Today’s BC Liberal party is a mish- mash of those on the political left (Christy Clark) … and those on the right (Kevin Falcon)

In my last blog I mentioned that as we are all well aware, the Liberals were pretty much decimated east of Ontario, that the party had received less than 20% of the popular vote, and that party leader Michael Ignatieff himself went down to defeat and will be leaving to take up a teacher career again.

Again I have to ask the question then … why do we need a Liberal party at all --- and what is it they stand for that people on the center right can’t find a comfortable home with the Conservatives … and those on the center left with the NDP (or a new hybrid called Liberal Democrats)?

In BC, according the CBC, 45.5% of the popular vote went to the Conservatives, which was higher than the national average of 39.6%.  The NDP?  … well they took 32.5%, which was just up from the national average of 30.6%.  The telling story is with the Liberals however who continued their free-fall in the west receiving just 13.4% of the popular vote.

I mean no disrespect but again other than have a rather wide boundary of acceptance, and wide boundaries to political viewpoints, what does 'liberal' mean?   When Canada and BC basically had two parties, voters did have a clear choice --- now with multiple parties where do the Liberals fit in??

Before 18 months pass, 25% of Jack Layton's instant NDP MP's will have tired of what it takes, and walk away

The political pundits were hard at before the night was even over – and one thing is definitely certain – things will not be the same again. First a party dedicated to the removal of Quebec, from Canada, was decimated at the polls -- and Gilles Duceppe (leader of the Bloc Quebecois) lost in his own riding.

It is my sincere hope that they will not rise from the ashes of what remains.

But where did all those voter go?? Well for some strange reason, or perhaps not, they went to the New Democratic Party. Quebecers for some reason seem to favour heavy government intervention in many areas ... and an almost paranoid fear of anything federalist.   Even still, why the New Democrats?

Iggy --- Coalition or Not??

In Maclean’s, Andrew Coyne correctly describes Mr. Ignatieff’s inability to explain his stance on coalitions as “an astonishing debacle.” Some Liberal partisans seem to have convinced themselves that there is literally no issue here — that it’s 100% Conservative fear-mongering that nobody takes seriously. Wrong. “It is a cancer eating at the Liberal campaign, and it is only going to grow over time,” says Coyne. By not ruling it out, or ruling it in, or setting some kind of rules of engagement — e.g., party with the most seats gets first crack at government; no NDP Cabinet ministers; no Bloc, period — the Liberals are inviting Canadians to make blind choices about their votes. It could easily drive centre-right voters to the Conservatives, and it could drive centre-left voters to the NDP.

Dear Christy ... the legislation is NOT open to adjustment ... or interpretation.

Alan Forseth

Kamloops, BC

 March 24^th, 2011

Premier Christy Clark

BC Legislature

Victoria, BC

Dear Christy,

You do not know me, however consider me to be one of many like minded British Columbians, who have no appetite or desire for a provincial election.  Please take pity on us!

Michael Ignatieff and the rest of your Liberal friends and associates in Ottawa – and their buddies the NDP and Bloc -- already plan to send us to the polls AGAIN for the kuzillianth time in a few years.  Great – we get to vote in a federal election that will again change absolutely nothing; although perhaps the voters of Canada will have the last laugh on Ignatieff and give Steven Harper and the Conservative a majority government.

Small “c” conservatives have cause for concern

Well we all know the news of what happened on Saturday on the 3^rd round vote, but don't expect that a Liberal government led by Christy Clark will be any different than the government we’ve already had under Gordon Campbell!

While promising to fundamentally change the governmental culture in Victoria, Clark (who served as a loyal MLA to former Premier Gordon Campbell), has been full of praise for her former mentor -- time and time again.  That said, Clark now has the job of putting together a cabinet from the very people she ran against, and that already sit in the BC Legislature. 

I expect we are going to see a lot of fireworks, and she is going to have an uphill battle to bring together a team from Liberal heavyweights who were not at all flattering in their comments of her during the leadership race, including Kevin Falcon who she lost to in the 3^rd round vote.    

George Abbott himself said that he was attacking Christy Clark’s policies because she was providing him with, ‘so much good material to exploit’.   “Ms. Clark has given me such a plethora of issues to work with. Whatever Christy says is fair game for debate, and that’s what I intend to do.”

Christy Clark said, “He ran because he believed it was important to represent an alternative to British Columbia”

BC Conservatives, and those leaning towards support of them, should be pleased with the results of a survey compiled by Hamish Marshall of Abingdon Research.

First to the conclusion … it states that the BC Liberal election coalition is fragile – and more importantly, nearly half of BC Liberals voters only support them because there is no other alternative.

It also goes on to say that should the BC Conservatives become that alternative, they could capture 20% of BC Liberal voters.

What scenario would see that most likely to happen??  It would be the election of Christy Clark as leader of the BC Liberals tomorrow, because she is seen as being too close to the Michael Ignatieff federal Liberals by nearly one in four federal Conservatives who make up two thirds of BC Liberal voters.