The provinces best hope for legislative reform, and accountability, would come about through a John Cummins led BC Conservative government

Oh be still my beating heart – I don't know if I can take all the excitement of the current legislative assembly.

One of the few successes however, at least in my opinion, would be Bob Simpson, an independent MLA from my old neck of the woods ... the Cariboo. I suspect that if Bill Bennett could be welcomed back to the Liberal caucus, then the door would have been open as well for Bob to return to the NDP.

He has stated however, “I believe that as an Independent MLA I'm better able to serve my constituents, as my time is 100% dedicated to serving the people of Cariboo North. I'm also able to advocate for policies and programs which will benefit all British Columbian's, free from the constraints of affiliation with a political party or ideology.”

Unlike those following orders from party whips in the BC Liberal and New Democrats, Bob has been coming up with some interesting ideas regarding a return what I would call real democracy in the legislature. Democracy that would see MLA's with the ability to actually represent their constituents, where there would be real debate and input from MLA's in Bills brought before the House, and a number of other things.

I believe he is right on the money with these and other things, however where we differ is on whether or not these goals can be accomplished with in the system of political parties or not. Bob I think believes these goals can best be met by independent MLA's, whereas I think they can be met within the framework of political parties – IF the leadership of them has the will.

It has been said that Bob Simpson is an idealist, and in fact on May 4^th MLA Bob Simpson, had the following posted on his blog:

A political pundit recently called me a "lovely political idealist" then went on to state how partisanship in politics is just the way it is and always will be (he was commenting on my opinion about the use of negative ads). Believe me, I've been called much worse.

But today a "lovely" thing happened: Premier Clark reacted positively to the Opposition's call for a ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides. She even stated she would be willing to use the Opposition's proposed legislation as a starting point. If this collaboration is real and BC ends up with provincial legislation banning the use of cosmetic pesticides, then the "politics" of BC will have shifted considerably under the two new leaders.

Call me a "lovely political idealist," but I think this is a good sign.

Simpson is indeed right when he says this is a good sign, and I would hate to think that Christy Clark is being an opportunist, however I will be more interested in seeing what she has to say, or what direction she will want the Liberal party to go on matters that may be more near and dear to her heart ... including her Families First agenda.

I for one am hoping that she will be more open and forthcoming on a few things of interest to me, and I believe many other British Columbian's.

1. Can we expect to hear confirmation, before the referendum, on if the HST will be reduced, and by what percentage. If not, how can we be expected to vote on an issue we do not have all the facts on
2. Will she call for an impartial review into why Basi and Virk had their legal fees paid for by the taxpayers when policy says those who plead guilt to criminal offenses are on the hook for their own costs
3. Are we getting fair value for run of river projects --- what is the real cost of power compared to what is being charged – how ecological friendly are they
4. Does BC Hydro, for example, have a plan to maintain existing facilities, and to replace aging ones. If they do, they why are they saying they huge increases in rates over the next few years.
5. Ditto for BC Ferries – same question
6. Does Christy Clark believe in the spirit of legislation she herself voted on, with regards to having fixed election dates, the purpose of which was to take away the opportunity for governments to call an election on a date most likely to ensure their own success at re-election.
7. Does she or does she not believe that in the final analysis that there are some bottom line things that the Ministry of Education is ultimately going to have the final say on – period – when its comes to schools and the classroom. This seems to be the case in most unionized situations in the private sector, which is why I am puzzled that the teachers should be allowed to dictate class size.

I believe the provinces best hope for legislative reform, and government accountability, would come about through a John Cummins led BC Conservative government in Victoria. That is something I do hope to see in the near future; meantime kudos to independent Cariboo North MLA Bob Simpson who as an independent is bringing up important issues.

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