It may seem mundane, as opposed to the wild flurry of an election campaign, however it is a VERY important step to be ready for 2017

Al Siebring, Chair of the BC Conservative Party Policy Committee, sent an email out the other day.  It began by saying;

 

"Now that the election is out of the way, it's time to move on with more mundane Party business.  We have our Party's AGM coming up in Vernon in September.  Per Article 10 of the Party Bylaws, we are giving each CA an opportunity to provide input and amendments to our Party “Policy Document” in advance of the AGM."

 

I for one found that refreshing, and encouraging -- it also fit with something I had posted on this web-blog as well.  On Monday, I asked the question "Can you please tell me the differences between the Conservatives and the Liberals?", which I was delighted to see generated some conversation and dialogue. 

 

Some of the comments coming back included one from Sean who mentioned:

"... I think the person requesting this info would have liked to see a specific breakdown of the actual differences ... the differences are quite stark when you compare policies versus rhetoric." 

 

Sean is likely right on the mark, that said, I still think everything flows however from the 2 direct points which I made in the original post.  The BC Liberals -- and the NDP for that matter -- can say anything they like, however no elected member of either party is really accountable to the electorate.  They are ONLY accountable to the political party which they represent.

 

For REAL change to actually happen, there is going to have to be an acceptance that at times MLA's will have to vote against party line.  If a way is made available for the to happen, in a way that can be respectful, then this becomes a win-win for everyone ... everyone that is but those manipulating from the backrooms. 

 

Here's another snapshot from a comment made by Bob:

 

" ... we need to aim for a turn as the Opposition in 2017 as a training ground in preparation for governing in 2021 ... we need to compete with the statist party in those areas where they are winning the ideological competition with many citizens if we are to replace them ... we will have to produce some innovative policies using very conservative principles on issues such as poverty, education and health in a way that outshines their central-planning approach ..." 

 

Well indeed the leap for us to go from nowhere as a party, to government, was a hard one for most to swallow -- BUT it has been done elsewhere.  That said, getting MLA's in the legislature is the start needed to season a number of quality government ministers to take reins of government.

 

I like Bob's suggestion of having "innovative policies using very conservative principles" to deal with serious issues. 

 

We were right, in my opinion, to say that getting BC economy running, at full steam, would go a long way towards coming up with solutions to many of the "issues of poverty, education and health".  That said people need, and want, to see the steps that BC Conservatives will take to find them (solutions).

 

I am convinced we have individuals from every background and experience needed to come up with the pieces to connect our broad stroke ideas, with issues and problems we face as a province.  Now leadership at all levels of the party need to be open to hear possible solutions (workable or not) that can lead to real and workable policy.

 

(STAY WITH ME ... I'm headed directly to policy considerations, for the BC Conservative Party, in just a moment)

Can you please tell me the differences between the Conservatives and the Liberals?

Differences?  Yes there certainly are differences, and not just
minor ones, between the BC Liberals and BC Conservatives

On Saturday I received an email from a resident of the North Thompson; they asked, “Can you please tell me the differences between the Conservatives and the Liberals?” 

I think if a number of BC Conservative supporters were asked that question, they likely would have a number of different answers. 

It is a good question, one the party should be considering, and I hope you will take a moment to see what I had the say in response to it: 

Hello Alan,


This is Robert S---, I am in the North Thompson riding. I emailed Peter Sharp before the election because his was the only email I found. I don't imagine it makes much difference at this time though.

I only started getting interested in politics this year because I am tired of voting a party out, not voting a party in, so I figured to try a third party, the Conservatives.

Can you please tell me the differences between the Conservatives and the Liberals, both being free enterprise parties.

Thank you,
Robert S.  


Good afternoon Robert ... thanks for getting in touch ...

WOW -- you have asked a big question; one that deserves a thoughtful response, and not necessarily one that all members would not be unified in stating. 

First I believe there are two distinct area where we differ from the BC Liberals; one we believe that political parties should be sponsored by individuals, not big business and big labour.  The BC Liberal Party has be steadfast in not supporting this, which is not hard to understand as they are supported to the tune of millions of dollars by big business.  Our position has now also been taken up by the NDP and Green Party, and is being pushed by Integrity BC. 

