Well done Bill

You've earned your keep this week. A nicely flowing column of contrasts quoting rumour and innuendo against Christy and polishing Eby's halo on the last day before the byelection so that no rebuttal is possible.

You are a master strategist! I hope Christy Clark gets to appreciate your part in her pending defeat....

our precious children

MacKenna
30-01-2011
"As the minister of children and families, Christy Clark EDITED imposed Campbell policies that resulted in child deaths. You can't wash those blood stains off."

http://www.strategicthoughts.com/record2004/newmincfd.html

For that alone, she does not deserve a second's worth of attention."

Just to add my 2 cents...
"If results count then it seems as if child welfare was never ranked very high in the list of liberal priorities. What would be different this time?"

According to a report by the BC Coroners Service, 2006 Special Report on the "955 Transition Files" of the former Children's Commission which was DISBANDED.. that is, the former child director was let go... in 2002 by the liberals, and replaced by absolutely nothing... I wonder what was so much more important than the welfare of children in our province, that they had to cut this service too.

http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/coroners/child-death-review/docs/cdru-2006report-955transitionfiles.pdf

That is 951 child deaths that were not fully investigated until the 2006 report came out, and even then, with all that time passed, how accurate really could it have been?

Even then, it was only through public and opposition outcry that around 2006 did Campbell bother to set up the B. C. Coroners Service (BCCS) Child Death Review (CDR) which had it's first meeting middle of July 2007.. and the first children's director in 9 years, appointed in March 2011... wow.

I think there is a whole lot of blood on Clark's and other liberal hands.

Let's all hope that the good

Let's all hope that the good people of Point Grey decide they don't want to be ruled by another MLA that couldn't care less about the concerns of regular people and instead back a positive individual with a track record of standing up when it counts for democratic principles.
=========

Sadly that won't happen. The BC Liberals could run a snowman and still win that riding.

Vote Gliberal?

Love the headline on this article Bill, well done!. Recently I saw Mr Eby on a nightly news hour interview and I wish he was running in my district. He is the best choice for Point Grey over Ms Clark. I know some people think that Ms Clark is a shoo in for Point Grey but in reality is she?. After all this riding has the dubious title of having the worst MLA ever elected and the lowest rated premiere in Canada ever and these folks still feel the sting of Campbell's term in office. As a voter I feel complete disdain for a candidate that does not show up for debates and rides around in a "rent a trolley" waving to the electorate. That I found strange to say the least. It's an obvious choice, Mr Eby would work very hard for Point Grey and it shows. Let's just hope that the folks in this riding feel the same way on voting day.

she does smile a lot so some

she does smile a lot so some of the Libs figure that's OK. A few bricks short of a load.

Finding a Balance

The voters in Point Grey evidently have an average household income of $65,000 a year. That must mean that the average family could not afford to even pay the taxes on those big west side homes. So a large number of Point Grey's voters must be un-wealthy or what one might call regular people. Those people that Ms. Clark deems it unnecessary to address. Methinks Ms. Clark will need more luck, than anything to win in this neglected riding.

HST

Clark is favor of keeping the despised HST. She has to keep her corporate bosses happy. Democracy is sad shape these days and Clark will only erode the process further if she gets elected.

Stop saying that, Jeeez!

"The BC Liberals could run a snowman and still win that riding."

What do you know about 'that riding'? Before Gordo, the honorable Darlene Mazari was its MLA, an NDP'er. She did not run against Gordo. He got re-elected twice, but not with any impressive landslides, first time just barely, second time out of sympathy for another drunk driver who sobbed before the mike, third time carried by the momentum of 'owning the podium', which we all now know was a dog's breakfast, er, demise, er...

There is no reason to believe someone of stature, decency and intelligence like Dave Eby cannot win 'that riding', and I heartily deplore the clammy defeatism which people keep throwing out. Are you looking for an excuse to stay in that night? It will not be granted. Thor will get you for being lazy. Among other things, he is the defender of the common, hard-working man and woman!

Hey Zalm...

"A nicely flowing column of contrasts quoting rumour and innuendo"

...would that include all the 'rumours' about the all-candidates meetings she refuses to attend?

I wonder.

