Comments on: BC Conservative Party resolves internal squabble

By: David O. Marley

David O. Marley — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:50:56 +0000

Janice Westside-Kel commented:

“This one will be fun to watch! With so many strong Independent Candidates, like Vicky Huntington, Al Clark and David Marley, who needs BC-STV? Huntington, Clark and Marley are all federal conservatives, that would shake up Victoria! Possible third party finally?”

I respectfully disagree with the second sentence. The most important decision the voters have to make on May 12 is whether or not to change our system to STV. I believe strongly in electoral reform because it has the potential to renew our democracy, which has been seriously eroded by the increasing concentration of power in the premier’s office, regardless of party, whether the premier is named VanderZalm, Clark or Campbell.

The first sentence is spot on.

By: Mike Summers,leader, BC Refed

Mike Summers,leader, BC Refed — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:02:57 +0000

BC Refed is set to finish the paperwork on some 35 candidates for May 12th.
We hold the center because we are without an agenda unless you are one of the out of control politicians in BC.
Our simple 1-2-3 plan will empower the citizens of BC immediately on our having governance. We will not have enough candidates to form a majority government, but with the soon to come blood letting of this election, we foresee a real possibility of a minority government situation. Which would be ideal for us.
We have no baggage like Cardoso who has all the traits of a political opportunist.
John Rustad, Liberal MLA for the dissolving Prince George Omineca constituency, wants to be elected into Nechako Lakes where he does not reside because he wants some of Campbell’s gold plated pension. If I sat in the big chair, that pension would be gone retroactively and if Gordo and Carole want it so bad? Ask the voters of BC if they deserve one. I have my doubts.
All of the political parties in BC except ours, thinks the voters are stupid and incapable of making an informed choice. We offer absolute control of politicians and the political processes in BC. Nobody else does that. This is where our appeal lies.

By: p kelly

p kelly — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:56:21 +0000

If voters voted according to their race or incomes, this would be an easy election to predict. But thats not the case. Visable minorities, like every other cultural subgroup do not vote in a monolithic bloc. Lets take gays and lesbians for example; while probably a majority of them lean to the NDP, not all of them do…some are business owners and are hostile to unions. How about environmentalists? In an earlier day, most of them were pro-NDP…but thats hard to do when the NDP gets a large chunk of its support from members of private sector unions employed in the very natural resource sector that hardline environmentalits protested? Seniors – you might think that they lean BC Liberal because of its right-of-centre tilt; but how many seniors are furious about cuts to senior-based programs and such?
Just because you talk of an Okanagan area seat, doesn’t automatically make it pro-Liberal. These forestry-linked towns have been crushed from BC Liberal incompetence in the forestry file.

By: BJ

BJ — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:30:19 +0000

Janice, according to Elections BC’s recent riding profile for Boundary-Similkameen, only 6% of the population comprises “visible minorities”. On the other end of the spectrum you have Surrey-Newton at 69%.

The population backbone of the riding remains in the Okanagan Valley from Kaleden/OK Falls southward through Oliver and Osoyoos. And that’s where all of the population growth has been and that area is centre-right federally/provincially in its political leanings. So forgive me if I doubt your statement “Polling shows that the NDP are going to win Boundary-Similkimeen” as it doesn’t seem to pass the smell test.

I’ve heard many make similar statements over the years without pointing to/providing the actual poll itself. :)

By: Janice Westside-Kel

Janice Westside-Kel — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:47:56 +0000

Battleground Okanagan, unfortunately everyone making and or leaving comments, concerning Boundary-Similkimeen and the BC Conservative Party, do not truly now what’s really going on. Joe Cardoso is actually an ex-card carrying member of the NDP, and was Bill Barlee’s campaign manager. The Indo-Canadian community and the NDP are supporting a very high profile, intelligent,very pretty and well educated Indo-Canadian female candidate.
Joe Cardoso was used by the sikh community, as a pond to keep John Slater out of the Liberal camp. Polling shows that the NDP, are going to win Boundary-Similkimeen. Saturday, March 21, the BC Conservatives had a Province wide Election Readiness Meeting in Kelowna, only 30 individuals attended. Joe Cardoso attended and was announced as the Boundary-Similkimeen BCCP candidate, ex-NDP. BCCP also announced a candidate for Kelowna-Lake Country, Mary-Ann Graham another ex-NDPer. A BCCP non-resident candidate for Kelowna-Westside and ex-Liberal Peter Neville. Mark Thompson representing the BCCP Kelowna-Mission, who jumped ship from the Campbell Liberals, was acclaimed Wilf Hanni’s new Deputy Leader, along with 2nd Deputy Leader Chris Delaney from the Unity Party. What’s of great interest, is that none of these proclaimed social ( religious right ) conservatives, were ever chosen has candidates or leaders via a nomination process. So much for Democracy with these ex-Reformers. It appears the most interesting development, in the Okanagan, is what’s taking shape in Kelowna-Lake Country. Sources suggest that the Liberal candidate Norm Letnick, whom is new to Kelowna and was not so popular on local city council could be in trouble in this riding. The NDP, Greens and BCCP are all fielding candidates in Kelowna-Lake Country. Four Parties fielding candiadates from the extreme right and left. Its rumoured that Alan Clark
a centrist DRBC candidate in Election 2005 and an ex-socred, with evidentally overwhelming local support, will be campaigning and running as an independent centrist conservative. Its also been rumoured, that he is supported by the local Federal Conservative MP Ron Cannan. This one will be fun to watch! With so many strong Independent Candidates, like Vicky Huntington, Al Clark and David Marley, who needs BC-STV? Huntington, Clark and Marley are all federal conservatives, that would shake up Victoria! Possible third party finally?