The question that needed asking was, "So where do the Conservatives go from here?"

It's conversation time again ... this time Alan and Allen ... as the question is asked of me, "What went wrong, and where do we go from here." 

These kinds of conversations are going on all over the province and so it would seem to me that there is much value to be gained from sharing thoughts, questions, and suggestions amongst each other. 

This then, is another of several I have had in recent days:

Hi, Alan,

I would be interested in your take on the election results.  It seems to me that John focused all his energy in attacking Christy Clark rather than the NDP, in expectation that she was vulnerable and the Conservatives could pick up Liberal seats.

Obviously, like the pollsters, he got it wrong. So where do the Conservatives go from here?


Hello again Allen, and thanks for your email ...

Boy there is sure a lot to look at and digest from the election.  The bottom line, in my opinion, is that we were strategically wounded last Summer and Fall, and the party and leadership were never able to recover.  The party tried to make several attempts to highlight positions of importance, that would make real positive change across the board to the people of BC, but the clamour we were spiraling down (fed by polls and media pundits) only re-enforced that we were not yet ready to govern.

That said, we now have the opportunity to build a strong party, and leadership at all levels will also need to be looked at; from the local CA level right to the top.

The beliefs and principles of our party ARE important, and we as BC Conservatives need to present our party as a clear alternative to the BC Liberals -- AND the NDP.  I hope that you will be encouraged to support our party, to perhaps take a step towards being part of the local CA Board, and to show others that BC Conservatives will have a message integrity and accountability in the platform and policies we will take to voters next time round.

Thanks again for getting in touch ... and have a great day ... 


Thanks, Alan, this is as I have expected. 

I do think that we were wounded, as you say, and I also supported our leader, but I hope that he will recognize the value of stepping aside and encouraging the search for a new leader. He did not seem to ever connect with the public, and it was not all the fault of the media. 

I think they gave him a fair opportunity to set forth his message as one of the four leaders. I also thought that the things he said, and the policies he set forth had opportunity to resonate with the electorate, but I believe his strategy was wrong, and his negativity towards Christy Clark backfired. 

There is, as I see it, only two directions we can go in this situation of ethics, accountability, and integrity.

Call me Don Quixote if you like, (others have),
but I am going to continue in my belief that
there is indeed positive change about to begin

I find it interesting to see the following from Nik Nanos (Few see positives in currentpolitical climate), after my comment, posted to Facebook yesterday, on the federal Conservative party:

There's a bit of a pox on all your houses, so to speak, from all the parties.  Canadians are seeing dysfunction in Parliament and in government from all parties when it comes to politicians focusing on positive solutions to problems affecting Canadians.

But these numbers are particularly troubling for the Conservatives. If you're the sitting government, you're looking at numbers like this and Canadians are saying, 'you know what — you're not doing much for me right now in terms with helping me in my day-to-day life'.  

 

 

So what did I post yesterday?  Well it was one short simple comment, which I was delighted to see engaged a few people in conversation, which I now share with you:

My growing disappointment in the federal conservative party is continuing ... and I know I am not alone in this. 

 

"Merv":  Yes, but what's the alternative?  

 

Me: I think that an alternative / shakeup will be inevitable, IF the federal party does not find its roots once again. 

 

"Sandy":

My Conservative/conservator roots go a long way back. I even ran as a Conservative candidate in the 1993 Kim Campbell election debacle and was steamrollered by the Reform candidate in this riding. 

 

I only mention this so that you can understand my own disappointment in the performance of Duffy and Wallin but I am still a firm supporter and believer in Stephen Harper's leadership. 

 

Before anyone runs screaming into the darkness, think of the alternative - Canada under the domination of eastern Liberals led by a Trudeau. In British Columbia and Alberta we should always remember what Trudeau Liberalism can do to our economy. 