""The BC Liberals could run a snowman and still win that riding." That kinda suggests that the folks in Vancouver Point Grey are not very bright. We will see.

rantnic,

low earners in point grey? .. laneway housing

Good article Bill, but why isn't Adrian saying this?

If the success of Stephen Harper should teach us anything, it's that part of politics is defining yourself or your opponent before the actual election. Harper and company skillfully slandered and slung the mud as that pre-framed Dion and then Ignatieff. Right now Clark is redefining herself as the gentler, kinder Liberal leader -- and it doesn't seem, at least to me, that the NDP is doing much to contradict her. You don't have to "frame" Christy -- her record in the Legislature, her association with seedy types in the BC Rail affair, her right-wing radio rants have done that already. But the electorate, with its short memory and desire (understandably) the believe the best, that the sheep's clothing has reformed the wolf, have to be reminded. Again and again. Either that, or do a Vander Zalm remake of Bill Bennett.

deeby on rumours and innuendo

Not at all. That's fact, Jack. No, I'm talking about this:

"By comparison, Clark could only convince one unknown backbench MLA to support her leadership campaign and there has been no significant presence of former leadership candidates Falcon, George Abbott or Mike de Jong in Vancouver-Point Grey.

Clark campaigns in a glaring spotlight but totally alone.

And rumours fly that Clark is busy purging BC Liberal MLAs who backed other leadership candidates. That explains West Vancouver-Capilano MLA Ralph Sultan's odd letter saying he is going to run for another term when there is no election in sight.

North Shore News columnist Trevor Lautens recently wrote that Sultan and West Vancouver -- Sea to Sky MLA Joan McIntyre may be pushed out by Clark's supporters and replaced by former BC CTV News anchor Pamela Martin -- Clark's campaign membership chair -- and Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, West Vancouver's mayor.

Other reports indicate more dissension in BC Liberal ranks, with Clark targeting MLAs and staff who didn't salute her leadership flag for an early pre-election exit.

Unless Bill turns into the Lord of the Flies and hangs about on the walls of the BC Fiberal caucus room, I can't see how he knows any of this.

No, it pleases me immensely to see the gander getting the same sauce been served up to the goose for so many, many years.

Tieleman informs Zalm

One MLA backed Christy Clark - Harry Bloy. Kevin Falcon and George Abbott had about 20 Liberal MLAs each behind them. Mike de Jong had none.

If Falcon, Abbott or de Jong has been campaigning for Clark in Vancouver-Point Grey show me the evidence and I'll gladly retract that statement. I can find no reports from media nor on Clark's own campaign website about such appearances.

If you read the linked column by Trevor Lautens, you would see that his calls to Mayor Goldsmith-Jones were not returned.

MLA Ralph Sultan issued a letter to all BC Liberal members in his riding saying he would be running again - when no election or nomination is imminent - why did he do that?

Lastly, if you don't think I have sources about what happens in the BC Liberal Party and caucus, that's fine. But when my comments here are proven correct, I hope you will have the strength of character to post a retraction!

Re Average income of Point Grey residents...

Rantnic said:
"The voters in Point Grey evidently have an average household income of $65,000 a year. That must mean that the average family could not afford to even pay the taxes on those big west side homes."
I would think there is an error in that figure. The wife and I are retired, together our pension incomes are just slightly more than $65,000 annually. There is no way in this world that we could afford to live in Point Grey.
If that is their average income than they have some terrific accountants doing their books. And if that is that case, then one might question their integrity. Which means they would surely vote for Christy.

How an average comes about...

The figure does not mean that people in point Grey GENERALLY make 65,000 a year. It means that a good deal make much more; some make just about that, and many, many make quite a bit less. Point Grey does not consist of 'big villas' all around. It includes houses with three or four or more units, rentals in whole or in part, young folks and old folks in basements and attics, and not a few older apartment buildings with quite manageable rents, even a couple of old housing co-ops. Then it also includes people who have lived in their smaller or mid-sized homes for thirty of forty or fifty years or even inherited the home from parents. This is all part of the picture and makes the stated 'average' figure quite believable to me. For those who live here, the idea of the almost obscene 'affluence' that keeps cropping up in a gossipy way is ludicrous. Yeah, maybe Drummond Drive or Puget Drive, but Fourth Avenue? All the 'Aves' between fourth and sixteenth? Nah. Pretty regular folks, and their kids and parents...

