 |
| BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark, BC Conservative Surrey-White Rock riding president Allison Patton at host BC Liberal MLA Kevin Falcon's "Jeans 'N Beans" BC Liberal fundraiser on July 14, 2012 |
Is the so-called BC Conservative Party revolt against leader John Cummins being fomented by BC Liberals intent on destroying their rivals' chances of electoral success in May 2013?
Freelance journalist Bob Mackin kindly pointed out to me that he had posted the photo above on his blog Wednesday and that he also got this explanation from Allison Patton about it:
Before I could finish asking about a photograph from the B.C. Blue blog of her standing between ex-finance minister Kevin Falcon and Premier Christy Clark at a barbecue last summer, Patton flashed an 8x10 glossy of the photo.
I remain unconvinced by this explanation and would have thought that the Naturopathic Association wouldn't send a committed BC Conservative to a BC Liberal fundraising event but I appreciate that Bob asked the question and the Patton had an answer. It is kind of funny, though perhaps not in the way she means.
Is there a "Trojan Horse" strategy in play?
Or are the BC Conservative dissidents - a word they apparently hate - simply the BC political equivalent of pit bulls - bred to fight?
It's hard to know for sure but there is any awful lot of BC Liberal smoke if there's no fire.
Exhibit A - is above. BC Conservative Surrey-White Rock riding president Allison Patton has been front and centre demanding in public that Cummins resign, then floating the bizarre story yesterday that Cummins had agreed to quit but reneged on the "deal" negotiated with one of the dissidents. SEE UPDATE AT END OF THIS ITEM ALSO
The story got huge play in the media given that the entire story was based on hearsay, denied by Cummins himself completely and without any rational explanation for why Cummins would resign after just getting 71% of party members to reject a leadership review!
So - why was Patton hobnobbing with Premier Christy Clark at Kevin Falcon's Beans 'N Jeans fundraising event in Surrey just a few months ago if she is a dedicated BC Conservative who believes the BC Liberals are finished and should be thrown out of office?
And did she quit the BC Conservatives and then "unquit" shortly afterwards this summer? I hope Patton explains herself in her next news release or media interviews.
Exhibit B - BC Conservative sources told me last month that former BC Liberal MLA John van Dongen - who briefly became the BC Conservatives' only MLA after quitting Clark's government, then quit on Cummins as well - was in contact with BC Liberal MLAs Moira Stilwell and Donna Barnett about ditching Clark and Cummins and merging the two parties. Van Dongen declined to comment about "private" conversations he might have had.
Exhibit C - John Martin. The former BC Conservative candidate who placed third in the Chilliwack-Hope by-election in March announced he was joining the BC Liberals the day before his former party's AGM - with BC Liberal MLA John Les and other brass in attendance as he signed his new membership card.
Pretty clearly this one was planned and executed at BC Liberal HQ for maximum negative impact on Cummins.
That would be the same John Martin who said during and before the by-election that:
“Not even the most devoted Liberal supporter could argue with a straight face that this government has earned a fourth mandate. Theirs is a legacy of deceit, incompetence, and financial mismanagement.” – CKNW, March 28, 2012
“The Liberal government has failed the people of British Columbia and has squandered trust with the public on issues such paying $6 million in legal fees for two convicted criminals (Basi and Virk) and the introduction of the HST shortly after the last election when they said it was not on the table.” – Georgia Straight, April 19, 2012
“Everything costs more under this Liberal government. Medical premiums, ICBC, BC Hydro, Carbon Tax, Gas Tax. The list goes on and on. It just doesn’t end. The only people getting ahead in Christy Clark’s British Columbia are cronies, insiders and lobbyists.” - Asian Journal, January 27, 2012
“The Liberals are in free fall and haven’t, by any stretch of imagination, earned a fourth term. The BC Rail scandal alone merits a trip to the penalty box. The deceit with which the HST was introduced was a disgrace and indicative of the contempt the Liberals have for hardworking, tax-paying British Columbians who play by the rules.” – Chilliwack Times, December 6, 2011
Exhibit D - Ben Besler. The former BC Conservative Party vice-president and 2009 provincial candidate was dead set against the BC Liberals - until he joined the party this month! Besler was leading the anti-Cummins crowd but failed to get party support for a leadership review and was defeated in running for the executive, along with the other dissidents.
That would be the same Ben Besler who told the Chilliwack Times that:
"I don't think [the BC Liberals] can carry on the right-wing facade much longer with the carbon tax and bridge tolls and doing their best to push aside the light rail transit. The Liberals made a coalition with people of right wing mentality so of course they've tried to position themselves as right wing," Besler said. The same Ben Besler who started a "Recall John Les" Facebook page.
Can there be any doubt that Besler and Martin will be paraded in front of cheering BC Liberals at their "Free Enterprise Friday" party convention day intended to encourage more defectors to join with Christy Clark?
Lastly, I fully expect comments and posts suggesting that I'm merely promoting the BC Conservatives to hurt the BC Liberals.
I hardly think the BC Liberals need my help - they are damaging their brand daily - from their ridiculous and changing positions on the Enbridge pipeline to bringing Chinese workers into BC to run a Chinese-owned coal mine to the HST to a host of other bad decisions.
I don't agree with John Cummins or his supporters on a whole lot of issues - but he is a straight-shooter and he has dragged the BC Conservatives out of obscurity to have a real chance of electing MLAs and re-establishing a party that was lost in the wilderness for decades.
So - say what you like about me - but try to deal with the facts here, because they are certainly pointing towards some real involvement of the BC Liberals and their supporters in sabotaging Cummins - for obvious reasons.
UPDATE
Freelance journalist Bob Mackin kindly pointed out to me that he had posted the photo above on his blog Wednesday and that he also got this explanation from Allison Patton about it:
Before I could finish asking about a photograph from the B.C. Blue blog of her standing between ex-finance minister Kevin Falcon and Premier Christy Clark at a barbecue last summer, Patton flashed an 8x10 glossy of the photo.
She explained she was invited to the event at Conservative Sen. Gerry St. Germain’s ranch. She was representing the B.C. Naturopathic Association, which had come to know Falcon while he was health minister.
“In terms of the photo itself, I thought it was kind of funny two top Liberals were endorsing a B.C. Conservative such as myself, and that's why I'm standing in the centre," Patton said.
I remain unconvinced by this explanation and would have thought that the Naturopathic Association wouldn't send a committed BC Conservative to a BC Liberal fundraising event but I appreciate that Bob asked the question and the Patton had an answer. It is kind of funny, though perhaps not in the way she means.
.
23 comments:
EXACTLY right Bill T...Remember when Von Dongen made his leaving the bc Liberals speech in the legislature, remember Von Dongen stating this..
"I gave premier Clark 1 year to bring the party together"..Then Von Dongen said he was also concerned over Chrity Clark`s involvement in BC Rail..Funny, what if Christy Clark HAD brought the BC Liberals together, in the polls I mean, would he then have sat quiet?..Lips sealed, mouth shut?..
It seems Von Dongen was hoping he could force Christy out with his defection, if that wasn`t true, why did Von Dongen even mention that he gave Christy Clark 1 year to pull the party(s) together???
The two areas of complaints can`t be separated, Von Dongen in my opinion would have remained silent if the Liberals were polling close to the NDP, or above..
Shouldn`t Von Dongen only had been concerned with the latter item, Christy Clark the serial leaker, why would party popularity change that?
More details and more on those facts here, in the story below..
http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.ca/2012/10/a-desperate-government-ploy-unraveled.html
Cheers Eyes Wide Open
Cummings is just a side show the real target is on Clark's back and everything that can be done to "right" the Liberal ship of state will be done. The public should just sit back and enjoy the show, then turf this ship of fools!
Back when Christy & then happily married hubby Mark were all good federal Liberals fighting to create the thousand year Paul Martin dynasty many in the LPC/BC used to joke about "their" unofficial motto . . . WE ONLY CHEAT WHEN WE CAN'T WIN!
At that time Christy told me in the elevator of the Chateau Whistler that she would be Canada's first elected female Prime Minister and that Mark would go from Martin's PMO ultimately to the Senate as Canada's next RAINMAKER.
Many of us doubted Christy's and Mark's mental abilities to acquire those goals but we never doubted their blind and ruthless determination.
Aided by the likes of the SPIDERMAN, and a mob of booze-fueled Young Liberals . . . many of whom went ultimately to work for Gordon Campbell, they were prepared to wage a civil war against the Liberal Party of Canada.
This war had an endless series of dirty tricks propagated by the Martinites and I have no doubt that Cummins, Dix or anyone else who stands in their way of a win will get the whole nine yards (in the back).
The GREAT SATAN
Bill--
Regarding further dot-connectorish questions to be asked....
Would it be worth asking about the various on/off/on-again affiliations of Mr. Rick Peterson, who was supposed have become the interim BC Conservative Party leader in the wake of Mr. Cummins resignation.
.
"two top Liberals were endorsing a B.C. Conservative"
She says it herself. Funny how the truth can have an odd way of appearing.
Is this ever comical. I suppose by photographic affilation was Bill supporting Chris Delany's political aspirations to be an MLA since he is shown with Chris in a picture. The same can be said in regards to Bill here being part of some scheme put out by Bill VanderZalm to get more publicity.
The comical part is of course this idiotic conspiracy of planting within the BC Conservatives by the BC Liberals to help prevent the NDP from winning.
Well guess what? The BC Liberals can do what they like to entertain Bill and the left here, but it certainly wouldn't mean any victory against the NDP.
One thing that isn't shown here is the mess the BC Conservatives have gotten themselves into with Cummins.
Cummins is not showing any leadership at all despite what he wants everyone to believe. This guy has been around politics a long time and still can't get his fundamentals.
As for BC's Devilled Ham and his federal Liberals, they including Marissen, Chreitien and Martin should be charged with a crime of stealing. Remember it was Devilled Ham's own party that caused alot of trouble when that idiot Martin cut off transfer payments for health to the provinces even here in B.C.
A good column there Bill, very entertaining. Even to those who wouldn't touch the BC Conservatives or BC Liberals even if it means an NDP victory.
Thanks so much for being one of the first substantial bloggers to break this story. Even if all the evidence you have supplied weren't available, one merely has to ask the question: "if the dissidents want Cummins - who as you say dragged the BC Conservatives up 20 points in the polls - gone, who do they propose to put in his place? Wouldn't a faction that was working for the benefit of the party as these clowns claim to be, have some kind of leader in mind for after their little coup?
What breaking story? All this is, is one person trying to construct a conspiracy theory using the easiest perceived relationships possible. How many are those are out there?
As far as these kind of dissidents go, didn't the same type of dissidents stab Carole James in the back? And who was it they were going to present? Jenny Kwan?
The BC Conservatives didn't need any help from the BC Liberals. They have simply self-destructed themselves.
A bad start for a leader who is a former MP who should know how to at least put a saleable campaign together.
One thing that hasn't been shown here is the disasterous result for the BC Conservatives in both by-elections. They surely should have won Chilliwack and didn't. Should have come narrowly close to Trasolini in Port Moody and didn't there either.
The BC Conservatives haven't come up with anything that would sell to the voting public.
Rising up to 20% in the polls is fine once you've reached it. But like selling Mary Kay Cosemetics to keep the pink Cadillac, or to win a seat at Re-Max in real estate you have to keep doing that and more, otherwise you're out.
The major reason for the BC Conservative's mess they are in are themselves.
So why didn't John Cummins parade John vanDongen around like a prize bull won at an PNE auction?
and why hadn't John VanDongen held up John Cummins like a prize Tyee fish caught in the waters off Painter's Lodge?
Ego.
Does it every time.
No matter what party there is.
Let's critique this exercise..
If these theories of Bill's were true then it would be reflective in the support base for the BC Liberals, that is the BC Liberals would receive additional support from disgrunted BC Conservatives, the coveted returning home that they want to see (and following those who went from the BC Conservatives to the BC Liberals).
Based on current polling this did not happen. In fact the BC Liberals are worse off in terms of the spread than they were before, and the NDP has actually gained support. Given that the NDP already has 100% of their support base back (compared to what it was when Carole James got stabbed in the back), this means that on the fringe on the right side of the NDP spectrum, they are collecting support. In other words, people are receptive to Adrian Dix, but this doesn't mean reception nor acceptance of what the more elft wingers such as Shane Simpson and Chandra-Herbert would want in government.
The NDP is indeed playing it smart, while John Cummins has to be the most dumbest leader in existence in BC since Bill VanderZalm.
So Bill's conspiracy theories haven't much substance in terms of
realizing any tangible result based on what he has figured.
The actual truth is the BC Conservatives are self destructing and they don't need the BC Liberals to do it.
Interesting image, and I don't buy the explanation offered by the lady.
My major problem with your theory is that you assume that Christy Clark and her flunkies are smart enough to pull something like this off. Other recent events suggest that this is unlikely.
It is also quite possible that this is just another bizarre episode in a party with a rich history of circular firing squads.
However, even if your theory is right, the latest Angus Reid poll suggests that the BC Libs need to come up with Plan B. It was taken after the Tories began to implode and the Libs are still getting their asses handed to them. In fact, if anything, it is worse.
A conspiracy requires organization and cooperation which is probably a stretch for the group of "dissidents" going after Cummins. The noise going on here looks more like several individual ambitious political types trying to stir up trouble in the BC Cons in order to win favor with the BC Liberals. If the dissidents are acting on their own without direction, hoping to gain favor with the BC Liberals, then the higher ups in the BC Liberals can deny responsibility if things go wrong but take the benefits if things go right. Probably a lot of wink-wink, nudge-nudge going on here.
If there are those who are trying to stir up troube to win favour with the BC Liberals, it didn't work, in fact it's made it worse for the BC Conservatives than it has benifitted the BC Liberals.
In fact for both parties there isn't much of a huge benifit if Bills conspirarcy theory is actully true.
