- Ms Kaye is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
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- Prem Gill is a Tyee Builder. You can be, too.
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Harper Win Good for Campbell?
Provincial contest will be night and day different.
PM and Premier: tag team?
The day following the election, I heard veteran reporter Keith Baldrey comment that the BC Liberals could take heart from the fact that the province turned right in its majority vote for Stephen Harper and this Tories. With great respect, I beg to differ.
British Columbians have always been able to separate provincial elections from the federal ones. I well remember 1979 when there were overlapping elections and it was by no means unusual to see a provincial Socred and a federal NDP sign side by side in the same lawn. Workers on my campaign would be working for their federal favourites -- at each others' throats in the federal fight and chummy friends in my office.
The dynamics of federal and provincial elections are as different as night and day. There are three parties on the national scene, only two that matter in B.C. While some issues overlap, even similar ones are seen differently depending on the election in question. I think the federal outcome in B.C. was more leader against leader, with Harper easily besting Dion and Layton.
It's going to be interesting
Provincial elections in B.C. are always more interesting than federal ones and the campaigns bear that out. There's a feistiness in provincial elections and a feeling that if you vote right and your party wins, something will in fact be done. In federal elections, one gets the sense of participating in some remote exercise that only matters a little bit to us who live so very far away from where it does matter.
The next provincial election will have much to do with Gordon Campbell's personality, how he's perceived as a leader and how Carole James compares. I hasten to add, though, that popular leaders don't necessarily win over less popular ones. The outgoing, witty and always entertaining Dave Barrett went up against the dour and for many unpopular Bill Bennett three times and lost all three because it appeared to voters that Bennett was better equipped to deal with the issues that mattered.
Carole James got off to a slow start, to say the least. Her political experience having been confined to school board and school trustee politics was no help on the provincial scene. James, totally misunderstanding the function of the legislature, which is to figuratively spill blood that would otherwise be literally spilt in the streets, wanted to get bipartisan agreement to have all MLAs behave better. This was, of course, manna from heaven for Campbell, for whom a peaceful house really meant that he could do what he pleased with no one really showing anger.
James' rebuilding project
In fairness to James, she took over a party badly divided, with only two sitting MLAs. As with all political parties, the NDP is a coalition. But unlike other coalitions, the component parts of the NDP are much more independent of each other. James had to rebuild not only an opposition in the legislature, she had to rebuild a party torn asunder by the antics of the last couple of years of NDP rule. To me, the signs are that she is succeeding, slowly but surely.
If a party mimics its leader, the BC Liberals could be in trouble. In all my years watching governments, I cannot recall any matching the Campbell government's arrogance -- not even that of Pierre Trudeau. Moreover, he has managed to spread his arrogance right around the province.
BC's big issues
There will be, in my view, two overriding issues: the economy and the environment. While it's important to try to assess what the economical climate will be, we must surely admit it will pose big problems. The stock market crashes (and crashes they've been) will be in focus by next May. People will have digested the huge losses in their RRSP portfolios and whatever other investments they've made. They will see that their mutual funds will have been badly hit and those retired may see their pensions diminished and their personal savings down perhaps 50 per cent. One thing my broker had a hard time understanding, which is why I fired him and sold everything three years ago, is that older folks don't have a "long term" in which to recover. These people will expect Campbell to offer solutions and right now.
Then there is the environment apart from greenhouse gases. Whether it's fish farms and the dirty pact Campbell has with Alcan in the northwest, fish farms up and down the coast, proposed LNG plants on the north coast, the wiping out of the unique ecology at Eagleridge in West Vancouver, the transmission lines in Tsawwassen, the Gateway project, especially though not exclusively in Delta, the abandonment of the Cambie Street merchants, private power smashing the environment around the province or the stealthy but persistent privatization of BC Hydro, the premier has enraged British Columbians not just for what he's done, but for his callous indifference to the wishes of people.
In order for the Campbell government to fall, James and her colleagues must look like a government in waiting. This won't be easy as voters remember, especially, the last term of the NDP. She must find ways to showcase her better MLAs, not easy to do since the autocrat disobeys his own legislation and doesn't have fall sessions and the media bends over backwards to avoid dealing with anything that might hurt the government.
