Deputy Premier John Cummins: Far-Fetched? Perhaps, But Let’s Have a Closer Look…
Over the last almost year, since Christy Clark’s operatives stole PIN numbers to make her Premier, her personal numbers and those of her party have plummeted.
Her spin doctors can lie to the public all they want; the message is clear: The Christy Clark Experiment is not working. Far from it, it’s threatening to take the party into Gordon Campbell territory.
During the same time, you’ll have noticed, a surge in the fortunes of the BC Conservative Party under the leadership of John Cummins.
This is not a phenomenon that was unexpected.
Regardless of the window-dressing she commits too by spending social time with Prime Minister Harper or adding a prominent former Tory organizer as Chief of Staff, Christy Clark remains an unrepentant dyed-in-the-wool, staunch federal Liberal, who with a peerless, appreciable passion genuinely hates Conservatives and privately makes light of the Prime Minister’s gentle nature and social rigidity. This is not a woman who will ever peel away support from any conservative movement and those cocktail conservatives who support her are unpardonable fools, whose blameworthy efforts to block the NDP from likely success in the next election, only serves to illustrate that they care not about principle over politics.
Electing the resoundingly unethical Ms. Clark is more important to them than allowing for the will of the people to speak. The BC NDP might be problematic on many fronts, but unethical? That’s something that can only be determined by the electorate after a taste of four years.
Notwithstanding this, the main beneficiary of the BC Liberal misadventures is the BC Conservatives. They’re now even in polling at 23% a piece and while the BC Conservative numbers gradually edge up, the BC Liberal numbers, by an equal margin, slowly come down.
The clear driving force is an increasing dislike for Premier Clark. Her personal approval numbers have dropped an astonishing 30pts. This is in large part to her perpetual campaigning, as much as it is her inability to govern. No sure footing, makes the electorate as uneasy as they become skeptical. Perhaps the BC Liberal hierarchs, who previously banked on the best retail politician in recent memory, Gordon Campbell, thought they would have an easier time fooling the public again with a firefly like Ms. Clark but it didn’t turn out that way. Her underwhelming performance continues and she prevails rudderless before the cameras.
Although, if you listen to the BC Conservatives, they’ll tell you that it’s quite the reverse; regardless of Ms. Clark’s obvious flaws, their leader, John Cummins, is the reason for their good fortune.
This is utter bunk.
John Cummins is a very good man, principled and caring; intelligent and purposeful, but he is often flat-footed on key issues and at times gives the impression that most cacti might consider him prickly.
If there is anything to be learned here is that the far right, as with the far left now governing the BC NDP, are as clueless about the political landscape they traverse as those they wish to replace.
The BC Liberals will continue to fall and the BC NDP CANNOT reach their 1991 levels topping 40%. The province has changed and they do not have a leader who is much more likable than Mr. Cummins.
So here is what I would do if I were advising the BC Conservatives (in an ongoing series, over the next month, I will also provide the same for the BC Liberals and BC NDP).
DON’TS:
• DON’T continue to allow the perception that your base is evangelical Christians. Your President remains a far right wing bigot, who thinks gays are sick. The media covered it and your enemies are preparing to go nuclear on you if even ONE of your public statements comes close to sounding socially offside. It took Stephen Harper THREE elections to shake the social conservative phantoms, and even today, after proving his worth, they still haunt him. You’ve got at least three prominent ones in leadership positions. Not good. Replace the President and expand your circle ASAP. Next AGM?
• DON’T continue to take positions that make no sense. Slow down. Think things through before coming out with positions on MAJOR policy planks. Anchor your decisions to fiscal conservatism, but balance that with environmental stewardship and social responsibility. Supporting the HST was utter stupidity and now supporting the Enbridge pipeline is further insanity. You’ve lost the native leaders up North in the process; upset populist environmentalists throughout the province and have observers wondering if your policies are concocted on the back of an envelope over a $4.00 beer at the local Legion. If you want people to believe you’re big time, act like it.
• DON’T underestimate the best retail politician since Gordon Campbell. In many ways, Christy Clark should have been in sales somewhere. She would have made a fortune. Sand to Arabs? Are you kidding me? Ice to Eskimos? Not an issue. This woman is such a brazen liar that she has no problem telling you it’s raining on a sunny day. Every bit of horse manure she shovels, she does so while smiling through the stench. She’s weak and vulnerable and the BC Conservatives have barely laid a glove on her. The BC NDP, by contrast, did ONE BC Rail ad about Christy Crunch and the Lieberal backroomers went apoplectic, prompting them to eventually launch a site against Adrian Dix, which is backfiring on them–big time. Don’t wait…kill the mother wolf and the pack will flee.
• DON’T think for a minute that you’ll win the byelection in Chilliwack unless you dump everything you have in it. The BC Liberals have chosen a very strong candidate and with Chuck Strahl despicably whoring himself, you’re up against a significant tide. Find new votes. Concentrate on new businesses and new immigrants. And look to disaffected BC Liberal voters that don’t like the pandering to the church vote the BC Liberals are embracing. There’s lots of them in Chilliwack. Go get them.
DOS:
• DO make sure that you target the 25 most likely constituencies to provide you with electoral success. Unless there is a major cataclysmic event that wipes out both Mr. Dix and Ms. Clark, you can forget becoming government next time around. Raise money for them by getting the best possible candidates to run for you. But that won’t happen unless you straighten up.
• DO understand that you are only gaining in popularity because the BC Liberals are falling. You need to do considerably more than sitting and allowing an increase in popularity to just fall into your lap. Produce a coordinated plan. Key issues in each constituency and locate the powerbrokers for those issues. Make them yours. Get the leader into those communities and make those issues BC Conservative issues. Even if they are already BC Liberal issues–tell us how you’ll make them better–or, laud the government when they done something right. Don’t be afraid to be completely honest. People find this refreshing.
• DO try to broaden your circle. Why should a young construction worker vote for you? Tom the Toolbelt? Wendy the Waitress? Pete the Plumber? They want a place to park their vote. Give them an easy-to-understand narrative. They have left the BC Liberals in droves and don’t want an NDP government. If they stay home, it doesn’t help you.
• DO identify, with as much specificity as possible, who your potential voters are. Rank them. Concentrate on seeking candidates that appeal to a majority of them. You won’t please everybody, but pick off the most important issues across the province (or across a particular constituency) and, again, make them yours. This is where elections are won. Think innovative. The BC Liberals are currently preparing a mindless private members bill (to be presented by Jane Thornthwaite) banning puppy mills–that will have non-profits as enforcers. Yawn, but nuts too. This is another shameless attempt to play with people’s heart strings. Classic Christy; no effort to resolve big issues since she’s created most of those problems, so we’ll have another photo op with puppies. On the same day why don’t you, as BC Conservatives, announce what you’ll do with the Carbon Tax? Oh yeah, I forgot, you’ll do away with that instead of sensibly halving it and putting the entire remaining amount towards transit.
For the BC Conservatives to hold the balance of power in a minority BC government, they MUST start doing the above well and FAST. So far, they’re sitting back, content to be the receptacle of the BC LIberal disaffected.
That’s not enough. Not even close. At this rate, you won’t win a single riding.
Strong advice, and Cummin’s and company would do well to heed it.
You are absolutely correct Alex when you state that thus far, the Conservatives gains are not so much FOR them, as AGAINST the stench of the once proud Liberal Party.
I personally will vote for a Conservative fence post with hair in my Riding, rather than our idiotic dolt Don McRae, that is adamant that the B.C.Rail Enquiry should never see the light of day…………………..
But I believe that I may well represent the minority, as you stated Alex, Cummin’s and cohorts must stand up NOW, and tell us that they must be counted, and why.
Cheers
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Agreed.
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Terrific advice, Alex. My feeling is that they don’t have enough boots on the ground, so that has to change fast.
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Absolutely. I completely agree
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You know this can apply to all parties with just a little tweeking for each individual party. Mostly its the honesty part,and how about following through with their policy, because after all that’s what will win the election for them. The public is not stupid and most can read between the lines and we are not happy. Regardless of political stripe I think everyone realizes the status quo is no longer acceptable and there needs to be changes so that there is a future here for our children..
