And I think it’s worth talking about what this does to the Green vote. There are a bunch of voters who are comfortable voting Green in an election where the NDP is a clear favorite and the right wing is divided. If the narrative is that it’s going to be a nail-biting close election and the only real choice is NDP or Conservative, I think you’ll see a fair number on the furthest left who vote NDP. It would only take a couple percentage in movement each from the far left and the center towards the NDP to put them in a decent position.
I met Kevin Falcon once about 20 years ago when he was a junior minister in the Gordon Campbell government. I was not impressed then and I guess he lived up to my expectations.
Just like Charest, Falcon has come to the conclusion that the current conservatives are controlled by the hard right wing. And this hard right wing believes it is their time to be in charge. No more compromising, compromise is weakness.
I think Evan is 100% right. The remaining BC United support is much more likely to hold their nose and vote NDP. If they would consider switching to the BC conservatives, then they would already have done so.
Nevertheless , it will be interesting to see how this develops. The political center is now wide open and if the BC NDP is smart it puts a firm claim for it.
Being a lifelong (and long-suffering progressive) Albertan, on hearing of this my first thought was of a certain move by one Danielle Smith in late 2014. You know the one: where DS attempted to give Jim Prentice an early Christmas gift by chloroforming her Wildrose party via a massive floor crossing to the governing PCs. 6 months later, Rachel Notley was Premier, the very much undead Wildrose was the Opposition (with a whole passel of rookie MLAs), and both Jim Prentice and Danielle Smith were has-beens. (Well, she WAS a has-been...would that it were still true.)
I don't follow BC closely enough to know, but I have to wonder if the rest of the BC FC might just be pissed enough to attempt a(nother) resurrection?
Falcon is strategically nowhere and he has no principles. His party introduced the carbon tax in 2009, now it opposes the carbon tax. He kicked Rustad out of the party for being a climate change denier, now he supports the climate change denier. After repeatedly declaring Rustad would be a disastrous choice, he pleaded to unite the two parties when BC United started polling near the single digits. He renamed the party because BC Liberal's reputation was destroyed after 17 years of abuse of power, and serious harms to people. This name change confused the few remaining supporters they had.
Then Falcon's rats started fleeing the ship they built for the ship they never supported. As far as I'm concerned, not a single BC Liberal/United deserves a seat in the legislature. The fact that Rustad would take them all speaks volumes about him. These people are garbage opportunists who would say and do anything to get power.
What's more, prior to the BC Liberal/United's steep decline in the polls, the BC Conservative Party couldn't win a seat and polled at 1%. People seem to forget the reasons the party was nowhere with the electorate. Most BC'ers opted for a centre right party calling itself Liberal until they weren't and now we are lead to believe they'll support an even worse version of the BC Liberals/United. One that champions bigotry, transphobia, and the erosion of social security. One that says climate change isn't a priority or even an issue, in the face of unprecedented climate events. One that will end the foreign buyers tax, allow foreign investors to buy up as much real estate as they want, one that will have no controls over airbnb and short term rentals, one that will end the pitiful rent control BC has now. Any poor or even middle class person - and especially youth - would have to be crazy to vote for Rustad's cruel backward party.
Rustad is Danielle Smith in pants and we can see how things are going rapidly south in Alberta. No thanks.
Am I happy with Eby? Nope. I think he's a weak leader after Horgan who fought like a warrior for the NDP. Horgan had his failings but he was the force the NDP needed to come out of the wilderness and he arrived at the right time. I feel the same way about Trudeau. Recently, Trudeau said he was taking the "joy and hope" from Kamala's campaign but what he fails to perceive is the significant difference in their personalities, in their approach. Kamala is a fighter, a scrapper. She doesn't mince words and she doesn't pull punches. Neither Trudeau nor Eby come close to being the personality she is. But that is what it will to persuade people, and to win.