My guess is the dissidents are not conspirators for the BC Liberals, but are hopelessly trying to salvage what they can of their own party.
But they haven't succeeded and with Cummins stubborness, has made it worse than it was before.
Even if the two groups managed the vote the same way in parallel (with out this idiotic "merge concept" that Bill and other political pundits like and like to to see because it gives them something to do), it will would not be enough to overcome the NDP at this stage. It would still result in an NDP government albeit a minor majority (above a minority but barely).
I wouldn't say there's any nudge-nudge wink wink going on because there's no value in doing it as can be seen in the latest poll.
Lastly, I fully expect comments and posts suggesting that I'm merely promoting the BC Conservatives to hurt the BC Liberals.
------------
But you have to admit that a messed BCC party will make life harder for Dix
Not being a political strategist I sort of leave the strategy to those who know best. But anything that messes up the connections between the Conservatives and the Liberal/ Conservatives makes me happy. we simply cannot have those clowns around in power for the next number of years.
Perhaps these people are just your run of the mill shallow, feckless right wingers. No real commitment to any ideals except the enrichment of the few at the expense of the many.
There isn't any solid connection between the BC Conservatives and BC Liberals.
But no worries. Once the clown are gone, the jokers will take over.
Think ahead to June 2013 for a short session of the legislature.
The Sgt at Arms motions to the politicians at the door to sit where they are supposed to in relation to the Speaker..
"Awwright people, Sit where you are going to sit in relation to the Speaker of this House...
Clowns to the left, jokers to the right..."
The BC Liberals are doing to the BC Conservatives what they've been doing to British Columbians for ten years:
sabotage, lying and cheating. They don't care who knows this because they think that's what politics is supposed to be...
...and they're desperate.
Are they desperate enough to rig the vote? We'll know if Christy tries to implement online voting.
Can't see how the BC Liberals are doing that to the BC Conservatives.
The BC Conservatives are pretty much doing that to themselves on their own. They are self destructing and what people see is not caused by the BC Liberals. It is simply caused by forces internally, such as it was when Carole James was stabbed in the back.
Online voting? Not going to happen.
All there is now is just to see if it might work as an alternative. Does not mean it will actually happen.
Even if it is brought to BC, it would not replace paper ballots, 100% it would only be an option and such an option would be made available for the 2017 election. There isn't any time to examine, test and put into place online voting in time for next year's election. Legislation would have to be revised, and the BC Liberals have brought enough problems on themselves to not worry about bringing in online voting.
If it doesn't happen in 2013, then the NDP government will have to deal with it.
Would be interesting if they decide it's of worthy going for to the next stage, public consultation.
The NDP has never clearly said they were absolutely against it.
I wouldn't support it, nor use it.
Too many things can go wrong.
A little history lesson may be in order here. When the SoCreds were imploding and were on target to be wiped out in the next election. Where did the power brokers go then? They made themselves a new home at the Liberal party of BC. All of a sudden the MSM who, in Canada, seem to pride themselves on not reporting on various affairs and moral lapses, were all over Gordon Wilson and his then girlfriend Judy Tyabchi. So, of course hapless Gordon W. had to go and political opportunist Gordon Campbell and the former power pokers from the soon to be destroyed SoCreds, were available to take over the BC Liberals who were on track to become the next Official Opposition. I suspect this was the scenario on track by the Liberal power brokers. However, it seems Cummins was not so easily pushed or quietly pushed out.
Big oops for the Liberal rats leaving the sinking Liberal ship. VanDongen was supposed to open the door for ....lets guess . Mind you Kevin Falcon did learn well from his mentor Gordon Campbell, so maybe?
So now it seems the Liberals who bolted and stabbed Clark in the back so easily, will have to eat humble pie and try to backtrack on their words. Should be a very interesting election lead up.
You must have done something right, Bill.
Alex Tsakumis has one of his more rabid rants against you today (Oct 17th).
What did you do to deserve his venum?
It has been reported that Bill Tieleman has contracted to BCMA an arm of the Liberal party, as a consultant. Alan Seckel Campbells right hand man was the main man who did the operation. Say it isn't so...
Most interesting thing is the picture of the chubby broad and her new transportation or her next position between the yokes perhaps.. As for the liebrals being intelligent enough to form a conspiracy to get rid of con's.
Wouldn't they have been better off destroying the next government instead of wasting energy and their few remaining gray cells on a used up god squad leader and a few flunkies?
Also if there was a conspiracy to get rid of the conservatives wouldn't Bill Good have known about it?
The political class seems quite chummy with one another. I have always noticed left or futher left, the nanny state just keeps on increasing. I still have a few more shekels left.
What ever happened to make do with less? How rhetorical, Dave, when the political class can take all and name call at the same time!
Post a Comment