Good Luck with Your New Team, Premier

Understanding how caucus and cabinet work requires a mind that doesn't believe what he/she is conditioned to believe by politicians and the media. It's like most of our political system -- what we think happens is not so in practice.

Let's clear away a bit of political language.

The caucus is both the cabinet ministers and the MLAs, even though it's also commonly used to describe backbenchers only. In practice, the caucus is the backbench of the ruling party. I will use the terms as they reflect reality.

Whenever a cabinet is made or reshuffled, we're told that so and so will bring his/her special talents blah, blah, blah... and the reason for one being dropped from cabinet is never explained. You may believe that Colin Hansen wanted out -- if you do, you might care to get in touch with me about a bridge I have for sale. Hansen's failings include that he didn't see the recession coming, resulting in an enormous increase in the deficit, and he bungled the HST file. In his role as finance minister, he's been accused more than once of misrepresenting the facts.

Premier Clark clearly followed the Doughty technique, which goes back to Drake's circumnavigation of the world. Doughty, of noble blood, was ensconced on the Pelican, later Golden Hind, to keep an eye on Drake. Drake got tired of Doughty, found him guilty of treason and executed him. Before doing so, the two of them had a sumptious feast with all the trimmings.

Hansen is the B.C. equivalent of Thomas Doughty.

Idle hands…

The caucus is a fragile fraternity at the very best of times. Sensible premiers create work for them. Some are made parliamentary secretaries for which they do little but get a handsome pay rise. One is made whip and one deputy whip, to make sure that enough government MLAs are around to support the government in a legislative vote. The Liberals even had a whip and deputy when they had a majority of 77-2! Interesting ad hoc committees are set up, on whose business MLAs can then travel. In fact, one of the premier's key jobs no matter what his majority is to keep an eye on caucus, which he usually does through a cabinet minister least disliked by caucus. It's been said that the difference between a caucus and a cactus is that with a cactus, the pricks are all on the outside.

Premier Clark starts with the fact that every MLA, whether in cabinet or the backbench, has a death wish for her -- the exception being Harry Bloy, the lone MLA to support her leadership. With that exception, every MLA thinks that he/she would be a better cabinet minister than any of those turkeys, and that their choice of leader would have made a better premier. They will all soundly deny such disloyalty.

This should not be taken as an attack on Premier Clark. The fractious caucus and indeed cabinet syndrome hits all parties because of the system we have, which turns hopeful governors into helpless ciphers. Even when premiers take office under favourable conditions, dissent can bring them down, as happened to Premier Mike Harcourt who couldn't handle a scandal that he had no part in. It happened to Carole James when it appeared to party hawks that she couldn't win an election. The best example in modern times is Bill Vander Zalm, who won the Socred leadership in 1986 with no cabinet members supporting him and with most trying to help someone else. He was dead from the start as I said on CBC television the day before his election.

Premier Clark dropped two very well thought of female ministers, which leaves her vulnerable in two ways. They're obviously not happy cheerleaders for the premier. And it gives the NDP a very helpful issue.