Olsen Offside: Premier Christy Clark’s Office in Panic Mode Fires Loyalist and Hires Harper Helper Sarah McIntyre
There was an interesting dynamic that played itself out last week when now former Press Secretary to the Premier, Chris Olsen, stepped in front of Global’s Marisa Thomas at a presser and (feebly) tried to deflect a tough question to his boss.
It wasn’t that he almost manhandled a reporter, a female reporter no less, but it was the way he did it. That was apparently the last straw for some of the Premier’s top aides, who saw this as a golden opportunity to get rid of someone who was so very clearly our of his depth.
Plus, you’ll notice that Global are not running the most positive pieces on the Liberals lately and Keith Baldrey’s usual flatline reporting on the outrageousness in the Clark government, is being overshadowed by younger reporters that are as hungry for a good story as I remember Keith being 25 years ago.
Getting rid of Olsen not only sends a signal to everyone involved that, as I wrote last week, a harder, tougher response on everything is coming, but the Clark people are desperate and will stop AT NOTHING to start attacking anyone who is received as being uncooperative. Olsen is incapable of launching that kind of an offensive.
I worked with Olsen when I was at CTV some years ago. Articulate, kind and easy-going, he didn’t seem at all like the man he is today. I only met him in the newsroom a few times, but he seemed a good guy.
Two things struck me when he was hired to shield Clark:
1) Olsen had absolutely no experience dealing with media at that level. You’re talking about needing to nuance everybody in the press gallery on a continual and daily basis. That’s not an easy task even for the craftiest of press secretaries. Even Clark’s lickspittles in the gallery didn’t like him. He was “difficult” and “angry” according to the more Clark favorable reporters. No he wasn’t. He was just severely underqualified for the job and his frustration with the constant pressures, showed.
2) How could the Premier and her people exercise such a lack of judgement? Not only was this role (nevermind the revolving titles) handled by women when Gordon Campbell was Premier, but too, strong women–but fair. Why, when you have a young woman as Premier, would you corral her with key hires, more so than her male predecessor, that are almost all men??? The message was unmistakable.
And backwards.
So now, not only is Olsen no longer on her side (I know, it’s cheezy but I had too!) but Clark’s finally gotten the message that this job needed to go to a strong woman–an intelligent one. Why? Well, have a look at her polling. Her party is in the dumpster. Her reputation is in tatters.
Christy Clark is in deep trouble, and she knows it.
But more so than anything else, she is failing to win the women’s vote. Adrian Dix is beating her with the girls and this just will not do. The confirmation of how Harper helper Sarah McIntyre will be coming (no official announcement from the Premier’s Office yet, but Ms. McIntyre was happy to make the declaration on her facebook page) may well help the optics, but the reality is Christy Clark is running out of time and has surrounded herself with a staff of friends, who are totally unqualified to be anywhere near the Premier’s Office.
Pamela Martin? Puleeeze. Not unless a keyboard is replaced with a nail file. Kim Haakstad? Lord love a duck! All the new staffing hires for Ministers and MLAs are federal Liberals, specifically brought on be her. Rebecca Scott! Ugh! She blew the throne speech announcement because she’s that thick–but thinks she’s a genius.
Every woman the Preem’s got on staff is either an obvious ditz or just a Christy groupie from the BC Rail movie (like Kimmy and Athana Mentzelopoulos–who might be bright, but was shipped off to the PAB to control messaging from over there).
And lest we forget, that Christy Clark herself, has richly demonstrated that she is totally unqualified to be Premier and doesn’t have the ethical standing or intelligence for the job. Gordon Campbell, for all his faults–of which there were multitude, may too, have been as unethical, but his intelligence was without question or doubt. His biggest problems were only manifest when his trousers hit the floor.
This new hire by the Clark team is a major score.
Sarah McIntyre is intelligent, articulate and strong. It’s the smartest hire the beleaguered Premier will make–and if her poll numbers improve, it will be because of the narrative McIntyre will help craft. Their messaging will improve significantly and McIntyre knows new Chief of Staff Ken Boessenkool, another Harper Conservative, from as far back as when they both toiled away for the Prime Minister, when he was still Leader of the Opposition. .
Regardless, this will be a very interesting hire, in that, it’s not just any old Conservative Christy has managed to attract, but truthfully, a young (McIntyre is in her mid-30s) intelligent, extremely well-connected and capable woman as a staffer.
There’s a first for everything.
This announcement is very concerning to me. Why do you think someone of that calibre would associate themselves with the mess that is the provincial Liberals? Are the group in Ottawa that afraid that the NDP will get in? If she is that good, I can’t understand why she would sell her soul to work for such a gang of thieves and bullies. I sure hope she doesn’t make a difference to the plight of the Liberals.
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I don’t think she’ll make a difference to the party, but Christy’s messaging will be sharper and clear–for once. If she continues to flounder, McIntyre will leave and you’ll see even more shuffling.