By: p kelly

p kelly — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 04:44:22 +0000

You know what’s even more hysterical? Liberal party hacks pretending that they didn’t act like right wingers who privatized everything and cut social programs – then in the same breath defend their hyprocritical spending spree on the very same programs they cut and claim credit for ’saving’.
The Liberals will do anything to win, including morphing into what seems politically expedient at the time. Technically nothing wrong with that, but for voters with any sense of morality, its enough to make you sick when the you see Campbell attempt to spend so much on social housing for the homeless and poor when it was his policies that made them so destitute in the first place.
If the BC Conservatives do well, its because the BC Liberals have dropped the ball so badly. Its hard for Liberal hacks to pretend to be the big tent party for moderates and right of centre voters when they’ve abandoned that very core of voters in a greedy attempt to sway the left (who’d never vote for them in the first place).
Real Conservatives also have a social conscience, and were just as disturbed when the BC Liberals enacted policies that hurt so many.
To be honest, I don’t really think that the BC Liberals are a hard line socially conservative party (that would alienate the gays/lesbians/native rights advocates that hold memberships in their party), I do think they have a diabolical hatred towards unions and workplace democracy. I think the BC Liberals are opposed to public healthcare and believe that tax cuts can solve anything. They believe in a financial policy that didn’t work in America and recently triggered the most dramatic financial meltdown since the great depression. Now they spend their way out of this recession using tactics they would have skewered the NDP for if they spend like this.
The left objects to the BC Liberals because the party is pretending to be a moderate party despite how that abused BC’s most vulnerable. The right objects to the BC Liberals because of how they mislead that core of voters in their pseudo-conservative agenda, while spending on pet projects rewarding friends and insiders.
At the end of the day, all that will be left is a core of BC Liberal supporters that is loyal to the Myth of Gordon Campbell. The moderates and conservatives of what used to be the BC Liberals will find new political homes and we’ll begin this excercise all over again.

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:29:34 +0000

I find it hilarious that NDP supporters (Bill Tieleman by example) love to both paint the Liberals as extreme right wingers who are privatizing everything cutting all social programs and in the same breath claim that they’ve moved too far to the left and are spending too much money. It’s quite rich. Also if the Liberals do whatever it takes to win, why do they still have a Carbon Tax in place? Seems to me that good public policy is currently trumping politics in respect to that.

The BCCP will not be electing any candidates. The best they will do is take a thousand votes in a battleground riding and give the seat to the NDP (most likely Boundary). Wilf Hanni previously admitted that right-wing vote splitting elected the NDP in 1996, yet once again he’s out there claiming that a vote for them will help keep the NDP out of power..

By: p kelly

p kelly — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 05:52:08 +0000

You might be on to something Mr. Mann. Whether the BC Conservatives take any seats, thats open for debate…but his comments about the BC Liberals drifting away from the right are bang on – even if the BC Liberals are pseudo-liberals at best. Which opens another debate. With the NDP, you know what you’re getting; a progressive ‘lef’ party and they don’t diguise it…but the BC Liberals spent a lot of resources in 1996 painting themselves as a conservative party; then in 2001 and 2005 as a moderate party; now they’ve been spending money like a drunken socialist. Heck; they make the NDP look conservative at times. No wonder there is a rise of the BC Conservatives…its because the geniune conservatives out there are politically homeless…the BC Liberals will do whatever it takes to win, including abandoning what used to be a loyal support base and attempt to reposition themselves as a middle-of-the-road party. Their problem is that middle-of-the-road voters simply aren’t stupid.
If the Liberals promise to fix the economy is anything like their promise not to sell BC Rail or never tear up a contract, then we’ll soon be joining Zimbabwe as a shining example on how to run an economy.