Politics This Week (Jan 2nd - 8th, 2010)

Again this week there were a lot of interesting stories around politics in Victoria … and around the province with the BC Conservatives, the Liberals, and the NDP.  Here’s just a snapshot of some of the stories that made the news this past week …

Gender quota makes BC NDP seem ridiculous -- National Post

Predictably, this affirmative-action provision has come back to bite the NDP in its political buttocks. The resulting publicity has made the party appear …

Valley Conservatives to pick MLA candidate after March -- Canada.com

By Spencer Anderson, Comox Valley Echo January 7, 2011 The BC Conservatives are set to face off against Comox Valley MLA Don McRae in the next election …

NDP’s ‘renewal’ is going nowhere in this leadership race -- Globe and Mail

When 13 members of the BC New Democratic Party caucus decided to take out leader Carole James in a holiday-season coup, they insisted it was nothing

What have we been offered by those who want to be the leader of the BC Liberal party

On November 9^th, 2010, just days after the announced resignation of Premier Gordon Campbell, Jeff Jedras of the National Post wrote an article entitled, “BC Liberal Leadership still a prize worth winning” (http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/11/09/jeff-jedras-b-c-liberal-leadership-still-a-prize-worth-winning/#ixzz1A5LdypS0).  His article began with the following:

It’s hard to know where to start in appreciating the wacky state of B.C. politics. It has arguably the most electorally successful premier in B.C. history in Gordon Campbell, who survived a drunk-driving charge while in office, only to be felled by a caucus and taxpayer revolt. A taxpayer rebellion led by Bill Vander Zalm, a former premier who presided over the destruction of the once-mighty Social Credit brand and left office in disgrace and mockery. And an opposition party in the BC NDP that, with the government at historic lows in the polls, seemed more interested in knifing its own leader, Carole James.

The latest development, Campbell’s resignation as Premier, was both inevitable and surprising. He tried to save himself with a televised infomercial a few weeks ago, offering large personal tax cuts, but the damage was done. With a caucus revolt brewing, Campbell recognized the writing was on the wall and decided to go as gracefully as possible …

That was nearly two months ago, and since then what have we been offered by those who want to be the leader of the BC Liberal party -- and premier of the province? … here’s a quick reminder: