We’re gonna do what they say can't be done

Last night, while having a chat with a former member of the BC Conservative Party, I was reminded of the theme song from the 1977 Burt Reynolds movie “Smokie and the Bandit”.  For those who don’t recall, the basic plot of the story is as follows:

Bandit and Cledus are two truck-driving southerners who accept a dare from big-shots Big and Little Enos to pick up a truckload of beer from Texas and return it to them within a specified amount of time. Picking it up is simple enough, but as they are leaving Texas, Bandit unwittingly picks up Carrie, a hitchhiking bride-to-be who just left her groom, Junior, at the altar. Junior, however, is the son of Sheriff Buford T. Justice. And when Buford and Junior discover what has happened, they go on a "high-speed pursuit" across the Southeast to catch the bandit.

The movie as many will remember was just a lighthearted, laugh a minute, comedy as Bandit and Cledus attempt to do ‘what can’t be done’, and the obstacles they encounter along the way.

In a way, it reminds me somewhat of what the BC Conservative Party has gone through over the past couple of years as it has come from obscurity, to become a contender on the political map. And in doing that, they have dared to do what others have said could not be done.

Going from a couple hundred members – to several thousand – I'm sure has created interesting dynamics as new people have brought new ideas to the table, and have mixed and merged them with the foundation that was there to start with.

I hope others will do the same – and support something they can believe in – NOT just vote to toss something out

Today it took a few minutes to read the editorial in the Victoria Times Colonist … it was titled “Liberal wipeout benefits no one”, and I would like to encourage you to check it out.

Personally, I have a feeling it was written by someone that has leanings towards the BC Liberal Party; however it did ask some important questions that all BC voters need to consider.  Here are just a few excerpts from the editorial:

As it stands, we are headed for an NDP sweep of the province similar to the Liberal sweep of 2001.  While this might bring delight to those who are determined to make the Liberals pay for their sins and their errors over the past decade, this kind of political turmoil is not good for the province...

Premier Christy Clark has tried to put a fresh, optimistic face on the government, but it simply hasn't worked.

We need stability from our leaders, as well as a sense of purpose. We won't have that if the government is bouncing from one idea to the next, trying to find messages that resonate with voters. Good government is based on solid values and sound principles, not poll numbers, yet the fate awaiting the Liberals in next May's election will always be in the back of their minds.

…what is next? More turmoil? More desperate attempts to win back the voters? And if that doesn't work, what's left - a scorched-earth attitude that would ensure that the NDP inherits as many problems as possible?  This would not provide the kind of stability that the province needs.

… have voters seriously considered all of the alternatives? Have we examined the policies of the NDP or the Conservatives - or the Greens, for that matter?  Have we considered what governments run by either of these parties might do?

Just because they aren't Liberals does not automatically make them better. We need to judge each party on its own merits, not simply vote against the people in power.

The 2001 election result, which left us with 77 MLAs on the government side and only two in opposition, was over the top … unless the mood of the voters changes, we will do the same thing to the Liberals.  These wild swings from left to right don't help the province … who benefits when the governing party is so thoroughly written off? Nobody.

As I said at the start, this editorial does make some important points, and asks some serious questions.

There was a sense and feeling that something had begun, and was growing

Saturday afternoon (March 31, 2012) members of the Kamloops North Thompson BC Conservative Party Constituency Association, gathered at the Rayleigh Elementary School.  On tap was the business of electing a new board and executive.

But much more than that happened at that meeting -- there was a sense and feeling that something had begun, and was growing.

I listened to the comments of people there as they discussed, with one and other, the growth of the party – how more and more there was talk of the BC Conservatives in the news – and of course the move of long-time Abbotsford South MLA John van Dongen to the party.

Party brochures were picked up and discussed, then many went back to pick up more to take with them.  The membership table was also busy as several people from within the riding took out memberships – two for the first time in ANY political party.

Guest Speaker, Wayne McGrath, former
BC Conservative Party President

I was delighted to have the opportunity as Regional Director for the party for this area, to welcome and introduce to members, the former party president and guest speaker, Wayne McGrath.  Wayne had much to say about the growth of the party during the past year, and it was an encouragement to members who were there.

Here are a few of the comments he made on Saturday:

Today, voters are frustrated and angry.  In the last provincial election (2009), 48% of the eligible voters did NOT vote.  As the lesser of 2 evils, many conservatives voted Liberal since there were only 24 Conservative candidates. Some voters were so angry at the Liberals, they actually voted NDP.

Most British Columbians are actually conservatives.  In the 2011 federal election, that fact was clearly demonstrated.  Liberals were a distant 3rd behind the Conservatives (1st) and the NDP.

Hopefully the next provincial election will usher in a new era of government accountability

Well anyone that has not heard the latest political news in BC has just woken from a long winters nap.  I speak, of course, about yesterday’s announcement by Abbotsford South MLA John van Dongen, that he has joined the BC Conservative Party

If you care to have a listen, the following are a couple of news stories from CTV on the defection”:

• Ed Watson (CTV NEWS) comments on John van Dongen’s defection from BC Liberals

• Rob Brown (CTV News) interview with John van Dongen following resignation  

I find, however, that comments of individuals to be of more interest, which is what today’s blog story will be made up of.  Here are just a few examples of comments that have been made to me, and to the media:

Twitterverse lights up for Clarks not a throne speech, throne speech, on the Bill Good Show

BC Premier Christy Clark

Today Christy Clark paid a visit to the Bill Good show on CKNW 980, to outline upcoming plans for the BC Liberal Government.   

As expected the #bcpoli Twitter feed lit up with the comments of news people, and political pundits alike, commenting on what she had to say.

The following is a small snapshot of what I thought were the “Best Of” those comments – of which there were literally hundreds and hundreds:

CHILDCARE:

We need a childcare plan in BC. The cost of childcare in BC is too high for families

BC LIBERALS and the BC NDP:

Both of those parties are the same old and they need to be replaced

CALLERS ARE BC LIBERAL PLANTS:

Anyone else feel like they're listening to @billgood980's private lobbying session with @christyclarkbc as the #fauxthrone speech?

Oh BC Liberals, your plants to @CKNW call-in line are SOOOO obvious. The pat talking points kinda give you away..

Sounds like call-ins so stacked @BillGood980 has 2 pose most questions

RECENT POLLS:

Amusing to listen to the premier dance around recent polls. Earth to Christy: your party is way behind right now.

She should call the by-elections and lets see what those 2 polls look like

Premier Christy Clark says you cannot judge these things by polls that go up and down....when was the last 'up' poll?

Another day … another poll. What does it mean?

Yesterday saw the release of a new poll that shows the BC Liberals, led by Christy Clark, are in deep trouble and headed for defeat in the next provincial general election in 2013.  That is however nearly 16 months away, and a lot can change between now and then … it does however show a strong trend that has been developing over 6 consecutive polls by 3 different polling companies.

The following is a story by CKWX New Radio 1130, from this morning, which gives a brief overview of the results of that poll:

Yet another poll is showing the BC NDP could form a majority government after the next provincial election. One political analyst feels there's not much the premier can do to buck this trend.

"This isn't just one poll showing them behind the NDP; this is multiple polls showing them behind the NDP," explains Sean Holman.  While he believes any seat predictions at this point are premature, he believes the New Democrats are going to be very well-positioned going into an election.

Holman feels the Christy Clark government is having all sorts of problems associated with an  administration in its third term. "And is currently led by a leader who is new but has not been able to capitalize on that 'newness' in a way in which she probably would have liked."

"She rolled out her jobs plan late last year. That was supposed to give her some kind of traction with British Columbians -- that hasn't seemed to have worked," he adds.

The Forum Research numbers suggest 57 seats for the NDP, 20 for the Liberals, seven for the Conservatives, and Independent Vicki Huntington keeping her seat. Clark’s disapproval rating is at 46 per cent with Adrian Dix at 35.

I have been saying for some time now that the BC Liberals were NOT going to win the next election, and that the only hope to see the NDP NOT win, or at least be held to a minority, was to have the BC Conservatives on the ballot, and elected to the legislature. 

Until now, no poll had shown the BC Conservative electing ANY members, that is now beginning to change however, and I believe that numbers will continue to show the Conservatives gaining in strength, and with the likelihood of electing more members, the closer we get to the next election.

THAT HOWEVER is not based on any of the recent polls.  No ... the reason I say this is because of information that comes from a BC Stats study that was done in January 2010 entitled, “Motivations and Barriers: Exploring Voters Behaviour in British Columbia”

Here are a few things that I noted in this report:

The report does bring up things that cannot be ignored --- basically dismissing the party they came from as irrelevant however, is a BIG mistake

Today in the Victoria Times Colonist, reporter Jack Knox had an article entitled … B.C. Tories tap into worries about costs, gaffes of RCMP.  Early on in the story he makes the following comment:

An hour after word leaked out that Ottawa and the province were - finally! - close to a deal on a new RCMP contract Monday, the B.C. Conservatives issued a report calling the Mounties "inept and outdated."

Not that what the Conservatives say carries much weight, as they haven't elected an MLA since the 1970s. But in calling for B.C. to look at forming its own police force, they did drag up criticisms that, fair or not, neither the politicians nor the RCMP can afford to ignore.

There are many things to consider in this report, prepared for the BC Conservative Party by former Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Brian Peckford, and they do bear consideration. 

That aside … my attention was caught by the very beginning of the story. 

GOOGLE and a tale of “bc liberal doublespeak”

I was taking a look yesterday, at where some of the people being referred to my Conservative Thoughts blog are coming from.  One thing happened to catch my attention, and that was a referral for Google’s search engine – it was for the search term “bc liberal doublespeak”

Now I have to admit the search term did intrigue me – first of all wondering what story it was I had written that had caused the blog to pop up in Google’s search engine … but also wondering who else may have written something on that as well.

Guess what, when I checked that search term in Google, there were over 23 million (23,100,000) results that came up in one quarter (0.25) of a second.  Seems like that has been something often written, and thought about, when it comes to our BC Liberal government.

By now you are probably wondering about the top stories that came up when I searched for “bc liberal doublespeak” … so here they are for you to read and review:

DOUBLESPEAK SHOWS B.C. LIBERALS CAN’T BE TRUSTED ON GAMING GRANTS

The BC Liberals are creating yet more uncertainty for BC’s non-profit sector by continuing to speak out of both sides of their mouths when it comes to gaming grants, say New Democrats.

Enough is enough … I'm not going to take this anymore!

I really don't give a rat’s ass if Gordon Campbell gets the Order of BC or not.  Why??  Because whether he is given this award of not, I know that ‘at this moment’ he does not deserve it!

Province newspaper columnist Michael Smyth stated what many of us think, and believe, when he said:
“ Campbell's appointment to the Order of B.C. was rushed with unseemly haste. While the written eligibility rules are fuzzy, the unwritten traditions around these type of recognitions stipulate a waiting period. That's why it took former premier Bill Bennett 21 years to receive his Order of B.C., while other ex-premiers are still waiting … Campbell's appointment was rammed through faster than the HST. The fact that Campbell's ex-deputy, Ken Dobell, who pleaded guilty to illegal lobbying just three years ago, was appointed to the order along with his old boss only makes the timing look worse.”

I do not wish to join the other loud chorus that says. 'he does not deserve it, period'.  That's because I will readily admit that while I TRY to do my best, I often fail miserably … but then I get up and try again to accomplish the things I am trying to do.  I want to think that of others as well … including the man many are at the moment demonizing – Gordon Campbell.

Here’s a thought ... maybe the BC government can have a bottle drive!

How does Wikipedia define a “Balanced Budget”??

The public perception of balanced budget is when there is neither a budget deficit nor a budget surplus – when revenues equal expenditure ("the accounts balance") – particularly by a government. More generally, it refers to when there is no deficit, but possibly a surplus.

The private definition used by government is often setting the tax so high that if it were any higher a tax revenue shortfall, rather than gain, would be predicted.  Thus "maximum tax rate" would be a better way for the public to perceive it.

Meantime ... what does the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) say about deficit and debt in BC?

When you run your credit card to the limit, you soon get a bill in the mail, and B.C. is beginning to experience the hangover from this borrowing binge of Olympic proportions … the sooner we balance the budget, the sooner we can start paying down debt.

I hope Christy Clark doesn't think the drop has anything to do with her!

In a story today (May 21st) in the Vancouver Sun, Vaughn Palmer wrote about the upcoming HST referendum.  In the story he mentioned that Ipsos-Reid had just completed a study where a little over one third (36%) of taxpayers plan to vote yes to retaining the tax … while just over half the people (52%) will be voting to return to the old GST / PST combination.  That vote will be taking place next month in a mail in referendum.

Now given how the hated tax was conceived in secrecy prior to being announced ... and that only a mere year and a half ago there was near unanimous disapproval of the tax (including thousands upon thousands of Liberal voters) ... the fact they have the disapproval rating down to just over 50% now is pretty remarkable.

I hope that Christy Clark doesn't think the drop has anything to do with her however! 

This Week in BC Politics …

There were a number of interesting stories on the political front this week in BC --- including 2 polls … one showing the BC Conservative Party at 10% popular support – and a second at 18%.  One of the big things driving that increase has been John Cummins who next week will be elected leader of the Party.

Speaking of next week, John Cummins will be in Kamloops May 26^th.  He will speak at a public meeting beginning at 7pm at the Hotel 540 (formerly Stockman’s / Executive Inn) downtown on Victoria and 6^th.

Now … here are some of the stories that made the news this week …

Cummins factor may decide when B.C. votes

… Cummins is not afraid to push the hot buttons, and he will get media attention when he does. 

Last night, I sent my own "Political Leaders Questionnaire"

A  lot has been made this past week about the personal beliefs of one of the provinces political leaders, which led me to wonder, "What do the rest of them think?"

Wondering that, I figured it must be fair game to ask them, so last night, I sent my own "Political Leaders Questionnaire" to Adrian Dix (BC NDP) ... Christy Clark (BC Liberal Party) ... Chris Delaney (BC First) ... and John Cummins (BC Conservative Party).

Having a say on major decisions is of no value ... if we do not have the facts

You will not find much disagreement amongst British Columbians’ that the most important functions of government are to provide quality affordable health care -– an opportunity for young people to get a good education -– an environment in the community where people can feel safe –- clean air and fresh water -- social programs for those in society who are in true need of assistance – and a tax system that is fair and affordable.

There will be disagreement across party lines, and even between friends, on how to best accomplish these goals, however I am sure that all would agree these things should be a top priority.

If that is the case, then why do we seem to have so much difficulty achieving those goals? 

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 …

Liberal backstabbing and intrigue in Vancouver Quilchena … and Vancouver Point Grey

Yesterday (March 15^th) former BC Premier Gordon Campbell resigned his Vancouver Point Grey seat, in the BC Legislature, after nearly two decades of service.

In a release to the media, Gordon Campbell stated, “It has been an honour to serve the people of British Columbia as an MLA, as the leader of the Opposition, and as premier.”

"There are few things more rewarding than serving in public life and I feel fortunate to have had such an opportunity to do so for nearly three decades in a province and a city that I love."

In 1994 Gordon Campbell originally won the Vancouver Quilchena riding in a by-election (with nearly 68% of the vote) after Art Cowie resigned for him in November of 1993. Thus begins a tale in intrigue, and backstabbing, that continues today.

Liberal Leadership (lack of ) Debate

Last nights BC Liberal gathering in Kamloops turned out to be just as most people expected it to be … all fluff and not much meat ... although maybe the plan was for the meat only to be served at their fund-raising dinner. 

Thoughts of the silent majority -- part 2

Yesterday I asked you to let me know what the issues and problems in BC are, the ones that affect you, your family, neighbours and friends.  Well it hasn’t taken long for the first responses to come in, and I can tell you they have covered a number of things – not just a few select items being mentioned over and over.

Those who read my Conservative Thoughts blog know that I will often touch on government accountability – that government and MLA’s need to be accountable to us for what they say and do (or do not do).  A comment that came has already touched on that as well:

“One issue which is very important to me is Transparency. Wrapped up within it we have such elements as Trust and Integrity both of which fit nicely into our core values.  The Basi Virk case has the stench of corruption related, as it is, to the BC Rail case. If we don't go after that one we will miss a huge chance. People around here are utterly disgusted with the matter.”

Many Liberal supporters have indicated that the BC Rail issue is over and done with … that it’s old history … and elections have already been won with that controversy known.  Perhaps that it is true to the extent that BC voters figured it’s a done deal that BC Rail has been sold (and don’t give me any crap about a zillion year lease not being a sale); however details that came out in the rather hurriedly ended Basi-Virk trail were never known previously – and voters ARE upset …