or ignored that Carole beat Campbell hands-down in each of the televised debates the last two elections)

Farnsworth is a good guy but I think he's too middle-of-the-road for the current party membership.

Frank

There are two letters defending Simons following the article in The Peak:

http://prpeak.com/articles/2010/11/26/news/doc4cec712632f56191682483.txt

I think that Norman's Farrell's inclusion of one letter on his site was silliness on his part.... as silly as my inclusion of the link above to two letters that defend Simons....but you asked if there were any... so there they are.

Just saying.... under the Campbell/Abbott watch, under Bill 29, over 8,000 workers lost their jobs. As I noted above many of these were women raising families on their own.

Not only did the UN weigh in heavily against the BC Liberal government on this but The Supreme Court of Canada said Bill 29 violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in a landmark case.

Not to mention the deterioration of senior care under the Campbell/Abbott watch.

You asked:

Quote:

"lynn, are you telling me its impossible to ever say anything good about the other side?"

When someone commits grand theft against my province in terms of land, rivers, power, and a once profitable railway.... when they enact cruel policies that harm seniors and children and workers.... when Freedom of Information is intentionally slowed to a grinding halt.....when you can no longer believe a word they say, I no longer do.

Say something good about them?

uhhhh....I don't think so.

But I would like to read a victim's statement to the court on behalf of the people of BC.

Quote:

"If one sees the other side as always being 100% evil then we shouldn't be engaging in elections and letting the hordes of Mordor rule over us, we should be arming ourselves and engaging in civil war."

This is civil war.

It's just such a sneaky war that the people of this province can't see or hear the cannon fire as we are looted, lied to, and sold to the lowest bidder.

lynn

Well, I love attacking the Right but I don't seriously believe they're all evil. I've got family and friends who are strong right-wingers and who refuse to argue politics with me anymore (wusses) but we don't consider each other to be evil.

It wouldn't take much to attack the NDP record in the 1990s. Its not something I ever do but come on, off the top of my head I could start with the attacks on people on welfare and environmentalists. Its a target-rich environment.

I don't support the NDP because they're perfect, they aren't. They're simply the better option for me based on how I think.

I read your link and the two comments on the article, both of whom certainly don't like Carole James. They should ask themselves why it is that the Right doesn't need inspiring leaders to win elections.

I remember discussing that issue on here a few years ago but no one was interested. Is what we believe in so unpopular that only a real orator of the ages can sell it?

I don't look for inspiration from politicians which is probably why I liked Carole James and the two commenters on the Peak didn't. They'll probably love Horgan though. In fact, I expect him to be pretty popular with party members.

Now I know it's hopeless

Over the past almost 5 years I've been a regular and pretty frequent commenter here at Tyee. Never hidden the fact that I'm a socialist and that I think the current government has been and is an absolute disaster for everyone in this province who isn't on the take or wealthy.

I've continually tried to put the argument that the NDP, while far from perfect, is and would be, a much better government for this province and especially for the people who have suffered the most under Gordon Campbell and his gang.

I now find myself in the unfortunate position of seeing that party AND some of its strongest supporters doing everything they can to destroy the chances of the NDP getting elected in 2013 (or sooner).

I've even discovered that that same NDP managed (as of today) to cash the cheque I sent them in mid-December to (after some 20 odd years) activate my membership in the party once again.

When you can't even manage to get to the bank to deposit money people WANT you to have there is a serious problem...and it isn't just that Lynn and Frank (who ought to be and once were) the best of political allies here at Tyee are now at serious loggerheads.

Get ready for four more years of Liberal incompetance. NDPers are now more interested in political gamesmanship than they are in getting power and doing something with it.

And that is really sad.

erratum

That should be, obviously, that the NDP HASN'T even managed (as of close of business today) to cash a cheque that's been in their hands for almost a month...

Rafe Mair ~ And province's

Rafe Mair ~ And province's New Dems are wise to troll federal ranks for a new leader.

There is no wisdom in supporting a political party within a democracy. It is foolish political rhetoric that teaches such behaviour, and custom that carries it forth despite its harms.

Just a few word's of George Washington warning the people of party politics in his farewell address in 1796.

... all combinations and associations under whatever plausible character with the real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle and of fatal tendency.

They serve to organize faction; to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common councils and modified by mutual interests.

However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion. ...

Let me now take a more comprehensive view and
warn you in the most solemn manner against the
baneful effects of the spirit of party, generally.

This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but in those of the popular form it is seen in its greatest rankness and is truly their worst enemy.

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism.

But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation on the ruins of public liberty.

(con't)

Party Politic Rhetoric Destroying Democracy

Without looking forward to an extremity of this
kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight) the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and the duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.

It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.

It opens the door to foreign influence and
corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.

There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This within certain limits is probably true — and in governments of a monarchical cast patriotism
may look with indulgence, if not with favor,
upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought
to be by force of public opinion to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest instead of warming it should consume.

It is important, likewise, that the habits of thinking in a free country should inspire caution in those entrusted with its administration to confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres,
avoiding in the exercise of the powers of one department to encroach upon another. The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one and thus to create, whatever the form of government, a real despotism. A just estimate of that love of power and proneness to abuse it which predominates in the human heart is sufficient to satisfy us of the truth of this position. ...

Let's Hope Rafe is Wrong

I'm not a supporter of either the Liberals or the NDP, so who either one puts in the driver's seat doesn't matter all that much to me.

But, here's an issue that I hope a few people will take seriously. Irrespective of Mr. de Jong's record or other qualifications, he is a lawyer. As such he can apply for an appointment to the bench (and he wouldn't be the first former A.G. to be given such an appointment).

Those of us who are not lawyers cannot apply to become members of the judicial branch of government. I suggest the quid pro quo of this exclusive privilege is that lawyers should be barred from seeking elected public office, i.e. denied the right to become members of the legislative branch.

Does that sound too simple and self-evident? I've given it some serious thought and I think it's a good idea.

DeJong

...a welterweight punching as a flyweight. Not a hope. Not magnetic, not intellectual, not especially owned by business (though I'm sure willingness is a credential).

I'd like to go and work for Falcon. Best chance of driving moderate voters away from the Fiberals.

Of course, one has to then attract them to the NDP, and that's no easy job. Picking Farnworth is just picking James 2.0. All the thousands and thousands of "new signups who've come back to the party in renewal" won't ever accept him.

Kwan gets the back of my hand. 3 years of council and 7 as my MLA taught me some lessons nobody else should have to learn, though lynn wants to argue with me on that.

Horgan? Simons? Lali? Are intemperate speakers what the party needs to reassure the average BC voter?

I know Simpson and Dix best, and for all their talents, I'm not convinced that either of them would be the best leader in this situation, with a divided party.

And where are all the women?

Mebbe Rafe is right - look outside the province for a decent candidate.

ChrisB, I suppose ellecting

ChrisB, I suppose ellecting those who understand the legal language would be a hindrance to getting anything substantive done. It is so much better having the Legislature passing BS or unconstitutional laws simply to buy the party of the day time and influence over matters. /sarcasm

There are better ways of prohibiting conflicts of interest, imo, than barring those with advanced degrees in critical thinking from holding office.