This week’s wrap up of the political news begins with a story that
appeared in Thursday’s Globe and Mail entitled … "Patrick
Kinsella is the ultimate Mr. Fixit".
For those not aware, this is the same man with direct and long ties to
the BC Liberal Party ... and the sale of BC Rail.
Other past headlines about Mr. Kinsella included --- "Hiring of Kinsella was bad optics, BC Rail
trial hears" --- "Kinsella
trumpeted insider status to BC Rail, court hears" --- and --- "Court orders some Kinsella records released,
but restricts access to others"
The Mr. Fixit story begins with the following paragraph:
“ … Patrick Kinsella, the quintessential insider in B.C. politics, arranged for representatives of a mining company based in Pemberton to meet on Dec. 1 with Premier Christy Clark and Energy Minister Rich Coleman …”
Now, here are some of the other stories that made political news in BC
this past week …
… both Adrian Dix’s NDP and John Cummins’ Conservatives have already
declared their candidates for the ridings of Port-Moody Coquitlam and
Chilliwack-Hope, the Liberals have yet to name their line-up for the contests …
Liberals
launch ‘RiskyDix’ attack ad, website
… BC Liberals have launched a second attack campaign against Opposition leader Adrian Dix, who recently passed Premier Christy Clark in public approval ratings…
… BC Liberals have launched a second attack campaign against Opposition leader Adrian Dix, who recently passed Premier Christy Clark in public approval ratings…
BUT … this may be why they use them anyway …
… people say they dislike how
ugly American campaigns have become … some research explores whether political
apathy and disengagement are associated with increasing negativity … the
evidence is inconclusive -- about as many of us seem to be entertained by
attack ads as are turned off by them…
… the more the Liberals criticized the Conservatives, the greater the
fledgling party’s fortunes rose in the polls … said he’s not sure why the B.C.
Liberals continue to run negative ads
rather than letting people know why they should vote for the governing party. Rather than engage in the fray, Forseth said
the Conservatives are busy building the party and getting ready for the next
election …
… as Christy Clark's Liberals run their "Risky Dix" attack
ads against the NDP, Adrian Dix must fight fire with fire and launch attack ads
of his own … the view of former Liberal leader Gordon Wilson, who thinks the
Risky Dix attack could do a lot of damage to the New Democrats if they don't
fight back …
The real risk for the B.C. Liberals is if their traditional supporters
feel there's no downside in abandoning them … if the next poll shows the B.C.
Conservatives running ahead of the B.C. Liberals, then the wheels are probably
about to start falling off Clark's party in the same way…
… politicians need to find ways to connect with the voters again. That
means talking to them - even ones who might disagree with you, or might not
hold any sort of power - and honestly trying to understand their concerns and
motivations …
… seems to be an expectation the battle will be joined and the game is
on. Cocky New Democrats are itching to take on the Liberals … the Liberals have
already started trying to take down NDP Leader Adrian Dix … BC Conservatives
are eager to barge into the legislature and scoop up a bunch of seats …
everybody is getting a little ahead of themselves. None of that will happen
this year … general election is set for the spring of 2013, not 2012 …
… the economy was still booming in 2007, so not much was made of the
huge pay increases … when the global economy tanked … the Province learned its lesson and went to
net zero … despite following the provincial government’s mandate in 2007,
municipalities don’t seem interested in net zero…
The super-secret results of the 15th annual In the House Awards for
Dubious Political Distinction have been kept in a sealed Mason jar underneath
Kim Jong-il's glass coffin. Not even the
dearly departed Dear Leader could have predicted this year's winners. The
envelopes, please …
… a 44-page report submitted before Christmas to the federal government
panel reviewing the pipeline project, consultants for Alberta Energy peg
potential losses for oil producers in the project at $8 billion every year
between 2017 and 2025 …
… no secret that the slow pace of justice following the Vancouver
Stanley Cup riots was, and still is, a point of contention for many British
Columbians … despite grandiose statements by Premier Christy Clark, only 28
individuals have been charged; none have been convicted…
… increased taxes and fees in 2012 are going to cost low-income
Canadians proportionately far more than the country's higher earners ... both
levels of government once again hiked some key taxes - they prefer to call them
fees - as of January 1st …
NDP
panned 2004 poverty test -- Now they back own MLA Brar, while Kwan ripped
Mayencourt then
… a 10-per-cent increase in welfare rates would cost taxpayers $120
million a year. Where is that money supposed to come from? The NDP doesn't say
… statistics on the job-search requirement show most applicants don't go on
welfare and find a job instead, meaning the rule spares many from the welfare
misery Brar is now enduring …
And finally … there’s a blog story from long time broadcaster, now
retired, Harvey Oberfeld
Analyst Says It: HST Has HURT Retailing
Analyst Says It: HST Has HURT Retailing
… going to get worse! Christy Clark’s inability or unwillingness to
get rid of the HST in the next few months will continue to hurt everyone … the
economic damage will grow even greater … people will hold back on spending even
more than they do now … damage to BC business, especially in the last six
months of the hated tax, will be substantial … as people wait it out … in
Victoria, no one seems to be listening …
That’s all for this week my friends.
I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops ... have a great weekend.
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