Burnaby's not B.C.'s NDP
One week into the campaign, NDP leader Carole James has spent part of nearly everyday in a Burnaby riding. Burnaby events have included visits to a school, a seniors' home, a gas station and a pub.
Given this pace, James has already spent more time in Burnaby than she will in her home riding in Victoria. Given Burnaby's location, it allows the NDP campaign to be on the ground in one of the province's main battlegrounds while remaining in the middle of the major media market. This strategy may help win the four Burnaby seats, but neglecting the Interior, north and Vancouver Island battlegrounds will make it very tough for the NDP to inch up to 43 seats.
There is talk circulating amongst NDP activists that a third consecutive defeat could give critics in caucus an opportunity to push James out shortly after May 12. This would give the NDP its seventh leader in the last 15 years.
Given this pace, James has already spent more time in Burnaby than she will in her home riding in Victoria. Given Burnaby's location, it allows the NDP campaign to be on the ground in one of the province's main battlegrounds while remaining in the middle of the major media market. This strategy may help win the four Burnaby seats, but neglecting the Interior, north and Vancouver Island battlegrounds will make it very tough for the NDP to inch up to 43 seats.
There is talk circulating amongst NDP activists that a third consecutive defeat could give critics in caucus an opportunity to push James out shortly after May 12. This would give the NDP its seventh leader in the last 15 years.
posted by Robert Burnaby at 9:47 PM
18 Comments:
Probable, but keep in mind that campaigning changes by the week.
James has already been over to Vancouver Island, and she will visit other locations.
Burnaby is also the city of headquarters for the NDP.
Gordon Campbell hasn't spent much time in his own riding either, other than the canned nomination meeting held a few weeks ago which was more of a launch party than a real nomination meeting.
So if the Liberals lose will they rebrand their Howe Street party again?
Hopefully.
and if they do decide to do it, make the party more volunteer friendly, can the excessive number of paid positions and throw out the micromanaging that is rampant
in the provincial party's campaign.
Unfortunately both major parties are run by top down control freaks. But then most businesses are as well.
Democracy in BC is a facade with both parties hoping for a phoney majority of the seats so they can rule as if they were supported by the majority of voters.
She has handicapped her own party with quotes like this:
"I can’t promise you that, if I were premier, reducing greenhouse gases won’t cost you. It will."
– Carole James, Sun, Feb. 28/07
h/t www.votesmartbc.com
There are a whole slew of these kinds of quotes over there that make the NDP's current positions completely contradictory.
She should be gone after the election...for the good of the party, if nothing else.
and what about Gordon Campbell?
He clearly stated he would not sell BC Rail (2001 election).
He also stated the government would pass balanced budgets (most of them were, but it's hypocritical of him to advocate breaking his own government's legislation).
Then there's that so-called "Open Goverment" he supported. Those"Open Cabinet Meetings" were both a joke and a sham.
and finally he was adamantly against government spending money on advertising when he was Opposition Leader.
The only thing on your list that's of any merit re: breaking promises, is BC Rail.
The balanced budget legislation was "broken" at a time of the world's worst economic crisis in decades and he had unanimous support in doing so.
The increased advertising is a weak point too. It's such a small amount in the budget and his increase was done during booming economic times where the govt had record surpluses and were lowering taxes. Campbell criticized the NDP for increasing advertising because the NDP was making the province bankrupt and increasing taxes. And the NDP featured their Ministers in tv commercials which was totally inappropriate b/c it in effect becomes party advertising using taxpayers' money.
He did keep his promise with the Open Cabinet Meetings. He had a lot of them, but nobody watched and those who did thought it was dumb and borrowing, so he pulled the plug. I haven't heard anyone complain about the loss of open cabinet meetings... I'm surprised you're mentioning it, it makes you look like such a desperate NDP hack.
You can try and criticize Liberals for lack of open govt, but remember to include all the facts. Premier Campbell has significantly increased govt accountability: He set a fixed election day and
he doubled the amount of time given to the opposition in question period.
The only thing on your list that's of any merit re: breaking promises, is BC Rail.
The balanced budget legislation was "broken" at a time of the world's worst economic crisis in decades and he had unanimous support in doing so.
Sorry, doesn't wash. The point is that he legislated himself and the government in a corner for political reasons and then broke the legislation in two for expediency. Should never have set the legislation in the first place.
The increased advertising is a weak point too. It's such a small amount in the budget and his increase was done during booming economic times where the govt had record surpluses and were lowering taxes.
The point there was that he was adamantly opposed when the NDP did it, and yet turned around and did it himself, but I'll be a bit accomodating on that one as all governments do it.
Campbell criticized the NDP for increasing advertising because the NDP was making the province bankrupt and increasing taxes.
Taxes have increased with the Campbell government. Carbon tax is a good example of an additional tax.
And the NDP featured their Ministers in tv commercials which was totally inappropriate b/c it in effect becomes party advertising using taxpayers' money.
Not nessesarily in that context. Ministers are not party, they are government.
He did keep his promise with the Open Cabinet Meetings. He had a lot of them, but nobody watched and those who did thought it was dumb and borrowing, so he pulled the plug.
It was a joke to begin with. I watched a few, and they were not actual Cabinet Meetings, but rather an open Town Hall with generic scripted agendas for TV.
I haven't heard anyone complain about the loss of open cabinet meetings... I'm surprised you're mentioning it, it makes you look like such a desperate NDP hack.
Actually I've never voted NDP in my life and don't intend to.
You can try and criticize Liberals for lack of open govt, but remember to include all the facts. Premier Campbell has significantly increased govt accountability: He set a fixed election day and
he doubled the amount of time given to the opposition in question period.
So why did he minimize the fall sessions? Fixed election day wasn't all that hard to do, any party could have done that.
The big problem with these fixed election dates is that it stretches out the election for about 30 days before the actual start, and I've noticed even despite the fixed election date, the BC Liberals did not complete all of their nomination until about one to two weeks before the actual start. Burnaby Edmonds was an example.
and by the way since I am a voting citizen and taxapyer, partisan politics doesn't matter as to whom I am critical of. The NDP has made their errors, but so has the Campbell Liberals, and citizens have the right to criticise the BC Liberals and the NDP.
I am a member of the BC Liberal Party, but that doesn't mean I am 100% supportive of Gordon Campbell 100% of the time. Anyone who is is just fooling themselves.
Campbell shovels money out the back door to his power producer and consultant friends.
So to respond, let's turf the opposition leader, and get in line for more money.
Hoorah.
Don't you love elections?
The NDP shovelled money out the back door to their union friends.
Same money, same shovel.
Different direction.
And that's what's wrong with politics in BC today, said Jane Sterk and Wilf Hanni.
Who cares what Wilf Hanni says?n He's a go nowhere leader of a go nowhere party.
Anonymous said...
Who cares what Wilf Hanni says?n He's a go nowhere leader of a go nowhere party.
Yeah he might be - but that doesn'T mean what he said is wrong or untrue.
Don't know about that. Those third parties can be a bit weird.
Government can get a bit weird, too.
So can voters who write into a blog.
But then so can a blog get weird.
And so the thread gets progressively stranger
I hear the NDP could lose every riding this time. People are excited about the Green Party and the BC Liberals.
Post a Comment
<< Home