As recently as a few months ago, I would have said that Carole James was not up to the job. I'm changing my opinion. Bear in mind Mair's Axiom II, which says "you don't have to be a 10 in politics, you can be a 3 if everyone else is a 2, and Campbell is looking more and more like a 2." James has much improved her understanding of politics in B.C., meaning that the defeat of the autocrat and his toadies is a much more realistic possibility.
Censorship and profit
Let me close with a media story. Last week I spent three days on the northwest coast as spokesperson for the Save Our Rivers Society dealing with the private power plans of the government. A day or so before I left home, I gave an interview with a reporter with a radio station in the Interior. I don't want to name the station or other details because I don't want to get anyone in trouble. But I've heard from a good source that the station refused to run the report because it might offend Alcan, one of their major advertisers.
If true, then here we have another example of the state of free speech in the land of Campbell. The premier made the pact with Alcan to disregard the deal the original contract and legislation and permit, indeed partnered with Alcan to give Alcan a sweetheart deal to make hundreds of million dollars making electricity for sale instead of expanding aluminum production as the deal called for.
Don't blame Alcan. They're doing what corporations are supposed to do: make money. Blame the Campbell autocracy which has, hand in hand with Alcan, traded jobs in Kitimat for huge corporate profits from power.
Related Tyee stories:
- Campbell's Gift to Harper?
Premier fine with electing senators; critics say BC still loses. - Harper's Billions
B.C.'s stake in the equalization game. - How Harper Gov't Pushed Financial Deregulation Here, Abroad
Way was cleared for US mortgage firms and easy credit, insured by Canadian taxpayers.
![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
- BC snuffs out AirCare test program
- AFN national chief Shawn Atleo to launch re-election bid
- Citizens group releases video to fight undead Bill C-30
- Conservative MP says he might vote against budget, then 'clarifies' his position
- Genetically modified plants won't take root with councillors in Richmond, BC
- Hundreds at Vancouver rally to support Quebec students
- Could Fort Mac become an eco-tourist hotspot?
- Rick Hansen's Man in Motion anniversary tour concludes in Vancouver
- The Gem of Canadian Science that Harper Killed
- Who Mowed Down the Premier?
- Canada's Economy, Deconstructed (by a 12 year-old)
- Death in Remand: a Tyee Inquiry
- Now Is the Time to Talk up Big Ideas
- Bill C-38: the Environmental Destruction Act
- Sexism Tinges Criticism of Teachers' Job Action
- Death In Remand: 'A Gut Feeling'
- Bias in BC's Pesticide Decision? Follow the Bouncing Verbs
- The Ethics of Addiction Studies
- The Gem of Canadian Science that Harper Killed
- Sexism Tinges Criticism of Teachers' Job Action
- Now Is the Time to Talk up Big Ideas
- The Ethics of Addiction Studies
- Bill C-38: the Environmental Destruction Act
- Alberta Fills Pipes with Corrosive Denial
- Bias in BC's Pesticide Decision? Follow the Bouncing Verbs
- How Our Immune Systems Exaggerate Fear
- BC biotech company seeks approval for GM apple
- What's Behind BC's Doors?
- Double lung recipient dances on Ellen show
- ISS astronauts grab DragonX space capsule by the tail with Canada Arm
- Metro Vancouver gas prices peak at record levels
- Ottawa posts $9-billion deficit in March despite pledge to avoid spending spree
- BC phases out AirCare to focus on fighting bigger vehicle emissions
- Tsunami senors to be dropped into deep sea off of Vancouver Island
- Student groups file court challenge against Quebec protest law
- ...while on the streets, pirates and ninjas put aside mutual animosity to join student protests
33
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Luke Skywalker
3 years ago
Rafe...
Funnily enough, I saw a federal Vancouver Centre NDP "Michael Byers" lawn sign on the same lawn as a Margaret MacDiarmid Liberal provincial lawn sign for the current by-election in Vancouver-Fairview last week.
Go figure.