As for the Ottawa crew, there are two camps. The larger of the two want to see the BC Conservatives win, while there is a sure group of idiots that want anyone but the NDP. You see, if the NDP win, the Ottawans will have to actually do some real work to win the next federal election. If a favourable, right of center govt is in Victoria, then they can coast.
But their own agenda stinks lately. I’m doing a post next week called. “I didn’t know Stephen Harper preferred Stornoway”
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“Olsen on your Side” ……..just the name of that show was cheesy.
And the stories, always with Olsen looking “concerned” about the plight of the person affected…..and then “sternly” interrogating the “bad” person.
Simplistic , moralistic drivel…. and it lasted how many seasons? 2? 3?
Time for Mr Olsen to go teach journalism at UNBC?
Banished to “Pigs Gorge” aka Prince George would be a fitting end to his “carreer” in the media Circus Maximus.
I cant wait for your “Harper” comments…..about time we got to read some fed bashing.
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Why is Sarah leaving Ottawa, when the Tories clearly are having messaging problems?
God knows, Toews and Baird need a scrubbing. The petulent nonsense coming out of their mouths is embarrasing; If you’re not for us, you’re against us!!! Paranoia is not pretty.
Communications with these two is handled with all the delicacy of an anvil being dropped on an ant.
Hello, boys. You are the government? Remenber? Well, ya could fooled me!
I, for one, would like to see a few of the younger ministers come to the fore. You know, people for whom an argument is a chance to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. Not an occassion to bring out the brass knuckles and work the crowd over.
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Toews, in particular, I just find extraordinarily foolish and Baird sounds like his retainer got stuck sideways in his mouth.
But if often explains how his messaging ends up in the same position.
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The Ottawa Tories have made promises to USA and China that involve the disposition of B.C. resources but the only way they can deliver is if they have the BC Premier being held captive (which they do via the HST refund and transfer payments etc). They (and others) had Campbell captive and now they’re all mortified and reeling sick that all of their grand plans (Site C, NAWAPA, LNG, tarsands pipeline, etc Kitimat aluminum, Teck expansions etc etc [some of which are good things IMO and some not in almost everyone's opinions] … all those things could be blown and lost if Clark fails to get the Liberals re-elected.
The NDP BTW may or may not support or oppose all or some of those projects but they probably would insist that they at least be done properly, such as reviews by BCUC and genuine votes in the Legislature (unlike on the HST, eg) – and that process could kibosh some or all those projects depending on what are the standings in the House and the politics of the day.
A change of government would not or need not be a disaster IMO but those global power cliques who have their eyes on B.C.’s jewels are the sort who want everything locked up and locked down with no chance for errors or diversions. Thus they just love Steve Harper…
So suddenly Christy is surrounded by Steve’s ex-staffers. That says something, eh. Alex, what do you think that says to BCers?
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The message is that she wants to stop the Conseravtive bleeding from her party but that’s a done deal, so no amount of shuffling will help.
She’s done.
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Of coruse its a bit of a done deal (as of now), but who the h-e double hockey sticks would ever want a party such as the BC Tories with John Cummins in a shared power position? They have a religious head case as President, and Randy White’s political smarts (what ever there is) is legendary.
There’s one federal Conservative candidate that lost again, but he’s running for the BC Tories. He’ll lose.
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I agree.
However, there is time for the BC Conservatives to kick all those idiots to the curb and pick up more than three to six seats.
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Toews is a Fu^&ing a$$*ole. I lived through an abusive upbringing and the gutless piece of $hit’s comments about being on side with child pornographers is well worthy him being sacked at the very least. That JO represents the lowest form that humanity can take. I wonder how many others that went through what I did and came out the other side with a semblance of normality feel the harsh sting of outrage and seething anger that bastard cast on us for his bullshit. That thoughtless remark brought back a lot of the sheer rage that I’ve worked hard at letting go. He can rot in hell forever. Human garbage.
Vikileaks? A just reward, but far too gentle.
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Yeah, I find Toews a moron. I’ve always felt that way about him.
This proves it.
Hey, take it easy over there. You’re an accomplished individual and someone of certain value. Don’t let anyone get into your head like that. Know that people care about you.
You went through hell, yes, but survived, in fact, thrived! Think about that instead of getting angry.
You don’t need to wear a pile of medals on your chest to be a hero.
Hang in there.
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Don’t forget that Shane Mills got himself a nice little promotion in the whole hubbub, so Chris’s old position still remains vacant and Crusty can’t be accused if lying on this one….right, RIGHT?!?
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Shane Mills is a joke. He was a joke as editor of the Surrey Now and the song remains the same. No media skills and not a good editor.
Weird too. What kind of guy, while editor of one of two big papers in Western Canada’s fastest growing city, would walk around telling anyone that would listen how much he thought papers “sucked.”
Extraordinary foolishness….
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What kind of guy, while editor of one of two big papers in Western Canada’s fastest growing city, would walk around telling anyone that would listen how much he thought papers “sucked.”
