BC politics will be explosive over the next week!
Just a warning to all political watchers to get ready for one of the wildest weeks we've seen in a long time in BC politics - and that's saying something!
We've just had Premier Gordon Campbell resign over the HST, continued fallout over BC NDP opposition leader Carole James expulsion from caucus of MLA Bob Simpson and Elections BC announcing the wording of the HST referendum question.
On Saturday the BC Liberal Party executive meets to set the date and rules for the leadership contest to replace Campbell.
On Monday at 10 a.m. in BC Supreme Court the sentencing conditions of former BC Liberal ministerial assistant David Basi will be reviewed after allegations they were violated.
On Monday at 11 a.m. Fight HST leader and former BC Premier Bill Vander Zalm will announce details of the Recall campaigns to be launched against BC Liberal MLAs to pressure the provincial government to kill the HST. Fight HST lead organizer Chris Delaney and myself will also attend.
Reportedly also on Monday, or possibly later in the week, Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts will announce whether or not she will be a candidate in the BC Liberal leadership race.
The following Saturday and Sunday November 20 and 21 the BC NDP Provincial Council will meet in Victoria to debate a series of resolutions supporting or opposing holding a full leadership convention in November 2011 instead of a planned leadership review vote then, as well as potentially other controversial issues.
All in all, a very busy week - and the above is only what we know of now - anything could happen in BC!
Stay tuned to this blog for more information and analysis as it becomes available.
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29 comments:
Nothing new that hasn't been covered before.
Except of course the items of interest regarding the NDP. Is the Provincial Council going to get creative? Or, will they follow set constitutional procedure for the leadership review?
The Basi case events have run their course and most of the public are tired of Basi's antics.
What happens if Basi doesn't like the outcome? Appeal? So here we go again, folks.
Recall? Nothing new there, the top four will start, but I did notice there aren't as many canvassers at this stage as there was for the petition.
Anonarat 4:40,things have not run their course yet!
At this stage we don't need as many for the recall because we aren't recalling all the MLA's. Anonymous, you must be a PAB.
Be assured there are enough and when the recalls start there will be even more.
If enough recalls get the numbers, we might very well see less Anons spinning their version of events.
I look forward to upcoming events and would love to see Basi spend some time in the slammer. And through it all Bill will keep us up to speed on the results
Yes, it looks as if the political junkies will be in seventh heaven.
I will be curious to see if any of the recall campaigns attempt to register with Elections BC on the first day they can be registered. The reason being is that I believe Craig James will do everything in his power to obstruct the process. He wasn't put into this position for his expertise, but rather his ability to do the bidding of the Campbell cabal.
We have never been given a credible explanation as to why Linda Johnson was sacked. As a matter of fact, the MSM completely ignored the whole story. There was not word one in the Vancouver Sun, The Province, on Global TV nor CTV about an acting Chief Electoral Officer, a Bob from Accountemps if you will, taking it upon himself to reorganize an institution within mere weeks of arriving upon the scene. As I see it, his work is far from done, and the recall campaign organizers can look forward to nothing resembling cooperation from Mr. James.
Basi and co. would spend time in the slammer if the whole truth would come out!
JOKE:
What do you call the US Witness Protection Program? ~
Canadian enterainment:(
ATTENTION POSTERS: I regret having to say this yet again - I will not post any comments on this blog that refer to "Nazis" or make other references to the Hitler regime or other fascist governments when referring to anyone in politics today.
My father lived through Nazi-occupied Holland as did other relatives, while on my English side I had relatives who lived through the Nazi bombings of their country and who helped liberate Europe from the German occupation.
Do not compare anything in this country today to that horror - you belittle the reality that was World War 2 and you make odious comparisons that have no place here.
Fascism is common and ordinary - most of human history. At what point are people able to cite historic events for comparison.
If we pretend that similarities do not exist between fascism of the past and current convergences of corporate and government power, the constant erosion of human rights...
At what point do we start paying attention? At what point do we speak?
Right now Canada is not being bombed - but western powers sure as hell are bombing elsewhere - not to mention torturing.
When do we pay attention? When do we notice? How atrocious do the conditions need to get before we can make obvious comparisons.
Anon 1:14,
Have a little sensitivity, for cryin' out loud. Bill has trusted you with some painful memories locked in his family history. On this Remembrance Week, we do well to honour those memories of survival during cruel times.
Why do people imagine the blog-host has no feelings when, in fact, the blog-host has faithfully provided (at no cost to you, 1:14) a blog with timely information and a place for constructive discussion.
You think it's your duty to stomp around tossing out insults? Oh, I forgot. Yes, you actually get paid to do it. Not very impressive.
