Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas and Happy Mothers Day to Christy Clark

[ToadBrother]

The BC NDP, demonstrating once again they're peculiar and extraordinary talent to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory have elected the one person the BC Liberals will have no problem beating; Adrian Dix. This guy, who was Glen Clark's protege (and by backdating a memo to try to get his boss out of trouble over Bingogate, also partner in crime) has the brilliant idea of pushing the BC NDP further to the Left to... um... yeah... catch all those left-leaning voters that have apparently not been pondering voting NDP since Carol James pushed the party towards the centre. You know, all those voters who gave the NDP the best approval ratings they'd seen in decades because of anti-HST anger.

So Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas and Happy Mothers all at once to Christy Clark. If I were her, I'd call a snap election immediately after the Federal election and take this guy down. Then maybe the NDP can, over the next four years, ponder why voting for a guy so far to the left he made Glen Clark look moderate was a bad idea.

[scouterjim]

The BC NDP, demonstrating once again they're peculiar and extraordinary talent to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory have elected the one person the BC Liberals will have no problem beating; Adrian Dix. This guy, who was Glen Clark's protege (and by backdating a memo to try to get his boss out of trouble over Bingogate, also partner in crime) has the brilliant idea of pushing the BC NDP further to the Left to... um... yeah... catch all those left-leaning voters that have apparently not been pondering voting NDP since Carol James pushed the party towards the centre. You know, all those voters who gave the NDP the best approval ratings they'd seen in decades because of anti-HST anger.

So Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas and Happy Mothers all at once to Christy Clark. If I were her, I'd call a snap election immediately after the Federal election and take this guy down. Then maybe the NDP can, over the next four years, ponder why voting for a guy so far to the left he made Glen Clark look moderate was a bad idea.

I am surprised Dix won, but since I never vote NDP, it means nothing to me. Too many of his left wing policies scare people, so his chance of becoming premier are slim.

Edited April 18, 2011 by scouterjim

[Harry]

The mainstream press who basically front for Christy was pushing for Farnworth, and even manipulating polls in an attempt to influence the BC NDP members each of whom had a vote.

Dix who is very capable, will be underrated, which should help him during the election campaign.

[ToadBrother]

The mainstream press who basically front for Christy was pushing for Farnworth, and even manipulating polls in an attempt to influence the BC NDP members each of whom had a vote.

That's a helluva an accusation. Got some proof, other than the continual cries of self-pity?

Dix who is very capable, will be underrated, which should help him during the election campaign.

He'll bomb. The NDP have already basically given up the massive advantage they had eight months ago with this insane leadership quarrel, and now to pick the guy who will take a hard left, they've blown any chance of winning the next election.

The BC Liberals very wisely gave the keys to Clark, despite the fact that the old Socred wing and the business wing heavily favored Kevin Falcon. The BC Liberals voted with their brains, the NDP, with, I dunno... their knuckles?

And let's not forget that Dix started using the same old dirty tricks of mass signups that had marred previous election votes, whereas the BC Liberals went to a regionally weighted system.

Edited April 18, 2011 by ToadBrother

[Harry]

The NDP weren't going to win with Carole James - provincial council abdicated their responsibility after the last election when they should have addressed the leadership issue. They didn't, Carole exploited the situation, and viola she lost the confidence of caucus and had to step down. I'm not saying Dix will win but he definitely has the potential to do so.

Do people not think Clark and the other BC Liberal leadership hopefuls signed up new members? Of course they did - it's part of the process.

No matter who the NDP chose they will be attacked by the media as that's a given

Edited April 18, 2011 by Harry

[Pliny]

Whew! Dix won the leadership. I'm so relieved. The BCTF have someone the can confidently back now.

Carole James was getting a little too popular for my liking.

Actually though, the NDP are now more definitively leftist. The pity is that the liberals have moved into Carole James' slot. We need a good centrist, small government party in BC.

[Wilber]

I'm thinkin the Liberals have just been handed the next election. Pitty, I would have liked to have seen a real fight.

Edited April 18, 2011 by Wilber

[ToadBrother]

I'm thinkin the Liberals have just been handed the next election. Pitty, I would have liked to have seen a real fight.

I'm thinking Christy Clark is seriously thinking of calling an election sooner rather than later. I know the rumor going around was no earlier than the fall, but I think there's a real argument for pulling the pin after the Federal election is over with.

If they had picked Farnworth, they would have had a fighting chance. Dix is the best thing Clark could have hoped for.

[ToadBrother]

The NDP weren't going to win with Carole James - provincial council abdicated their responsibility after the last election when they should have addressed the leadership issue. They didn't, Carole exploited the situation, and viola she lost the confidence of caucus and had to step down. I'm not saying Dix will win but he definitely has the potential to do so.

He has no potential to win. He'll polarize, turn it left, and lose the game. Glen Clark only won in 1996 through a statistical fluke, the BC NDP lost the popular vote to the BC Liberals. You're living in fantasy land if you think Dix can beat Clark.