Wonder if a salesman of Electrolux, Dirt Devil or Hoover vacuum cleaners said his products sucked.
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Vacuum cleaner salesman!? Sounds about his speed! LOL!
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“Nothing sucks like an Electrolux”
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While we’re on the topic of Vic Toews, I stumbled across this but you’ve probably seen it already.
Still, FUNNY.
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If think what’s actually telling here is that someone connected to the House of Commons is taking unsubstantiated affidavits and suggesting them to be true representation of Vic Toews. I find that more troubling than the govt wanting to go after child porn weirdos and perhaps landing my grocery list or and exchange with an old girlfriend in their inbox.
Affidavits are not necessarily true, unless corroborated by supplementary information that is submitted as evidence. None of that was done, instead, to reward Toews is stupidity in not fine tuning the bill to begin with, matters were made worse by dragging one side of court dispute into the public realm to intentionally embarrass a man who had made a stupid statement and tabled questionable legislation.
This is not my Canada, and if it is, I’m going to join the movement to make Justin Trudeau Ambassador to Baffin Island.
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All the Kings horses, and all the King’s Men will not find redemption with Sarah and Ken.
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great column alex
i agree the party and her govement is in tatters
however i am more concerned that our democracy and parlimentry insitutions are in tatters.
the house is stting and she makes a major hst announcement off site
the house is sitting ,
did she make it off site so she would not have it in hansard.?
does she not feel that the people of bc deserve goverment in the house with debate rather then sound bites?
i am so scared that the house will become a museum playing tapes of some great debates and showing video of dave barrett being carried out of the house singing o canada.
as our grand kids say they had a democracy and chose not to use and fight for it . such a shame such a shame
alex i am scared for our future generations
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Me too.
I think you raise some exceptional points. Ones which will answer themselves, in due time.
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Excellent points for all of of us to consider, without regard to where we might sit on the scale of left/right politics. A functioning democracy is vital to all.
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if we do not get back to governance by debate insteas of order in council,
we all lose
i miss the days where you could disagree in the house and come to a solution for the good of all .
it was never personalized demonized with such venom as today
if you trace the roots of most problems in the various ministries i feel that they can traced back to a lack of consultation and debate
lets have all the parties show some true mature leadership and work in the house for all of bc
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COMPLETE AGREEMENT!!!
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Won’t happen until corporate and union money is out of politics and our elected official have no choice but to be accountable to the electorate rather than their backers.
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I like it!
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It’s not about financial contributions to a party of choice.
Anyone who is willing to allegedly steal voting pin numbers or outright lie to the public in order to get or retain power is not really motivated by any person’s or organization’s publically documented contributions.
I don’t think that makes any sense.
What we really need in politics are people with ethics and courage and a free, and independent press that aren’t agenda driven and don’t mind calling it the way it is.
Kudos to you AGT.
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Thanks. Yes, I agree!
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John.
People who are corrupt enough to steal pins do so because they crave power and wealth. They take massive financial support from corporate donors for the same reason: to get elected. The catch is that once elected, the independent power producers, for example, who have collectively donated over a million dollars to your party now expect their investment to come back to them in the form of billions of dollars worth of purchase agreements at the expense of our public utility, our environment and in some cases, our very sovereignty. The elected official with integrity either speaks and loses his or her job, or slowly learns to eat their party’s own spin until they wake up one day to find their own head three feet up their own ass.
The candidates with real integrity will come out and seek office in droves once they feel they are able to serve their constituents and not the will of their donor masters.
With all due respect, John, corporate, union and foreign money are at the root of all political evil. Re read every political post Alex had ever written, then follow the money.
Until people wake up to this and do something about it, nothing will change.
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Me too!! The legislature may be flawed but it is still better than the next-best alternative.
I was amused and amazed by the mention above that one of the reasons the New Christy Lowballers go off-site for major announcements is to avoid Hansard. That had occurred to me in another context but it is bang-on in this case too: they don’t want any recordings of the scams they are pulling off that might be later used against them in court.
Poor Bill Zalm got hoist on his own petard and now the Christy Liberals et al want to avoid the same fate – no evidence easily usable in a future court case against their own abuses of office!
Interesting eh that the line of questioning Chris Olsen cut off was related to a Crown corp scandalo….
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Wow…
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Harry, be scared now. If you knew what’s being done to old people in nursing homes right now your hair would turn white. Forget tarnished democracy, we’re into “unspeakable” territory especially here in BC. We are living in an era of wholesale, profound deception in BC that was unimaginable in previous decades.
Another example is the government papering over the truth of what’s happening with 400 page doorstop documents (ombud’s report) designed to hide the really horrible things going on, and to make people think they are doing things to protect people from the sadistic monsters who run and operate these places. This is going on in both private and public facilities, there’s no difference between the two.
Knowing what I know now, I am ashamed to be Canadian, and frightened because these despicable things are happening with the full knowledge and permission of both the Libs and the NDP. You are on the right track Harry, but the train is way further down the track than you might imagine.
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Te mess(age) is the problem! Not the medium.
The people have seen the contents of the barn and will not be distracted by shiny objects to forget that the barn holds no horses but holds asses.
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Yes. I dint think Sarah McIntyre will save Christy Clark.
But the messaging and narrative will improve, I assure you.
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It doesn’t matter what how well the horse is bred the end result is the same.. Sarah McIntyre might be better at her craft than Chris Olsen, But it doesn’t matter how well written,thoroughbred or not, it is still Horse Shit.
What would motivate a skilled journalist to sign up for this job?
That worries me.
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Couldn’t tell you.
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Money honey, and nice climes to collect pensions in.
It’s the same muse that called Kinsella and Lampert in 1975.
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$$$$$$$$
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Ka-Ching
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The real reason the Harper helpers are here is to help facilitate the oil pipeline. The messaging will improve in that regard no doubt.
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Yes, that too, although my sources in Ottawa claim that they are convinced it won’t fly.
Again, a majority support Cummins and the BC Comservatives.
But the Harper helpers in for the Preem are a very strange bunch.
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yes the message may be clearer however it is still the message
on nw bill good show she could not even give credit to harper regarding the ship building
when you are in trouble you do not care if your lawyer is ndp liberal or torie as long as he is good . if you are guilty may even get you lighter sentance
in this case christy is in trouble she will still lose however she might keep an extra seat or two
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I never said that Sarah McIntyre’s arrival would do anything more than improve Christy’s narrative.
That doesn’t necessarily translate to an increase in political favour or, specifically, seat numbers, etc.
The strong likelihood is that she loses the next election in spectacular fashion.
The wonder remains just how much the BC Conservatives will resonate with the public. Their leader is old and not particularly spry in his messaging. They jumped the gun on both the HST and, astonishingly, the pipeline (supporting both) and in the horrible two weeks the Premier just endured, John Cummins didn’t offer ONE rebuttal, or different position, or even inspiring word. Nothing, zilch. This not only speaks to his unpreparedness, but too, that of his small group of young and otherwise intelligent organizers. Where are they? They claim to want to lead the province. Bollocks!
Alas, we are truly on our own…
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and still politically homeless
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Yup…
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I would want to have robot bugs inside BCTF HQs tonight. This must be scary to those Bloody Commie Teachers’ Federation heads that Sara MacIntyre is in town.
If there is one thing Sara MacIntyre is good at, it’s giving back to the Bloody Commies and their socialist BCNDP friends what they dish out. I was part of the 2005 thru 2007 fun, fun times. The BCTF really hated Sara because she tried to file a class action lawsuit against them for the 2005 illegal teachers’ strike – problem is, not many plaintiffs.
But we BCLibs have somebody who has replaced Sara in that role and won my heart over. Many good times ahead for our next Premier.
One thing worth considering though Alex is once the BCTF go back to work, what’s next? Seriously… 5/2013 is 15 months away.
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You must not be feeling well…
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Must be too much of something in that coffee in his HQ again.
What’s next? Exit BCTF enter BCGEU and HEU. Also arriving is the BCFMWU (“the ferry workers”).
and guess what? They want a raise.
Josef says he was part of the 2005 to 2007. Big deal.
I was part of the Big One. Back in ’82. Now there was fun if you ever saw it. The NDP was the NDP, and they were mean while we were lean. Amazing that we made it through ’83. Now there was a classic campaign if you ever wanted to see one. None of this nonsense crap you see these days. That was an on the ground campaign.
A politico earned their keep at the riding level going through those times.
Josef and these other BC Liberal blind loyal fools have never seen before what is going to hit them.
But Josef can wallow in his blind loyalty. Enjoy it while you can kid.
It ain’t going to last.
Because the few months before an election you’re going to wish you never got into politics. You will want to spend more time playin’ Wing Commander on your video game console.
Trust me. What is going to happen if things don’t turn around in 4 months is going to make even the most hardned politico vomit.
You’ll witness in political terms:
You’ll hear blood curdling screams, Loud cartilage popping like breakage within the strength of the BC Liberals, you’ll quake with fear, the adrenalin will wash through you like a large needle pain shooting through your arms. Think of when you ended up with a burn or a painful scrape or a very bad toothace that you had to live with during the night, the kind that you not only felt in pain, but could feel the heartbeats which made it worse than bearable.
You’ll hear sickening cries of anguish and moans that will make you sick.
You’ll see things that will make you vomit or crap brown water all over inside your pants.
You’ll witness a fast and furious effort to try and save some of the more valued BC Liberal MLAs only to see that they have been torn apart like a hungry rabid wolf going after a piece of raw meat. Such a sight will make you wince and vomit.
Unless you’ve been through a transitional type of election of the kind we haven’t seen since 1991, you are going to be sick at what you see.
