# BC Election 2013



## Edward Campbell (27 Mar 2012)

References:
A. http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/25692/post-1121714.html#msg1121714   )
B. http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/37454/post-1123873.html#msg1123873   )  Perhaps a Mod could copy the
C. http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/37454/post-1123938.html#msg1123938   )  references to this thread, please
D. http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/37454/post-1124324.html#msg1124324   )

A look ahead at the BC election in this report which is reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/poll-gives-ndp-8-point-lead-over-bc-liberals/article2382939/


> Poll gives NDP 8 point lead over B.C. Liberals
> 
> IAN BAILEY
> 
> ...




We have a year plus until BC is scheduled to go to the polls: Tue, 14 May 2013 so there is plenty of time for things to change.


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## RangerRay (27 Mar 2012)

Why thank you, sir!  ;D

Here is some more with regards to Mr. van Dongen's crossing the floor to the BC Conservatives.

Here is his speech to the legislature:

http://harveyoberfeld.ca/blog/1-down-how-many-to-go/



> 1 Down … How Many to Go?
> March 26th, 2012 · 27 Comments
> 
> John Van Dongen has made history … resigning from the Liberal caucus and the Liberal party to sit in the Legislature as a Conservative.
> ...



Mr. van Dongen is the first BC Conservative MLA to sit in the legislature since 1975, back when it was still the BC Progressive Conservative Party.  They dropped the "progressive" back in 1991.  They have pretty much been a rump since the Socreds rose to prominence back in 1952.

This is not good news for the BC Christy Party (look at their logo here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BC_Liberals ).  They are fighting two by-elections in ridings that used to be long-time BC Liberal ridings, but they are currently running third in both.  The NDP are expected to take Port Moody-Coquitlam.  Joe Trasolini, a former supporter of Clark, is running for the NDP.  In Chilliwack-Hope, it's a toss-up between the BC Conservative candidate, or the NDP winning due to a split in the free-enterprise vote.  To my knowledge, the NDP has never won in Chilliwack-Hope.

The BC Liberals are desperate.  Premier Clark has gone into hiding (to emerge 24 hours later), and his "friend", cabinet minister Rich Coleman insinuated that Mr. van Dongen has mental issues, by talking about his "personal problems".

Here is some more commentary.  His post is too long to post, but is very insightful

http://alexgtsakumis.com/2012/03/27/the-real-story-of-the-vandongen-resignation-christy-clark-hides-to-avoid-basi-virk-tipping-point-while-her-media-friends-message-pure-lies-and-spin/

The wheels are coming off the bus.


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## Brad Sallows (27 Mar 2012)

On the bright side, if the Lib/Con coalition in BC and the NDP wins provincially in 2013, BC should have a much reduced appetite for federal NDP MPs in 2015.


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## RangerRay (28 Mar 2012)

Hopefully!

Here, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the Globe and Mail, is more on Mr. van Dongen hiring a lawyer to dig into Christy Clark's involvement in the sale of BC Rail, and the $6 million pay out to Dave Basi and Rob Virk, after pleading guilty to corruption charges related to the BC Rail sale.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/van-dongen-hires-lawyer-prominent-in-bc-rail-case-to-probe-further/article2383601/



> *Van Dongen hires lawyer prominent in BC Rail case to probe further*
> Mark Hume
> VANCOUVER— From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
> Published Tuesday, Mar. 27, 2012 10:06PM EDT
> ...



Despite the RCMP and BC MSM exonerating Premier Clark, Alex Tsakumis has been releasing documents on his website (which were submitted as evidence at the Basi/Virk trial) which suggest otherwise.

http://alexgtsakumis.com/


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## RangerRay (29 Mar 2012)

More wheels are falling off the bus...shared in accordance with Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the _Vancouver Sun_

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/politics/premier+ministers+question+their+political+future/6376159/story.html



> B.C. premier’s top ministers question their political future
> 
> Abbott, Falcon yet to decide if they will run again
> 
> ...



Both Kevin Falcon and George Abbott ran against Christy Clark for the BC Liberal leadership.  Falcon is a "blue Liberal" from the "Tory" wing of the party, with a reputation for being very partisan.  George Abbott has a reputation as being more moderate (he worked NDP campaigns in a past lifetime) and congenial.


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## RangerRay (29 Mar 2012)

And more on the festering BC Rail deal...shared in accordance with the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/auditor-general-battles-bc-for-access-to-documents-in-corruption-case/article2384998/



> Auditor-General battles B.C. for access to documents in corruption case
> Mark Hume
> VANCOUVER— Globe and Mail Update
> Published Wednesday, Mar. 28, 2012 8:13PM EDT
> ...



It has been a long standing policy of the BC government to not pay the legal bills for civil servants found guilty of criminal acts committed in office.  Mr. Basi and Mr. Virk were paid $6 million in BC taxpayer money to cover their legal fees, after they plead guilty to corruption charges.  The plea deal was struck just before former cabinet ministers, including then Premier Gordon Campbell, were set to testify at their trial.

EDITED to fix formatting.


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## Edward Campbell (2 Apr 2012)

Although it is early going, the polls are not good for Clark's Liberals according to this article which is reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/poll-shows-bc-liberals-in-freefall-as-conservatives-gain-ground/article2389692/


> Poll shows B.C. Liberals in freefall as Conservatives gain ground
> 
> ROD MICKLEBURGH
> 
> ...




The non-NDP vote is split but it is marginally greater than the NDP's share (46% to 43%).


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## RangerRay (2 Apr 2012)

Now  2009
BC NDP               43%  42% 
BC Liberals          23%  46% 
BC Conservatives 23%    2% 
BC Greens            8%    8% 
Other / 
Independent         3%    2% 

This poll has been showing the same trend as other recent polls.  The BC Liberals are bleeding support to the BC Conservatives; the NDP and Greens have not been making any significant gains, even in the face of scandal and incompetence with the governing BC Liberals.  The free-enterprise coalition is imploding, and it must be destroyed in order to be re-built.

If the BC Liberals lose badly in both upcoming by-elections (come in third in both and/or the BC Conservatives win Chilliwack-Hope), expect the destruction to occur at an exponential rate.