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While doing the memory bit, don't forget that Bill Vandezam like so many others, including Bill T's dad darn near starved. A friend of ours talked about digging up roots and tulip bulbs to stay alive. The Provincial Liberals are a weird bunch but I don't think fascist or Nazi is the right words. Millions of people were killed simply because they were Jews, or assisted Jews.
I prefer to call Gordo and Co a bunch of uncaring idiots. I ran into Joy McPhail at the Y gym quite a lot. She said the part that bothered her the most was that "they didn't care about people with problems". Some of us saw those extermination camps, never to forget the sight.
I'm anon114 and I'm not trying to be insensitive - I'm getting scared.
We need to be able to speak frankly about history without taboo. I agree that context is vital but what I see happening is that out of fear of offense we are not making valid comparisons.
I am not afraid of nazi's and I am not afraid of Hitler. I am afraid of ordinary people ignoring a downward slide right in front of their faces.
We (the West) are not the "good guys". We arrest without cause (Toronto G20), we are the people that torture, we are the people that invade, we are the people that pillage and destroy environments, cultures, families and our msm media simply does not report it. (But it's just the Americans they're the bad ones not us - right?)
We in Canada may feel smug that we do not suffer fox news but at the end of the day our msm serves corporate interests in the exact same manner (with a lighter rhetoric).
Someone cited PAB in a post (about mine) - doesn't that ring any alarm bells? The PAB is not merely a communication device clarifying the government message - no fool believes that. Our governments are paying hundreds of people (in BC alone) to LIE to the public in the service of money. It is propaganda and it is a serious attack on democracy. Many people know about it and yet where is the law enforcement? Isn't that a frightening problem??!
That said we do not have institutionalized genocide (some first nations may disagree - Frank Paul may disagree - but at least we do not currently have the infrastructure). So is Gordon Campbell a nazi? No. Has he made great strides towards merging corporations and government? Yes. Has he increased suffering of the weak and disenfranchised for the sole purpose of greed? Yes. Has he blatantly lied for the purpose of power and control? Yes.
How bad does it need to get before comparisons can be made? Do we need an Abu Ghraib in Canada? Our government as I'm sure most of you are aware fully supported Abu Ghraib.
We need to pay attention. Right now. The next "wave" is going to be "austerity" and we can be complacent or we can look at history and see where similar events have led.
My point is we should not need to let things get to the point where we can say OK now we are in an identical set of circumstances as Germany 1939-45 or East Timor 1977-1999 or ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocides_in_history
By not making the obvious comparisons I'm afraid we are ignoring them. The water is getting hotter. I'm not defending comparisons without context or oversimplification but I am ringing alarm bells.
We can turn this province and this country around and I have faith in Canadians but we are not going to do it without confronting some very very dark aspects of our culture and our governments.
"Fascism in 10 easy steps" Naomi Wolf
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/24/usa.comment
Fascist, in 10 easy steps
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/24/usa.comment
This needs to circulate:
Corky Evans on Social Democracy
http://creekside1.blogspot.com/2010/11/corky-evans-on-social-democracy.html
Direct link to Corky here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOOKTq1P1G8&feature=player_embedded#at=791
What you're asking for is rational and reasonable. I really respect your writing and I'm grateful for your voice. I'm sorry.
I have a short message for Anon 1:14, AKA Anon 10:05 -
Amen, brother. Couldn't have said it better myself.
To anonymous 10:05 thanks for articulating what I feel.
For what it is worth, here is a copy and paste of the free part of the definition of Fascism from the Encyclopaedia Britannica
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/202210/fascism
“Philosophy of government that stresses the primacy and glory of the state, unquestioning obedience to its leader, subordination of the individual will to the state’s authority, and harsh suppression of dissent.
Martial virtues are celebrated, while liberal and democratic values are disparaged. Fascism arose during the 1920s and ’30s partly out of fear of the rising power of the working classes; it differed from contemporary communism (as practiced under Joseph Stalin) by its protection of business and landowning elites and its preservation of class systems.”
Given this definition, I think it is a bit premature to consider the LIEberals fascist (or any other Canadian or American government). It is open to discussion whether or not any given government is moving toward Fascism.
That the LIEberals are corrupt, dishonest, lying scum-bags is blatantly obvious (to anyone who can see). Anyone who stands by King Gordo the Thug cannot be trusted – and that includes everyone in the LIEberal party, especially in Cabinet.
I also think it is apparent that Obama is a lying thug – as witnessed by the recent video of him saying (words to the effect) that someone running for is at liberty to make promises that he know he will not implement; so, it is OKAY to lie your way into office, according to Obama. Of course, the Lame Stream Media in the USA will not report on this, even though they are FINALLY coming to see Obama as a lying fraud – but he does read well.
