“bc liberals, christy clark,
shift to right”
Type those words into your nearest Google Search Engine, and
immediately you will get a number of media releases and story titles pop
up.
If you weren’t already aware, here’s one thing you should know. With the search engines -- like Google, Bing,
Yahoo, etc -- things don’t just ‘pop up’ without there being the written word. And for there to be the written word, there
has to be change, or a spark of something different, being talked about and
discussed.
 |
| BC Premier Clark, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper |
For example, the Globe and Mail on January 15th had a story headlined,
“Clark flirtation with the right predictable, dangerous”.
A couple days earlier a story came out in the Vancouver Sun; “Hockey game helps Clark punctuate a
right-wing shift”
Three days ago the Globe and Mail had another story that came up using
the same search ingredients … “For BC's
Liberal Premier, Harper conservatism the key
to success”
Here’s another one, this time from Yahoo News Canada … “Stephen Harper helps BC's Christy Clark appear more conservative”
What I see in those headlines is shifting values, shifting beliefs, and
shifting principles. I have to say, given
that; I would find it a bit disconcerting to be a member of the BC Liberal Party
right now. After all how would you know,
from one week to the next, what direction the party is taking?
When the BC Liberals emerged from the political desert, led by Gordon
Wilson, they seemed to have a tilt to the lift of the political spectrum. When Gordon Campbell ousted Wilson from the leadership
of the party, the Liberals took a swing in the other direction, and for several
years became what many would consider to be a fiscally conservative party and government.
The budget year of 2003 / 04 saw the provinces total debt top out, and then
for 3 budget years it showed a steady trend downward.
When we hit budget year 2008 / 09, the debt began what has become a five year climb steadily upward.
The budget of 2008 / 09 began a return, and shift, towards three things. Big government – big spending
– big taxes and fees. These three things are the hallmarks of what we saw in the past under governments led by the New Democrats.
Is it any wonder then that the BC Liberals are suddenly being called “NDP
Lite”?
In November 2011, Finance Minister Kevin Falcon announced the deficit
(for this year’s budget) was being increased by another $313-million --- taking
it up to more than $3-billion dollars.
In case you are wondering … that’s
a “3” followed by NINE ZEROES … $ 3
, 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0
That $3 billion dollar deficit for this year’s budget … along with over
$53 billion dollars in taxpayer supported debt … has many small ‘c’ conservatives
shaking their heads and asking, “How can the BC Liberals claim to be a party of
fiscal responsibility?”
The BC Liberals have been swinging back and forth like a pendulum. First to the left … then to the right … then
to the left … and now back to the right again.
And so I ask, “What exactly is it, that members of the BC Liberals
Party, are part of?”
I’m asking this because the leadership of the party has only shown a tendency
to go in whichever way the wind is going at the time. And many, not just me, are asking and
wondering how long before the next shift takes place.
People who in the past have voted
for the BC Liberals, including me, have become tired of the constant shifts. That is one, but not the only reason for, for the growth of the BC Conservative
Party.
That my friends, is now one of the reasons why we are seeing news
stories, and headlines, pointing out the SUDDEN movement of the liberals to
being more fiscally conservative.
One party has principles and policies grounded in small “c”
conservative beliefs … while another has policies and principles that seem to
waver. Which description to you feel
best fits the John Cummins led BC Conservatives … and which best fits the
Christy Clark led BC Liberals.
I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops … with the thoughts of one conservative.
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