Gordon Campbell presents The Bullpen
Premier Gordon Campbell shuffled the cabinet. Colin Hansen goes to Finance and keeps Olympics. Bill Bennett returns. Joan McIntyre, Mary Polak, Blair Lekstrom, and Iain Black make their debuts. Black is the closest to Burnaby and fills the north of the Fraser void.
posted by Robert Burnaby at 5:13 PM
19 Comments:
Finally, Gordon Campbell is back to election mode and is starting to take care some of the swing ridings. And unless Harry Bloy and Richard Lee can win Burnaby with the pro-Gateway TB, neither will make the cabinet.
Iain Black as Minister of Labour....talk about a bull in a china shop.
Talk about bull, period.
Harry isn't cabinet material. He will into his third term (assuming that is that he is re-elected).
Team Burnaby hasn't much effect on whether Bloy or Richard get re-elected.
How can it? It's just the same idiots from the BC Liberals who should be out volunteering (and not getting paid) to get Richard re-elected and find Harry a home so he doesn't have go back to selling ice cream or telephone lease lines.
zzzzzzzz
Fascinating topic.
zzzzzzzz
Exactly.
Ranks right up there with Team Burnaby perpetually whining about Derek Corrigan and someone in some kind of psychosis in which Patti Sahota is a large part of the picture.
Enjoy the summer, kids.
I guess Hansen is going to have to do the heavy lifting cleaning up the Carbon Tax fallout for Carol Taylor
The BC Liberals screwed up big time on that one.
Should have been done last year with gas prices much lower. Should have added in the big polluters to equalize the burden.
Carol Taylor was smart. She didn't want to be in an environment of contraversy so she jumped out.
This isn't the first error the BC Liberals will make leading up to the next election.
Look for more in the coming months
maybe a few in regards to how the party conducts its nomimation meetings in Burnaby Edmonds and Burnaby Lougheed.
Actually it is a brilliant move.
Does federal NDP support carbon tax?
BCLIB is actually forcing BCNDP to realign their environmental policies with federal LIB. Yes, it will hurt the public support but Gordon Campbell is far better at campaigning than Carole James. There are no policies that he would consent to if such policies may risk his re-election. So what next? The government is likely going to take on more populist policies as time goes on and having Colin Hansen by Gordon Campbell's side I think is already telling what goodies he will be announcing in the next twelve months and the climate action program is only the starting point. You think Gordon is hurting his chance? I suggest you look again.
Actually it is a brilliant move.
Does federal NDP support carbon tax?
Doesn't matter if the federal NDP supports it or not. It's a BC issue
(aside from the concept put forth by the federal Liberals).
BCLIB is actually forcing BCNDP to realign their environmental policies with federal LIB.
No they're not. Has nothing to do with that.
So what you're saying all this excessive and needless cost to the taxpayers in adminstration of this silly thing is to get the BC NDP to align itself with the federal Liberals? Dream on, kid.
Yes, it will hurt the public support but Gordon Campbell is far better at campaigning than Carole James.
Right now he is, but the problem isn't with Carole James herself, it will be with how the NDP campaigns. Big difference.
There are no policies that he would consent to if such policies may risk his re-election.
Yes there is.
Privatise ICBC. Release the remaining government control of BC Ferries and let them sail free range.
So what next? The government is likely going to take on more populist policies as time goes on and having Colin Hansen by Gordon Campbell's side I think is already telling what goodies he will be announcing in the next twelve months and the climate action program is only the starting point.
The Carbon Tax is hardly populist.
You think Gordon is hurting his chance? I suggest you look again.
He may be. Look around you. The NDP
may very well come back to full strength (as they were before 2001). When that happens, watch out
(there's been remants of that at the civic level).
Gordon Campbell was not born in a manger to parents who couldn't get a room at the inn.
The way to defeat BCNDP is already obvious, it is to become even more populist. Comparing to Carole Taylor, Colin Hansen will play that tune quite easily. Is carbon tax an environmental issue that is going to help the government in the poll? It depends really. Those hurt the most by carbon tax, the big companies, will not vote for BCNDP no matter what. But if Gordon Campbell is going after those who are more environmentally sound, we only need to look at the percentage Arnold Schwarzenegger's reelection after the Governator put a cap on carbon emission. Carbon tax is still up for debate if it is an issue that can win votes for BCLIB. But moving to the populist centre while marginalizing BCNDP to the very left is already looking like the theme for the next election, which is exactly the same way Gordon Campbell ran elections since 2001. But it really does not matter if carbon tax is a populist position to take, BCNDP is not able to gain any advantage on this issue.
The way to defeat BCNDP is already obvious, it is to become even more populist. Comparing to Carole Taylor, Colin Hansen will play that tune quite easily.
Sure he will. That's why he lost out to Carole Taylor after the 2005
election as Finance Minister.
Is carbon tax an environmental issue that is going to help the government in the poll? It depends really. Those hurt the most by carbon tax, the big companies, will not vote for BCNDP no matter what.
The average citizen will be hurt more by this tax than the large companies.
But if Gordon Campbell is going after those who are more environmentally sound, we only need to look at the percentage Arnold Schwarzenegger's reelection after the Governator put a cap on carbon emission.
It was a cap, not a tax and California has a much different enviornment than we do. Los Angeles has more people than Western Canada does.
Carbon tax is still up for debate if it is an issue that can win votes for BCLIB. But moving to the populist centre while marginalizing BCNDP to the very left is already looking like the theme for the next election, which is exactly the same way Gordon Campbell ran elections since 2001. But it really does not matter if carbon tax is a populist position to take, BCNDP is not able to gain any advantage on this issue.
They have already. Look at the poll.
