The polls

[fluffy]

http://globalnews.ca/news/3416036/b-c-election-liberals-and-ndp-in-tight-race-according-to-new-ipsos-poll/

There is no doubt in my mind that our political system is broken. Far too much influence is given to corporate, union and even environmental forces. Our electorate makes up their mind based on what are basically advertising strategies where fact and truth take a place far behind spin and manipulation. I think most people know this in their hearts, even if they choose not voice it in so many words. At this point it's looking like people are realizing that the NDP and the Liberals are cut from the same cloth, the only difference being who is going to foot the bill for their policies. As election day draws closer human nature will prevail and people will vote for the party they perceive as being their best bet to stay ahead of the game on the level of themselves and their families. With the NDP's stance against pending mega-projects and the Liberal's steady harping on jobs I think we can all see what direction this is heading. Personally, I'd like to see the Greens secure a surprisingly large share of the popular vote, I think we need to be sending the message that environmental concerns are growing in importance.

[Bsuds]

I just don't know if they can be trusted any more than the rest of them.

[fluffy]

In latin: new facia, same old ganglia.

[gordon_as]

It's interesting how thinly veiled , but staunch supporters , of the BC Liberals are now pulling for the Greens.
Weird huh ?

[Rwede]

It's interesting how thinly veiled , but staunch supporters , of the BC Liberals are now pulling for the Greens.
Weird huh ?

BC Liberal voters just want to see someone other than the terrible NDP have a chance to be in opposition.

The NDP has been in opposition for 16 years, and still sings the same song they did in the 1990s.

The 1990s plan is 20 years out of date, and doesn't work in today's world. In fact, it didn't even work in the 1990s, as we saw the absolute destruction of this province during the 1990s.

Give the Green Party, who seems to have some more contemporary, well thought out ideas, a chance to represent the views of the left in the Legislature. Lord knows the NDP has fumbled that football far too long, hasn't represented the left well at all, and should be sent to the trash heap of political history.

[Urbane]

It's interesting how thinly veiled , but staunch supporters , of the BC Liberals are now pulling for the Greens.
Weird huh ?

The Greens are only at 14% though. I think the Liberals are ahead in this latest poll for several reasons. NDP supporters on here are focused on what they see as the crucial issues, e.g. Christy Clark supposedly being rude to a woman in North Vancouver, while voters at large are looking at what they consider important, e.g. economic issues.

Voters are also looking for a full costing out from the NDP but aren't getting one. Horgan keeps saying that the NDP is using Ministry of Finance figures but the Ministry of Finance isn't showing how to pay for all of Horgan's promises. Eliminating the MSP? Horgan says he'll strike a committee to figure out how to pay for it.

Well, we know from the past how the NDP pays for promises (the ones that they keep) and that's with higher taxes. I know NDP'ers on here, and Horgan himself, think that the "I hate Christy Clark" mantra will carry the day but you still need to have policies that people will vote for.

[hobbyguy]

The assumption from those who are partisans that others are partisan is a reflection of a closed minded view.

Careful analysis shows that the Greens and Liberals have the best platforms. E.g. the Green platform has the best recipe for the lid on runaway housing prices, the best recipe for dealing with daycare and education (integrated). The Liberals have the best recipe for economic growth and job creation, and energy policy. Those two parties have budget/taxation plans that add up.

The NDP platform, on the other hand, is all over the map and not cohesive - plus their numbers do not add up. It is deliberately vague and short on details so that it can be highly elastic. E,g. if you have small kids today and need daycare - what good is $10/day daycare 10 years from now? That's like saying buy this 2017 model car and in 2027 the same model car will get 200 MPG.

So from a non partisan perspective when analyzing the platforms, it is not hard to see that the non partisan fact based decision is between the Green party and the Liberals.

[flamingfingers]

^^How do you feel about Weaver cancelling Site C??/

[fluffy]

It's interesting how thinly veiled , but staunch supporters , of the BC Liberals are now pulling for the Greens.
Weird huh ?

And hardly anything new that NDP fanbois choose see the world just the way they want to. I merely stated that it would be a "plus" if the Greens increased their market share because as far as environmental concerns go both the Liberals and NDP are offering little more than lip service and I think we are long past due to crank up government attention to those issues. But you go ahead and keep twisting things into a shape that suits you, at least you're consistent. I hold no belief that the Greens are any serious threat to either of the other two parties, other than to introduce a degree of chance into the outcome next week.

[The Green Barbarian]

^^How do you feel about Weaver cancelling Site C??/

badly. Which is why my vote won't be going to either the pumpkins or the watermelons.

[lasnomadas]

I have to agree with 'fluffy' on this. Our system is broken. Historically, whenever the system of governance was broken, there was a dramatic shift in the political climate, and I think the time is right for this to happen again. But we first of all have to separate the wheat from the chaff. In other words, it's obvious that some of the commenters on this forum are die-hard BC Liberal voters who would only vote for the Green Party if they saw a herd of pigs flying over their neighbourhood, but there are others who are actually in favour of most of the Green platform and will cast their vote in that direction if they can get past those policies that fly in the face of reason.

A 'Green shift' is not probable, but it is possible if enough British Columbians are disillusioned with the present 2-party system.

[The Green Barbarian]

A 'Green shift' is not probable, but it is possible if enough British Columbians are disillusioned with the present 2-party system.

It is possible for a shift of some kind, but it's not going to happen when the third choice is a bunch of hard-core Watermelon Marxists bent on destroying the economy in the name of fairy tales. The real shift will happen when the NDP is finally disbanded. That's the only real option here.

[GordonH]

I went over the weekend and cast my ballot into only poll that actually counts.

[lasnomadas]

So did I, Gordon. Good luck with your decision, whatever it was.

[Merry]

http://globalnews.ca/news/3416036/b-c-election-liberals-and-ndp-in-tight-race-according-to-new-ipsos-poll/

There is no doubt in my mind that our political system is broken. Far too much influence is given to corporate, union and even environmental forces. Our electorate makes up their mind based on what are basically advertising strategies where fact and truth take a place far behind spin and manipulation. I think most people know this in their hearts, even if they choose not voice it in so many words. At this point it's looking like people are realizing that the NDP and the Liberals are cut from the same cloth, the only difference being who is going to foot the bill for their policies. As election day draws closer human nature will prevail and people will vote for the party they perceive as being their best bet to stay ahead of the game on the level of themselves and their families. With the NDP's stance against pending mega-projects and the Liberal's steady harping on jobs I think we can all see what direction this is heading.

10/10 fluffy. You nailed it. However, I can't agree with your hope that the Greens do well because there are too many aspects of their platform I have concerns with, particularly as it relates to new taxes on principal residences. What I'd like to see is a minority government (don't really care if its NDP or Liberal) that has to compromise a bit with the Opposition.