The Liberal Party have everything to fear by our growth (much as Social Credit did when the Liberal Party came back from the wilderness)

Today I am going to share with you, part of a letter, which was received by one of our Kamloops Constituency Association board members.  I think in reading it, you will find it echoes the response of some people you yourself may have spoken, or been in touch with: 

I am very conservative fiscally and probably small ‘c’ conservative socially, a strong believer in free enterprise but with a social conscience.

I was initially intrigued by the BC conservative movement, I was interested in its direction.  Had some high hopes that it could find a place in BC politics.

I must say I am presently disillusioned by many of the actions ... 

Sound familiar --- are you becoming disillusioned your self when you hear those words, or others similar.  

Well "Buck Up, because here is a response that MUST be delivered to those who believe in what we are trying to do, but are been swayed by outside influences.  And ... every word of what follows IS true!

Dear John Doe ...

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond, and let me say right off the bat that I appreciate your candor in the remarks you made.  If  I were to say, I was not discouraged, by the events that took place this past Summer, I would not be speaking the truth. 

That said, I attended the party AGM held in Langley, and what I saw and felt, was the heart and soul of the membership striving and working towards achieving approval of new policy that would be part of our platform next May.

I also saw our rank and file members listening intently to the words of those who were seeking the lead the party on the Executive and Board of Directors.  Given the overwhelming mandate those elected received, it is obvious that we have majority support for our party leader John Cummins.

Let me also say that he, like anyone one else, has his flaws, however our party is NOT the John Cummins Party.  It is the BC Conservative Party, and we the members (the grassroots) are the people that drive it ... unlike the Adrian Dix led NDP ... and Christy Clark led BC Liberals.

We have lost some of our members through-out the internal problems we had -- those however were NOT the people that stood behind the majority of our membership who are firmly behind a bottom up approach, rather than one led from the top down. 

Those individuals, who are now gone, were more concerned with having their own way, in creating their own little empires, rather than supporting the aspirations of our members. 

We have come out the other side --- we are stronger for the trials we went through -- and our members KNOW the party does, and will, stand behind the will and direction of its members.

Hmmmm … I think I have made my point. No wait, it’s Alex who has made my point for me

I find it interesting that when bully’s get called out for their actions, they go in to a defensive mode that results in attacking those who MAY be questioning their thoughts / opinions … or perhaps who wish to present another side to things.

Such is the case, apparently, with Alex Tsakumis, who has not appreciated that I have publicly stated his comments can often be caustic and vile.

In his latest posting today, Alex Tsakumis had these comments to make about me:

And while the far left were in full swing in attacking me–ON A THREAD WHERE THE BASE STORY WAS ABOUT A DEAD GIRL, along came the far right. Alan Foresth, the chief defender of John Cummins–BC’s biggest bully–an ACTIVE bully, decided he couldn’t keep his trap shut either. One of the biggest whiners I’ve ever encountered, the flypaper of bloggers, couldn’t wait to lay in with more useless drivel about my “caustic” nature.

Funny that. Marjorie Nichols, Allan Fotheringham, Jack Webster, Pat Burns, Jack Wasserman, Les Bewley, Gary Bannerman and the immortal Rafe Mair, to name a few, all called that REAL JOURNALISM.

Was Christopher Hitchens caustic? You bet. What about Carl Bernstein? Of course,

How ’bout some active examples? Rex Murphy? Yes! George Jonas? Yes! Christie Blatchford? Yes!

This, to Forseth, is bad. All while he defends the biggest bully in the history of BC politics, John Cummins. Alan, you remain a joke. Go away.

WOW … he has just listed off some of the GREATEST journalists, editorialist, and political commentators.  Some have indeed been pretty sharp in their words – however NONE I believe have made it a HABIT of being caustic and vile in responding to other with opinions not lining up with how he sees things.

One of the people commenting on his blog today, someone who goes by ‘eaf’ had a comment to make ... this is what they had to say:

e.a.f. says:

October 12, 2012 at 3:18 PM

The continued bullying we see in society amongst the adults & children is chilling. I don’t know how it got this bad & I don’t know how it will get better. Not only is bulling amongst children verbal, its actions …..

…. As to other “commentaters” who refer to you as a bully, they need to get with the agenda or find another type of work. The exchange of views, information, etc. is a loaded field. I don’t agree with a lot of what you write, I’m NDP but I have not found your writing to be bullying in nature. You express an opinion, people respond, if you don’t like what they say they are notified in sometimes very funny terms, but it isn’t bullying.

Do we have political bullies, you bet. Are they going to go away, not any time soon. Do we have a right to call them that, yes. Expressing one’s views, if done properly, is never bullying. Its usually called democracy.