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## RangerRay (3 Apr 2012)

An updated article, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/poll-reveals-monumental-collapse-in-support-for-bc-liberals/article2389692/



> *Poll reveals ‘monumental collapse’ in support for BC Liberals*
> Rod Mickleburgh
> VANCOUVER— From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
> Published Monday, Apr. 02, 2012 4:48PM EDT
> ...



If this trend continues, the BC Conservatives will become the choice of free-enterprise voters in BC before the next election.


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## Haletown (3 Apr 2012)

RangerRay said:
			
		

> If this trend continues, the BC Conservatives will become the choice of free-enterprise voters in BC before the next election.



If this keeps up, we will have another round of the BC Fed running the province's economy into the ground via their proxy sock puppets known as the BC NDP.

As long as the free enterprise majority of the province has divided voting loyalties, the minority progressive side gets to drive the provincial economy off the road.

Again.  Just when things have been going so well for so long. 


But not to worry, there is still time for sanity to prevail, for the power brokers to have "the talk" with Christy, to tell her to go for a walk in the rain  and ponder her future, to clean house of the old & tired blood in the party, and for the right of center majority to build a new coalition to run against the socialist horde.


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## Rifleman62 (3 Apr 2012)

My extreme right wing solution, which would be a heck of a lot better than fours years of NDP havoc, would be:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5JSToyiyr8


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## RangerRay (3 Apr 2012)

Haletown said:
			
		

> Again.  Just when things have been going so well for so long.



Things have not been going so well.  While the government enacted policies that were "business friendly", they came at the cost of the public interest.  The provincial debt has continued to sky-rocket due to the mismanagement of the BC Liberals.  Public assets are being sold for a song to party donors.  Industry writes regulations for government for its benefit.  It's crony-capitalism at it's finest.



			
				Haletown said:
			
		

> But not to worry, there is still time for sanity to prevail, for the power brokers to have "the talk" with Christy, to tell her to go for a walk in the rain  and ponder her future, to clean house of the old & tired blood in the party, and for the right of center majority to build a new coalition to run against the socialist horde.



I used to be one to believe that all free-enterprisers must vote BC Liberal in order to keep the NDP out of power.  However, I have changed my mind over the last few years.  They are not a free-enterprise party, but a crony-capitalist party, much like the federal Liberals.

IMHO, the rot is too far deep in the BC Liberal Party.  It is rotten to the core.  It must be destroyed and BC must suffer four years of socialist governance for a new free-enterprise coalition to develop.


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## ProudNewfoundlander (3 Apr 2012)

It looks to be a bad time for the conservative incumbents in BC and Alberta. The Alberta PC's seem to be going down hard in a way not to unlike the old federal PC's under Mulroney and the BC NDP look like they're going to win and that the BC Conservative Party has a good shot at taking the subsequent opposition spot from the BC Liberals


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## RangerRay (3 Apr 2012)

Here is some more on Premier Photo-op, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/rod-mickleburgh/christy-clark-replete-with-smiles-not-substance/article2388813/



> *Christy Clark: Replete with smiles, not substance*
> ROD MICKLEBURGH
> VANCOUVER— Globe and Mail Update
> Published Sunday, Apr. 01, 2012 9:40PM EDT
> ...



Our very own liberal Sarah Pailin.  :

One quibble: she was not a good radio host.  Her show was horrible.  It did not take me long to stop listening to CKNW in the pm.


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## Brad Sallows (3 Apr 2012)

>the minority progressive side gets to drive the provincial economy off the road.

What, you don't believe they'll summon the legislature just long enough to pass a PR scheme and then call an election to get a "fair" and proportionate result?

Just as Canada won't work very well federally if the LPC and CPC don't exchange sides of Parliament, too much time in tenure for the Socreds/Liberals/Conservatives in BC is undesirable.  The NDP has to have a shot occasionally to rebalance the unbalanced and to force the L/C coalition to clean out its stable of ideas - a one-term shot, preferably, but a shot nonetheless.  People need reminding that the NDP can be corrupt and mismanage the economy, too.


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## RangerRay (4 Apr 2012)

One other reason why I won't mind a one-term NDP government is because they promise to hold a full judicial inquiry into the BC Rail sale and the $6 million payout to Basi and Virk to plead guilty.  The BC Tories also promise a full inquiry.

The more I read about it, the more it stinks.


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## RangerRay (9 Apr 2012)

Looks like the BC Liberals are re-thinking their stance on Senate reform...again!  Reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/bc-liberals-stall-private-members-bill-praised-by-federal-conservatives/article2394615/



> *B.C. Liberals stall private member’s bill praised by federal Conservatives*
> Ian Bailey
> VANCOUVER— Globe and Mail Update
> Published Friday, Apr. 06, 2012 7:09PM EDT
> ...



...and a possible reason why Mr. Coleman is so keen to delay the bill...?

http://alexgtsakumis.com/2012/04/05/exclusive-senator-rich-coleman-used-his-position-as-govt-house-leader-to-help-his-bid-to-replace-gerry-st-germain/



> *EXCLUSIVE: ‘Senator’ Rich Coleman Used His Position As Gov’t House Leader to Help His Bid to Replace Gerry St. Germain???
> *
> 
> It’s amazing what you discover when you have a chat with a few pals in Ottawa and then do some quick research, only to encounter what looks like a MUCH bigger story than anyone in the media first recognized.
> ...


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## Rifleman62 (9 Apr 2012)

RangerRay: 





> One other reason why I won't mind a one-term NDP government is because they promise to hold a full judicial inquiry into the BC Rail sale and the $6 million payout to Basi and Virk to plead guilty.



Don't you think that those records will eventually (I mean on a timely basis for the Liberals) be accidentally destroyed somehow? I do. They are NEVER going to see the light of day. And if they are destroyed? Consequences after a long NDP or Conservative initiated inquiry? 

NOTHING.


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## a_majoor (9 Apr 2012)

Just curious; is there any spillover across the Rockies from the rise of true small "c" conservatives like the Wildrose Alliance and the Saskatchewan Party?

I find BC politics rather incomprehensible (party labels don't seem to mean the same things as they do here), and know of the various personalities only second and third hand via legacy media and the Blogosphere (and the dichotomy between these sources is mind blowing).

