BC Conservative Party option.

[LoneWolf_53]

Off Topic.Trip

[NAB]

This could be a great opportunity for the Greens to get some candidates elected. Come up with a genuine 3rd option.

Somehow I cannot see a third option on the extreme left wing as being much help at all. The conservative party was on the road to providing what is needed, a place for the right wingers to call home and work toward building an effective opposition to the only viable left wing options (NDP and the "New" Liberals). People who might be inclined to vote "Green" should be able to find a more satisfactory home with either of them now.

...and Steven, with respect to your comment about your being truly disappointed if the BC Christy Party is returned to power, ....I suspect you should now be prepared to be truly disappointed then, as there is much more potential for that now than there was a few months ago IMO ;-) In my own case I rather doubt I will even see a Conservative Party option on my ballot (at least one with any credentials to speak of).

Edit to add: As for Van Dongen, assuming he his still intending to run again but does not intend to give up on his fight against the BC Rail fiasco etc, ...will that be as an independent I wonder?

Nab

[twobits]

If a well respected and business experienced member of my riding stepped up and delared I am 3/4 right wing and independant, they would get my vote right now. So tired of party affiliation politics. Imagine if 20 or so got elected and could be independats that could be king makers

[maple leaf]

If a well respected and business experienced member of my riding stepped up and delared I am 3/4 right wing and independant, they would get my vote right now. So tired of party affiliation politics. Imagine if 20 or so got elected and could be independats that could be king makers

I don't know were the Conservatives or the Liberals or NDP stand on something like these proposals.
Two of the independent MLA's Bob Simpson and Vicky Huntington are pushing for some reforms ,that I think address most of the problems in the way things are done.I'm not sure how they intend to have such changes come about ,but I think they are on the right track .And people from all parties need to get behind and support change or we will continually have the same old same old in this province with people like yourself wishing it would be better.




The BC Legislature Shouldn’t Be Recalled Until It’s Reformed!
Posted on September 18, 2012 by RSMLA Administrator
Under the control of the Liberals and NDP, the BC Legislature has become a stage for those parties to continue to fight the last election and position themselves for the next one. In fact, it can be argued that the BC Liberals have been fighting the 2001 election in the Legislature for eleven years, with virtually every answer in Question Period and every speech by a Liberal MLA harkening back to the “dismal decade.”

The BC Legislature frequently devolves into political rhetoric and ready-made media sound bites during Question Period, the Throne Speech, and debates. There’s very little productive work that actually happens in the Chamber anymore, and that’s a testament to the sorry state of our democracy.

Let’s face it: under the control of political parties our legislative democracy has become a dictatorship of the Premier’s Office. Votes are whipped, debates are staged to score political points, and MLAs and Cabinet Ministers have been relegated to being trained seals whose main function is to serve the interests of their political brand and their leader’s aspiration to either keep or obtain power.

Don’t get me wrong; there are still opportunities to do public policy work in the BC Legislature. However, it mostly occurs in the hallways and ministers’ offices as MLAs lobby for changes to legislation or budget apportionments for various needs. Occasionally this backroom work surfaces in the Legislative Chamber when amendments or bills are introduced and budgets have been realigned. In many respects, it’s this work, done away from the cameras, that allows MLAs to feel they can still play a productive role in the governing of our province.

This stark and cynical appraisal of the sorry state of our democracy and my provocative headline are intended to get you thinking about why people get so animated when the Legislature isn’t recalled. Generally voters are cynical about what goes on in the Legislature, but people still get animated when it isn’t called back for a fall session. What we really need is the same outrage and passion applied to calls for reforms that would make the Legislature actually function when it’s in session.

Here are some reforms I believe would help us revitalize our legislative democracy, make the Legislature more productive, and legitimize the role of every MLA:

Get big money out of politics. Only registered BC voters should be allowed to donate to political parties and candidates, and there should be an annual limit on those donations. I’ve introduced a Private Members’ Bill to this effect.

The voting system must be reformed so that every vote counts. We should continue the conversation about electoral reform that was started during the Citizens’ Assembly process and the subsequent referendums, and move away from the first past the post system we currently use.

Legislative committees must be reformed so they work to create public policy, vet legislation, influence the provincial budget, and provide oversight of government operations. BC needs standing committees that allow MLAs to build up their expertise and contribute more meaningfully to the governance of the province.

Most votes in the Legislature should be free votes. There are very few votes that would bring down the government. Only with the threat of free votes by all MLAs will the stranglehold of the leaders’ offices and political parties be truly broken, allowing MLAs to put their constituents’ concerns first and foremost in their representation in Victoria.

Political party leadership conventions and votes should be monitored and overseen by Elections BC. The leader of any political party can become BC’s Premier, so we need assurances that the leadership process within political parties is conducted in a transparent and democratic manner.

I hope you’ll join Independent MLA Vicki Huntington and me during our Twitter town hall this week to discuss these ideas and your thoughts about how we can reform our democratic system. Use the hashtag #bcdemreform this Thursday, September 20th, from 12:00 to 1:00 pm to join the conversation.

Let’s advocate together for the reforms we need to ensure that a recalled Legislature will be focused on governing this province and not simply used as a stage for the political shenanigans of BC’s political parties.

http://www.bobsimpsonmla.ca/the-bc-legi ... -reformed/

[NAB]

Van Dongen said his political career is not over, and he is open to working with anyone "who wants to work in what I believe is the right direction for British Columbians."

To that end, the former Liberal cabinet minister said he will likely be at that party's convention this fall.

"Lots of things can happen in eight months," he told reporters.

Hmmmm, so much can be read into that quote, perhaps even Van Dongen was after Cummins' job from the very beginning when he joined the BC Conservative Party and has been working to undermine him ever since and, having been thwarted at that effort, now has his sights set on Clark's job? I'm starting to think that, truth be known, Van Dongen wants only one thing, .....to be premier of BC .....no matter what the political vehicle to that end is.