My response (October 13, 2012 at 2:25 PM) was as follows:

Hi eaf … if Alex chooses to post this, I wish to say that I haven’t hid behind anything, and have been clear and upfront. My comments are posted under my name for all to see, and I believe them to be fair, but that is up to you and others to decide.

I recently said, and I quote: “I find it sad that this man finds it necessary to put forward vile poison, and write words that are caustic and mean-spirited. Sadly, they take away from any and all good journalistic work he has done.”

I give full marks, and full credit for some great journalism he has undertaken — what I and others take offense to, is the tone and words he uses to slice up anyone who might have a difference of opinion

That’s when Alex Tsakumis decided to weigh in with his thoughts:

Reply
AGT says:

 October 13, 2012 at 2:37 PM

And that’s complete BULLSHIT. You took offence the second I went after Cummins–your pal, who is the biggest bully in BC politics today.

BC Politics … the week that began February 5th

It’s the end of the week … and during it; we have of course had a number of stories on BC politics.   

No surprise, BC Hydro was again in the news … as was news on another poll showing declining support for the governing BC Liberals … and the appointment of nine new judges in BC.

Here’s a quick recap of some the stories in case you missed a few:

Poll in line with B.C.'s history

This is the province that threw out the old Liberals and Conservatives in the mid-20th century and replaced them with Social Credit and the NDP … then turned on the Socreds and exterminated them as a party … then, a decade after that, reduced the NDP to a rump of two members … we are not kind to those who have disappointed us, failed us, led us into hard economic times, or lied to us …

B.C. Liberals expecting tight Chilliwack-Hope byelection

John Martin, BC Conservative party candidate said he's going to put up a good political fight … "I don't buy into this Liberal line that somehow anyone who is not an NDP voter should get their vote, owes them their vote, that they should get their vote by default" …

BC Hydro Withdraws Massive Effort to Build a Spin Arsenal
… the Times Colonist and Global TV reported that BC Hydro was pre-approving 25 marketing firms to have ready to go to spin various initiatives … Thursday, BC Hydro announced that they had withdrawn their call for companies … a win for taxpayers who are sick and tired of government agencies using our money to sell us their ideas …

Which BC leader would you hire to cut the lawn?

Today we have a guest comment / opinion piece from my friend, BC Conservative, and former MP Jim Hart.  An analogy, if you will, of lawn cutting, and BC Politics

Want it done right?  Click HERE for the manual 

Looking at the recent political party polls in BC, one wonders exactly what it all means to the average family, guy or gal when it comes to real life in BC. So I decided I would analyze the recent polls by adding a task that most British Columbians will face in the coming weeks. As the groundhog has haphazardly told us that spring is just around the corner, I pose the question: Which BC political leader would be the best person to hire to cut your lawn? Here's what the polls suggest.

BC Green Party – Jane Sterk, is the most unlikely to accomplish the job as she would want to pass legislation to make Kentucky bluegrass or Canada Green an endangered plant life.

Instead of cutting the grass we would all be transplanting our lawns and relocating them to a government nature site or new provincial park, where grass would be protected and allowed to grow in an effective government-supervised fashion. Cutting and trimming devices would have to be registered in a government database to protect innocent plant life.

BC Politics … the week that began January 30th

Everyone has heard, see, read results of the latest political poll in BC, and as previous polls during the past year and a half have shown, the BC Liberals are in trouble.

There was more that took place this week however, so let's begin a wrap up of things political in BC, that began on January 30, 2012.

Fact finder might help resolve education crisis

… looks as if a legislated settlement is inevitable, with soft-spoken Education Minister George Abbott showing increasing impatience … government, however, is now so wounded in the opinion polls it may be unwilling to provoke a political backlash by appearing too draconian … government needs to appoint an independent "fact finder" to come up with common-sense suggestions for resolving the current education crisis …

B.C. Liberals planned to promote HST with iPad giveaway

… obtained by The Vancouver Sun after a 19-month battle under the Freedom of Information Act, draft copies of the pamphlet contain a large image of the Olympic flame on the cover and bear the title “Spirit of 2010: Building on BC’s Olympic Advantage.”  … government never sent out the pamphlet, shredding all copies not long after having spent $780,000 to have them designed and printed …

Get ready for a provincial Conservative government – Cummins

… we are doing very well in the polls … two outstanding candidates representing us in the upcoming by-elections … it’s been quite a while since we have been in such a strong position … much of the credit for that progress, he said, can be laid at the feet of the governing Liberals … We have momentum right now … what has changed is the disgust level of the people with the BC Liberals has risen …

BC Politics ... this week

WHAT is happening over at Christy Clark Central??  Staff are coming and going; well actually they mostly seem to be coming… and the cost of staffing and running the Premiers office is soaring. 

Premier Clark -- Is she praying for a miracle?

It seems that many rank and file members of the BC Liberals are wondering if they are on the Titanic or not ... and time will certainly tell – especially if she losses both of the upcoming by-elections, which I predict she will.

Any way … as usual it’s been another busy week on the political front, with many stories that made headlines.  Here are some of the stories that you may have missed, or might like to have a refresher on:

HST will haunt B.C. Liberals until the eve of the next election

… the terms also insisted that if the province abandoned its side of the deal — harmonization — the full amount of the transition funding would have to be paid back … such agreements are common in federal-provincial relations and Ottawa was not about to step onto the slippery slope of letting a province walk away from its obligations …

21st Century Value-Added Forest Industry

… concluded that there is an exciting opportunity for BC in the emerging bioeconomy … potential of this new economy is huge ($170 billion for bioenergy, $200 billion for bioproducts) and BC has some of the best fiber resources to feed it. The job potential of this sector is also great …

Christy Clark replaces her chief of staff

… Flagging in the polls, and with just 16 months to go before the next election, Premier Christy Clark has replaced her chief of staff… In a news release issued before Clark's official announcement Thursday, BC Conservative leader John Cummins attacked the appointment.  "Premier Clark has appointed an Albertan super-lobbyist as her chief of staff," Cummins said in a statement…

IHA too cheap to fix donated tub

… the health authority is charging people for the bathing program, it didn't even pay for the tub in the first place, rather had it donated by the Lions Club . . . surely the IHA could cough up some cash for a new tub and lift to serve that area of Kamloops … but we doubt that will happen…

THIS WEEK IN POLITICS … as only we in British Columbia can do it

Here we go with another look back at this week’s political news in BC.   

You can read about BC Ferries … BC Hydro … government belt-tightening … carbon taxes.  There was the big news as well, about John Martin, who will be seeking the nomination to run for the BC Conservative Party in the still-to-be-called by-election for Chilliwack Hope.

All that stuff is there; but for me, the most interesting news came out this morning in two stories.  One is from the North Shore News … and it is about John Cummins, who the writer has dubbed as Gentleman John … the other is from the Vancouver Sun … a story of how George Abbott has been given the unenviable task of trying to find ways to pull the BC Liberals out of the ditch.

Read on …

Abbott left to pull party out of ditch

... Clark has now asked him to help extract the party from the ditch of its own making and to develop those new linkages with the electorate. Joining Abbott in this hopeful exercise is a backroom appointee, acting as adviser to the platform committee. He's Ken Boessenkool, a Calgary-based political consultant and some-time lobbyist ...

Why the Pacific Carbon Trust Draws Political Heat

… making hospitals and schools transfer tight dollars to corporations is no easy climate policy to sell …  caused plenty of criticism, especially from public sector bodies. School boards have been angrily vocal about having to send tax dollars to a Crown corporation called the Pacific Carbon Trust (PCT), which uses the money to pay profitable corporations like Encana to cut their greenhouse gas emissions …

Gentleman John extraordinarily ordinary

… British Columbians, if they're like his former federal constituents in Delta-Richmond East, who sent him to Ottawa six times over 18 years, could discover that a non-charismatic, indifferent-speaking, average looking politician has a lot more to offer than the bangles in the standard politician's bag of tricks … supporter says Cummins has a natural gift for driving into the "remote" (from the paved-over corner of the province) and meeting "ordinary" (another uncomfortable word) British Columbians as one of them, not a politician carrying an invisible platform from which he can talk down to the unwashed…

This Week in BC Politics … a News Wrap-up

Halloween is just around the corner … and as if right on time, there have been some scary stories coming out of Victoria, and in the news media regarding Christy Clark's BC Liberal party … about BC Hydro … and about the Teachers College.

Here are some of the stories that made the news this week … and that you may have missed.