And I think it’s worth talking about what this does to the Green vote. There are a bunch of voters who are comfortable voting Green in an election where the NDP is a clear favorite and the right wing is divided. If the narrative is that it’s going to be a nail-biting close election and the only real choice is NDP or Conservative, I think you’ll see a fair number on the furthest left who vote NDP. It would only take a couple percentage in movement each from the far left and the center towards the NDP to put them in a decent position.
.. how does one - Vote for Pierre Poilievre - on Vancouver Island ? 🦎🏴☠️
One votes for a Rustad conservative. I don't see it happening, personally.
I met Kevin Falcon once about 20 years ago when he was a junior minister in the Gordon Campbell government. I was not impressed then and I guess he lived up to my expectations.
Just like Charest, Falcon has come to the conclusion that the current conservatives are controlled by the hard right wing. And this hard right wing believes it is their time to be in charge. No more compromising, compromise is weakness.
I think Evan is 100% right. The remaining BC United support is much more likely to hold their nose and vote NDP. If they would consider switching to the BC conservatives, then they would already have done so.
Nevertheless , it will be interesting to see how this develops. The political center is now wide open and if the BC NDP is smart it puts a firm claim for it.
Being a lifelong (and long-suffering progressive) Albertan, on hearing of this my first thought was of a certain move by one Danielle Smith in late 2014. You know the one: where DS attempted to give Jim Prentice an early Christmas gift by chloroforming her Wildrose party via a massive floor crossing to the governing PCs. 6 months later, Rachel Notley was Premier, the very much undead Wildrose was the Opposition (with a whole passel of rookie MLAs), and both Jim Prentice and Danielle Smith were has-beens. (Well, she WAS a has-been...would that it were still true.)
I don't follow BC closely enough to know, but I have to wonder if the rest of the BC FC might just be pissed enough to attempt a(nother) resurrection?
Falcon is strategically nowhere and he has no principles. His party introduced the carbon tax in 2009, now it opposes the carbon tax. He kicked Rustad out of the party for being a climate change denier, now he supports the climate change denier. After repeatedly declaring Rustad would be a disastrous choice, he pleaded to unite the two parties when BC United started polling near the single digits. He renamed the party because BC Liberal's reputation was destroyed after 17 years of abuse of power, and serious harms to people. This name change confused the few remaining supporters they had.
Then Falcon's rats started fleeing the ship they built for the ship they never supported. As far as I'm concerned, not a single BC Liberal/United deserves a seat in the legislature. The fact that Rustad would take them all speaks volumes about him. These people are garbage opportunists who would say and do anything to get power.
What's more, prior to the BC Liberal/United's steep decline in the polls, the BC Conservative Party couldn't win a seat and polled at 1%. People seem to forget the reasons the party was nowhere with the electorate. Most BC'ers opted for a centre right party calling itself Liberal until they weren't and now we are lead to believe they'll support an even worse version of the BC Liberals/United. One that champions bigotry, transphobia, and the erosion of social security. One that says climate change isn't a priority or even an issue, in the face of unprecedented climate events. One that will end the foreign buyers tax, allow foreign investors to buy up as much real estate as they want, one that will have no controls over airbnb and short term rentals, one that will end the pitiful rent control BC has now. Any poor or even middle class person - and especially youth - would have to be crazy to vote for Rustad's cruel backward party.
Rustad is Danielle Smith in pants and we can see how things are going rapidly south in Alberta. No thanks.
Am I happy with Eby? Nope. I think he's a weak leader after Horgan who fought like a warrior for the NDP. Horgan had his failings but he was the force the NDP needed to come out of the wilderness and he arrived at the right time. I feel the same way about Trudeau. Recently, Trudeau said he was taking the "joy and hope" from Kamala's campaign but what he fails to perceive is the significant difference in their personalities, in their approach. Kamala is a fighter, a scrapper. She doesn't mince words and she doesn't pull punches. Neither Trudeau nor Eby come close to being the personality she is. But that is what it will to persuade people, and to win.