Still remember 1979, when the New Democrats (Nelson Riis) won the federal Kamloops riding for the first time in its then incarnation when you, Rafe, were running up there. Obviously the NDP didn't win Kamloops federally this time around.
You are right in that regard. Even Kyle Braid, BC Ipsos pollster, confirmed BC polling on election night that Dion only had a 10% favourable rating in BC. Unheard of for a federal Liberal leader!
Don't even think that Trudeau fared THAT badly in BC.
Yeah, especially the economy during the May 5, 1983 election after its precipitous downturn in late fall, 1981.
Have you managed to forget Glen Clark? ;)
"It's the economy, stupid" in reference to the ol' Bill Clinton adage.
As the current federal election showed, the environment was at the bottom of the list... and the Green Party will be the parking spot for environmental die-hards.
I certainly would like to see evidence of that. It seems that "Queen Carole" is just as much frowned upon as "King Gordo".
Frankly, I find that hard to believe.
Alcan signed a $200 million engineering/project management contract a few months back with the giant engineering firm Bechtel for the Kitimat smelter.
http://www.bechtel.com/2008-07-11.html
That redevelopment would increase aluminum output by more than 40 per cent while cutting greenhouse gas emissions by about 40 per cent.
Of course, the current credit crunch along with the down-tick in aluminum prices could potentially have an impact upon that smelter redevelopment.
seth
3 years ago
Publicly financed elections
As the promises are made and financing sought and the sadly the inevitable smelter delays occur, Alcan will be making billions selling our power at 100 times cost.
The public interest sold out so Campbell and cronies can fill their campaign war chest with big corporate donations.
Add the millions of dollars worth of free slanted coverage from the corporate big media, millions more in government "public interest" advertising, and the idea of public financed elections becomes real.
Such a deal. Unfortunately for neocons only.
The NDP has a huge uphill battle ahead.
RickW
3 years ago
Carbon tax
There were signs poppring up like mushrooms around Liberal campaign signs in the last couple of days before the vote, that said: "Stop the Dion Carbon Tax"
Now whether that helped strip the Liberals of their BC ridings or not is nothing but speculation. However, I cannot help but wonder if the people responsible for these signs will also be applying them to provincial Liberal signs during the upcoming provincial elections.....
And kudos to Carole James for attempting accommodation, rather than an adverserial stance (what Rafe evidently prefers).
Hughes
3 years ago
Moratorium
A couple of days ago I heard Campbell on the radio spouting off at the mouth about how Harper would be in favour of lifting the moratorium on oil 'n' gas exploration off BC's coast.
THIS MUST BE AN ELECTION ISSUE! I'm sure that this, along with his carbon tax, Gateway (an environmental disaster in the making), so called green power (the only thing green are the dollars going into the IPPs at the expense of OUR rivers 'n' creeks), Schedule 2 which permits mines to use OUR lakes as toxic waste dumps, fish farms 'n' on 'n' on, will not sit well with the majority of BC voters.
The man's dime-store environmental schemes as facile and superficial as his character.
RS
Grumpy
3 years ago
Baldry is nothing more........
........than a shill for the BC Liberals.
Fiat lux
3 years ago
The only signs I can see
The only signs I can see popping up are "CANADA FOR SALE" and "BC FOR SALE".
After all, they both are brothers under the skin, good Reformers working for the same purpose.
Ed Deak.
Van Isle
3 years ago
Hey Rafe, you forgot
Hey Rafe, you forgot Harper's arrogance level, it's right up there with Gordo's. He got, David Emerson to switch sides and gave him the Int'l Trade portfolio, Michael Fortier into the Senate and gave the man the Public Works portfolio, and that was within weeks of winning the '06 election. Lately, defied his own law regarding an election every 4 years and called a snap election because he couldn't work with a minority government. Hell, that was with a minoriy government; makes me shudder just to think what arrogance the man would have if the Con's had a majority; it would be right off the scale.
egmont rapids
3 years ago
Looks good on you luke
Have fun trying to defend Scampbell.
Luke as you say Glen Clark wasn`t popular to say the least but there is a huge diffrence between clark and Campbell.