And, if you live here, you STILL don't have an excuse to sit by the fireside instead of braving the wild winds and the rain and go vote!

Bill

I should have removed the whole first paragraph - I misread “significant presence of former leadership candidates”as “significant presence of BC Liberals.” With Colin Hansen as her campaign chair and Mary McNeil and John Yap out and about with her, she has certainly had Fiberal support. Just not the leadership candidates, as you mentioned. I apologize for that one.

But expecting George Abbott to come down for her - that would be an act of sheer desperation! No politician could afford to look like that. Nor could Kevin Falcon possibly be asked to show up - Vancouver voters haven't forgotten Kevin imposing Port Mann traffic on to Vancouver streets at the expense of a Skytrain line to UBC.

And... ”Clark campaigns in a glaring spotlight but totally alone.” Except for the aforementioned BC Fiberals, that’s the way it ought to be! Can you imagine if she showed up with the whole caucus? How impotent would she look then? She simply has to do this herself - anything less and it’ll look like she’s the least effective Premier since Amor de Cosmos and his floating circus.

”And rumours fly that Clark is busy purging BC Liberal MLAs who backed other leadership candidates.” ‘Nuff said.

”That explains West Vancouver-Capilano MLA Ralph Sultan's odd letter saying he is going to run for another term when there is no election in sight.” Ralph, an economist by trade, and one with a decent mind, always seemed less doctrinaire than some of the more crazed Fiberals like Falcon. But in running afoul of Gordo by standing up to him in caucus in his first two years in office, he never had the chance to serve, was never given access to the public in TV spots, and had to console himself with pushing his pet projects through the North Shore News. Something really must have gone wrong for him to be treated in that way, when he had more talent than about half of the whole Fiberal caucus added together. Writing letters is absolutely normal for Ralph. And in fact it’s rather poetic to watch the Party of Used Car Dealers trash one of the few minds who could give their party some credibility.

[...]

...and moreover...

”Other reports indicate more dissension in BC Liberal ranks, with Clark targeting MLAs and staff who didn't salute her leadership flag for an early pre-election exit.”

Uh-huh. The example of Carole James wasn’t enough for Christy - she now wants to reprise recent history all by herself? I don’t think so. I can see some of the other MLAs targeting Christy Clark for major public embarrassments, certainly, but she (as you’ve pointed out) has absolutely no power among caucus; vengeance from Christy Clark would fall flatter than a nightmare souffle on Gordon Ramsey.

“Lastly, if you don't think I have sources about what happens in the BC Liberal Party and caucus, that's fine.”

Oh, you have contacts, all right, Bill, we all know that. I’m just surprised you didn’t use them to put more juice in your arguments - someone on-record saying Christy targetted him or her for liquidation from caucus would have ten times the stopping power of half your story. Written the way it was on the last day of the campaign comes off looking like a drive-by shooting with no chance of rebuttal. It simply encourages everyone whose mind isn’t yet made up to ignore it.

But drive-bys were a BC Fiberal specialty, so this column fits right in with the tenor of BC politics over the last ten years. You don’t agree, but then, you’ve never suffered fools or critics gladly. I’ll let the rest of the group here decide which I am.

Zalm

Public Eye Online published a copy of Sultan's letter that was sent to BC Liberal Party members indicating that he intends to run in the next general election. This may well be a response to one of Christy Clark's statements made during the leadership race. She stated that all incumbent BC Liberals would not be automatically rubber-stamped as candidates come next general election. They would have to be vetted by their respective riding associations.

Maybe his letter was a pre-emptive strike.

Open candidate forums and Christy

Open All candidate Forums would be the proper time to air all the issues. Making specious allegations about an opponent as Christy has done would not be possible if she was required to be accountable for them in an open debate. Nor would the use of government paid staff for a photo op on something five years old escape scrutiny. This is why Clark is hiding and why the media is giving her this free ride. It is arrogance of the worst kind.

When politicians get desperate they do all kinds of things they normally would not. Banking on the blind loyalty of party members is one of them. That margin Campbell won by, a mere 2300 votes is something that can be overcome by any candidate who sticks to the issues. David Eby has a good chance to send Christy back to wherever she wants to hide.