Given where party membership is now, and where they are polling, it looks like I am not alone

It’s Friday and the end of the week is approaching.  Later this afternoon I’ll have a wrap-up of news stories, but for now here’s a couple of things I’d like to mention and look at.  First, here’s the start to a story (Full hospital postpones surgeries; worse than it has been in a year) that I saw today in the Kamloops Daily News:

Royal Inland Hospital is so full of patients, administrator Marg Brown had to postpone a total of 16 surgeries Wednesday, Thursday and today.  “The staff are working flat out right now,” she said Thursday.

The 16 patients who will be rescheduled were all getting elective procedures and required admission to the hospital. None involved cancer, pediatrics or hip/knee operations, and additional day operations were slotted into cancelled surgery times.  Emergency surgeries continue to get done. Still, Brown said she regretted having to take the step of postponing surgeries — she hasn’t had to do it for a year.

You know what --- I don’t care if they were elective surgeries or not.  These were things that people had planned for --- perhaps made special arrangements for --- some may have traveled for --- and others may have booked time of at work for.

We should NEVER hear, “There’s no room at the Inn” when it comes to hospitals.  Perhaps if they weren't paying thousands of dollars, for fictitious carbon credits, they would have the money they need for beds at the hospitals.   

I guess Christy Clark’s BC Liberal government is just giving us one more example of how this is a government that puts families first!

Meantime, in the Province newspaper today, Michael Smyth had a story entitled, “Clark could roll the dice on spring election”.  He asked some interesting questions of where Christy is going and what she is trying to do … here is part of what he asked and had to say:

… why would you want to "renew" one of your best MLAs, in one of your party's safest seats?  The comment must have other Liberal MLAs wondering just what the premier was getting at … rumours some of them might be encouraged to retire, so Clark can move those new people and new ideas into position in by-elections.  It's a risky strategy … the governing Social Credit Party lost six by-elections in a row … same thing happened to the governing NDP in the 1990s … losing streaks reinforced public perceptions that those doomed governments had to go…

Personally I think that Christy Clark is starting to panic as what she has tried to do so far, in showing her Liberal government is new and different, is not working.  It’s not working to the degree that John Cummins and the BC Conservatives have gone from near non-existence, to currently being the choice of 20% of the voters.

The still to be called by-election for Chilliwack-Hope appears to be a good opportunity for BC Conservatives to send an MLA to the legislature for the first time in many years.  I do believe there is a good chance of a win, but even if they don’t, there is every chance the Liberal candidate will be in third place, behind the Conservatives, once the votes are counted. I think the hierarchy / executive of the BC Liberal Party are likely starting to get a bit nervous about the outlook of the next provincial election in BC. 

That’s because they will have a hard time explaining why their “top down – we know best” attitude should be welcomed by voters for another term --- especially when it will be compared to what the BC Conservatives will be offering;  a fiscally responsible with a social conscience … and MLA’s that are accountable to the people who have elected them.

Now let’s look at Vaughn Palmer, and a story from Wednesday November 30^th … “Voters will decide which version of two consummate political animals they’ll buy”.  He seems to think we will ONLY have two choices in the next election; a choice between the New Democrats, and the BC Liberals. 

WRONG!   Thank goodness that's NOT true!!  Bring on the BC Conservatives and John Cummins!!! 

BC Conservatives have a common sense policy platform that is laid out and available online.  

There are NO detailed proposals for legislation of course.  That said, people can see very clearly in the Preamble … Guiding Principles … and the section on Democratic Reforms and Accountability … that things WILL BE done differently, and in an open and transparent manner, under a BC Conservative government.

"Politicians" can have all kinds of great plans for what they are going DO for us --- rather than asking us what we would like, or think, will work.   We need to elect "Representatives" who can think logically, with common sense, and who are also willing to listen and learn. 

I think that is what I am hearing from the BC Conservatives. 

A year and a half ago, I had decided that in next provincial election my only choice would be to show my displeasure (at a choice between the Liberals and the NDP) by destroying my ballot.   

The common sense I heard coming from a small group of 200+ people a year and a half ago is what attracted me to the party.  Given where the party membership is now, and where they are currently polling, it looks like I am not alone.

I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops … with the thoughts of one conservative.