The 2005 eleciton was a walk in the park compared to what you are going to see. It was nothing. The NDP arrived back then, and while
that idiot Gordon Campbell couldn’t see the value of stepping off in 2007, the NDP continued to build.
The NDP was killed off in 2001, but trust me, they are coming back, and they are preparing themselves. They don’t need any help from AGT here to do it. In fact some of those candidates are out there right now in the community while your BC Liberal friends are wallowing in self centred isolation thinking that while there will be some bruises, they wil win out in the end.
You may see the NDP as they were back in the 1980s. If they do return to that point, you will not want to mess with them. You will lose.
They have acquired the taste of meat and they are on the hunt for any meat labelled BC Liberal.
If the BC Liberals don’t get smart and don’t get off their fat asses including Alisa, Sarah and Christy Crunch (who should stop scratching where it gives them pleasure and start scratching notes on paper outlining how they’re going to put an end to this crap situation they got the BC Liberals into), you’re going to see an opposite to what you saw in 2001. The BC Liberals will be lucky to keep 8 seats.
If you want to try and prevent that from happening, I’d suggest you end your jet fighter ace mentality and get out there into the local riding association and get yourself in front of a cheap table and start helping out.
If you don’t and if the BC Liberals lose, you have only yourself to blame.
and you can bet your ass on that one.
and that goes to any one of the good fools out there in AGT-Land who think the BC Liberals might be worth saving to the point that the BC Liberals end up as Opposition and not the BC Tories.
and you can bet your ass (or Christy’s) on that one too.
Be warned. The Point of No Return is about here.
Once past, there’s no going back.
What happens next? Might as well start the vivsection on Adrian Dix’s policies and wait for the election so that afterwards the necropsy of the BC Liberals can begin. Ensure the instruments and the instrument tray and table are sterilized and the box of sterile gloves
are handy. It is going to be a sickening sight.
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Josef…here ended the lesson, son…
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Okay gents…
We still have Alise Mills for the BCNDP to get to and then through. She’s the genuine Field Marshal doing the dirty work Christy Clique cannot bring themselves to do.
Then we have Sara MacIntyre and the like with a LOT of weak points. I wonder if this will mollify caucus – now that the BCNDP are fanning the BC CON flames because the embers are dying: https://twitter.com/#!/BillTieleman/status/170761120771096576
On the outer ring we have a BCLib Majority. Some guys need to step up, yes. But we can win.
The minute Adrian endorsed Occupy, I breathed a sigh of relief. Occupy is being rebranded by the patriotic Right on both sides of that dang border.
Folks: I’m not ready to call it quits. Is it tempting? Yes. Is it the right thing to do with guys still in the field? Nope.
After all, wait one week and things change. It’s not over until it’s over.
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You’re either drunk or have been captured by aliens who reverse one’s logic…
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Josef…. You seriously believe the Liberals are going to win the next election…… bwahahahahahahahahaahhaa.
Everytime Christy Clark opens her mouth she loses another voter somewhere in this province. She’s managed, in less than a year to poll worse than Gordon Campbell.
Keep dreaming your impossible dream.
I, along with 1000′s of others will hold their nose and vote NDP to rid ourselves of the bloated, corrupt party that currently sleeps in the Legislature.
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As long as we have fuel for the Aliseburner, we can win this thing. Will we? Quite possibly.
Alex has noted here that the BC CONS are just simply not ready for primetime and with the BCND-OP in formation as the New Democrat-Occupy Party the BCLibs with the right tactical leadership can eke out a win. By one seat. Or two. We just need some more moxie and integrity… a lot more, quite frankly.
I don’t see in either the CONS or the BCND-OP a bench with the moxie and experience of Kevin Falcon, Mary Polak, Sara MacIntyre, and yes the Alise Mills I talk about too much. We also have lamestream media riding in our back pocket to help us defeat socialism again. We BCLibs have yet begun to fight, trust me!
Off hot.
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You might have all of that.
But you clearly can’t read a political map.
I’ve worked every single constituency in this province. Some several times.
You don’t have a hope in hell. The BC Liberal brand is dead as a doornail and all the people you mentioned need to retire or be fired. They passed their shelf life.
McIntyre will improve the messaging, but won’t save the day.
The only way for a center-right option to win, is to get rid of Cummins and Clark, get rid of all the deJongs, Bonds, Bells and co. Toss all the religious zealots from the BC Reform, er, excuse me, Conservative Party and convince Dianne Watts to save the province from wealth redistribution and success punishment–the NDP’s two main pillars.
Now, think about how all those stars cannot align.
You’re living a pipe dream, pal. Di ain’t moving, Christy’s people are trying to loot the kitty and the Conservatives would rather embrace a Bible instead of a policy book. Their viral laziness and stupidity disgusts me so much they might as well ask Winston Blackmore as a candidate.
And the pure corruption of the BC Liberals is equally disgusting.
There will be too many for whom a clothespin on the nose will lead them to the NDP. Just watch. It’s over.