The diffrence is --Clark had a whiff of corruption about him, Campbell has an over-powering STENCH OF CORRUPTION about him and one more thing,arrogance,elitist,do as I say,not as I do my shit don`t stink Campbell!
Campbell WILL LOSE THE ELECTION, the lose will be stunning,nothing can stop it,its personal,people dislike him,hate him in fact!
The more Campbell promises the more people hate him,the more he shows his face the more people`s hair stands up on the back of their neck!
Campbell can`t undo the healthcare nightmares his out sourcing has caused,he can`t make children`s life`s better,he can start to DO THE RIGHT THING NOW that he should of done 7 years ago,but it won`t save him,it angers people.
Luke you can post all your talking points you want,it matters not,I know,you know the last destroyed,omitted,hidden provincial poll has Campbell down 11 points.
P.S. I wonder how Campbell if Campbell will try to shut donn this site and others with a new improved gag law,especially considering the DESPERATE AND PANICKING STATE CAMPBELL IS IN ---cheers
seth
3 years ago
Greens - the useful idiots
Adding to the sorry prospects for the progressive voter are our oh so earnest green folk out mobilizing their constituencies, nominating candidates and preparing to ensure that Gordo and minions win another election and BC gets its environment trashed for another four years.
Harper's Christian fundamentalists with less than 1% of the population were able to take over virtually every Conservative constituency association in Canada merely by loading parishioners into buses, selling them memberships and massing them at poorly attended nominating meetings.
Why are the Greens not out doing the same nominating all those new woman candidates for the NDP. Lazy, stupid or just "useful idiots". Maybe they really deep down enjoy watching Campbell's fish farms destroy salmon runs?
Wilfred Laurier
3 years ago
Rafe.....
What you are forgetting, Rafe, is that elections are won two ways. One is getting the swing vote. The second is much more important: Getting people who would not normally vote for you to do so. The problem with the NDP, both Federal and Provincial, is their penchant for preaching to the choir. They sing to their supporters, make themselves feel good, convince themselves that victory is theirs and then lose at the polls. Then they point fingers and do the same thing the next election.
Carole James is riding a little high now but she really has to come across as a Premier than can do something better for the average voter. Demonizing Campbell has been a total failure for the NDP. It was a total failure for the Federal Liberals, too.
Anybody who writes off the BC Liberals is not facing reality. I also remember the Bill Bennett years. Heck, they way the NDP made him out you would think he was Lucifer. Yet he handily won all three times he ran.
Do not think Campbell is incapable of winning. He is as wily a politician as there is. He is taking a break now but he will come out swinging with a well financed and well organised campaign.
Skywalker
3 years ago
Well said Rafe
I do wonder if James has the stuff it takes and it would be a more likely scenario if the NDP had a stronger leader. Still your analysis is sound. Egmont rapids said it best,"Clark had a whiff of corruption about him, Campbell has an over-powering STENCH OF CORRUPTION about him" It should also be noted that the whiff was disproven in the end.
Rafe has also been saying that even if you believe (or have been convinced by CanWest) the NDP will screw up the economy, that can be fixed. Resources sold can never be returned and rivers destroyed, are destroyed forever. The brackets were my addition.
Wilfred Laurier
3 years ago
Luke
One of the main problems the NDP have is that they do not ditch leaders who do not win. This is because they cannot take responsibility for their defeats. You summed up this problem with your (or have been convinced by CanWest) comment. Until the NDP can look into itself and examine the reasons for its defeats, it will have a hard time forming a government.
Feverish
3 years ago
Electoral reform
The most important thing we can do during this upcoming election, is to vote on the second ballot referendum for the BC-STV. Do your homework and learn about this important opportunity that is being presented. If this opportunity alone does not produce a huge voter turnout, then what we get will be what we deserve as an apathetic province. If the vast majority of people vote, then at least we will be able to take solace in knowing that the majority has spoken.
This is the final chance for us to make a change to a system that is not working for the people it is supposed to support and protect. If it fails, you can count on many years to pass before we get another opportunity to vote on something so integral to our everyday lives.