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Indeed. Although the my advice for the Liberals will be radical change.
For the BC NDP, it’ll be less intense.
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Very good column and advice Alex. I really don’t think that the provincial Cons will get there for the next electon though.
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I fear that they are so busy navel gazing that try could very well hand the election to Clark if the NDP continue to remain silent and too far to the left.
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great column,
you raised some great points
i have a concern that is not covered much, the goverment is using non profits to administer goverment programs and services.
this is problematic when a issue arises the buck gets passed back and forth, no accountability no ombudsman nothing
i know this because i witnessed and tried to resove a major abuse issue . the effect on this person was horrific. i have been trying to ensure that this never happens again. we cannot keep on using non profits with out a ombudsman to deal with issues.
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Thanks Harry.
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Great advice Alex but I fear John Cummins is too much of a light weight to initiate action. A new president would be an excellent start, but only a start. Until the BC Conservatives are a serious alternative with more than a slim chance of winning, they will not win the support of the business community. Why would a business invest in what presently amounts to a shit disturber?
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Excellent points. That’s why they need to commit to all the basics I identified above. When they make those moves the business community will move they’re way.
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Alex, I listened to Dix on the Simi Sara show the other day, and I found his interview refreshing in the fact that he very calmly spoke on things that were important to him and the NDP. None of the ranting and raving about the next 1.50 years of a Liberal Government. It was a change from listening to Christy rotten Crotch blathering smiling and lisping through another photo op. I would hope for the Liberals sake they find some balls dump her and find a credible leader before the next election. but from my distant vantage point I can see none on the horizon. It is pretty sad situation. Cheers
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If they’re going to dump her they must do it as soon as possible.
If they lose both by-elections I guarantee you, there will be defections aplenty.
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When are the by-elections?
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She hasn’t officially called them yet. She has about a month or slightly less to do so.
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Kinda lost decorum on this comment, didn’t we?
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Good read as usual, Alex. All the more valuable because you’ve been there, know a lot of the players (especially those behind the smiles), and have your finger on the pulse of a very large portion of the electorate through day-to-day contact.
It will be fun to watch. I can see the Conservatives or NDP mulling over your advice and using some of it to advantage. But I have a feeling that the entertainment will begin watching Christy Clark fight to the death any possible actions by the BCChristy Party that even hint at your involvement.
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Yeah, that would be funny.
I’m not for hire. But if I were, I’d begin by firing most of the so-called ‘geniuses’ in the backroom. They’re just hangers on with old ideas and archaic tricks.
Thanks for the kind words.
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IMO most parties are immune to advice – if they didn’t have everything already all figured out how could the party execs have achieved their positions??
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Usually on the suite level at the Hotel Vancouver but the Sutton Place can be quite nice as well.
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The BC Conservatives have sent three press releases in three days, all attacking Ken Boessenkool. It smells to me like they’re worried that the Premier’s office shakeup will shore up the Liberals’ right flank.
It won’t–but the Tories seem really worried for some reason.
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It’s idiotic strategy. Makes no sense. I’ll be covering this later today.
They should be talking about what they’re going to do that’s positive, and not worry about what Ken Boessenkool has done that is negative.
It’s the Herman Munster crew. They’re at it again. A comedic horror show of sorts.
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“The BC NDP might be problematic on many fronts, but unethical?”
Lets look at Dix:
1. The fake memo;
2. The 1,000′s memberships/$100 bills (something smells rotten in Denmark) at last minute filing to win the leadership;
3. etc./etc.
That boy has some obvious character flaws.
Throw in NDP prez Moe Sihota. Ethical?
Not my cup of tea.
Otherwise good column!
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You’ve taken my quote out of context.
1) The memo is small potatoes compared to leak inside Cabinet information to lobbyists who are admitted bribers of public officials.
2) I covered the membership sign up. It’s as bad as the stolen PIN numbers.
What I was clearly referring to was time in office.
If were making a fair comparison, the BC NDP were nowhere as unethical as the BC Liberals. Not even close.
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You would have to search world history extensively to find any government with a record as unethical as the current BC Liberals. Not to mention questionable legal actions.
