These kinds of conversations are going on all over the province and so it would seem to me that there is much value to be gained from sharing thoughts, questions, and suggestions amongst each other.
This then, is another of several I have had in recent days:
Hi, Alan,
I would be interested in your take on the election results. It seems to me that John focused all his energy in attacking Christy Clark rather than the NDP, in expectation that she was vulnerable and the Conservatives could pick up Liberal seats.
Obviously, like the pollsters, he got it wrong. So where do the Conservatives go from here?
Hello again Allen, and thanks for your email ...
Boy there is sure a lot to look at and digest from the election. The bottom line, in my opinion, is that we were strategically wounded last Summer and Fall, and the party and leadership were never able to recover. The party tried to make several attempts to highlight positions of importance, that would make real positive change across the board to the people of BC, but the clamour we were spiraling down (fed by polls and media pundits) only re-enforced that we were not yet ready to govern.
That said, we now have the opportunity to build a strong party, and leadership at all levels will also need to be looked at; from the local CA level right to the top.
The beliefs and principles of our party ARE important, and we as BC Conservatives need to present our party as a clear alternative to the BC Liberals -- AND the NDP. I hope that you will be encouraged to support our party, to perhaps take a step towards being part of the local CA Board, and to show others that BC Conservatives will have a message integrity and accountability in the platform and policies we will take to voters next time round.
Thanks again for getting in touch ... and have a great day ...
Thanks, Alan, this is as I have expected.
I do think that we were wounded, as you say, and I also supported our leader, but I hope that he will recognize the value of stepping aside and encouraging the search for a new leader. He did not seem to ever connect with the public, and it was not all the fault of the media.
I think they gave him a fair opportunity to set forth his message as one of the four leaders. I also thought that the things he said, and the policies he set forth had opportunity to resonate with the electorate, but I believe his strategy was wrong, and his negativity towards Christy Clark backfired.
The people were already sufficiently frightened of the NDP, that they were not ready to take a chance on any alternative to the Liberals. This will probably change in coming months, as she demonstrates that a brave face and a beautiful smile is not a sufficient basis for leadership.
As for my willingness to serve on the Board, I am afraid I already have more on my plate than I can do justice to.
Thank you for your leadership in this area. I will continue to support your efforts and watch the results with interest.
The question that needed asking was, "So where do the Conservatives go from here?"
My answer?
We rebuild our brand ... we encourage those who ran as candidates to start now to create stronger teams at the local level ... we figure out how to get younger people more involved ... and we try and energize those who have given up voting, to once again be part of the process, through our message.
Respect -- accountability -- integrity. Those three things need to be made crystal clear in every area of our policies, and platform, that we will take to voters in 2017.
That can't start in two years from now --- it needs to begin right now.
I'm Alan Forseth in
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