If there is a positive result, then there must be strong legislation to make certain that everyone understands the concept and that there are safeguards put in place to avoid manipulation when a more complex vote count is required. There will be a new generation of voters that will be able to grasp it quite easily if the basic formula for the STV is taught in schools, and maybe even feel that their votes will make a difference in the outlook of elected representatives
Education before and after the referendum is really all that is required to turn the tide of increasing voter apathy and maybe even government arrogance.
So... status quo until we bottom out, or a new tool to help dig ourselves out?
Skywalker
3 years ago
Wilfred Laurier
Please, please don't confuse me with Luke. Rafe's comment elsewhere that "even if the NDP screws up the economy" makes an assumption has never been supported by any factual analysis of the 90's. I know Rafe's intent in saying this. In any event the possiblity that they mioght screw up the economy, that pales against the backdrop of the squandering of the puiblic's assets in the last seven years. Rafe points to the media bending over to avoid saying anything bad about the Campbell government. I guess if you repeat a lie often enough, somebody will believe it to be true. That was my point.
Fiat lux
3 years ago
The NDP can not win without
The NDP can not win without pointing out in great detail the total corruption and the selling off of BC for hoped for post politics directorships.
I don't think the listing of the crimes and sordid actions of politicians is any form of demonizing. Talking of the crimes of Hitler, Stalin and Mao are history, so should be Mulroney, Harper, Campbell, et al. Especially their under the table, secret deals selling off public properties and democratic decision making powers, the public doesn't know about.
I would call promises by politicians far worse and if the NDP runs a so called "positive campaign", they'll lose for certain.
Ed Deak.
G West
3 years ago
Agreed Ed
This is going to have to be a very tough, even brutal campaign.
Every single bit of Campbell corruption and double dealing must be aired in public - including the way he uses his own office to dominate the functions and duties of both his cabinet and the upper reaches of the civil service. This is one man government – plain and simple.
Anyone with acquaintances in the public service can tell you what a mess the Campbell 'dictatorship' has made of accountability, openness and collegiality.
The morale and spirit of a once competent and very professional civil service has been beaten almost to 'death'. The number of people on stress leave has skyrocketed and early retirements are epidemic.
doggone
3 years ago
I'll still vote NDP
Most Of my life this province has had SocRed government and today is no exception. (Just for a moment I'm thinking of the actual words: "Social" and "Credit")
Let's see:
1) W.A.C. built a number of dams with "Credit" from the downstream benificiery. (very likely more would have been built if the credit kept flowing - and some geologists warned that the amount of water behind the proposed dams could cause earthquakes which could endanger the dams). My age group worked on those projects.
2) for a very short term (or two) during this 60 years the "pinko" NDP were elected and apparently in those times caused such disruption that the renovated SocRed team under G.W.Cambell had to go back to 1912 and hire some ferries to be built in Germany so that citizens of the Island Archipeligo could get safely from place to place and mothball the expensive (but not too bad IMO) boats built right here. Where are those boats just now? Still parked in your backyard. With their value degraded to scrap metal price.
3) Gordon and his budgy Steven just look overly pleased with themselves in the photo above. I'm guessing they simply have no clue about what is happening in this world or they don't care
WABOFI
murdock
3 years ago
...waiting...and waiting...and waiting...
Rafe, you wrote:
In order for the Campbell government to fall, James and her colleagues must look like a government in waiting. This won't be easy as voters remember, especially, the last term of the NDP.
HELL YES!
Including the massive contracts that were all suddenly concluded and laid out in the last few weeks under Ujjal Dosanj! Contracts that basically emptied the piggy bank pouring the funds into the Non-Democratic Parties' union friends pockets so that it could be 'safely' stored until the Non-Democrats could come out from their rocks to try and rule again.
Some of us even remember the rally held after Mike Harcourt was elected where the leader of the BC Fed got up and shouted,
"Now we have OUR governance in Victoria!"
Where the OUR was the union leadership which clearly was running the show in the back rooms of the Leg.
Rafe, you go on further to say:
She must find ways to showcase her better MLAs, not easy to do since the autocrat disobeys his own legislation and doesn't have fall sessions and the media bends over backwards to avoid dealing with anything that might hurt the government.
I seem to recall a certain leader, when faced with such a decision which also included spending warrants without Legislature debates, began a chanting campaign that lasted through the next election. An election that saw him become Premier and your boss.
Where is James?
It is impossible for the media to be that totally controlled...for you and others are speaking here at TYEE, yet we hear nothing from the NonDP leadership. Nil.Zip. Nada. Bupkiss.
I say that it is because they have no plan, or that they know that there are no actions that they can take that are substantially different and that they will be called out on this truth...or worse their ghosts like Glen Clark will be ressurected.
Such action will likely doom any of the better MLA's, many who are still green - but may be savvy enough to realize that James' days are numbered. Note I am speaking of days. I do not think that the grass roots of the Dippers can be very impressed with the 'leader' to date and after then next election unless she somehow transforms into a political butterfly, her cocoon will be broken open by the members and the remains sent off to the political dust bin.
Lastly Rafe:
As recently as a few months ago, I would have said that Carole James was not up to the job. I'm changing my opinion. Bear in mind Mair's Axiom II, which says "you don't have to be a 10 in politics, you can be a 3 if everyone else is a 2, and Campbell is looking more and more like a 2." James has much improved her understanding of politics in B.C., meaning that the defeat of the autocrat and his toadies is a much more realistic possibility.
The Liberals are more likely to defeat themselves like Vanderzalm than James is likely to smite them.
I'd say she is a 2.1 and so far Campbell is still a 2.5.
Bobby Peru
3 years ago
Looking in the Mirror Hurts NDP supporters
Murdock couldn't have framed better the hypocrisy that BC NDP supporters must live with when all they have to foist on BC voters is their hatred of Gordon Campbell. It'll take more than that to beat them in the next election. Rafe Mair is way off his game if he thinks his analysis is makes sense.
Do any of you NDP supporters seriously think that BC voters are simply going to hand control of the province over to a grossly inexperienced Carole James and her crew of Glenn Clark leftovers in such a time of economic uncertainty. Don't forget that no matter how much arrogance- a description overused by Campbell haters, he displays, he has brought economic prosperity to BC. Most voters vote their pocket book and despite near term economic uncertainty they will certainly go with Campbell before James.
And arrogance- let me take another kick at Glenn Glark by saying his arrogance even though he was supposed to be a leader of the working man's party, stank as much as any leader. Except that he and the NDP ran BC into the ground. Until James and the NDP can convince us otherwise the NDP supporters on this site are only talking amongst themselves. But, then that's the real failure of the BC left- their own arrogance convinces them that no one else but them could ever care for people.
Be careful about how loud you proclaim Campbell corruption. Murdock was only starting to hack into you with Dosanj's deeds during the last days of the NDP.
G West
3 years ago
Ummm
As opposed to the Campbell record of the second lowest minimun wage in the country and the highest rate of child poverty.
The most unaffordable housing; doubled tuition costs; a pointless money laundering Campbell tax; a squandered forest industry; an Olympic budget that's blowing out of control; a convicted criminal for a premier and a political corruption trial that's hiding a lot more about the way the man 'does' business.
Now, what were you saying about blindness and arrogance?
Luke Skywalker
3 years ago
Bobby Peru...
I understand that both Mustel and Ipsos will each be coming out with a BC public poll within the next couple of weeks.
They haven't been in the field since June ... and I have been privy to other results that confirm the numbers haven't changed much since then.
The numbers are still within the range that they have been over the past few years and fall within the range stated within this article:
http://www.publiceyeonline.com/archives/003077.html
dave49
3 years ago
I've said it before...
I'll repeat the comment my Socred-voting ex-brother-in-law made when I moved out here 20 years ago:
"You vote for the bad thing you know as opposed to the bad thing you don't know". Sounds like an apt description of Campbell's Liberals and the NDP.
The negative views of the BC NDP's terms in office are well burned into British Columbian's brains.
It will be an interesting by-election and election coming up in May...
Bobby Peru
3 years ago
Burn, baby burn
Gwest, you and all the Campbell haters talk about this as it's the beginning of the Nuremburg Trials and not an election.
