In essence they were saying my democratic right, to choose the party I support, is irrelevant

A comment was made on social media yesterday (April 24) that because I and thousands of others like me, do not support the BC Christy Clark Party, then somehow we do not care about BC.  They went on to say that if did support her, then BC and the people would come first not the party (meaning our support for the BC Conservatives)

In essence, they were saying that MY democratic right to choose the party I support, and that best fits with my beliefs, is irrelevant.

This is the same talk as we hear from the BC Christy Clark Party. It is arrogance to the extreme and just one more example of why I personally cannot vote Liberal. I would spoil my ballot first, to show my disgust at the options presented, if I did not have a BC Conservative option.

That kind of arrogance doesn’t just come from supporters of the BC Liberals however … it that comes from the top down.  Here are the words of Christy Clark herself

"I am the leader of the free-enterprise coalition in this province and I'm going to lead us into the next election."

Chilliwack Liberal MLA John Les … lashed out at the Conservatives calling them spoilers.  “All parties on the centre right have to carefully consider the greater provincial good ahead of the specific good of any individual or party.”

Sorry John … but this is not a dictatorship, and in a democracy we have a right to choose the political party, and candidates, that best meet with our beliefs.

Meantime, in another interview, Christy Clark went on to say that she is not prepared to merge with the BC Conservatives. "I don't think British Columbians respond very well to back door deals.”

Well that’s an interesting comment to make, given calls that were made by BC Liberals right after the by-election, to some within the BC Conservative Party, as reported by the Victoria Times Colonist:

If you decide to support the forces of constructive change – then the future will be different

Yesterday (01/30/12) the Vancouver Sun had a piece written by Paul Kershaw from the University of British Columbia.  It was entitled “A Canadian sidekick for Colbert”, and it began with the following:

Just 10 per cent of Canadians trust politicians, according to a recent Ipsos poll. Canadians are more likely to trust new-car sales people than elected officials, data from Leger Marketing tell us.

These facts may be good for a laugh. But, really, we shouldn’t be amused. The fact that Canadians are more likely to treat politicians like punch lines rather than people to respect is a fundamental reason why we are tuning out politics. Barely 60 per cent of Canadians voted in the last federal election; in Ontario’s fall provincial election, fewer than 50 per cent of eligible voters showed up at the ballot boxes. Our largest province has not seen such low turnout since Confederation in 1867.

Apathy is not a neutral force in our democracy. Apathy helps to sustain the status quo. And the status quo is not a friend of Canadians under 45.

“POLITICIANS” … have become the punch lines, and punching bags, of municipal, provincial and federal voters – and THEY DESERVE TO BE!  And not just of people under the age of 45.

In 1999 a Canadian political party release a brochure … “This is the Reform Party”.  Here are just some of the things they had as policy objectives in this brochure:

1. the equality of citizens …
2. Responsible government that is accountable to citizens …
3. More and better jobs through balanced budgets and tax relief
4. Safer streets and communities
5. Strong reliable and affordable social services
6. Greater support for Canadian families as the basic building block of Canadian society

In BC we have two political parties that have governed this province over the past two decades … the BC Liberals … and the New Democrats.  Has anything truly been done towards the goals I noted above ... and that apply just as easily to our province?  I think the fact that only 10% of Canadian voters trust politicians provides the answer.

Right wing? Left Wing? You need both wings to fly!

It's funny (sort of) how things seem to never change in BC politics.  In 2005, Will McMartin wrote an article in the Tyee entitled, "Feeling Polarized"

In this piece, the one thing really jumped out at me, it was his statement that:

"Polarization satisfies both right and left, business and labour. For the right, polarization means that parties favourable to business usually form government. The left, meanwhile, can utilize its legislative strength to exert moral suasion and influence public policy, with the added bonus of being available to assume power when a government of the right fractures or becomes unpopular with the electorate."

Did you see the words I saw? Polarization satisfies "business" and "labor".

Where are the words that government satisfies the people of BC?  I think it would be safe to say that even now, 7 years later, we know which political parties (in the words he wrote) were intended to represent business and labour; the BC Liberals .. and the BC New Democrats.

Even 7 years later, with some changes to the policies and platforms of the party, the NDP still strongly comes down on the side of labour.

While the BC Liberals do not come out and say they support business, it has been shown over and over again that they certainly do not represent the men and women ... and families ... of BC.  

So who, and what, do they then support? Well that's a good question.

BC Conservatives will not be splitting the vote --- the BC Liberals are driving their supporters away.

I generally find it interesting to hear Jim Harrison’s editorial point of view on CHNL radio in Kamloops, however today I was puzzled but what appeared to be an acceptance of the Liberal mantra that that BC Conservatives are going to ‘split the vote’

If you listen to Christy Clark and her Liberal MLA’s, it seems that their only reason for being, and why people should support them, is because ... “We’re not the NDP”.

Regrettably, that is also the thought coming from a few former MP’s like Stockwell Day, who once believed in government reform by the grassroots … and that accountability, honesty, and responsibility to the voters was paramount.

Splitting the vote -- parties on one side of the spectrum will vie for votes based on the fact they have similar policies

I agree that the BC Conservative Party needs to do more to address the questions and points being raised in the following email which was forwarded to me. What did it say? Well in part it included the following, which I will make comment on in a few places along the way.

Why are you not addressing the media on issues at hand in the commentaries? Would it not be a sensible idea to relay to the people of British Columbia - in open dialogue - that the idea of (splitting the vote) does not equate to British Columbia politics and the stance of the individual party policies? For instance:

... the NDP Policies are left of centre ... I agree

... the Liberal Policies are left of centre ... I agree

... the Conservative Policies are centre / right / centre ... this is something I thought the other day and wondered if there was anyone like minded --- looks like two of us anyway

...    ... the Greens are left of centre ... not so sure I would totally agree

When splitting the vote, it is required that the Parties on one side of the spectrum will vie for votes based on the fact that they have similar policies. If there is only one Party on the Right of the spectrum there is no splitting of the vote on the Right Policies.