Has there been a government that has been in court defending (and losing) their actions as much as this group? Then after losing a court decision blatantly ignoring the results.
The Liberals might be trying to look right wing, but in my view this is not about right wing or left wing. It’s about arrogant, corrupt mis-management.
They are neither Left wing or right wing. All I see is broken wings. This Liberal party cannot fly any-more
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“You would have to search world history extensively to find any government with a record as unethical as the current BC Liberals. Not to mention questionable legal actions.”
Amen, Amen, Amen….
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Can top that. Neither of them have ethics.
It’s the proverbial race to the bottom.
The NDP and their supporters are thinking that they and Adrian Dix will be the best thing to arrive in BC since coloured vinyl records arrived at Woodward’s and Eaton’s.
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What?! No Zellers????? LOL!
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Grand Funk Railroad was a coloured vinyl…..the name kind of has a ring to it considering recent goings on…..got it on my shelf…..and here I thought I was supporting the NDP (all be it cautiously without Horgan at the helm) for their stance on issues like lake draining IPP projects!
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You said it pal…
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In which riding is Cummins planning on running?
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Langley, against Mary Polak.
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It’ll be a so-con holy war!
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I’m not so sure of that. There are only a few of them around, but they are in key positions. This is bad.
There’s room for everybody, but not when you’re made boss and you’re a nutter.
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Who is planning on running in Surrey-Tynehead against Dave Hayer for the Conservatives?
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I haven’t the foggiest. Lots of rumours, but nothing nailed down.
Why?
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My free advice Mr. Cummins… please, for the love of Gord, run in Langley. Please do. Bring it on.
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That said, Alex I agree with your advice to the BC Cons. If the BCLibs don’t get it together soon, the CLBC fix flops (and it just well might), and Kevin Falcon retires with Alise Mills making very, very clear to me she’s not going to for MLA due to professional desires & family crises even though I’d leap out of a perfectly functioning Q400 or C-47 Dakota to help… it’s game over for the BCLibs next year. “Proud Mary” Polak will get her glory ride (again) but a hollowed out moral victory in Langley with not enough MLAs left to keep the socialists out of power.
Or if so, in a minority government that will have to make deals with flinty independents & a spurned Cummins – and hopefully led by Falcon, then George Abbott, then Michael Gheoeghan (sp?) as an Independent. What a likely scenario…
Why do I say this?
Try the CLBC repair job is being overspun. Big time: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/01/19/bc-community-living-funding.html
Color me skeptical. This spin machine is going to backfire spectacularly when – not if – the money is found to be insufficient. My bet is by August. No pro-family person is going to forgive the most vulnerable being used as a political pawn for a Premier Cute Canute… when the BCLibs could just give the full $60 mil and direct any leftovers be banked as contingency. Other than that, it was good work but money gets results and talk walks.
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I’ll colour you black–as in dead wrong.
If Cummins runs in Langley, Polak is done. She either loses to him or the NDP candidate runs up the middle in a landslide.
She’s offside of both Coleman, who bank-rolled her for most of her tenure and Falcon, who almost vomited that she went to Clark instead of at least Abbott on the second ballot.
Incredibly stupid–and she told everybody. But think of how really stupid she is: She pisses of Coleman early on by telling him she’s with Falcon, period, and then pisses off Falcon by not staying with him and going to Christy.
Your girlfriend’s a dunce.
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Her second ballot didn’t matter, Falcon went to the end. And who else was there to support? De Jong is a joke, and Abbott’s guys were behind the Campbell coup.
What hurts her is endorsing Falcon right away instead of waiting to see what Coleman was going to do.
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I think it did when she ran around throwing Kevin under the bus for not having a higher first ballot count.
Yes, of course, turning on Rich so quickly was boneheaded. But this is Mary we’re talking about–not the strategist…I guess throwing Kevin under the bus so quickly shouldn’t be that big a surprise then! LOL!
What a joke…
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Let me start by saying I have questions of my own about the Polak legacy – and I do as well about the Coleman legacy, the Campbell legacy, and so on. Also I have asked her on Twitter to write a book and she will upon retirement. If JR is right, it’ll come out for Christmas 2013. If I’m right, Christmas 2017.
Polak is no strategist but as we’ve discussed a libertarian ideologue – I mean this is the MCFD Minister who cut a long range cost-effective autism treatment called EIBI. She is a tactician grand royale though who sees trees, not a forest. I would not wanna be John Cummins fighting in Langley…
As to you: Keep on keeping on.
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Joe…Joe…Joe…Joe…Joe…
Geezus…
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Josef
I live in Langley and the people there are sick and tired of Polak. She will probably finish third and if Cummins runs he will have a good chance there.
Great read as usual Alex. Cant wait for the rest of the do’s and dont’s.
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Completely agreed. Thanks JR.
My regards to Sue Ellen.
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! am from Chilliwack-Hope Riding and agree that John Cummins needs to get the votes of the average Joe in this riding. Chuck Strahl has already sold his unter whore to the Liberals,so you can forget about getting any part of the Holier than thou vote. Hell these people still believe that John Les is an honest man. I guess they just don`t understand what paucity of evidence means.
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They don’t and there are a lots of decent people like you.
Duncan could do it, but they need to get organized, right here, right now.
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if the vote is split common thought is the ndp will win, however a coalition liberals and bc conservayive party. could be a possibility
just think the worst of both worlds
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The BC Conservatives would hold balance of power with the NDP before they’d go to the Liberals–they know that the BC Rail scandal will bring the Liberals down, so they’d go with the party that would agree to an investigation.
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Very good. Complete agreement.
But they also need to build from the ground up whiche they haven’t done. They’re a bit behind schedule on that one.
They also need to sell their story.
For Joe and Mary Sixpack, why would they vote BC Tory and not for the NDP or Liberals (yes I know, but the average voter doesn’t give a shit about a mild mannered Adrian Dix. Nor does Tim The Toolman give a shit about the antics of Bruce Clark and BC Rail. They’re more concerned if Aunt Agatha can be checked into the local senior citizens’s home despite cutbacks, and if Junior can get into a BC university. They simply don’t care about what Gordo and Crew and Crunch has done. They want BC out of the mess no matter what government it might be.
So it will be up to Cummins, White and others to sell The BC Tories to anyone that will listen to them and not to the paid hacks that want jobs.
If Cummins and his party were smart (and they don’t seem to be), they would focus far more on what it is the citizens want, and not what the anemic supporters want by actually going out and listening to real citizens and not party members. (Not going to get far by preaching to the choir.
As for the Evangelicals, I’d ensure they aren’t given the front row. Been through that one before with Social Credit (your friend Willy Wooden Shoes went off the road with his mix of religion and politics).
Bet Christy’s ass that those Evangelics are watching Cummins and they will no doubt tell their own flock that he’s the one to vote for but not because of his economics. Been done before, and the Evangelics were indeed trying to move in on the Conservatives where they didn’t before.
I’d dump Randy White and their idiot president at the next AGM (which will be important since it will be the one before an election).
In fact I’d say the BC Tories are a bit behind an anticipated schedule.
They should be alot further down the road than they are now. I would
guess that if they were really credibile in alternative, there would be an quaking announcement that two (maybe three) Liberal MLAs are crosssing the floor to sit as BC Tories. Now is the time to do it, since
there’s little news except for the freezing weather.
But Cummins as Deputy Premier? Aint’ going to happen.
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What is Cummins’ position on the BC Rail issue? Would he call for a Public Enquiry? The Basi/Virk payout scandal?
HAs anyone questioned him on these points?
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Yes, he’s been asked by me, Simi Sara and others. He is FOR an inquiry and fully supports an investigation.
He is also FOR a full investigation into the deal cutting, including an examination of the role played by the Attorney General at the time, Mike deJong, and his deputies and staff.
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That’s good enough for me! Colour me Conservative and we’ll address the outcome after the BC Rail fiasco is settled – it might take until the next election.
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If the Liberals lose the two by-elections it’ll get interesting. Christy’s been at the helm since May 2011.
Alex, do you think there will be mass defections from the party or resignations(same thing but she “saves face”).
If they nuked her some time in May or at the lastest mid summer (when everyone is on holidays and doesnt give a sh*t) that gives them 9 months to “sell” their new replacement to the voters.
Are the mandarins of power assembling focus groups yet?
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No, but she’s done if they lose both and significantly. Particularly if they lose Chilliwack, I know of at least eight MLAs that will sit as independents. And this time, they’ll do it.
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One thing I didn’t know until I saw Christie’s guest list for the Grey Cup is that Lorne Mayencourt has the same postion with Christy as Pamela Martin; Director of Outreach. How has this been overlooked by the media? Its the same situation; Lorne is one of Christy’s pals and its another big waste of taxpayer money. Lots of taxpayer money for doing nothing.
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I know, I’m in a bit of a conflict. I quite like Lorne personally, but why he would promote such a political whore as Christy is beyond me. Very bad move for him politically.
As for the outreach program, it’s just a big sham–for either of Pamela or Lorne. Just Christy using taxpayer dollars to featherbed her friends. Classic federal Liberal…
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Hi Alex,
John Cummings as time goes by strikes me as the wrong person in the right place at the right time. Running against Mary Polak in Langley I wouldn’t bet on him winning. Going on past performances and the experience of having lived there, those folks would elect a fire hydrant if it ran for the liberals. On second thoughts, a bit hard to tell the difference.
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He’ll either win or the NDP will come up the middle. They are planning on running a very populist candidate there.
MAry has burned a lot of bridges. And she no longer has Rich Coleman.
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An excellent analysis as always. The conclusions are gloomy, however. All major BC parties seem rudderless, not only Christy. It takes a vision to lead this province which is lacking by all the parties busy with ‘smallitics” and mud-slinging. When will this race to the clueless bottom stop? How long will this province remain hostage to either faceless kleptocracy or extreme socialism mixed with evangelical christian bigotry?
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I’m afraid we might be stuck between the two…for now…
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That was one of the most entertaining political pieces that I have read in a long time.
There was a line in the movie Contagion, that I watched last night, where Eliot Gould said “a blogger is not a writer….that’s just graffiti with punctuation”
That screenwriter has obviously not met or read Alex G. Tsakumis.
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Well, that’s very kind.
I try and keep the graffiti and punctuation to a minimum.
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Another worthwhile read Alex, and urging the Cummins crew to go populist rather than far-moral-right is politically smart,
One small correction: Christy’s popularity/credibility ratings have not been falling slowly: they suddenly crashed but lately seem to have stabilized. The next polls will be more interesting than usual.
The Lib party would be smart to dump Christy IF they had someone better but can you name anyone? And besides the party backroom power players need to keep there so they/she can keep a lid on their scandals like for example no inquiry into BC Rail giveaway.
Finally, re “mother wolf” – didn’t I read that somewhere before? Sort of anyway; Female dog is a dangerous metaphor eh. Are wolf packs matriarchal?
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Sorry, but where did you get that? Can you post please?
According to ARS she has dropped STEADILY for eight months, for a cumulative drop of 29 pts. IF you have another poll, please produced it.
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As a Conservative Party of Canada member (Van South), I absolutely hate and abhor the NDP and its policies….But, I have a respect for them….They are social democrats/socialists and are unapologetic for it.
Good.
At least the NDP stands for something!
Liberals? Cling to power, no matter what! No matter whom they have to crawl into bed with, as long as they maintain power!
Despise the NDP, as I do….I’d rather have them in power than another Coalition that didn’t really do anything for BC between 1941 and 1952!
What really did happen then? The Hope-Princeton Highway, the mass arrest and detention of Japanese-Canadians, and the RCMP replacing the BC Provincial Police! We had two Premiers, at least (Hope and Boss Johnson)….The Attorney-General, at the time (Wismer) was famous for patronising Vancouver’s night clubs with a bottle in a brown bag….Police Chief Mulligan (VPD) was allowed to do his “duties” unhindered….Do we really want that AGAIN?
Once again Alex, thank you for another insightful article.
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With pleasure. And you make total sense.
Look, the bottom line is this: IF the BC NDP screw around when they take over, and it happens to be a majority government, they are finished in four years. They’ll never survive.
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“IF” the NDP screw around?
Just look at their federal candidates, trying to ‘out class warfare’ each other. Dyed in the wool.