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He’salso not aware of what is going to hit this province if these morons like Josef don’t start becoming aware of reality.
He is still in denial of the seriousness of this situation.
This isn’t some B-grade episode of Battlestar Galactica in which
Adama is yet at another war with Count Baltar meanwhile Starbuck crash lands again on yet another planet.
This is typical of many BC Liberals I see and meet quite often.
It gets pathetic and sickening each and every day. Many long time volunteers I’ve talked to agree the same way. A few won’t even bother
to help.
When you start losing your core senior and experienced supporters (not those clowns at HQ who have never gone through a serious political situation – well M. Robertson has, but he obviously hasn’t learned much and never did and won’t. He’s too busy trying to keep a political job so he doesn’t have to a cheap wage store clerk position).
and yes the BC Tories could end up with three seats, but if that happens they won’t have the balance of power. It will still be an NDP majority if these idiots don’t stop scratching themselves for pleasure
and start getting smart about fixing the situation they’ve gotten themselves into.
The only thing an Opposition Party can do unless they have the balance of Opposition seats to put the NDP in a minority position on vote is talk.
and right now Cummis isn’t very good at it.
and yes a policy vivisection is being scheduled on him too.
The instrument tray, instruments and cold stainless steel table are over there in the next rooom.
Just waiting for the specimen to arrive..
Don’t bother to come in to watch. It’s not for the weak. There’s no metal bowl in the room to barf into.
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You had me at specimen…
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The mask is on the table over there, Snap on the gloves. Don’t want be sued if you’re contaminated.
This isn’t for those with a queasy stomach, so you’ve been warned.
I can see the adrenalin is starting to flow through you. Yes that sickening feeling you have is because of the antiseptic in here.
The faded green flourescent lights and the institutional type walls around here with the green going up about 3 feet to white does add to the atmosphere doesn’t it?
This way please.. There will be a bit of a wait..
Forget about your pal Joesef. He wouldn’t be able to handle it.
I use a #4 scapel to start with. They’re pretty sharp so watch your fingers.
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I prefer Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Babylon 5.
Don’t worry we can always replace President Clark, oops Premier Clark with Alise Sheridan anyday now…
I’ll fold when my lady folds. Not before.
Josef
P.S. The birthday flowers were a big hit BTW.
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My offer stands. You propose, she accepts, I’m best man and I throw you a wedding that the Royals would find jaw-dropping.
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and a few of us will be waiting for the first chorus of the Bedspring Symphony..
… allegro maybe adagietto, or even lento..
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Can you say, restraining order?
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ROTFLMAO! Now THAT’S funny!!!
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Alex;
My friend being I prefer any wedding be small, intimate, focused, and serene because I put a high premium on marriage and substance instead of pomp and circumstance why don’t you finance instead reality TV.
Seriously. You don’t have to post this comment but this is for you to contemplate. How about… “SARA MAC IN THE CHRISTY CLIQUE”
Just imagine the off-the-wall comments… the fights between Sara Mac and the hard core Christy worshippers like Pammy Martin… THE Alise Mills putting on yet another clinic in the background… occasional cameos by yourself, Mary Polak, me, THE Alise Mills, Mike Gheoeghan, Adrian Dix, Christy Clark, Bill Good, Sandy Garissino, various BCTF members waiting for slaughter, and the list goes on… oh and the serious watchdog vs. Christycat fights!!!
People would want to watch this again… and again… and again.
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I’ll get right on that, Joe.
So does this mean you and Alise are off?
Where’s my Kleenex…???
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We’re not off sir. There hasn’t been a proposal yet.
I’m about a year away. I’m not the kinda weirdo who pops the most important question of my life just because.
Marriage to me is the most serious, most important commitment that can be made by a human being AFTER serving in the armed forces or as a First Responder. You do NOT go into this lightly…
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After you’ve been married for awhile, you’re gonna wish you HAD served in the armed forces!
LOL!
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Umm, Josef, the teachers are not Christy’s only concern. She has far bigger fires burning at the moment which need to be put out. Anyway, best of luck with Sara who has “won your heart over”.
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Joe has a heart like an artichoke!!! Every layer delivers a new taste!
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I meant Alise sir.
I’m trying very hard to lay off the Aliseburner and you just keep asking for more, more, MORE!
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Good one again Alex. I’m afraid that the livestock have left the barn as far as Snooki and company are concerned. They could have JC himself deliver their message and I wouldn’t believe a word of it. The package may be more attractive, but the same crap is still inside.
As one of your other readers pointed out, Snooki still feels it necessary to make “major” announcements outside the legislature. Silly me. I thought that that’s what is there for. But then again, we’re talking Snooki who really doesn’t have the brains God gave geese, or the sense to use the little she has.
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True enough!
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Snooki = Hollywood North Politics it worked for Arnie in Hollywood.
The stable was left open and they are slowly creeping out.
The barn on the other hand has Mad cow disease time for a cull.
Only one chance to save a seat all new mla’s starting now for the next year and lots of photo ops.
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I don’t think Arnie is going to chum around with the Snook-C anytime soon however.
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Hi Alex
Besides the fact that this hire will be paid for with tax payer funds, won’t there be plenty of video footage of interviews in which Sara MacIntyre spoke against the many ways in which middle income earners are gouged by user fees, tolls, levies, and tax shifts which have made life so unaffordable for the masses in BC? For her to ‘spin’ for Christy would seem very disingenuous and easy to contradict using her own statements from the video vaults . . . but if she had the ability to put her hand up the back of Christy’s shirt and teach her to govern, then she’d really be earning her keep (especially since Cummins and Dix are so complacently quiet on all the issues of the past decade). Sad part is that restoring the hospitals, schools, court houses, ferries, and senior services is going to cost money … and that left town with the Olympics. Oh, what an expensive party! There was dancing in the streets because tax payers couldn’t afford seats in the venues but they could afford red mitts.
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Exceptional points.
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Ah. You say ” Her party is in the dumpster. Her reputation is in tatters.” Her reputation has never once been such that it could sink deeper, she’s been a total and complete failure from the day she enrolled at SFU and left no doubt as to the path she would inexorably follow. She only matters in light of how poorly she manages the direction she is given by her handlers. I commented in one of your earlier posts that Steven Harper will work at placing key people in positions propitious to his end game. We are seeing more and more of what that is. The BC liberal party is finished, there should be little doubt of that. Of greater concern is what will influence the political future of this great province. Prepare for an ever increasing influx of federal Tory talent inflicting financial pressure , however subtle to achieve what is most certainly not in the better interest of the good people of this province. Just my dimes worth.
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Different perspectives seem to agree we are at a turning point.
I just heard KFalcon reading a prepared statement as if he was a schoolboy reading lines . . .
Somethin’s happening but we don’t know what it is yet.
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I stopped shadow dancing right after Andy Gibb died.
You might want to quit too.
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I never bought a BeeGees album so I don’t quite get what you’re getting at but I’ll take your advice and quit for the night.
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Your comment had no defined thesis or purpose. Just some shadowy suggestion that “something was happening” but we were still in the dark.
Quick, someone queue the Bela Lugosi music!
C’mon, you’re better than that.
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Fair enough. The point I was trying to make is that I and many others are not clear yet on what will evolve in B.C. politics except that the staus quo almost certainly will not get re-elected and prevail for four more years.
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After a lot of thought I have arrived at a conclusion. No Liberal MLA will do anything to bring the government down. They did as they were told during the Campbell years. They enabled him to degrade health care, education, the care homes and services for the elderly, and anyone else that was not corporate elite. They know most of them will be fired by the voters, and now they want to pad their pensions as much as they can by hanging around as long as possible. And so they will do nothing, watch Christy die an agonizingly long death, and pad their pensionable time doing it. No relief for the beleaguered voters, they are going to squeeze every last cent they can out of them instead. They do not care what condition they leave the province in. Kinda like a house wrecker of an eviction party.
So Christy will keep re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Throwing those are are no longer useful to her under the bus, and replacing them with anyone in a desperate attempt to hold on to the premier’s office.
The federal Conservatives will help her a bit, they do not want to see any shift to the left anywhere. Harper’s idea of Canada seems to be 3 missiles to the right of George W, and he seems to have been paying attention to how Campbell got things done.
Overall, I think it’s going to be a dismal time for most in BC until an election is actually called. And all I want is a government that will tell us what they really are going to do before they are elected, not after.
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I’m not sure about your assessment of either the discontented MLAs or the Prime Minister.
One, the six or seven MLAs who could bolt need to sit as independents. This is never easy. Just sitting there isn’t enough. They must provide a plan and have some ideas to lead with. Otherwise, it isn’t enough to say they dislike the Premier’s attempts at leadership.
Two, I have a hard time with people trying to compare unlike things. The notion that Stephen Harper’s government is to the right of George W. Bush is a statement that is so ridiculous, as the comparison cannot be made. There may be similarities in how they are perceived, but the idea that there is some arbitrary bar is absurd.
Sorry, no offence, but while I agree that the Harper Conservatives have made some very serious mistakes in their first half year, I find it difficult to accept that comparing them to a bad government in another country is at all relevant.
I do, though, believe that you are absolutely right in wanting a principled govt here in BC.
I’m waiting with you…
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Yeah, the missile comment was over the top. The federal Conservatives remind me of the last 11 years in BC, and I do not like it. They try to ” brand ” those that have different ideas than theirs. The comments from Towes about those that were concerned about the police not requiring warrants in the new legislation as supporting pedophiles for example. The BC liberals were masters at labeling those that opposed them. The stifling of debate is another example. The government should answer the questions in question period. And the lying when caught doing something you shouldn’t and then there being no consequences when caught lying, let alone getting caught doing something you should not have….there is no honor anymore. What happened to the days of someone stepping down when caught?