Do people not think Clark and the other BC Liberal leadership hopefuls signed up new members? Of course they did - it's part of the process.

Except that the BC Liberals brought in a regionally-weighted voting system, which means large-scale signups would have done the candidates little good. There were a few leadership hopefuls like Kevin Falcon who were privately pretty ticked at the change because it meant that for all the signups they could pull off, the regionally weighting killed their advantage. The party executive only went along with the proposal because of the deeper fear of allowing the larger urban areas their traditional dominance would split the party along urban-rural lines (which was a real possibility last fall).

No matter who the NDP chose they will be attacked by the media as that's a given

The media has spent the last two years ripping the BC Liberals a new one, and you still carry around that absurd claim that everyone's out to get the NDP. The NDP's biggest problem isn't the media, it's the fact that it's attachment (some might say umbilical cord) to the labour movement means that centrists like James and Farnsworth, and yes, even Harcourt, who was as much destroyed by a palace coupe by the left wing Rat Pack, get turfed or overlooked in favor of the likes of Dix.

Christy Clark will likely call an election very soon. There's a sensible reason beyond just taking advantage of the near-terminal stupidity of the BC NDP, and that's to get an election under her belt before the BC Conservatives can recreate the perfect storm in 1996 that saw the BC Liberals lose despite being the more popular party.

[Wilber]

I'm thinking Christy Clark is seriously thinking of calling an election sooner rather than later. I know the rumor going around was no earlier than the fall, but I think there's a real argument for pulling the pin after the Federal election is over with.

If they had picked Farnworth, they would have had a fighting chance. Dix is the best thing Clark could have hoped for.

So much for fixed election dates, this is the very thing they were intended to avoid.

If Dix does worse than James in the next election, Farnworth could be leader quicker than you think.

[ToadBrother]

So much for fixed election dates, this is the very thing they were intended to avoid.

Then someone should have written an amendment to the BC Constitution Act that actually removed the right of the Lieutenant Governor to dissolve the legislature. It was pointed at the time as so many trumpeting that great democrat Gordon Campbell that unless the prerogative itself was removed, the fixed election date legislation was pretty impotent.

If Dix does worse than James in the next election, Farnworth could be leader quicker than you think.

By that time all the goodwill will have fled. The NDP blew it.

[Wilber]

Then someone should have written an amendment to the BC Constitution Act that actually removed the right of the Lieutenant Governor to dissolve the legislature. It was pointed at the time as so many trumpeting that great democrat Gordon Campbell that unless the prerogative itself was removed, the fixed election date legislation was pretty impotent.

Agreed, politicians can always find an excuse to have an election. Doesn't mean it wasn't a good idea though and Campbell did stick to it for three terms.

By that time all the goodwill will have fled. The NDP blew it.

Agreed, unless the Liberals screw up big time again. The BC Rail fiasco, the way it has been handled and Clarks reluctance to hold an inquiry when those close to her were involved could be a big factor in an election, but anyone who was thinking of switching votes because of it will now be reassessing with Dix as NDP leader.

[ToadBrother]

Agreed, unless the Liberals screw up big time again. The BC Rail fiasco, the way it has been handled and Clarks reluctance to hold an inquiry when those close to her were involved could be a big factor in an election, but anyone who was thinking of switching votes because of it will now be reassessing with Dix as NDP leader.

I don't think the BC Rail scandal has much in the way of legs left. But that only adds fuel to the fire to get an election soon, and then do any reviews or commissions in the first half of the new term.

I'm thinking the very good odds we'll have an election no later than the fall, and at least some potential for one in May, to try to beat the HST referendum and to catch the BC Conservatives before they have a chance to do any vote splitting, though I have a feeling that that group is going to do what it always does, spend more time smacking each around then the BC Liberals or NDP.

[Wilber]

I don't think the BC Rail scandal has much in the way of legs left. But that only adds fuel to the fire to get an election soon, and then do any reviews or commissions in the first half of the new term.

I'm thinking the very good odds we'll have an election no later than the fall, and at least some potential for one in May, to try to beat the HST referendum and to catch the BC Conservatives before they have a chance to do any vote splitting, though I have a feeling that that group is going to do what it always does, spend more time smacking each around then the BC Liberals or NDP.

We shall see come election time. I would sure like to know why a plea bargain was arranged just before members of the government were due to testify and why 6 million in tax money went to pay the legal fees of the two guys who plead guilty. Wouldn't you?

Calling an election before the referendum would be enough to make me to vote for Dix.

[TimG]

Calling an election before the referendum would be enough to make me to vote for Dix.

Well they are setting the referendum up for failure with the mail in ballot (only most motivated will bother to respond).

[Pliny]

So much for fixed election dates, this is the very thing they were intended to avoid.

If Dix does worse than James in the next election, Farnworth could be leader quicker than you think.

Not if jenny Kwan has her way.