Christy Clark is the new Premier Designate

[scouterjim]

Beating Kevin Falcon, Clark has won the Liberal Party leadership campaign. I guess we will have to wait and see how she runs a government.

Edited February 27, 2011 by scouterjim

[ToadBrother]

Beating Kevin Falcon, Clark has won the Liberal Party leadership campaign. I guess we will have to wait and see how she runs a government.

Loudly, horribly and likely fracturing the Socred-Liberal coalition in the process. I would have sooner had Falcon as Premier to Clark.

[kimmy]

I recall hearing a poll that said that Christy Clark would handily whip ass and become premier if she were the Liberal leader, and that was before she'd entered the leadership race and before Carole James had even resigned.

I suspect this is an extremely bad result for the BC NDP.

-k

[ToadBrother]

I recall hearing a poll that said that Christy Clark would handily whip ass and become premier if she were the Liberal leader, and that was before she'd entered the leadership race and before Carole James had even resigned.

I suspect this is an extremely bad result for the BC NDP.

-k

That really depends. I think Mike Farnsworth would have a decent shot, he's certainly well-respected.

I have this bad feeling that the BC Liberals have just chosen the next Bill Vanderzalm.

[August1991]

We now have women as PMs in Canada's two extremeties - but neither have been elected.

I barely follow BC politics so Christy Clark is but a name on the page for me. I think the HST will possibly be the deciding factor in any election. (That's a whole other thread. The VAT killed the Japanese LDP and killed Canada's Progressive Conservative Party. If the US Democrats were to adopt a federal sales tax, it would kill them too.)

-----

Women can become leaders of parties. They can get elected as Mayors of small towns, federal MPs or to provincial legislatures. But we balk at electing them to the position of PM. US Democrats chose Obama over Clinton. Despite Charest's deep unpopularity, Pauline Marois is not picking up support.

In simple terms: women are not electable as leaders in the West. The obvious exception is Thatcher but she was a force to be reckoned with.

[kimmy]

I think that Christy Clark will beat the NDP, because I think that in their hearts BC voters don't want to go NDP, and the only reason they were considering it was that Gordon Campbell himself was profoundly unpopular.

-k

[ToadBrother]

We now have women as PMs in Canada's two extremeties - but neither have been elected.

I barely follow BC politics so Christy Clark is but a name on the page for me. I think the HST will possibly be the deciding factor in any election. (That's a whole other thread. The VAT killed the Japanese LDP and killed Canada's Progressive Conservative Party. If the US Democrats were to adopt a federal sales tax, it would kill them too.)

I think the HST issue has already been decided, or at least how it will be decided has been decided. There will be a referendum, probably leading to it being thrown out. I'm not sure how much it can hurt the BC Liberals any more. Campbell is gone, Colin Hansen won't probably be finance minister in a few weeks, we'll either have a referendum in June, or potentially Clark will call an early election to catch the NDP off guard and couple the HST vote with that.

She'll make a charismatic leader. She will also likely piss off her caucus, for which she received no support beyond a single backbencher. She's very vague on policies, has had some big flipflops. In general, I see another disaster on the horizon, and soon enough people will be longing for the days of Gordon Campbell.

[ToadBrother]

I think that Christy Clark will beat the NDP, because I think that in their hearts BC voters don't want to go NDP, and the only reason they were considering it was that Gordon Campbell himself was profoundly unpopular.

-k

I think it's too early to call that. There's still a lot of residual anger, which is why I think they went with Clark, knowing that every other candidate had the stench of the HST on them. But I wouldn't count the NDP out yet. Clark may be the outsider who isn't tainted by the HST, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the BC Rail scandal, which only one of the Liberal candidates even committed to investigating further... and it wasn't Clark.

In other words, she's not without baggage, and there are still fears within the BC Liberals that she may not be the unifying figure they need.

[kimmy]

Real life story:

a customer calls up our boss, angry that we invoiced him after HST came into effect.

My boss says "tell you what... we'll redo the invoice, backdated to before to the HST."

Sends out the new invoice, with PST and GST.

Customer calls back and says "but... this is the exact same price as before!"

Boss says "yep."

-k

[Jack Weber]

Tell me something,BC'ers...

Were there any substantial public hearings on the efficacy of the HST in British Columbia...

And,to grease your collective palms,are you being bribed with your own money and being told by the provincial gov't that it will create up to 600,000 new jobs??

[August1991]

She will also likely piss off her caucus, for which she received no support beyond a single backbencher.

I didn't know that and in my mind, that's a big mistake.