I think people use, Hitler and fascism as the worst insult they can think of, to get their anger of Campbell across. However, their words are wasted. It is impossible to shame someone like Campbell. Does he have any shame? He has the highest number of children living in poverty. I see no shame in Campbell. To him, that is a badge of honor. Is Campbell ashamed, he has the lowest minimum wage in Canada, starting at $6.00 per hour. He's proud of that. Campbell exalts in his evil. He loves to, threaten anyone, who opposes him. Campbell and Hansen, lied, deceived and cheated to win. Campbell and his Liberal party, have been built, on all of the above. So, we have to expect treachery from Campbell and his Liberals, until spring. If he uses more dirty tactics, he will be here until, the next election. Don't even say, about next week. Campbell is the master of, evil dirty tactics. Decent people don't think the way, Campbell, Hansen, De Jong and the BC Liberals do. Honest people thought, Campbell gave his word, and he would keep it. Politicians are in a, position trust. they are not trustworthy. DON'T ever believe anything, the BC Liberals say, just automatically deem their words as lies.
I understand that if Gordon Campbell can hold on to power until a date in May/11 he will then receive his pension. How about if you design a feature for a top corner of your webpage that is a countdown till that date. You could call it "Just hang on! that's MY pension!" and include a picture of GC too.
BC Mary I can't see what Anon 1:14 has said that caused you be so over torqued.
Further more just because someone has a different point of view or thought on a subject, doesn't necessarily prove that their from a PAB, far to often this claim is made toward contributors of these blogs.
Anyone who imagines that Bill ... and myself for that matter ... haven't been battling the dark forces which have damaged the province we call home ... and haven't talked about it ... and haven't done anything about it ...
just hasn't been paying attention.
Interesting the way you guys have talked yourself around until you're now heading in the opposite direction from where your comments started.
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Anon 10:05 I, too, send thanks to you for articulating my concerns so well.
Bill and BC Mary. Obviously you two have been standing up for the values (freedom, democracy, integrity etc) that most commenters hold dear and that we as a country have fought for in the past. You are deeply appreciated for all the light you share in standing up and doing so. You have kept us informed over a long period of time, and all for little reward.
I see what happened in Germany pre WW2 (not that I claim to be any kind of expert) as a progression that took an apparently unusually progressive and open minded country and slowly turned it into a hell that expanded far beyond their own country. Most German citizens weren't paying much attention at first. Brings to mind an old anonymous Chinese quote - something like 'What care I who rules the land, as long as I am kept in peace.' That quote has certainly applied here in BC for the past 9 years.
The much quoted true warning that all it takes for evil to prevail is for good men (and women) to do nothing is a reason to always keep ones eyes and ears open to the beginnings of progressions that have the potential to lead to hell - which has been arrived at on many occasions in many different places throughout human history, with inevitable differences (we humans are kind of complex creatures) but with similarities as well. (i.e. China during the Cultural Revolution, Rwanda more recently).
I think it is fair to note developing similarities as they unfold in any human system, given that nothing is ever repeated exactly in history but that certain lessenings of freedom, information, justice, and integrity are usually involved. It is much better to notice and intervene early. If ever I was to compare anything going on in Canada today to the Nazi period in Germany I would deeply hope to be proven wrong - because of early intervention.
I haven't read the Nazi referencing comments, but perhaps people are commenting in that way because they see the beginnings of a potential path to hell and they want to do their duty as good men and women and intervene early.
Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts announced Sunday she won't run for the leadership of the B.C. Liberal party, but joined the list of those urging former provincial cabinet minister Carole Taylor to do so.
Jonathan Fowlie and Andrea Woo, Vancouver Sun
If Christy Clark runs for the leadership of the BC Liberals: Are we 'allowed' to ask her husband about his role in the BC Rail shenanigans?
Do emails expose Campbell as corrupt?
Yahoo!
"Anyone who imagines that Bill ... and myself for that matter ... haven't been battling the dark forces which have damaged the province we call home ... and haven't talked about it ... and haven't done anything about it ..."
So where was all this effort in 2005? In 2009? Seems the NDP didn't the help it needed to appease the left wing whiners.
Everything being equal, I would say Bill comes out ahead on this one. Anyone can sit in front of a laptop and cross post quotations from a newspaper.
just hasn't been paying attention.
Interesting the way you guys have talked yourself around until you're now heading in the opposite direction from where your comments started. "
There's alot of that. Nothing really new, just the same old commentary from the same old worn out people.
I think that's the problem BC Mary, all you and Bill do is talk about the problems. I'm assuming here that you're no better than Bill as you are in such strong support of him.
The Liberals in general and specifically Campbell have been atrocious at running the government. But he/they are not the underlying problem so removing one person is not the solution.
Trying to work within the framework of the rules they have set up, as this anti-HST farce will show, only brings about change in personnel, not change in ideology and that is what is needed.
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