Following
the 2013 provincial general election, and Adrian Dix's flip-flop on Kinder
Morgan (aka the Kinder Morgan Surprise), Tom Sigardson (the head of Unionized
Trades in BC) stated the decision not to support the Kinder Morgan expansion
was … “a disaster”.
He went
further saying it was a key moment that changed who many of the 23,000 BC and Yukon Territories Building and Construction Trades Council
members voted for.
As the
old saying goes Adrian Dix, and the NDP, managed to snatch defeat from the jaws
of victory. Even Harry Lali, one of the longest serving NDP MLA’s was quoted saying:
“When the announcement about the Kinder Morgan pipeline was made, it basically decimated Interior and northern BC for us — rural BC basically.”
Former BC NDP leader Adrian Dix |
So the
KEY thing Adrian Dix is known for is … he blew the 2013 provincial general
election with his Kinder Surprise.
In the
coming weeks though, I wonder how many individuals and those in the media will
take a trip down memory lane for another possible reason why (at least in part)
the NDP will lose this May’s provincial general election as well.
Where
did train-wreck number two begin? It began with members of the BC NDP creating a ridiculously
strict policy (reaffirmed a number of times) where Straight White
Heterosexual Males are basically denied the opportunity to seek nomination
as candidates to run for the party.
“This won’t be a large number of seats, because I’m expecting almost all the NDP incumbents to run again in the next election, so it’s going to affect only those seats where incumbents retire.”
Just like
Kinder Morgan the statement by Adrian Dix, regarding gender equality, was
wrong. It also showed a lack of intuition at what repercussions might
arise from it in the future.
As recently as last September current party leader John Horgan said the policy
remains:
“a collection of equity targets we want to see… candidates are approved by the party executive, and as a candidate comes forward they will be dealt with on a one-off basis.”
John
Horgan’s tacit approval of continuing the policy is just as wrong, to the point
where individuals appearing to be male are
having to declare their sexual preferences, or even the most minor of medical
problems.
Continuing
this absurd policy will likely cost the NDP crucial seats they’ll need to have
any hope of winning on May 9th.
Up in Northern BC, on Vancouver Island,
and in the Kootenay’s … dissension has risen to the point where an NDP
constituency association president, and some party members, will be campaigning
as independents against the NDP.
Should
that be of any surprise to anyone? No, not really.
On June
16th of last year blogger Richard Hughes said, “Will the ‘D’ in
NDP stand for ‘Democratic’ or will it stand for ‘Discrimination?'
An
editorial several years ago in the now defunct Kamloops Daily News quoted Ruth
Fane, president of the Kamloops - South Thompson NDP riding saying, "It's
quite ridiculous. A lot of our gender rules are."
And a
2011 editorial in the National Post said publicity, around the policy, has made
the NDP:
... appear ridiculous … quotas of this type, by their very nature, are an affront to the meritocracy principle, and to democracy itself.
... appear ridiculous … quotas of this type, by their very nature, are an affront to the meritocracy principle, and to democracy itself.
Quota’s based on ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical challenges -- no matter how well intended -- have no place in a free and democratic society.
As
well, a refusal to acknowledge that BC still has a large portion of its’
economy based on the resource industry, is suicidal with voters in the interior
and the north.
NDP
refusal to acknowledge these two things proves they haven’t learned anything …
and … that they can kiss goodbye to any chance of winning government on May 9th.
In Kamloops, I’m Alan
Forseth.
Comments
Post a Comment