Barinder Sall guilty plea bargain in Kash Heed election overspending case: $15,000 fine, 1 year probation, 200 hours community service, no jail time

BC Liberal MLA Kash Heed's 2009 election campaign manager Barinder Sall avoided a jail sentence Friday afternoon but was fined $15,000, put on one year's probation and ordered to perform 200 community service hours in the Vancouver-Fraserview election overspending case.  Sall admitted to six violations of the Elections Act in a guilty plea bargain deal that saw serious Criminal Code obstruction of justice charges dropped that could have seen him sentenced to up to ten years in jail …

Les Leyne: Wallace's words ring true, 40 years on

… he said: "There have been changes indeed in this chamber and ... the House should know that the change which I appreciate most lies in the fact that I now have a much easier time in caucus."  Jeered about switching teams, he said he'd be happy to let his constituents decide … after winning as a Socred with 52 per cent of the vote, he ran in Oak Bay as a Conservative and won 52 per cent of the vote again.  Back to his debut as a Conservative. Wallace said his new party's priority was to raise the standard of living for the poor, the sick, the disabled and those on fixed incomes….

BC Hydro Spend-Today, Pay-Tomorrow Ripped by Auditor General

Doyle is worried that BC Hydro is using American-style accounting practices to defer billions of dollars of debt to future years … neither the BC Government nor BC Hydro seems to have a plan to pay down those deferred costs.  Doyle says the government… is forcing BC Hydro further and further into red ink, and it will come back to haunt future rate payers …  BC Hydro is using smoke and mirrors to appear profitable, while actually pushing off costs into the future. This is extremely troubling …

BC Liberals imploding under Premier Christy Clark's leadership and fears of impending doom

… they fear the surging strength of BC Conservative leader John Cummins in traditionally safe seats, including in the Interior, Okanagan and North.  Cummins is now at 12 per cent, up two points since May …. Cummins is also creating a viable network of constituency associations and attracting former Reform Party Members of Parliament to his cause, with Jim Hart and Paul Forseth seeking nominations while Randy White chairs a key election committee.

Jim Pattison is a multimillionaire -- he obviously likes to make money -- so why the ban??

We live in a free society where free enterprise provides us with the businesses we can shop at, for the goods and services we require.   That said, we are also free to determine where we will shop, and spend our hard earned dollars.

I say this because Integrity BC is currently running a campaign called “Who Really Runs BC”.

The purpose of the campaign is to have the BC government, "... amend the province's electoral finance laws to ban donations by both big business and big unions to BC's political parties, to cap annual individual donations and to appoint a Citizens' Assembly to make binding recommendations on a host of additional reforms."

As they say on their website, “each of these steps will help restore accountability, transparency and integrity to BC politics, because by bringing the influence of big money to an end we can change BC politics – for the better."

Integrity BC is running advertising promoting the "Who Really Runs BC?” campaign, however the Jim Pattison sign company, one of the largest in the world, refuses to run it.  That campaign again is calling for a ban of donations by BOTH unions and business to political parties.

The Jim Pattison Group has $7.2 billion in sales, and employs 33,000 people in 455 locations.  Jim Pattison is a multimillionaire -- he obviously likes to make money -- so why the ban??

This Week in BC Politics

It’s Friday and we are nearing the end of the week.  Time to take a look back at some of the stories that made the news this week in British Columbia … stories about the people involved in BC politics ... and that are impacted by BC politics.

Cartoon by David Parkins for The Globe and Mail

MLA Randy Hawes: An unlikely backbench rebel

…but there was Mr. Hawes on Monday, openly challenging his boss over her handling of Community Living B.C., the beleaguered government agency responsible for providing services to developmentally disabled adults.  In doing so, he exposed frustration in caucus, almost nine months after Ms. Clark took over from the controlling and insular Gordon Campbell, that the new premier might be just as tone-deaf to concerns from the backbench as the last one …

Hypocritical hurrahs from B.C. Libs over shipbuilding win

It’s amazing — and somewhat galling — listening to Premier Christy Clark’s Liberals going ga-ga over the federal shipbuilding contract when this is the same bunch that gave away our own shipbuilding work to Germany … the same shipyard just awarded an $8-billion contract to build seven vessels — including Royal Canadian Navy support ships and a major icebreaker — was “not capable” of building three car ferries just a few years ago …..

Doctor led B.C. Conservatives (Death of Dr. Scott Wallace)

… the always vocal politician was known for speaking out on many issues during his political career, a run that stretched from Oak Bay council in 1967 to his last day in the provincial legislature in 1977. 

That enthusiasm for improving health care and people's lives was an extension of the efforts he put forward in his community, said family members who shared stories about their father's philanthropic passion…..

“Invest, innovate and grow” -- that’s not happening with the BC Liberals

Small Business week is now underway in British Columbia – and right across Canada.  Small Business Week began in BC over 3 decades ago (1979) and became a national event in 1981.  

I did a Google search to find out more about this year’s event, and found out the theme this time around is; “Invest, innovate and grow” … and that small businesses are encouraged to “attack challenges with renewed decisiveness, market awareness and creativity” and “invest in the new technology your team needs to get the job done.”