I'm sure you're too scared to touch Murdock's recollection of the last days of the NDP in their bunker giving away sweetheart deals to the unions.
We could go on. Doubling tuition fees. Well capping them under the NDP only worsened the universities' budgets. They had to rise to reflect the cost of education. Environmental rape like Eagleridge? Come on, that was West Van Nimbyism at it's worst. Or best. Depends how you look at it.
Rather than organize a Campbell hate fest, the NDP has to convince voters they are capable of running a better govt. And the easy answer to that is they are not. Alot of BC voters who were 20 or 30 during the 90s learned their Glenn Clark lesson really well.
G West
3 years ago
Bobby
Did you actually 'read' murdock's whole comment?
Perhaps you should go back and do that now.
lynn
3 years ago
The BC Liberal Sell-out Of BC
To put it simply:
At least under the NDP the people of this province still owned the priceless resources and assets of this province.
We now do not.
You can thank the double-crossing policies of Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals for that.
cboo44
3 years ago
The NDP MUST win the next election in BC
But, Carole James had better get focused on the MAJOR issues for British Columbians ! It is NOT "homeless", it is NOT "poverty", it is NOT "the environment" !
It IS(and it will be next May) THE ECONOMY and the SELL-OFF of British Columbia's ASSETS by Campbell.
She is going to have to face reality and RECOGNIZE that EXPLORATION DRILLING for gas off the coast will be an economy generator.(OK, all you knee-jerk reactionaries REREAD "exploration", I didn't type "develop", just "exploration", because I believe we HAVE to KNOW what we have for ASSETS).
And the SELL OFF of our rivers and BC HYDRO must STOP and be reversed if at all possible. ALL privately developed river power projects MUST be returned to the ownership of BC Hydro and be made the property of the people of BC.
VBC
3 years ago
A DIRTH of Leaders
B.C. seems to have always had strange provincial leaders, in my view. I happily voted for Campbell, who seemed a bit like the Conservative premiers I have always voted for in other provinces where I have lived. My favourite was Peter Lougheed.
Alas, Campbell IS REALLY a Liberal, so there is a lot that goes on that is not publicly known and he is not a careful fiscal steward. He has buckets full of my money and there are few beneficiaries. The carbon tax is a huge boondoggle program and some other politically-correct policies offend my sense of being an individual.
Carol James sometimes is VERY correct on her criticisms of direction, yet, "she doth whine a bit too much"... She is an attractive leader and I do like some of her ideas. I will probably not be able to vote NDP, as they want my retirement money to be re-distributed to others who do not deserve it.
Bobby Peru
3 years ago
Keeping it Real
Gwest: Sure, I read Murdock's previous post; I agreed with his earlier arguments but not the conclusion. I agree that Campbell does come across as a cold technocrat and lacks public appeal- dont' even talk about charisma. However, he and the Liberals have not self-immolated themselves enough to be replaced. Especially to be replaced by Carole James and the Glenn Clark leftovers/retreads that still mill about the NDP's senior ranks. And, Gwest, you haven't answered Murdock's accusations about Dosanj's last minute sweetheart contracts to unions just before the NDP left office.
Gwest, once you strip away the NDP's moral pretense then the whole thing is about winning an election, not who is the better person. Face it, the BC voters want economic prosperity first and foremost and out of that we can carve out more welfare spending. They aren't interested in social engineering.
Now CBOO44 above has crystalized some key issues. The Left think homeless and the environment are the critical issues because that's how their brains have been wired. The voters and avg BC'ers are worried about the economy. Campbell created the prosperity and he's best qualified to lead us out of it. Voters know it would be insane to switch leaders now.
The homeless issue is a puppet of a bunch of loud troublemakers, pushers of self entitlement who encourage aggressive panhandling. Most voters just want them swept away.
But, privatisation of BC's assets is such a non-issue. The operators are managed under contract and they can't take the rivers with them. From the taxpayers' point of view if they can provide services efficiently and save money, that's all that matters.