So the question is really two fold: Is there an actual small "c: conservative party or movement in BC, and what is their chance in this election? (Supplementary question: is this movement or party capable of contesting and wining in the future?)

This is potentially a game changer in Canadian politics if the flow of demographic and economic power to the West is matched by a change in the political alignment of the West; small "c" conservatives provincially could create a pool of experienced small "c" conservative candidates to run in future Federal elections (and with the massive demographic backing, potentially create a small "c" natural ruling party for decades to come).


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## RangerRay (10 Apr 2012)

Rifleman62 said:
			
		

> RangerRay:
> Don't you think that those records will eventually (I mean on a timely basis for the Liberals) be accidentally destroyed somehow? I do. They are NEVER going to see the light of day. And if they are destroyed? Consequences after a long NDP or Conservative initiated inquiry?
> 
> NOTHING.



Silly me.  Yes, it's all pointless, so corruption shouldn't be investigated.  All free-enterprisers in BC should just suck it up and vote for the ethically bankrupt BC Christy Party because they are not the NDP.  Who cares that they brought in a useless carbon tax, make BC Hydro pay exorbitant rates for power from IPP's at a time of the year when Hydro has a surplus of power, and turn the province into a Monopoly board.  And Christy Clark is the epitome of intelligent, competent governance.

[/sarcasm]


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## RangerRay (10 Apr 2012)

Thucydides said:
			
		

> Just curious; is there any spillover across the Rockies from the rise of true small "c" conservatives like the Wildrose Alliance and the Saskatchewan Party?
> 
> I find BC politics rather incomprehensible (party labels don't seem to mean the same things as they do here), and know of the various personalities only second and third hand via legacy media and the Blogosphere (and the dichotomy between these sources is mind blowing).
> 
> ...



What goes on in Alberta and Saskatchewan has little relevance to what goes on in BC.  It is just a coincidence that the Wildrose and BC Conservatives are having a resurgence at the same time.

In BC, the voting populous can be divided into two groups: NDP and anybody but NDP (ABNDP).  Federal allegiances bear little resemblance to provincial allegiances; during the 90's, the same people that voted NDP provincially voted in droves for the Reform Party federally.  Both the provincial Liberal and Conservative parties have no affiliation with their federal namesakes.

The ABNDP are generally pro free-enterprise, and a mix of small "c" conservatives and small "l" liberals, and they are about 55-60% of the voters.  ~40% of voters vote NDP.  The ABNDP has existed as a coalition many times since the 1940's.  Then, it was a Liberal/Conservative coalition.  When WAC Bennett became leader of Social Credit, most of those who supported the Liberal/Conservative coalition joined the Socreds.  The Liberals and Tories still existed, but became much smaller than they once were.  When the NDP became government in 1972, it was because Bennett's Socreds were long in the tooth and many Socred voters voted for the Liberal Party.  WAC's son Bill rebuilt the Socred coalition, which lasted until Bill Vander Zalm became leader.  Vander Zalm, a born-again Christian, took the Socreds further to the right, and disenfranchised a lot of small "l" liberal free-enterprisers.  This led to the implosion of Social Credit, which never recovered.

During the 90's, the NDP won two elections due to the split in the ABNDP.  In the 2001 election, Gordon Campbell, who led the BC Liberal Party that was backed by Howe Street and business, convinced the small "c" conservatives (who, until 2001, backed BC Reform) to join his party as the best option to defeat the NDP.

I wouldn't say that there is a resurgence in conservative thought in BC, but more like an implosion of the BC Liberal coalition as small "c" conservatives and those concerned about ethics and transparency in government abandon the party.  Small "l" liberals have no love for Christy Clark either, since she was a part of the Paul Martin wrecking crew that destroyed the federal Liberals in BC, never mind her shallowness and incompetence.  Small "l" liberals also do not like seeing Clark trying to appear more "conservative" by getting cozy with the PM and hiring former staffers of PM Harper (despite her lambasting PM Harper while she was a talk show host on CKNW).

So the short answer to all that rambling is that the increase in popularity of the BC Conservatives is due to the failings of Gordon Campbell, Christy Clark and the BC Liberals, rather than the popularity of conservative ideology.  However, all it will take for the BC Conservatives to lose support is for someone from right-hand fringe of the party (such as party president Reed Elley or Randy White) to have a bozo-eruption and have it reproduced on Global BC, CKNW, CBC, the Vancouver Province and the Vancouver Sun.  Then they will be lucky to get two seats.


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## Rifleman62 (10 Apr 2012)

RangerRay: 





> Yes, it's all pointless, so corruption shouldn't be investigated.



I am not suggesting that at all. The reality is NOTHING will happen in the end. Have an inquiry. People lie under oath daily.


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## a_majoor (10 Apr 2012)

Thanks for the info RangerRay. Now I don't feel quite so lost reading about the BC election.


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## Rifleman62 (11 Apr 2012)

I will second the thanks RangerRay. Being a newcomer to BC I did not know all the history.


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## Infanteer (11 Apr 2012)

RangerRay said:
			
		

> What goes on in Alberta and Saskatchewan has little relevance to what goes on in BC.  It is just a coincidence that the Wildrose and BC Conservatives are having a resurgence at the same time.
> 
> In BC, the voting populous can be divided into two groups: NDP and anybody but NDP (ABNDP).  Federal allegiances bear little resemblance to provincial allegiances; during the 90's, the same people that voted NDP provincially voted in droves for the Reform Party federally.  Both the provincial Liberal and Conservative parties have no affiliation with their federal namesakes.



Good summary Ray and, from living there for 25 years (and still calling it 'home'), accurate in my view.

I think the NDP's traditional standing in BC is a variant of 'Prairie Socialism' - the NDP in Saskatchewan has had a traditional appeal to the agricultural based life-style in that province.  In BC, the NDP seems to find its support base as a 'blue collar party' in the strong unions in BC's forest and mining industries which fuel much of the province's economy.  Remember the Fast Ferry scandal that killed the NDP last time was a result of the party getting into bed with the shipbuilding union; it finally united the ABNDP crowd to vote Liberal.  However, all of this provincial politicking goes to pot at the federal level, as the traditional Western apathy against Ottawa tends to take over.  This apathy, of course, doesn't really exist as much in Metro Vancouver which I think is a distinct political entity from TROBC (the rest of B.C.).


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## RangerRay (12 Apr 2012)

You are all very welcome.  :bowing:

Apparently, there has been some informal whisperings about a Liberal/Conservative merger.  But BC Tory leader John Cummins is having none of it.  Here, reproduced in accordance with the Fair Dealing provisions of the _Copyright Act_, is _The Province's_ legislative columnist Mike Smythe's article on this campaign, and why Mr. Cummins is having none of it.

http://www.theprovince.com/opinion/columnists/6443911/story.html


> *Conservative leader Cummins uninterested in merger with ‘discredited’ BC Liberals*
> 
> By Michael Smyth
> The Province
> ...



EDIT TO ADD:

The rise of the BC Conservatives has little to do with any work they are doing.  Although there was a bit of publicity when John Cummins became leader, and when the BC Liberals started an ill-conceived attack campaign on him, the Tories have been largely silent while the BC Liberals implode.  Add to that that Mr. Cummins is not the most charismatic person, nor the best public speaker or debater, and the BC Tory backroom is not the most professional out there.  However, despite all that, the BC Conservatives are on the upswing, while the corporate-backed BC Liberals are flailing, with many polls showing them tied.  Former BC Liberal supporters are looking for another option that is not the NDP.  

If the BC Conservatives win in Chilliwack, and do well in Port Moody, then they can argue that it is the BC Liberals splitting the free-enterprise vote!


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## RangerRay (16 Apr 2012)

Here, reproduced in accordance with the Fair Dealing provisions of the _Copyright Act_, from Saturday's _Globe and Mail_, Gary Mason tells us why the two by-elections mean so much for Christy Clark.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/gary_mason/bc-liberals-desperately-seeking-a-by-election-game-changer/article2402295/



> *B.C. Liberals desperately seeking a by-election game-changer*
> 
> GARY MASON
> From Saturday's Globe and Mail
> ...



My prediction...

Port Moody will go NDP.

If the BC Conservatives win in Chilliwack, the implosion of the BC Liberals will quicken exponentially, and I doubt Premier Clark will last the year.  More MLA's will leave caucus and there may even be a caucus revolt.  The BC Conservatives will be the strongest of the "free-enterprise" parties, but the NDP will win in 2013.

If the NDP win in Chilliwack, the implosion will slow down, as Premier Clark can argue that a vote for the Tories is a vote for the NDP.  The BC Liberals will continue to bungle along and the NDP will win in 2013 anyways.

Either way, the 2013 election is the NDP's to lose.


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## Haletown (16 Apr 2012)

RangerRay said:
			
		

> Here, reproduced in accordance with the Fair Dealing provisions of the _Copyright Act_, from Saturday's _Globe and Mail_, Gary Mason tells us why the two by-elections mean so much for Christy Clark.
> 
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/gary_mason/bc-liberals-desperately-seeking-a-by-election-game-changer/article2402295/
> 
> ...


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## RangerRay (18 Apr 2012)

Some more scuttlebutt from Alex Tsakumis' blog.  The disappearance of the budget guest list, which had a convicted terrorist in attendance, an insane outburst by the only MLA to support Christy Clark during the leadership last year, more talk of a caucus revolt, and more on the by-elections.

http://alexgtsakumis.com/2012/04/17/christy-clark-descends-further-into-murky-depths-what-do-harry-bloy-jaspal-atwal-a-caucus-revolt-and-millstones-have-in-common/



> *Christy Clark Descends Further Into Murky Depths: What Do Harry Bloy, Jaspal Atwal, A Caucus Revolt and Millstones Have in Common?*
> 
> Answer: Adorning the neck of Premier Christy Clark, they’ll surely take her to the murkiest of waters–straight down into the depths of darkness.
> 
> ...


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## RangerRay (18 Apr 2012)

More on the rise of the BC Conservatives, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the _Copyright Act_, from today's _National Post_.

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/04/17/brian-hutchinson-a-blue-wave-on-b-c-shores/



> *With the B.C. Liberals’ base crumbling, provincial Tories have a chance to launch a new political era*
> 
> Brian Hutchinson  Apr 17, 2012 – 8:27 PM ET | Last Updated: Apr 17, 2012 8:54 PM ET
> 
> ...


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## Edward Campbell (20 Apr 2012)

RangerRay said:
			
		

> Here, reproduced in accordance with the Fair Dealing provisions of the _Copyright Act_, from Saturday's _Globe and Mail_, Gary Mason tells us why the two by-elections mean so much for Christy Clark.
> 
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/gary_mason/bc-liberals-desperately-seeking-a-by-election-game-changer/article2402295/
> 
> ...




Here, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_, are the results:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/ndp-takes-away-two-liberal-bastions-in-bc-by-elections/article2408527/


> NDP takes away two Liberal bastions in B.C. by-elections
> 
> PATRICK BRETHOUR, IAN BAILEY AND JUSTINE HUNTER
> 
> ...




It appears, to me, that the "not the NDP" split must produce one of two results:

1. A massive shift from Liberal to Conservative in about a year; or, more likely

2. An NDP government in BC in 2013.


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## Zartan (20 Apr 2012)

What I find most surprising was that the Conservatives finished in third - effectively last - in both ridings. I was expecting, and to some degree, hoping, for better out of them. With that in mind the article comments on the above are surprisingly insightful, as in some are in some way...


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## Rifleman62 (20 Apr 2012)

What do you expect from residents who vote for a party to govern that nearly bankrupt the province; twice! (BC or ON????)


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## RangerRay (20 Apr 2012)

The big winner is the NDP.  The BIG losers are both the BC Liberals and BC Conservatives.

Of these races, I expected the BCCP to come in at least second in Chilliwack.  Although they increased their numbers a lot in both by-elections, it would appear that they are still perceived to be "not ready for prime-time".

Alex Tsakumis has a good run down:

http://alexgtsakumis.com/2012/04/20/the-2012-bc-by-elections-media-shamefulness-christys-cowardice-the-bc-liberals-fumbling-the-bc-ndp-embracing-fundamentals-and-the-bc-conservatives-embracing-fundamentalists/



> *The 2012 BC By-Elections: Media SHAMEFULNESS; Christy’s Cowardice; the BC Liberals Fumbling; the BC NDP Embracing Fundamentals and The BC Conservatives Embracing Fundamentalists*
> 
> The NDP swept to an unprecedented victory in both Chilliwack and Port Moody last night. For the Opposition it was truly a banner night. They were organized, well-funded and coherent in their messaging. They ran superb campaigns in both ridings and their candidates were popular and committed to local issues blended with general themes of change.
> 
> ...


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## Edward Campbell (22 Apr 2012)

Here is an analysis of the shape of things to come in BC reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/shakeup-urged-for-lost-cause-bc-liberals/article2409937/singlepage/#articlecontent


> Shakeup urged for ‘lost cause’ B.C. Liberals
> 
> JUSTINE HUNTER
> 
> ...




My sense, derived, mainly, from Ranger Ray's comments here on Army.ca, is that neither a name change nor a Christie Clark rebuild will do the job. Given the (apparent?) poor state of the BC Conservative Party's finances a year is probably not enough time to emulate Wildrose in Alberta.


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## RangerRay (23 Apr 2012)

Another reason why the BC Conservatives will not emulate Wildrose anytime soon is because the corporate backers on Howe Street has not been attracted to support the Tories.  Whereas the Calgary oil and gas sector started supporting Wildrose after Mr. Stelmach started to target the industry for royalties and regulation, Howe Street continues to benefit from BC Liberal policies and is scared ****less of a return of the NDP.  While they may be currently sitting on their wallets, they are not flocking to Mr. Cummins.

Until the BC Conservatives can get Howe Street to open up their wallets to support them, they will remain little more than a populist protest vote for conservative voters.


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## Rifleman62 (24 Apr 2012)

http://www.bclocalnews.com/opinion/148703375.html?c=y&curSection=/&curTitle=BC+Opinion&bc09=true

*Imagining an NDP government*

By Tom Fletcher - BC Local News  Published: April 24, 2012

VICTORIA – NDP victories in two byelections bring the standings in the legislature to 46 B.C. Liberals, 36 NDP and three independents, one of whom has pledged allegiance to the B.C. Conservatives.

B.C. Conservative leader John Cummins put a brave face on his third-place finish in Port Moody-Coquitlam and Chilliwack-Hope. Even in bedrock conservative Fraser Valley farm country, in a protest byelection with a high-profile candidate, the B.C. Conservatives managed to attract just enough to deliver a landmark NDP seat.

The NDP was helped by the absence of the B.C. Green Party on the byelection ballots, with most of its five-per-cent support from 2009 presumably going to the winners.

Cummins said his party’s goal going into the Port Moody-Coquitlam vote, with an unknown candidate and a handful of volunteers, was to break 10 per cent. They got 15 per cent and he declared a moral victory.

Cummins rejected a possible merger with the “discredited” B.C. Liberals. Premier Christy Clark was equally emphatic that she will be the leader of the “free enterprise coalition” in the 2013 election. So the stage is set for an NDP majority government.

What will that look like? Well, Port Moody mayor-turned-MLA Joe Trasolini has a wealth of local government experience, so pencil him in as municipal affairs minister. A long-time supporter of the B.C. Liberals, Trasolini should clarify if he endorses the NDP constitution, which still opposes all profit-making activity.

He’s not the only high-profile newcomer likely to be included in an Adrian Dix cabinet.

New NDP candidates from union executive ranks will likely include long-time Hospital Employees’ Union president Judy Darcy. She no longer talks about bringing a “Marxist analysis” to economic matters. Darcy is now best known for leading the long court battle against the B.C. Liberal government’s contract-breaking legislation of 2002.

The eventual decision of the Supreme Court of Canada basically invented a constitutional right to collective bargaining. (The high court could also ponder if there might be a right not to belong to a union, but that’s another story.)

Then there’s George Heyman, the long-time B.C. Government Employees’ Union president.

After leaving the BCGEU, Heyman has taken a turn as executive director of Sierra Club B.C., a branch plant of the U.S. enviro-machine that works against B.C. forest, mining, power and petroleum development.

These folks would be working with Stephen Howard, who went from senior positions at the BCGEU and CUPE to his current role as Dix’s chief of staff. Dix, of course, benefited from the sudden ouster of Carole James, who made the mistake of trying to loosen big labour’s grip on the NDP and modernize some of its quaint 1930s notions.

Then we have B.C.’s third-largest political party, the B.C. Teachers’ Federation, which has already confirmed it will continue its long campaign to replace the B.C. Liberals with the NDP next year.

Such a team brings impressive experience, but unfortunately for taxpayers, much of that experience has been in extracting money from the public treasury.

And if recent B.C. history is any guide, this fundamental conflict of interest will receive little or no media attention in the months to come.

Instead, the conventional wisdom will be that voters want “change.”
_
Tom Fletcher is legislative reporter and columnist for Black Press and BCLocalnews.com_


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## Rifleman62 (9 May 2012)

http://www.burnabynow.com/technology/Ottawa+could+ugly/6590287/story.html

*B.C. vs Ottawa: It could get ugly*

By Keith Baldrey, Freelance May 9, 2012

After more than a decade of fairly good relations, things are likely to get a bit ugly between the federal government and the B.C. government.

With the prospect of Adrian Dix and the NDP taking over the reins of government looking more and more likely, the stage is being set for a clash of ideologies on a number of issues. Chief among them is environmental protection and, more specifically, the proposed Enbridge pipeline in Northern British Columbia. While the federal government's weakening of the environmental process is a cause for concern for New Democrats, it is the pipeline that really drives them up the wall.

Dix and the NDP caucus are adamantly opposed to the project, and the Harper government is just as determined to see it come to fruition.

Last week, the NDP caucus wrote an 11-page letter to the joint review panel for the project, articulating its opposition to the pipeline. They cited a variety of concerns, including fears the project could lead to a massive oil spill.

This wasn't just a throwaway position that could conceivably be changed later. This was a detailed, point-by-point rejection of arguably the number 1 industrial priority of the Harper government.

The importance the federal government is placing on the Enbridge pipeline cannot be overstated. It considers the moving of products from Alberta's oil sands to Asian markets as a cornerstone of the country's economic strategy for years to come.

Further evidence of the Tories' attachment to the pipeline project is its strange determination to paint the environmental movement as some sort of deranged cult financed by mysterious international sources.

This kind of demonization is going to be laughed at in British Columbia, where the importance of environmental protection cuts a wide swath across all party lines. This is the province that produced Greenpeace, after all, and it is where the environmental movement successfully forced massive changes in forest practices, among other things.

Environmental protection is a value ingrained in many British Columbians, and it's not surprising that opinion polls show there is more opposition to the Enbridge pipeline than support for it in this province.

A big chunk of NDP supporters also hold strong environmental values and will be particularly offended by the Harper government's tactics. The federal government seems to be drawing a line in the sand on this issue, making it clear that Alberta's interests trump those of British Columbia.

Placed against this backdrop, it's hard to see any chance of even a remotely warm relationship between Dix and Harper. Add to it the Tories' insistence on a crackdown on crime that will add cost pressures to the provinces and other ideologically based policies, and we have the perfect recipe for serious tensions emerging between Victoria and Ottawa.

As many predicted, now that the Tories have a majority government their right-wing ideology is shaping more and more of their policies.

This also creates a problem, but as well perhaps an opportunity, for Premier Christy Clark. As Dix and the NDP inevitably find themselves criticizing the federal government more and more on various issues, it will be interesting to see where Clark comes down on those same issues.

She has yet to take a position on the Enbridge pipeline, insisting not enough evidence has been produced to allow for an informed opinion on it.

I'm not sure how long she can stay on the fence, particularly as the issue heats up, as it undoubtedly will.

Clark needs to find an issue or two that resonate with the public if she has any chance of winning re-election. Dix has already staked out his position when it comes to the Harper government, and it's likely one that will shore up his party's popularity in this province. Will Clark try to share that turf?

If she does, it will mean the cordial, even warm, relationship that has existed between the B.C. government and the one in Ottawa for more than a decade will be over. And if Dix does indeed become premier, that relationship will be icy at best and downright ugly at worst.

Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter for Global B.C.


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## Edward Campbell (29 Aug 2012)

Another blow to BC Premier Christie Clark's fortunes according to this report which is reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-finance-minister-kevin-falcon-steps-down-wont-run-in-2013/article4507630/


> B.C. Finance Minister Kevin Falcon steps down, won’t run in 2013
> 
> WENDY STUECK
> Vancouver — The Globe and Mail
> ...




One wonders if all the potential leaders of the _non-NDP alternative_ are going to sit out the 2013 election and let Clark "take one for the team."


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## Edward Campbell (30 Aug 2012)

The _Globe and Mail_ is reporting that several more prominent BC Liberals have either rsigned or announced that tey will not seek re-election next year: Education Minister George Abbott, Children’s Minister Mary McNeil and long-time Chilliwack MLA John Les.

Of course they all deny that they are rats deserting a sinking ship leaving because Liberal electoral fortunes are so poor.


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## RangerRay (1 Sep 2012)

The implosion continues.  It's a slow motion train wreck with no sign of stopping anytime soon!


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## Infanteer (1 Sep 2012)

Good.  Maybe it is enough to bolster the Conservatives as a realistic alternative to the NDP.


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## RangerRay (1 Sep 2012)

Unfortunately for the BC Tories, Mr. Cummins is having leadership problems of his own.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/why-the-conservative-party-could-be-christy-clarks-new-best-friend/article4513921/



> *Why the (BC) Conservative Party could be Christy Clark’s new best friend*
> 
> GARY MASON
> 
> ...



I can see a lot of people staying home on election day!


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## Infanteer (1 Sep 2012)

Looks like the NDP will destroy the opposition, getting 5 years to fill up union coffers again while the Liberals and Conservatives lick their wounds, merge and form a new party to be around when the BC electorate goes through its usual cycle of 'why did we vote those guys in last time?"


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## Rifleman62 (1 Sep 2012)

Infanteer: 





> Looks like the NDP will destroy the opposition, getting 5 years to fill up union coffers again......



The worst is the provincial debt that will get bigger and bigger. Up to five years of NDP government could mean at least ten years plus of belt tightening.

Strangle business opportunity. The NDP business model is that all businesses in BC are Mom and Pop organizations, with Mom and Pop members of a union.


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## Edward Campbell (21 Jan 2013)

Here, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from _ThreeHundredEight.com_, is that organizations latest (21 Jan 13) prediction for the 14 May 13 BC election:






Source: http://www.threehundredeight.com/p/british-columbia.html?spref=tw


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## Infanteer (21 Jan 2013)

I don't know who the BC Christy Party is, but it is clear that they won't be forming government....


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## RangerRay (1 Feb 2013)

Unless they ditch her and the lion share of the dead weight in caucus (the semi-competent ones have flocked off), and can attract competent volunteers back to the party, the BC Christy Party is dead.  The *ONLY* card they have is that they aren't the NDP, but most free-enterprise voters are getting tired of that routine.  The BC Liberals are more of a crony-capitalist party rather than a free-enterprise party anyways.


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## Colin Parkinson (1 Feb 2013)

Being listening to the Liberal attack ads on the NDP. You know when your neck deep in crap of your making, perhaps you should not to to quick to start flinging it. The NDP won't win, it's a case of the Liberals being punted and no other alternative exists.


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## Edward Campbell (13 May 2013)

Here, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_ is a last look at the forthcoming BC election:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/rural-urban-divide-produces-an-election-tale-of-two-provinces/article11876152/#dashboard/follows/


> Rural-urban divide produces an election tale of two provinces
> 
> IAN BAILEY AND JUSTINE HUNTER
> Kamloops, B.C., and Prince George, B.C. — The Globe and Mail
> ...




The election appears, to me, to still be the NDP's to lose but the race also appears to be much, much closer than was predicted.


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## Rifleman62 (13 May 2013)

I voted on Friday. I held my nose and voted LieLiberal for the first time in my life. Anything to keep the NDP party OUT.

The three candidates in my riding are the Minister of Agriculture, whose family business is Quail's Gate winery two miles down the road; a rotund school teacher (NDP) who has been told by the curriculum, school board, the principal, and the Teachers Union how to live her whole life; and a small business owner for the Conservatives. At all party meetings/radio talk show, only the Lieliberal could speak coherently. The other two were speaking points and platitudes. Sound just dumb, but the LieLiberal was probably speaking with forked tongue anyway.

The BC Cons have lost support as people who can add 2 + 2 figure out the Cons have zero chance to form a government or hold a minority government to ransom.


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## Edward Campbell (15 May 2013)

And Rifleman62 led the charge; despite the NDP's consistent and substantial lead in the polls and the consensus of the _commentariat_, the BC Liberals are re-elected. 

Reuslts are:

Lib:   50 seats on 44.4% of the popular vote
NDP: 33 seats on 39.5% of the popular vote
Grn:    1 seat   on  8.0% of the popular vote
Ind:    1 seat   on  3.3% of the popular vote
Con:   0 seats on  4.8% of the popular vote


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## vonGarvin (15 May 2013)

To echo the above post by Mr. Campbell, they were way off.


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## Remius (15 May 2013)

When the dust settles I'm curious as to how this will be spun by all sides.


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## observor 69 (15 May 2013)

Crantor said:
			
		

> When the dust settles I'm curious as to how this will be spun by all sides.



"FEAR" of those evil NDP commies seemed to work well for the Lieberals. Hard for the NDP to fight the message Clark kept repeating.


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## Rifleman62 (15 May 2013)

> Hard for the NDP to fight the message Clark kept repeating.



Hard to fight the truth.


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## jpjohnsn (15 May 2013)

Crantor said:
			
		

> When the dust settles I'm curious as to how this will be spun by all sides.


Probably something about how the provincial Liberal win in BC proves Justin is in over his head.  :


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## Remius (15 May 2013)

jpjohnsn said:
			
		

> Probably something about how the provincial Liberal win in BC proves Justin is in over his head.  :



Lol.  I though that was the Labrador by-election spin.


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## Brad Sallows (15 May 2013)

The BC Liberals did not have to stoke fear of the NDP; the NDP did that to themselves by campaigning on "time for change" and then leaving voters largely on their own to imagine exactly what that change might be - given the team likely to execute it.  BC voters have memories, and the political pendulum in this province swings far.  I don't know what the internal factions of the NDP truly are, but seen from the outside Dix and Sihota are more closely associated with the Glen Clark-flavoured NDP than the Mike Harcourt-flavoured NDP.  Clark's NDP won government in 1996 without the largest vote share and did not govern modestly or contritely.

Furthermore, among the NDP's firm and loudly advertised positions, policies which place development in region B at a standstill to suit constituents in region A will not be popular in region B.  And as long as NDP adherents insist on seeing those outside their tent as stupid benighted rednecks and cowboys, the NDP will not have to worry about making much more room inside the tent.

Nevertheless, I am surprised by the result.  However, all the progressives across Canada who think the federal Conservative government is unjust and illegitimate because it only represents ~40% of voters should rejoice that the NDP, with only ~40% of voters, is not the government in BC.


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## CougarKing (15 May 2013)

So how does this work for Clark? Her BC Liberal party won but she lost the seat in her own riding of Vancouver-Point Grey to an NDP member!

 ???

What if another BC Liberal MLA doesn't step aside to allow a byelection for her?



> VANCOUVER — *David Eby claimed victory in Vancouver-Point Grey early this morning, unseating Liberal Premier Christy Clark. His campaign manager Kate Van Meer-Mass sent a two-word text message that Eby read aloud to supporters crammed into his West Broadway campaign office around 1 a.m.: "We won."*
> 
> For most of the night Clark trailed David Eby, a former B.C. Civil Liberties lawyer who she had also bested in a byelection two years ago after Premier Gordon Campbell resigned.
> 
> ...


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## Remius (16 May 2013)

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> So how does this work for Clark? Her BC Liberal party won but she lost the seat in her own riding of Vancouver-Point Grey to an NDP member!
> 
> ???
> 
> What if another BC Liberal MLA doesn't step aside to allow a byelection for her?



Someone always does.  In most cases they get cushy rewards/appointments for moving aside.  I'm sure she likely has a few volunteers that a lining up to move aside.


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## Old Sweat (16 May 2013)

There was a report before the polls closed on election day that a Liberal MLA in a safe riding had already been approached about resigning in the event Premier Clark was not elected. The comment was made to the effect that this was rather ripe as after the drubbing the Liberals were going to take, there would be little appetite in the party to retain her as leader.

Maybe Clark's people knew something the rest of us had missed, or maybe they were just covering all the bases.


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## daftandbarmy (16 May 2013)

It's quiet in Victoria right now.... too quiet. Kind of like after a major storm.

I can see the Legislature from here. 

Wait a minute, what's that?

I'm pretty sure those are gibbets being erected outside for all the party unfaithful who tried to stab Christy Clark in the back for the past two years. I'd better go back and read Machiavelli to get a sense of what the next steps might look like.

Pol Pot, look out, you are going to have some competition....  ;D


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## dapaterson (16 May 2013)

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> It's quiet in Victoria right now.... too quiet. Kind of like after a major storm.
> 
> I can see the Legislature from here.
> 
> ...



They still have one tool - what if they can keep anyone from resigning thier seat so she can run in a by-election?

BC Politics have a colourful history - the BC Liberals now have a chance to add to the legacy of Flying Phil & VanderZalm.


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## RangerRay (20 May 2013)

Well, that was a shock!

There are several things that went wrong for the NDP and right for the BC Liberals, but were never reflected in the polls (polls schmolls!).


Half of the voters said "A pox on all your houses!" and stayed home.  With a choice of corrupt corporatists, Marxists, tree-huggers and bible-thumpers running for office, I would have stayed home too!
The NDP failed to get more than their usual vote (~40%) and the free-enterprise voters were not impressed with the BC Conservatives
Ms. Clark ran a very negative campaign against the NDP, but was also very happy and optimistic about the province's future.  Mr. Dix and the NDP ran a positive campaign but failed to respond aggressively to the attacks, in particular Mr. Dix's role in fraudulently back-dating a memo as an advisor to Premier Glen Clark during the Casino/deck scandal
Mr. Dix talked about tax and spend while Ms. Clark talked about jobs and balanced budget.  It doesn't matter that the debt ballooned under the BC Liberals and BC continues to lose jobs.
Mr. Dix was very nervous and unsure during the debates.
The BC Liberals actually encouraged left-leaning voters to vote Green!  While their percentage of the vote from the last election was unchanged, there are about a dozen ridings where the Green vote ensured the anti-Liberal vote was split.  It's ironic considering those most worried about the BC Liberals' record with the environment helped to get them re-elected.
The NDP failed to get out the vote from those who are not their traditional voters.  Free-enterprisers, scared $h!tless of an NDP government, were motivated to get out and vote Liberal.
Perhaps the NDP's biggest mistake (aside from electing "dour Stalinist" Adrian Dix as leader instead of someone more personable and moderate like John Horgan or Mike Farnworth) was courting the radical environmentalist vote instead of the moderate centrist vote.  The turning point was when Mr. Dix flip-flopped and said that he would not support a proposed expansion of the Kinder-Morgan pipeline, before an application has even been made.  After that, he became "Dr. No" to all the major proposed industrial projects that would bring jobs to the BC Interior.  While they may have concerns about the environmental cost of these projects, the NDP's outright refusal to approve any project turned off a lot of people in the Interior worried about the economy.  I think a lot of people who told the pollsters they intended to vote NDP were hoping to hear a moderate message, but changed their mind at the last minute when they realised that all they heard was same-old NDP rhetoric.

This list still does not explain how the polls were so wrong.  I'm guessing the change in telecommunications technologies and those who indicated support for the NDP were more likely to stay home on election day (i.e. young people).

I have to say that I am very disappointed that Christy Clark will remain as premier.  She is perhaps the most incompetent person to hold high public office in the history of British Columbia.  Her friends will get rich, the province will become more of a Monopoly board than it has been, the environment will suffer, and criminals will continue to walk because of an over-taxed justice system.  However, an NDP government would have been just as devastating to the economy.  I'm just glad I don't live there right now.


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## daftandbarmy (20 May 2013)

Just to keep things superficial, which is what electioneering is all about really, I like to think of it as a victory of 'cleavage' over 'creep age'.

Dix looks a little too much like some kind of a wax dummy of a paedophile for my liking. Bill Vanderzalm and Glen Clark were both a complete mess, but at least they had lots of charisma.

Now, let's divert our focus back to Toronto to see yet another political side show on the boil. I tell ya, it's a fun time to be a newspaper reader in Canada!


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## Haletown (20 May 2013)

Christy made big gains with women, a group she was not doing well with,  after the media debacle over the red light incident.

All the media ginned up the story with hysterical stories about what happened  . . . She do go through a red light, but at 5:00am, after coming to a full stop and checking for traffic. They reported she "blew through a red light" and then piled on in full media bully boy mode.

The result was a lot of women turned sympathetic to her for the media bullying she was having inflicted on her.

Doesn't matter all that much how she did it.  As long as the BC NDP/BC FED are kept out of a position where they can wreck the economy in the name of union solidarity.


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## Retired AF Guy (21 May 2013)

People have been wondering how the BC Liberals pulled-off their little miracle. Brian Hutchinson from Saturday's National Post explains how they did it. Reprinted under the usual provisions of the Fair Dealings Section of the Copyright Act. 



> Why the Liberals were able to predict their victory in B.C. while public election polls missed the mark?
> 
> Brian Hutchinson | 13/05/18 12:48 AM ET
> 
> ...



 Article Link


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## Brad Sallows (24 May 2013)

That doesn't seem dramatically different from what Nate Silver does - set aside the jurisdictions deemed "safe", and concentrate on measuring the competitive ones.  A legislative body is the result of many small election totals, not one large one.


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## Edward Campbell (5 Jun 2013)

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> There was a report before the polls closed on election day that a Liberal MLA in a safe riding had already been approached about resigning in the event Premier Clark was not elected. The comment was made to the effect that this was rather ripe as after the drubbing the Liberals were going to take, there would be little appetite in the party to retain her as leader.
> 
> Maybe Clark's people knew something the rest of us had missed, or maybe they were just covering all the bases.




According to and article in the _Globe and Mail_, "Premier Christy Clark is expected to announce shortly that she will be seeking a seat in the B.C. legislature in the riding of Westside-Kelowna, which was captured by B.C. Liberal MLA Ben Stewart in the May 14 election ... The by-election call is likely to be announced at a news conference with Ms. Clark and Mr. Stewart at his Quail’s Gate Winery on Wednesday afternoon."

Apparently it is a strong Liberal seat, it used to be WAC Bennett's home turf; there is no indication what nice fate awaits Mr. Stewart.


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## GAP (5 Jun 2013)

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> Apparently it is a strong Liberal seat, it used to be WAC Bennett's home turf; there is no indication what nice fate awaits Mr. Stewart.



so much PORK.....I think the trough will fit Mr. Stewart nicely.....


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## Rifleman62 (5 Jun 2013)

My riding. Quail's Gate Winery is two miles down the road.

Very Interesting!


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## RangerRay (7 Jun 2013)

A fence post with hair could run in Westside-Kelowna for the BC Liberals and still win.

The only way Premier Clark will lose is if a very well known and strong conservative or independent candidate runs against her.  The NDP or the Greens have absolutely no chance of winning here.


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## a_majoor (23 Jun 2013)

An analysis of how the BC Liberals won (despite negative polls, a history of scandal and other negative factors). Interesting lessons learned (long article, 2 parts):

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/anatomy-of-a-comeback-how-christy-clark-beat-the-odds/article12754587/?page=all



> *Anatomy of a comeback: How Christy Clark beat the odds*
> 
> GARY MASON
> 
> ...


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## a_majoor (23 Jun 2013)

Part 2:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/anatomy-of-a-comeback-how-christy-clark-beat-the-odds/article12754587/?page=all



> 4. ‘Kinder surprise’
> 
> The NDP campaign was in Kamloops on Monday, April 22. It was Earth Day, and Adrian Dix decided to commemorate the annual show of support for environmental protection by making a surprising announcement.
> 
> ...


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