Small business has always driven the well-being of the provinces with jobs right in the local community.  While small businesses rely on the economic well-being of the province, country, and exports; having government keeping red-tape to a minimum, and taxes at a level that allow for growth, has always been critical to their success.

In recent years however, government has not been creating a climate so that small business can grow and create jobs to support families and the BC economy.  In fact, government has a poor record in that area, as noted in the media as recently as the past 3 or 4 weeks.

CTV News (Sept 21^st, 2011) … Economists and business leaders say Premier Christy Clark's jobs plan is short on targets and dollars…

Globe and Mail (Sept 21 ^st, 2011 … her new initiatives do not include any promises of immediate work for those who are looking for jobs in B.C. now…

THIS WEEKS NEWS ROUND-UP

It’s Friday, the weekend is upon us, and here are some of the political stories that made the news this week:

BC Hydro caught in crosshairs of Clark’s populist push
Current Premier Christy Clark has put short-term politics first, ordering the Crown corporation to scale back its plans to the bare minimum to keep rate increases in check.  Trouble is, B.C. is looking at attracting massive investments – billions upon billions of dollars – in mining, shale gas and liquefied natural gas facilities. All are huge consumers in power. 

The decisions made now at BC Hydro will decide if those industries are going to be developed with renewable energy, or if they will burn natural gas, spewing millions of tonnes of greenhouse-gas emissions into the atmosphere.

Penny-pinching B.C. Liberals bank on Clark appeal
The latest polls show Clark is way more popular than her own party, so the Liberals want to capitalize on her personal appeal … her government is broke, and Clark can't go on a spending spree unless she does one of two things: go into debt or raise taxes … here's an even bigger concern for Clark: Going into debt or raising taxes could anger right-wing supporters in her own party, and drive them over to John Cummins and the B.C. Conservatives.

BC Conservative leader talks lower taxes, less government in Dawson Creek
“We’re going to stick to principles. We’re going to emphasize the fact that government in British Columbia has to get smaller and we have to use the tax dollars we have more efficiently and effectively,” he said.

Here is more proof, of what many have been saying

In today's Vancouver Sun (June 10th), you will find the following story ... "BC Liberal, NDP leadership races saw same people sign up for both parties" 

While the the NDP claim that Christy Clark is more to the right than Attila the Hun, and the BC Liberals claims that Adrian Dix is about as far left as a person can go ... here is more proof of what many have been saying.

There is not a whole lot of difference between the NDP and the BC Liberals.

Letter writer was firing on all cylinders

An interesting letter was submitted to the BC Conservative Party recently, which I thought pretty much hit on all cylinders.

For starters the writer said, “It is encouraging that you have elected a leader that perhaps has enough experience and ability to make a mark on BC politics.  I would suggest that you should make required reading the biography of WAC Bennett. It is a user manual for party leaders on how to get elected and how to stay elected.”

I too appreciate the fact that John Cummins is a leader who unlike the Liberals Christy Clark and the NDP’s Adrian Dix, has a wide and varied career working as a construction work, a commercial fisherman, a teacher, as well as 18 years as a federal MP.  

What else did they have to say???

BC politics ... for the week of April 4th

And so another week drifts by in the world of BC politics.  I though I’d start of with a look back in history first with the following, before continuing my usual wrap-up of some of this weeks political stories …

Flashbacks: This week in B.C. political history … “MLAs slam cushy WCB severance package” from 1996 … and from 1986 we have … “Noyes a pedophile but not a psychopath”

 

BC NDP's past gives clues on current crop of candidates

Voting is about to begin, and the choice for New Democrats looks like this: Do they want a leader in the style of Mike Harcourt, who led the party to victory in 1991? Or another Glen Clark, who five years later kept the party in power for a second term …

Christy Clark -- the next leader of the BC Liberals???

Apparently the majority of people involved in the news media currently seem to think that Christy Clark has the lead among members of the BC Liberal party who will soon be electing a new leader.

So what have some people had to say about her ???

... a well-honed ambition does not necessarily translate into performance at the cabinet table. As education minister, she launched many initiatives but delivered on few, and lost a key battle with the B.C. Teachers' Federation over control of the College of Teachers.

... "She was energetic with a lot of ideas -- some of which were positive," said Gordon Comeau, head of the school trustees, on the day in early 2004 when the premier shuffled Clark out of education. "But her energy sometimes created conflict in the system that is still there now."

… her second chance was the ministry of children and family development -- "Why me?" Clark was quoted as saying when Campbell gave her the news.  Six months later she was gone telling the premier she was quitting cabinet and would not be seek re-election.