And yes, it's about time we explore BC's offshore oil. If you really want to throw money at the homeless this asset will enrich the entire province. Enviro nuts have too much clout in BC as the Maritime Provinces have their Hibernia. It's about time we seized this rich opportunity.
G West
3 years ago
Bobby
I'm sorry my friend but you're not worth the effort.
You have failed to muster a coherent argument for your point of view and you end up doing nothing but calling the people you disagree with names.
Call people 'nuts' all you like. That's exactly what I’d expect from someone who is both frightened and insecure. Someone like our Premier in his little speech last night….
But trust me, it does your side of this 'debate' more harm than good and the contention that fundamental disconnects between points of view are nothing more than ‘brain wiring’ issues is a facile cop-out. Not only that, it’s a dangerous concept that has echoes from the first half of the 20th Century when the idea of the ‘dangerous’ other took the world to the edge of hell and back.
As I said earlier, unless you can muster something a little better than this I'd be foolish to waste my valuable time bothering to demolish the Potemkin village you've erected around a house of cards.
cboo44
3 years ago
Sell Off of BC
"But, privatisation of BC's assets is such a non-issue. The operators are managed under contract and they can't take the rivers with them. From the taxpayers' point of view if they can provide services efficiently and save money, that's all that matters."
Bobby, on this point you are wrong. The operators do NOT "manage under contract", they have a relatively free reign and are "allowed" great leeway with OUR resources for terms ranging from 50 to 99 years.
Power rates are artificially raised to make their operations profitable, is that "efficiency and saving money" ?? Nope.
Has the sell-off of BC Rail(a profitable crown corp)led to efficiency and saved money? No, CN has reduced freight services,(to INCREASE THEIR PROFIT)and increasing costs to the taxpayer for highway maintenance due to exponentially increasing freight truck traffic pounding the crap out of our highways, and increasing shipping costs for business and industry throughout BC. Saving us money? Nope.
Try to examine the whole chicken, not just the right wing.
David Lewis
3 years ago
the greenhouse gases, apart from the environment
So Rafe, since you didn't write about the subject at all, after bringing it up, what do you think about the greenhouse gases, apart from the environment?
David Lewis
3 years ago
greenhouse gases, a part of the environment
They made that mistake in the West Kootenays, i.e. thinking "the environment" might be a separate issue than greenhouse gases.
For decades, its been "save our water", or "no life without water", "watershed alliance" etc. The politics was that logging in watersheds must be restricted or prohibited, in order that, what, I never did quite understand the next part.
The greenhouse gases are a part of the environment. They are a part of the atmosphere where the water comes from that ends up in the watersheds they were all saving.
Because the greenhouse gases are increasing in concentration, the climate is warming and the watersheds are not going to be the same at all. We have 50,000 square miles of dead trees in BC right now, and this is the teeny tiniest first taste of climate change.
But let's save the pristine wilderness forever, for all future generations. Why not? What future generations could there be as we continue to believe we can write political analysis discussing the important issues and just leave out the most significant issue of our time?
David Lewis
3 years ago
greenhouse gas policy discussion
I was so happy to see politicians, other than the Greens, who even had greenhouse gas policy, I've not thought that much about how difficult it might prove to be, in a political environment where many say they want policy, to put something into law and have it survive a change of government or two.
I had put most of my effort into how to describe what global warming is, and not put much effort into trying to figure out what the best political approach might be to doing something about it. I used to think it was worth doing to just raise the subject of global warming. It was a desert out there for much of the last twenty years.
Here is a transcript of a discussion of cap and trade systems as implemented in the EU, which I found threw some light on politics and greenhouse gas policy. The people involved are top flight. Its from ABC radio, (Australian Broadcasting Corp), and the page has a link to the audio file or a full transcript.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/rearvision/stories/2008/2367863.htm
discussion is between:
Denny Ellerman
Senior Lecturer, Sloan School of Management, MIT
Research Interests - Emissions trading, Environmental regulation, Energy economics.
Donald MacKenzie
Professor of Sociology in the School of Social and Political Studies
University of Edinburgh
Larry Lohmann
He works with The Corner House, an environmental research and solidarity NGO in the UK.