Sorry, the NDP is pretty much the same thru and thru. Its just a matter of when they screw up, whether on purpose, or through their cavalier class warfare actions.
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Alex:
Your post got me thinking about Eva’s ability to manage a large corporation and then I came upon this:
“Alternate Contact for All Purposes
Mike Lambert
Regional Planning and Assessment Manager
Phone: (250) 751-3170
Mike.Lambert@gems2.gov.bc.ca”
Priceless!
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PRICELESS!!!!!!!
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Given that he is a high priced Manager, one cannot help but wonder if he does not have ten all purpose civil servant cleaners reporting to him!
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Love it!
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Great post, Alex. As an evangelical Christian, I am not at all offended by your observations; in fact I quite agree with rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is His.
It is time for Mr Cummins fish or cut bait; to be shrewd as a serpent and harmless as a dove, and then strike while the iron is hot.
Where is Hamish Marshall in all this?
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Yes, thank you. I believe every party must be a big tent. But the perception is that Cummins doesn’t have the jam to route out the evangelical Christians in control, like Reed Elley, who are interested in injecting that kind of thinking into policy etc. Cummins believes the election of Elley as some sort of grassroots deal. It’s not–its that he disnt have the balls to tell Rev. Elley to stay out of it. Look at what happened with Bill VanderZalm, who has privately expressed regrets to me for how things went when he was premier.
I don’t know what Hamish is up to. I assume he’s still providing advice and strategy. I haven’t seen or talked to him since late last year.
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The Liberal party, by their very nature, are only concerned about staying in power. They do not care one iota about the people that elected them. Power is everything to them and they will do anything, cheat, steal, rob, anything, to get in power and stay there. The federal Liberals have been doing this for years, and the last election certainly showed that the people of this country are fed up with them. Except here in BC. We never seem to learn do we?
The NDP, by their nature, is pure socialism. Not a bad idea on paper, but it never works. Every time any province, or any country for that matter, has elected an NDP (or as the world calls it – Labour) government, the economy goes right down the toilet. Businesses collapse, taxes go up, and the people suffer. Then the province, or country, spends years trying to get back on it’s feet. Just look at what the Labour government in England did to that country in the last 10 years. I doubt that the U.K. will ever recover from that mess of a legacy.
So, I am desperate to vote for the conservatives. But how can I honestly vote for a party that sits in the wilderness and does not say a thing or do a thing, while Christie and Co. go about their business creating bigger and bigger government (within the family of course!) and have their weekly bull session saying “how can we screw the people of BC this week?”
Your advice is absolutely perfect. I hope and pray that our provincial PC’s read and memorize every word of it. In fact, every politician in the country would do well to read it. Because if they don’t get their act together soon, or one of the other two parties win again next election, I am out of this province on the next bus!
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Thank you. Yes, sadly, you won’t be alone.
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Great advice.
I would also add that Mr. Cummins NEEDS to improve his debating skills. When Snooki was still on CKNW, she stole his lunch during an interview/debate. It was embarrassing.
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He’s not a good debater. I remember the interview well. And I also remember thinking that if Snooki can beat him, geez, that doesn’t say much at all. She’s a disaster in that department, always cutting people off and never on top of the issue at hand.
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Interesting decision concerning Stephen Smart, and his conflict of interest concerning Christy Clark.
I sense a great A.T. Article is about to come.
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On its way…
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As of now im not sure BC Conservatives will truly be ready it is a group right now that is in its early stages and mostly built upon the old guards from the Reform/Alliance which is as far right as parts of NDP are far left , there is little doubt BC Liberals are unfit to govern they are so corrupt its beyond repair and anyone except MSM partners know it .
I wonder how well would Dix and Cummins work together on key issues if they ever had too , but as of now NDP is the best option open to clean the dirty floors in Victoria up but a solid opposition with reasonably good policy alternatives to balance would be good for BC.
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I don’t know who else the Tories could work with! The BC Liberals clearly deserve to lose and must be defeated. They should fold the party. It’s completely corrupt.
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A Socred Party by any other name
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Of course. Every decade a Campbell comes along to take it into the shitter and they just change the name and find another dummy–literally.
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