Clark better watch her back now LOL.

Nab

[steven lloyd]

...and Steven, with respect to your comment about your being truly disappointed if the BC Christy Party is returned to power, ....I suspect you should now be prepared to be truly disappointed then, as there is much more potential for that now than there was a few months ago IMO ;-)

So we have members and candidates leaving the Liberal coalition / BC Christy Party because of deceit, incompetence and financial mismanagement and joining the BC Conservatives - and now they’re leaving the BC Conservatives and rejoining the Liberal coalition / BC Christy Party because suddenly they are no longer deceitful, incompetent or financially negligent? If the sheeple of this province re-elect this repugnant regime I don’t think disappointed will be strong enough a word.

[flamingfingers]

Personally, I don't think that van Dongen sees himself as premier of the province - his hat was no where near the ring when Gordo got the push (and van Dongen was a pretty strong influence in getting rid of him). Of course now, with all the old guard gone from the Libs and he may hope that Chrispie is crunched I think he has someone in mind 'to work with' perhaps in getting the Libs to arise from the ashes.

BUT: I still think the only way the NDP will lose next spring is if both Cummins and Chrispie join the NDP!!!

But what do we know? This is politics in BC, eh?

[NAB]

Personally, I don't think that van Dongen sees himself as premier of the province - his hat was no where near the ring when Gordo got the push (and van Dongen was a pretty strong influence in getting rid of him). Of course now, with all the old guard gone from the Libs and he may hope that Chrispie is crunched I think he has someone in mind 'to work with' perhaps in getting the Libs to arise from the ashes.

BUT: I still think the only way the NDP will lose next spring is if both Cummins and Chrispie join the NDP!!!

But what do we know? This is politics in BC, eh?

LOL. Note my high;light in your quote. Sort of a pattern developing here don't ya think? ;-) This guy doesn't appear capable of getting along with any "boss" as a team player. To suggest he has someone else in mind as boss other than himself is a pretty hard concept for me to swallow at this point. I think this guy is totally self serving and underhanded in his political dealings, ...and sneaky with a capital "S".

Edit to add: There is of course another another possibility to consider, that he has been a "plant" among the conservative party by the Liberal party all along...

Nab

[flamingfingers]

Edit to add: There is of course another another possibility to consider, that he has been a "plant" among the conservative party by the Liberal party all along...

Nab

Rather doubt it. The Cons would have to be much more organized for the Libs to 'plant' someone in there, heckfire, the Cons don't have a strategy to steal even!

Will be interesting to see how he does come Lib Convention time. But we will know for sure if suddenly the court date in December he and Doyle are set for (does or does not) materialize. You would think that with this happening he would be as welcome as a skunk at a garden party at the convention. Interesting times....

[NAB]

You might be surprised at how appealing an opportunity to have a member of the Conservative Party as a sitting MLA might have been at the time. A carrot hard for Cummins to ignore when offered I would think ;-)

Nab

[flamingfingers]

You might be surprised at how appealing an opportunity to have a member of the Conservative Party as a sitting MLA might have been at the time. A carrot hard for Cummins to ignore when offered I would think ;-)

Nab

Oh not at all!! I think Cummins was laughing and scratching to get van Dongen in there, but seems like there were expectations from both that neither could fulfill, hence the chilling of the relationship (whether that was the fault of Cummins or his Jesus faction (which I suspect turned van Dongen off) or if van Dongen was looking for a dynamic leader (which ya gotta admit, Cummins fer sure is NOT)!

I still give van Dongen a lot of credit for walking away from the Libs and putting his money where his mouth is re: BC Rail. Doubt there is ONE other MLA who would shell out around $100,000 bucks of his own money to try to get some answers on a question like that.

But if he goes back to the Libs with Chrispie still in the power wagon, he would be, in my opinion, another politician who belongs to the world's oldest profession.

[NAB]

Well, as much as I would like to believe he shelled out a hundred grand of his own money, and just on principle and not expecting some sort of pay back plus some profit, ....sorry - that just doesn't wash with me.

Nab

[flamingfingers]

Well, as much as I would like to believe he shelled out a hundred grand of his own money, and just on principle and not expecting some sort of pay back plus some profit, ....sorry - that just doesn't wash with me.

Nab

Umm got me stumped here Nab.. how as an intervenor on Doyle's court case to get to the bottom of the Basi/Virk payoff of $6 million of OUR MONEY going to get van Dongen a "pay back plus some profit"? Why has he hired his own attorney at his expense to aid Doyle?

Got some inside gen?

[NAB]

Nope, no inside gen flaming.. it's just that his personal move on the BC Rail thing, then his move to the Conservatives (and now away from them - and potentially back to the Liberal fold) looks just a little too pat and suspicious to me. He's not doing those things out of the goodness of his heart. He wants something (or gets something) out of it all IMO. And if not financial or political profit in some way, then the only thing that makes any sense to me at the moment is a shot at the Premier's job. Remember too, the power bloc scenario vs vs the Liberals is significantly different (and weaker) now than it was when he launched his effort with BC Rail and then moved over to the Conservative Party.

Nab

[steven lloyd]

Was van Dongen ever even a leadership candidate at any point with any party ? I agree there has to be some personal motive behind his push to open up the BC Rail fiasco and expose some truth. People are motivated by many different things though. Does van Dongen really see a chance at being premier, or maybe he really just doesn’t want a few certain people to get away with one of the biggest scams and rip-off of taxpayers money ever. Maybe he knows of even more. Satisfaction may indeed be his payback; revenge and a dish best served cold. In that effort I must admit I wish him all the best success.