BC NDP leader Adrian Dix is a rare bird. Or at least he would have been a rare bird if he'd actually won last night. For that would have been his party's fourth win in the 15-provincial elections staged since they were formed in 1960. As things stand this morning that puts the NDP at an underwhelming 3 for 15 in win/loss.
In a three or four-way contest, one out of five isn't great but it wouldn't be devastating, not necessarily. But in a two-way contest that means your opponent has won four times as often as you which is awfully close to one-party rule. And when you look at the gang of sots, crooks, manipulators and outright liars who have led the other team to their 12 for 15 win record it becomes even more remarkable - for them - miserable for you.
Dave Barret, Mike Harcourt, Glenn Clark (with unelected stand-ins Dan Miller and Ujjal Dosanjh) - that's it. All of them one-term wonders. Then stack that up against the rogues gallery of sots, crooks and liars who have so repeatedly trounced them. Wacky Bennet, son Bill, Bill Van der Zalm, Rita Johnson (unelected), Gordo "one for the road" Campbell and now Christy Clark.
Wacky was in for almost 20-years, son Bill logged more than ten, ditto Gordo Campbell and there is now ample reason to believe Christy Clark might have a decade-long run herself.
To today's Degenerate Red-Meat Right, British Columbians may seem to be a bunch of looney-lefties which is obviously a reflection of just how far to the radical right modern Canadian conservatism has strayed.
Or is it just us, the voting public. On that score, I can't do better than this observation from The Sixth Estate:
"...it’s worth noting that so called
“centre-right” political parties have correctly judged that the vast
majority of Canadians are simply not interested in voting for anything
other than a promise of budget cuts, tax cuts, and job growth, basically
at the cost of anything else, whether it’s social services or
accountability or even a minimal level of integrity and honesty in
politics or the environment or our international reputation or anything
else. ...These people will be basically
evenly split between those who don’t bother voting at all and those who
vote for whatever party they have a vague hunch will move in those
directions."
Now, eat your gruel, there are fields to tend.
The fact that Canadians don't vote is the fault of the school system. They are not taught that it is their duty to vote and if not, they ought to move to Russia or another country like Russia..Oh Really? I think not Canadians obviously like it to be easy.
ReplyDeletethat could be
ReplyDeleteGrowth. Growwwwth. Zombie need Growwwwth.
ReplyDeleteThe fact Canadians don't vote isn't the fault of the school system. It's the fault of a good for nothing broken system. My vote has never counted, I still do it, but I feel like a fool for it. No matter how I vote, if I vote for, or against a candidate, for a party, or strategically, my vote has never meant anything. Our false majorities give full power in our winner takes all system, leaving the real majority with no voice in government. BC's premiere didn't even win her own seat, but she has full power now. Maybe voting makes sense if you live in a tight riding, but otherwise, it's a fools errand. Blaming the non-voter is a good scapegoat I guess.
ReplyDeleteIt's a bitter pill to swallow, Anon, especially when it becomes persistent. My riding votes rightwing, federally and provincially. When I go to the polls I know my vote will be little more than anecdotal. It's easy to understand how, eventually, people just give up and, thereby, the dominant side just keeps getting stronger and more entrenched.
ReplyDeletesure the voting system is fucked up, but wtf, BC. There's got to be a lot of BC residents that voted Liberal, but why? From Ontario I feel you've let the country down. If I enjoyed hockey, I'd suggest a similarity to Toronto's Maple Leafs.
ReplyDeleteAl, the NDP bears a huge chunk of the blame. They really let the province and the country down. That party chose not to fight to win, expecting the public to award them the win as of right.
ReplyDeleteThey allowed Christy Clark to do what Stephen Harper has done so successfully - to frame the election into a referendum on the opposition leader. They did not force Clark to defend the awful record of her party's 12-year reign.
She was given a "get out of jail free" card by the NDP leader and she ran with it. She went hard negative, just made stuff up as she went along, and managed to scare enough people that she won.
The NDP stuck with its "high road" nonsense, allowed Clark to frame the election narrative, and simply let her off the hook on her record.
Tell me, Al, how stupid, how incompetent, can an opposition party be? If it was a boxing match you would wonder whether the loser didn't throw the fight.
I will never vote NDP again. I didn't trust them before and I trust them far less now.
I think the Ontario NDP are going to allow the 'right to work' Conservatives an election win here. I used to have both a Green Party & an NDP sign on my lawn. No more NDP for me!
ReplyDeleteIt's not just a BC problem, look at how the last federal election turned out. And let's not forget Mr. Ford...
ReplyDeleteThe fact that most Canadians don't vote is still 60% of the school systems fault. Been there, know it. People are scared to death that someone else should know how they vote. Try Europe or even Asia...they discuss politics openly all the time....been there, know it. Even Mexicans speak openly regarding politics...been there, know it.
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