A leader without caucus support is like a US president without partisan Congessional support - dead in the water. Her first step should be to make peace with her caucus, and tell them that new caucus members will not be a threat.

All leaders must keep their caucus happy but sitting PMs moreso - particularly those facing election.

Edited February 27, 2011 by August1991

[August1991]

Were there any substantial public hearings on the efficacy of the HST in British Columbia...

And,to grease your collective palms,are you being bribed with your own money and being told by the provincial gov't that it will create up to 600,000 new jobs??

The NDP/progessive Liberals want all kinds of State programmes to help the downtrodden. But how to pay for these programmes? "Make the rich pay" is a tired, pointless slogan.

I have always been amazed how the NDP/Liberals opposed the GST. If we want more government, we the people have to pay for it. It is foolish/naive/childish to believe that someone else will pay.

[kimmy]

The anti-HST outrage is almost entirely a result of angry mooks, with no idea what the HST actually means, shouting "tax BAD! gobermint BAD!" loudly enough to create a news item.

The anti-HST outrage has been fueled by people smart enough to realize that 12% is more than 5% or 7% yet too dumb to realize that 5% + 7% = 12%.

Anti-HST outrage has fizzled dramatically now that people have seen it and realized that the HST makes barely any difference to their sad little lives. The only time people even notice the difference is when they dine out, which for the knuckle-dragging deadbeats behind the anti-HST outrage, is when they take their long-suffering spouse out for their birthday dinner to a Denny's or Swiss Chalet for the truly swank among them.

The anti-HST recall campaigns targeting MLAs have all fizzled badly, as the anti-HST crowd has been distracted by much more pressing matters like whether Stone Cold Steve Austin will defeat The Undertaker at WWF Revenge next month.

-k

[Jack Weber]

The NDP/progessive Liberals want all kinds of State programmes to help the downtrodden. But how to pay for these programmes? "Make the rich pay" is a tired, pointless slogan.

I have always been amazed how the NDP/Liberals opposed the GST. If we want more government, we the people have to pay for it. It is foolish/naive/childish to believe that someone else will pay.

Yadda...Yadda...Personal freedom....Yadda

Film at 11...

I'm asking a question of the BC residents..Not some Quebec pseudointellectual about his feelings on the BC/Ontario HST situation.......

[Jack Weber]

The anti-HST outrage is almost entirely a result of angry mooks, with no idea what the HST actually means, shouting "tax BAD! gobermint BAD!" loudly enough to create a news item.

The anti-HST outrage has been fueled by people smart enough to realize that 12% is more than 5% or 7% yet too dumb to realize that 5% + 7% = 12%.

Anti-HST outrage has fizzled dramatically now that people have seen it and realized that the HST makes barely any difference to their sad little lives. The only time people even notice the difference is when they dine out, which for the knuckle-dragging deadbeats behind the anti-HST outrage, is when they take their long-suffering spouse out for their birthday dinner to a Denny's or Swiss Chalet for the truly swank among them.

The anti-HST recall campaigns targeting MLAs have all fizzled badly, as the anti-HST crowd has been distracted by much more pressing matters like whether Stone Cold Steve Austin will defeat The Undertaker at WWF Revenge next month.

-k

The problem in Ontrio was that it was implemented undemocratically...

So much so that the PC party,who essentially bleated howls of derision (even though when Jim Flaherty was finance minister,he kinda...sorta...wanted value added taxes and Tim Hudak has admitted he would'nt do much different other than a few exemptions)...But went along with it anyways...

We only had one day of public hearings at Queens Park ,in Toronto only....

We've been tod by Mr.McGuinty that this will create upwards of 600,000 new jobs plus we are suppose to get a whole host of personal income tax decreases,all the while,being bribed with our own money (3 installments of approx. 300 bucks over a year and a half)...

I was wondering if the same process was happening out there....

[kimmy]

The problem in Ontrio was that it was implemented undemocratically...

That's really the only legit complaint out here as well.

-k

[Wild Bill]

We've been tod by Mr.McGuinty that this will create upwards of 600,000 new jobs plus we are suppose to get a whole host of personal income tax decreases,all the while,being bribed with our own money (3 installments of approx. 300 bucks over a year and a half)...

Gee Jack, McGuinty said the HST would create 600,000 jobs. His "green" electricity policies were going to create 50,000 jobs.

He's pulled a lot of such numbers out of his butt while he's been in office.

Sorta makes me wonder how there can be any unemployed workers LEFT in Ontario!

