Written by Grant G
What an amazing B.C. political firestorm we just endured...what happened, why it happened....
Sometimes the littlest error can bring down Goliath..
A lot of things had to go right for John Horgan to gain power..everything had to fall into place, including a litany of errors by the BC Liberal machine, too clever by half...personal Christy Clark advisors led her headlong over the political cliff....
Yes, there are/were election issues...Kinder Morgan...Site C boondoggle, a failed LNG gambit..a ridiculous Massey bridge proposal...
but that's not what brought down Christy Clark, it wasn't John Horgan, it wasn't money(per se)...what brought down Clark and her Liberal gang was hubris and bad political advice...
Clawing back bus passes from the disabled....the amount of money saved was not even a drop in the bucket..Clark was advised by an idiot...
Rich Coleman telling the media that BC,s wildwest campaign finance was not an issue the public cared about....
Bad advisors again....Christy Clark with a huge election warchest...she had the public advertising purse too..BC Liberals had Postmedia and corporate MSM on their side in a blatant partisan way...Clark had economic bragging rights of Canada(the best of a bad bunch of economic basketcases)...
A smart advisor would have never allowed the bus pass clawback..a smart advisor knowing a big surplus was available would never have made a 50% MSP cut a year later(after an election) as the big budget 2017 measure...
A smart advisor would have never suggested or insisted on those measures....
During the election...a troll truck?...are we children, a college frat stunt...Animal House anyone...who thunk that up (Zubyk?)
I am Linda.....a smart advisor would have put out that firestorm within an hour...would have called Linda, arranged a sit-down interview with Clark herself...a smart advisor would have turned I am Linda into a real opportunity....Clark's advisors went into partisan attack mode against Linda....
a smart advisor would have had Clark recant the NDP web hacking claim within minutes....Christy Clark's hand picked advisors cost her the election..
John Horgan didn't win the election...Christy Clark's braintrust blew it bigtime..and
A lot of people and players contributed to Horgan getting a chance to govern..
Bob Mackin...Merv Adey..Norm Farrell...Laila Yuile...Integrity BC...The Tyee..Andrew Nikiforuk...Ross K...Rafe..Desmog..Burnaby's Kinder Morgan fighting warriors...Friends of the Skeena..Save the Peace groups..the list is long and I can't name everyone...including The Straight Goods who near single handed gutted the LNG fable like a sushi chef carving fresh tuna..
What is this post about.....this is about being different....it's about living outside the echo chamber and not becoming a blind follower.
It hurts to be attacked by those on the left for giving honest opinion.
as written here...Translink referendum was doomed...NDP should never have promoted it...NDP should of demanded the Provincial government find a way to fund transit..not try to win a silly(doomed referendum)....NDP advisors told the party they would win that Translink referendum...they too were wrong...advisors told the NDP to walk the fence on LNG....that too was wrong, as LNG in BC is caput..including Woodfibre..
Advisors to the NDP party messed up in 2013 with Dix's campaign and Dix himself as leader...(despite the fact that Dix is a smart, hardworking MLA and soon to be cabinet minister...)
When one surrounds themselves with "yes" men...lives in the political insider's club, resides in the echo chamber....one's perspective gets lost...
So...when I say the optics of no legislative sitting until September 5th is terrible, a bad idea...what I'm really saying is....we need to be different, appear different.....and therein lies my peeve...I'm getting attacked by partisans on the left, telling me to back off, literally calling me an enemy of the party...
When truth be known....Without The Straight Goods(sworn to secrecy) and every bit of help from those mentioned above including thousands more, foot soldiers, volunteers, organizers and the like John Horgan would not be government(as slim as his margin is )today.
NDP..including Horgan..and Andrew Weaver complained very loudly about Clark stalling on bringing back the legislature until June 22nd..and another weeklong stall on a throne speech vote(June 29th).....
The not so secret rumor that our Legislature won't be recalled until after Labour day has emerged ...and now Michael Smyth, and Postmedia is beating the drum about the hypocrisy of not bringing our Legislature back until September 5th(2 months from today) when they so loudly criticized Clark on her recalling delays....
There is no budget passed yet...provincial monies run out in September...passing a throne speech will take 2 weeks..a budget several weeks..a month of work without bringing any other legislation to the floor...and so much needs doing..(and I understand briefing documents need to be read, transition papers...but, until you have the reins you won't get the juicy bits)...
This Powell River Persuader sees political opportunity...call the legislature back right after swearing in and appointing cabinet...Give throne speech, debate it, vote confidence on it...then bring in a few Bills/legislation(not the budget)....Run Legislature from mid July to first week in August....then shut it down until after labour day(then pass a budget)...in my opinion, my advice...the public will see different...public will see a new government that's hungry to succeed..
Why do I think late July and August for a legislative sitting is a good idea...because there are many long in the tooth BC Liberal MLAs who booked their holidays...they want the summer off, and off they will be...if all of Horgan's team, and Green team members are there...with missing BC Liberals the speaker won't have to vote in August...come September, most likely all 87 MLAs are there..
year after year...BC MLAs have had 1/2 the year off, or more...I am aware that MLAs do other work in their constituency..
I am also aware that many MLAs...from both sides, from all sides, NDP..Libs..Greens are yearning for their usual long summer break...
In other words...legislative business, and BC Liberal style Legislative scheduling as usual...with Postmedia beating the anti NDP drum...
If anyone thinks the NDP will have corporate media on their side come the next election, whenever that might be are sorely mistaken..