 

Duffy and Wallin should be thrown out of the senate, along with anyone else found in conflict with ethical standards. That would include the Liberal senator also facing an inquiry into his expense claims.  

 

Me:

Thanks for your comments Sandy --- I posed this today to see what thoughts and ideas would come from others. As I say, I am sure I am not the only one with growing concerns.

 

The federal Conservative Party must, in my opinion, begin to look at why it's own supporters are beginning to question if it is losing its way, and how that should be addressed. If not, then it's future may be in jeopardy. 

 

"Damir":

Sure, I'll dog pile here. As a former PC/C voter who is quite concerned with the current situation in Ottawa, my 2015 vote is now completely up for grabs. What was done with the parliamentary budget office is, IMO, no better than the shameful way Victoria dealt with the auditor general. And what the heck ever happened to Senate reform?

 

Since the merger, the leadership is increasingly not walking the talk. Time for a change, either internally or externally.

 

No free pass just because the ghost of Trudeau is back in charge of the Liberals.

Wouldn't you agree? Is this a legitimate expectation we should have?

Once upon a time a popular opposition firebrand named Christy Clark, stood up in the BC Legislature, to rip the NDP government for spending tax dollars on shameless, self-promoting advertising. 

“People don't want the government to spend 700 grand of their money so they can find out how to access services; people want this government to spend their money so that those services are there for them to access. That's what British Columbians want,” Clark railed. “How many firefighters, how many police officers will not be on the street because [the Finance Minister] is spending… on her advertising campaign?” 

The above is from an opinion / editorial piece by BC Taxpayers Federation Director Jordan Bateman (November 2012) entitled, "Government Ads Use and Abuse Taxpayers’ Money".  

For month prior to the May 14th provincial election campaign, the BC Liberals took hits from all quarters, on this clearly wasteful and partisan adverting campaign.  

Sadly, during the four week election campaign, it was all but forgotten ... even by former radio co-worker Bill Good who on November 16th, over the airwaves of CKNW had stated:  "Those are very partisan ads. They should be bought and paid for by the Liberal Party of BC." 

The election is of course ended a week ago, but perhaps the major political commentators such as Keith Baldrey, Vaughn Palmer,  Bill Tieleman, Michael Smyth, etc, will now ask this question which I now pose: 

"Will the Premier comment to ending this kind of self-promotion and stick to truly informative ads providing BC residents with 'needed' information?"  

I believe if she does this, it really will help to put her on a more solid footing with a large number of British Columbians who still sit in two distinct camps; those who didn't vote for her ( over 55%) ... and those who again for a number of reasons(including a belief it doesn't make any difference) didn't cast a vote at all (approximately 48%).  

By the way, this is equally a fair question to ask of Adrian Dix and the NDP, as he himself had also pushed for a ban on partisan information being presented in government advertising being paid for by taxpayers, and had indicated that if elected he would put forward legislation to stop this from happening again.

So I put the question forward to both leaders then; are you against partisan political advertising which is paid for by taxpayers, and will you put forward legislation / support legislation, that would see this in place and enforced?

It's fair question to ask this, and the taxpayers of BC should have every right to know the answer ... wouldn't you agree? 

Is this a legitimate expectation we should have of government?

I'm Alan Forseth in Kamloops, with the thoughts of one conservative.  The floor is now being turned over to you ... and I welcome your thoughts on this.

The time to lick wounds is over --- the time to show we still BELIEVE in BC begins right now!

I

For those who have never met me (July 2012)

am cheating -- a bit -- with todays Conservative Thoughts blog post.  It's an email which I sent out to BC Conservative members in Kamloops South, part of the existing Kamloops South Thompson Constituency Association Board of Directors, some people who contacted us during the election campaign, or who are on my contact list of people from around the province ...