[August1991]

Who will oppose her? Other than the HST, and being a woman, I think her NDP opponent is another key question.

The anti-HST outrage is almost entirely a result of angry mooks, with no idea what the HST actually means, shouting "tax BAD! gobermint BAD!" loudly enough to create a news item.

You may be right, Kimmy. But don't underestimate the political effect of a sales tax. Harper was elected, and re-elected with its reduction.

The Japanese LDP controled Japan for 40 years until they introduced a VAT.

Edited February 27, 2011 by August1991

[eyeball]

That really depends. I think Mike Farnsworth would have a decent shot, he's certainly well-respected.

I have this bad feeling that the BC Liberals have just chosen the next Bill Vanderzalm.

Or the next Glen Clark. Either way....bwahahahahahaha!

[eyeball]

Tell me something,BC'ers...

Were there any substantial public hearings on the efficacy of the HST in British Columbia...

No.

And,to grease your collective palms,are you being bribed with your own money and being told by the provincial gov't that it will create up to 600,000 new jobs??

Yes.

[msj]

Yes.

No, we have been told it will create 150,000 jobs but, given the relative differences in populations between BC and ON, that amounts to the same (relative) thing.

[Wilber]

I have no idea what Clark stands for. She campaigned against STV before it came up for a referendum and then bemoaned its absence when Campbell brought in the HST which she also criticized. Now she is for the HST and came out in favour of the voting system that got her made leader. A form of STV. At one point she is talking about a vote in the legislature to determine the future of the HST and next she is saying there can't be an election until after the HST referendum. Which is it?

We have fixed election dates in this province, brought in by her party when she was a cabinet minister. Now she wants to do a Chretien and call a general election before the term is out, just to one up the opposition. An election for no ones benefit but her own. This legislature spent less time in session than any other in the province's history. Time to quit politicking and get their asses back to work. Need to know whether we have another shoot from the hip Zam on our hands or someone with some substance before she will get my vote. I want to test drive this model for a while before I sign on the line for another four years.

[Wilber]

The anti-HST outrage is almost entirely a result of angry mooks, with no idea what the HST actually means, shouting "tax BAD! gobermint BAD!" loudly enough to create a news item.

The anti-HST outrage has been fueled by people smart enough to realize that 12% is more than 5% or 7% yet too dumb to realize that 5% + 7% = 12%.

Anti-HST outrage has fizzled dramatically now that people have seen it and realized that the HST makes barely any difference to their sad little lives. The only time people even notice the difference is when they dine out, which for the knuckle-dragging deadbeats behind the anti-HST outrage, is when they take their long-suffering spouse out for their birthday dinner to a Denny's or Swiss Chalet for the truly swank among them.

The anti-HST recall campaigns targeting MLAs have all fizzled badly, as the anti-HST crowd has been distracted by much more pressing matters like whether Stone Cold Steve Austin will defeat The Undertaker at WWF Revenge next month.

-k

Kimmy it is far more than 7% + 5% = 12% and you know it. That 7% is now being charged on a whole range of things that it wasn't before. Some of them very big things. Anything you need that is labour intensive just went up 7% because that is the big difference between PST and HST. HST taxes labour as well as goods. Some things about it are quite dishonest as well. Bought a CFL light bulb lately. You are charged an eco fee supposedly for recycling. You are also charged HST on that eco fee. Putting the entire HST on the private sale of used vehicles. GST is not charged on those sales so the province just increased the PST on those sales from 7% to 12%. Either that or the feds are now charging GST on vehicle sales that it doesn't in provinces without an HST.

You can argue whether it is good for the economy and it may very well be but don't insult its critics by saying they are too dumb to realize it is just 7% + 5% = 12%.

Edited February 27, 2011 by Wilber

[Smallc]

Economic analysis showed that the HST would cost the average person .7% more per year than the PST and GST. That's less than a 1% increase in cost. Kimmy is, for all intents and purposes, right.

[Wilber]

Economic analysis showed that the HST would cost the average person .7% more per year than the PST and GST. That's less than a 1% increase in cost. Kimmy is, for all intents and purposes, right.

Who did that analysis? I spent over two grand on life saving surgery for my dog last July and because of HST it cost over $150 more than it would have in June. Try buying a home in the Vancouver area. It will cost you a hell of a lot more. Need your home painted or a new roof? You will now be paying an additional 7% on every hour of labour that went into doing the job. HST boosters pooh pooh criticism by just talking about haircuts and restaurant bills but it is far more than that. It's everything that wasn't taxed before.

Edited February 27, 2011 by Wilber