People like the NDP's idea more than the BC Liberal one.
"They have already. Look at the poll."
I agree actually. But it is simply a tactical mistake Gordon Campbell made. Arnold successfully put himself above partisan divide on this issue by taking on an easily more populist position than Gordon Campbell did, but their intention was clearly to marginalize their opponents. But unlike cap and trade, carbon tax is hurting the consumers and it seems that BCNDP did do a better job finding an even more moderate position which is what Carole James does well. Even if the public supports BCNDP's plan more, they will still exhibit more confidence in Gordon Campbell's lead in economic policy formulation, well, at least before July 1st. And I too see the possibility of the Premier adjusting his original carbon tax plan. As of now, it is not going to be something that will sway BCLIB supporters to switch and vote for BCNDP.
The carbon tax MIGHT defeat the BC Liberals.
If the BC Liberals lose the next election, it could help set up an overwhelming Tories majority in Ottawa. (And there are lots of BC Libs who will be very happy with that, eh, Harry?)
Someone should tell Carole James that Stephen Harper is very happy with the work she's doing.
The carbon tax MIGHT defeat the BC Liberals.
If the BC Liberals lose the next election, it could help set up an overwhelming Tories majority in Ottawa. (And there are lots of BC Libs who will be very happy with that, eh, Harry?)
Someone should tell Carole James that Stephen Harper is very happy with the work she's doing.
How so? How is an BCNDP provincial going to help set up a tory government in Ottawa? I do not think carbon tax will be an issue that one will lose or win elections on and I would say again look at how Arnold was able to get re-elected as a Bush backer Republican even though he had decided to pass through his environmental initiative. The consumers are hurt by carbon tax there is no doubt, but are they hurt enough to switch their support so Carole James can form her own government in 2009, that is still up to debate and I can very well see Colin Hansen undo carbon tax if it does put Gordon Campbell at his own risk. We shall see tommorow and see if carbon tax is going to dampen people's festivity on Canada Day.
The Carbon Tax will undermine the Liberals. As you will not be seeing any more volunteers drive and pick up voters to the polling stations as they will stay at home because of the tax and cost of gas.
Why should volunteers have to pay for increase gas taxes to help the BC Libs anyways.
So the next Provincial election is to see how low the voter turnout will be.
The Carbon Tax will prove to be one of Gordo's biggest bonehead moves. It is slated to go up next July just after election day again and the NDP will milk it big time. It's not really the Carbon Tax but people just hate to pay any extra taxes.
Not to mention the extra taxes through the winter on home heating fuels that will be appearing on the everyones heating bills.
What is Campbell thinking this present to the NDP is wrapped personally by him.
Locally if things continue Harry could be toast depending on where he runs as he lost by the hair on his old pony tail last time to Bart who was definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed. Richard might have a problem as well and the other BCL's will be scrambling.
Not to mention the extra cost imposed on people in the Interior and Up North, where large pickup trucks are pretty common.
The BC Liberals had a good idea, but their timing was really bad.
Taxes if they are imposed are set
usually around the end of Year 1 of a term, not towards the end. So
this tax if it really really needs to exist should have been set in June 2006.
Bart was not the sharpest tool in the toolbox, but the NDP does not
have to nominate him, and I gather they won't next time, but it would
be good for Harry if he had a really strong opposition. He's had it too good for too long and needs the test of a real hard won campaign to temper his trademark arrogance.
Richard is in trouble as he didn't win by a huge amount last time, and neither did Nuraney.
This may be good for the BC Liberals. It may make them sweat and temper their arrogance.
I'm not sure if some of the people commenting here are as aware as they could be of the vast and growing dislike of anything Liberal, or Gordon Campbell. The carbon tax is just one thing. And come the winter, everyone in this province, especially those in rural communities will be hurting in a way they NEVER EVER have under any other government.
There are so many scandals and so much corruption & mismanagement under the BC Liberals it is oozing out and most regular folks have grown so disillusioned with the Liberals. Lets see:
- health care
- the maltreatment of seniors
- the maltreatment and mismanagement of the child welfare system
- Liberal insiders and elected officials making sketchy business decision against the public good (removal of lands from Agricultural Land Commission, Tree Farm Licenses)
- A number of investigations into: TFL's, real estate development projects, Cabinet ministers and their dealings, and their connections to alleged, or possible illegal activities
-the raid on the legislature that leads directly to Campbell and his insiders and is costing taxpayers millions of dollars in legal fees, because government lawyers are using every trick they can to draw this out, so it will be thrown out
(and won't be heard before the next election)
- The neutering of BC Hydro and sale of BC River's to outside corporations
- Terasen Gas continuous jacking up its prices by the Liberal appointed BC Utilities Commission
- Privatization and outsourcing that are not in the public interest
- Breach of privacy rights of citizens
- ICBC and wormy Paul Taylor, one of Campbell's men exiting stage right as that was starting to be exposed
- An explosion in the homeless rate around the province that is linked to social policies and exclusion from income assistance
- Offloading of public services and issues onto cash strapped municipalities
-The boondoggle of the Vancouver Convention Centre and the 2010 Olympics that will cost the taxpayers of BC decades to recover from
Need I go on. This fall and winter and into the next spring, heading into this election, citizens in BC will experience the severe impacts of this governments policies and amoral mismanagement. Already, if you read different media, there are many lifelong BC Liberals who are declaring they will never vote for the party again they are so disillusioned and angry. Some of us knew what they were about when they were coming in, a whole lot more "get it" now. And there will be strong opposition in some areas.
While the NDP has it's issues, there are some VERY strong MLA's, who have clearly been working in the public's interests and they have a campaign machine behind them.
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