The NDP..John Horgan...Andrew Weaver will receive no quarter, they'll have to make their own good news...
The BC Liberal side, come September, they too will criticize Horgan for the delay in recalling our Legislature...they will hammer the NDP for not sitting after claiming urgency...it matters not that all BC Liberal MLAs want to go on extended summer vacation...
I've never been a blind follower....I call em as I see em......so go-ahead, call me names NDPers, retweet your inner petulance...show your blind partisan following abilities...
Become what you claimed was wrong with BC Liberal supporters..
There were many, and one election 2017 Kingmaker...and it wasn't blind followers..and it wasn't
"There are none so blind as those who refuse to see"
The Straight Goods
Cheers Eyes Wide Open
12 comments:
Got to agree with you--they do need to get to work right away.
And you're also correct in the sense that, the longer they wait to get at it, the longer the media corp$(e) has to pillory the new government.
I will happily call you out... outside the box, 'outside the the beltway' , do it different. It would truly signal things are going to be done in a new way, done for all BC citizens - BCers that have been so used and abused by the BC Liberals and their captured/sponsored MSM.
Brilliant in my opinion Grant, such action would really shakeup the status quo and signal big changes for responsive and effective governance.
I hope Mr Horgan and team will take your advise. John ghun and many other will all see the merits in your advise.
I have to agree. Move fast, get it done. What would piss off the Liberal cabal more than having to spend a blistering hot summer sitting in the Legislature while their friends are at the lake sucking back whatever they suck? It might make the long in the tooth Liberal MLA's think what the hell am I doing here? Perhaps the seats on that side of the room are not as comfortable? Time to pack my bags!
Grant G: I really admire how you've organized this piece. The Green/NDP should immediately hire you to get them on the right track! They need to stop bringing re-treads from Ontario to come out here and tell us what is the best approach. One only needs to look at the disaster the leader of the NDP was in an election that was hers for the taking!
I've seen so many examples of the NDP shooting itself in the foot, grasping the jaws of defeat when they were on route to a win! I saw it when Mike Harcourt was elected and the old guarde, who considered him a "lukewarm" socialist, brought in outsiders who had engineered defeat for an NDP party in several parts of Canada. I worked in government -- I saw their stupid mistakes -- and I saw them dump things like 'bingogate' in his lap rather than where the responsibility really existed.
I despair that they have been so oblivious of what the majority of voters were really looking for in a political party and blew so many opportunities. I would hope that most voters would understand that b.s. baffles brains and when the local media is so intense in electing one party, they needed to present a balanced, reasoned approach to their platform.
I could go on and on, but I think you understand where I'm coming from and how disappointed I have been for a number of years now. They should NOT take my vote for granted. If they decide to put a candidate in my riding that I cannot find it in my heart to vote for, I would rather stay home! and they need to understand that.
Thanks for the great comments....Jon Ghun...I really respect your opinion, means I wasn't off base with this posting....I was a little worried..
Bill..you really need to comment more often....or perhaps I need to be more inspiring to invoke comments from you..
Rob....not sure you contributed here before....but that was great...couldn't have said it better...
Lulymay....hire me, what an idea....don't see it happening because...."no good deed goes unpunished"
You know what Lulymay....I have it inside me, I know...and so do 2 other individuals....
I can hold my head high.....one day perhaps, you'll all know...
Good Day
MY thoughts also n.d.p all my life a long time if they do not get at it A.S.A.P the optics won't look good, they got traction for God's sake don't blow it the people are depending on you don,t let them down.
Absolutely bring the leg. back quickly to get the ball rolling, brilliant idea. And in the interim, keep the public informed of what is taking shape and with whom, timetables et. al. when the BCUC will be looking at site C, just for starters.
Many thanks for keeping the drumbeat going for so long, it may not be the perfect outcome but better than a continuation of the alternative.
Does NDP want bloggers to focus on them now by delaying.?Not recommended.
Actually....NDP party is expecting dutiful blind followers to shut up and say nothing..
even the swearing in of Horgan and cabinet has been postponed to last days of July...
In case they don't read comments here, I will email a link and suggest others do the same. Let's git 'er done. Show us this is a different group of governors with some commonsense and backbone that will not bend to the guidance of career back room political party types (regardless the party). Big risk of wishywashiness happening all over again.
This is not the way to increase share of popular vote next time around. I would suspect even the dutiful blind followers will call this a serious faux pas...too many good people have been elected to not be made use of. I don't care if they call the house to sit and rule on how many baskets of flowers to hang on the front porch, just rule on something. Banning union and corporate dues has already been presented, just photocopy it and present it again for chrissakes.
Sure a lot of stuff will take time, so what....people (and the media) will accept that if they see some action....or are we going to have to take aerial photos of them sitting on beaches instead of working? There should be places of importance and TV time offered to a Green or two as well. We want our province back and if this isn't the party to get it done we will soon get another one in there.
I do not do facebook, but my wife is looking at comments about the fire near 100 Mile. People / trolls are slamming the NDP for doing nothing. Call the Legislature, set up a task force, made certain every effort, dollar, aircraft is being used. Do something, it is called Government in Action. The Rural boys hate you so show them you care!!
Technically....Christy Clark is still premier until Horgan is sworn in....gee whiz...a fire in BC, in summer...shocked I tell you, shocked..
The righty whities probably want to see NDP MLAs on the fireline..cutting breaks and putting out hotspots...Firefighters/forestry staff...that's their job...and sometimes fires can't be stopped without the help of weather, or run it out of fuel....Cheers
Post a Comment