The biggest thing I do not like is both provincially and federally there is an agenda of corporate interests above all, no matter the cost to health care, the taxpayer, the elderly, the locals, and the environment. Political extremes on either side of the political spectrum have never worked out well for the majority of the people, and I do not view the actions of the BC Liberals or the federal Conservatives as being very middle of the road.
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No, quite right, nor do I.
The problem being corruption only follows greed.
Then what?
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Wow! You’re Famous.
WE All`Saw…Ya!…..
You Did All You Said.
Carry On Alex.
Thanks Mr White.
P.S. Harper Is Not Funny.
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You’re a funny guy.
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The Harper helpers are all over this Provinces business.In the Fraser Valley Harper has his hand up Chucky cheeseys butt and in turn Chucky`s got his hand up Jr`s butt. Quite a Federal Conservative “daisy chain” The puppet master will not be outdone.
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Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome Justin Trudeau…
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ouch!
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I was kidding…clearly.
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Why is no one asking why Harpers people keep landing in Victoria Campbell gets an appointment after selling us out whats Clark been promised and its time to ask and h=get some real answers Harpers crew wanst tankers and pipelines whats he paying to get it and what will we pay later.
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In fairness, only ONE former Harperite, Ms. McIntyre is landing in the Clark camp.
Ken Boessenkool is not very well liked by the ruling faction (there are three) that surround and support the Prime Minister. Dimitri Pantazopoulos falls into the same class.
There are no others, because all other spots are taken by dye-in-the wool, hardcore federal Liberals, just like Ms. Clark.
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Having read through the comments on this article plus many others over the past few years, both on this site as well as others, I get the feeling that a good number of people are unhappy with our governance. When you separate the wheat from the chaff it boils down to how our governance is chosen.
Think about it. We have been indoctrinated to accept that we must vote for political party A, B or C. What do we end up getting? Usually a term or two of one group that eventually outstays its welcome, only to be replaced by another group which repeats the pattern of eventual unacceptability, and so on, and so on. One group builds something which gets torn down by the next group and replaced by something else which suffers the same fate when their time is done. It’s like a ritualistic dance.
Many of you have commented that restricting political donations from corporate entities and unions would be a fix. It may work to a point, but in the same way as accountants find new ways of beating the taxman political parties will find a way of selling their services to the highest bidder, so to speak. As Alex has shown over and over again, lobbyists seem to be able to circumvent rules with complicit operatives.
What we need is to get rid of party politics. As things stand today, we do not elect a representative in our specific riding, we elect a person that has agreed to follow the wishes of their leader. Consider this. When was the last time you heard a candidate state what they personally stand for. Most of them regurgitate party dogma and nothing more. Instead of gampaigning for something, they campaign against something someone else has done. This may be fine if they offer a solution, but for some reason, that part of the programme seems to be unavailable.
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Regarding comments to the effect that Arnie won’t be hanging with Snooki any time soon, here are some nice photos of Sara MacIntyre doing just that:
http://www.naikun.ca/news_media/news/PES_Overview.pdf
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Yes, that’s her.
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Is it just me, or is it creepy to the extreme that Joseph continually latches onto some young female liberal staffer or mla and spends months trying to promote her in his every utterance?
The list now includes several woman who have seen their career diminished after he globs onto them.
It’s never a male he creeps on, it’s always some young woman.
It seems like a sexist stalker, cult worship mantra.
I can understand a healthy respect and promotion of political players as normal but Joseph’s sycophantic pervy uncle trip is getting right skeevy.
Am I wrong?
Lastly, I ask our humble host what he thinks the drop dead date for the BCL to ask CC to stand down for “family reasons” and anoint a new Leader is?
respect.
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I’ll deal with your questions in order:
1) I think Josef needs to suck it up and just call Alise, meet her for coffee, get down on one knee and ask her. She’d be crazy not to say ‘YES!’
2) If the BC Liberals cannot get rid of Christy by June of this year then they’re done. She’ll stay on. The possible movement that is currently brewing would be similar to those Socreds that sat as “independent” Socreds when the fell out of love with Willie Wooden Shoes. So, sitting as independent Liberals also gets them party status. Although I suspect in that kind of scenario, Clark’s people are scorched earth enough to pull the pin and call a snap election–taking every one down. This is the federal Liberal mentality at play.
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Jon Ferry’s comments are comical in Monday’s Province. Is he actually serious.
“Clark, a natural-born politician,”
http://www.theprovince.com/opinion/Clark+ready+ideological+slugfest+with/6179212/story.html
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It’s what in the business we refer to as ‘a throw away’.
Not much to write about that day, I guess. Although, Jon’s a friend and I quite like him, far from his best. Oh well. I’ve got a few of those myself. You can’t always be one. Although Jon writes a few times per week.
I’m on every day…
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I appropriately threw it away.
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Oh good then…
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