Friday, January 6, 2012

THIS WEEK … in BC Politics


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…

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
…  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.

No comments: