Small “c” conservatives have cause for concern

Well we all know the news of what happened on Saturday on the 3^rd round vote, but don't expect that a Liberal government led by Christy Clark will be any different than the government we’ve already had under Gordon Campbell!

While promising to fundamentally change the governmental culture in Victoria, Clark (who served as a loyal MLA to former Premier Gordon Campbell), has been full of praise for her former mentor -- time and time again.  That said, Clark now has the job of putting together a cabinet from the very people she ran against, and that already sit in the BC Legislature. 

I expect we are going to see a lot of fireworks, and she is going to have an uphill battle to bring together a team from Liberal heavyweights who were not at all flattering in their comments of her during the leadership race, including Kevin Falcon who she lost to in the 3^rd round vote.    

George Abbott himself said that he was attacking Christy Clark’s policies because she was providing him with, ‘so much good material to exploit’.   “Ms. Clark has given me such a plethora of issues to work with. Whatever Christy says is fair game for debate, and that’s what I intend to do.”

And what of Christy Clarks deep roots in Michael Ignatieff Federal Liberal Party?  For four years now as a radio talk show host, she has blasted and continually criticizing the federal Conservative government led by Stephen Harper.  Small “c” conservative minded British Columbians should have cause for concern.

While Christy Clark has agreed with the long-held BC Conservative position that government needs to be more open and responsive to the citizens of the province; “Her new-found realization of government accountability to voters is a somewhat ‘Christy’ come lately approach isn’t it?”

It’s well known that nearly two thirds of people voting for the BC Liberals are conservative minded – and I guess now they are going to be asking themselves, do they want to stick around and support Christy Clark when she didn’t even have the support of a majority of the BC Liberals? 

Small ‘c’ conservatives, and all of British Columbia for that matter, have the choice of sticking with Christy Clark and the BC liberal government – a government which has been built on a foundation of voter mistrust --- or to be part of what appears to be a growing movement to the BC Conservative Party.

Tomorrow I continue my discussion on the conclusion of the BC Liberal leadership race by taking a look at the strength and staying power of the “instant Liberals.

Till then, I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops, and those are the thoughts of one conservative.