The other day I made a comment and post stating: "People may say they are concerned about the kind of representation (or lack of it) they are receiving -- but it seems we can be led to support a political party that paints the other as the lesser of two evils -- no matter what options may be available from choices available across the political spectrum. Thus, in my opinion, the momentum for the downward spiral continues ... "

It was the start to my first Conservative Thoughts post (http://kamloopsthompsonbcconservatives.blogspot.ca/2013/05/yes-i-am-disappointed-in-results-of.html), since taking a break over 11 weeks ago now, to be directly involved in the election campaign for the BC Conservatives in Kamloops South Thompson.  I also stated, in that post, that I did not want it to be considered sour grapes as it was NOT my intent; it was just my observation after watching all of the work and efforts put in by a number of great candidates and campaign workers, in individual riding's, right across the province.

I have been asked for my thoughts on why we were not able to connect with voters ... my thoughts on the campaign ... where we went wrong ... did we attack the Liberals (and / or the NDP) hard enough.  One of the best comments posed however, at least in my opinion, was as follows: "Define the ballot issue then define your opponent - a recipe for victory every time."

My response was:Again I can only speak for what we tried to do here in Kamloops ... that 'was' to define an issue which we felt everything else flowed from.

Specifically that issue was: "Do BC Liberal Todd Stone, or the NDPs Tom Friedman, have the full authority of both party / leader to truly represent the interest of the people of Kamloops South Thompson on issues of concern to them? Or when push came to shove, would they have to follow the party line?".  Whether it was hospital care, Ajax Mine, the Carbon Tax, new / increasing fees, rising debt, educational needs, or a multitude of other things, we wanted to know that answer, and felt that voters should as well. 

Call me Don Quixote, but I still believe it was the right question / issue to raise; it simply did not get heard ... and for whatever reason, it was not something which the media (which I was part of for 25 years) chose to ask and get a direct answer to.  In the end, this campaign again boiled down to 'fear' of one party over the other. That was, at least in my opinion, the only issue that defined this campaign.

Was I wrong?  Lots of people I am sure will think so, and there's nothing wrong with that.  There will likely be as many reasons why we lost, as there are individuals. 

Regardless however, we DID increase our popular vote.  People DO want our voice to be heard, and they DO want to have BC Conservatives on the ballot ... WE DO have a message that is important.

So now, we get down to the nitty-gritty. 

Yes, I am disappointed in the results of Tuesday night; but are my thoughts sour grapes? I hope not!

I'm back ... after a two and a half month long absence to take on the role of Campaign Manager for Peter Sharp, and BC Conservatives in Kamloops South Thompson. 

I'll start off my first Conservative Thoughts blog post saying I have wrestled with the material for this first one back, as some will say this is sour grapes.  That is NOT my intent however. 

This is just a personal observation, after having previously run as a candidate in a provincial election in 1996 --- and now 17 years later being just as intensely involved. 

People then (1996) indicated that a large concern they had was for government to be more open and accountable to them -- they were also concerned about rising debt -- and respect / integrity by elected representatives to the people of BC.  The turnout of registered voters was 71.5% of the population. 

In 2001 that dropped to 70.95 ... in 2005 it dropped again to 62.36 ... and in 2009 a huge drop to 55.14% again of registered voters occurred.

Tuesdays turnout apparently was 52% but that was likely of those estimated to be eligible to vote -- not of those who were registered.  I think is probably safe to assume that there was no change in voting patterns.  

Given this, I would like you to consider the opening comments of a Royal Commission study of Voter Turnout in Canada (Bakvis, 1991: xvii): 

The act of voting in an election is perhaps the single most important form of political participation in modern democracies. It remains the most direct means available to citizens of signaling their interests and preferences to government and of controlling those who seek to govern them. 

The extent to which citizens exercise this most fundamental right can be seen as an indicator of the health of democracy. 

A low level of voter turnout can be taken as indicative of political alienation among a good proportion of the populace; as a consequence, elected leaders may not be seen as fully legitimate.  

A lack of confidence when manifested through low voter turnout may also affect the legitimacy of basic political institutions. Conversely, high voter turnout can be construed as evidence of both a high level of commitment to the political order and existence of a citizenry interested in the welfare of their nation. 

*** I have added the BOLD font

So now back to the wrestling I have been going through with my thoughts and observations from this campaign, and others, including the one I participated in as a candidate in 1996.