Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

The negatives of that apparent strength, is that they serve only those in positions of power, the business elite, those with the money to bankroll their election campaigns



A couple of days ago a fellow former BC Conservative posed a question(s) to me regarding the organizational strengths and weaknesses of each of the four political parties in BC ... the Liberals, the Greens, the NDP, and the BC Conservatives.  He wasn't looking for a deep in-depth analysis, just a quick summary.

"Interesting", said I, upon which I replied back with the following before I had a chance to over-think my responses.  I just thought I would take a moment a share them with you.  Here goes:

In your opinion what are the organizational strengths of the BC Liberals? 

Honestly I think it is simply that it 'appears' to be the only game in town.  It can draw from across the political landscape of municipal and Regional District leaders and politicians ...leaders of community groups ... businessmen and women and the like. 
 
What are their organizational weaknesses? 

The negatives of that apparent strength, is that they serve only those in positions of power, the business elite, those with the money to bankroll their election campaigns, etc.  Everyday people feel a bigger and bigger disconnect from having any say in government plans and operations that affect their everyday life. 

In your opinion what are the organizational strengths of the BC NDP? 

Union donations and labour expertise to help in campaigns and getting the vote out.  

What are their organizational weaknesses? 

While they can identify and get committed voters out, like the BC Liberals I believe there is a disconnect with everyday British Columbians as well.

The BC Liberals have done an effective job in painting them as the party of "No", however at the same time they (the Liberals) have taken no steps to show who technical, trades, and others can benefit from getting projects off the ground.  The BC Reform Party nearly succeeded in 1996 by drawing people in from both the centre right,, and centre left, however they failed to realize that they could not run a full provincial campaign their first time out.

Any new party MUST build its core, find its best riding for electing MLA's, and THEN and ONLY then show what it can do to attract broad support province wide. 

In your opinion what are the organizational strengths of the BC Greens? 

A very defined support base. 

What are their organizational weaknesses?

A very defined support base that leaves little room to cross into mainstream

 

In your opinion what are the organizational strengths of the BC Conservatives?
There are none ... nearly all who had any skills have left / fled the party. 

What are their organizational weaknesses?

Infighting ... lack of planning ... no financial resources ... no expertise in government and policy ... no 'positive' social media presence ... no connect with the media ... a lack of professional and management advisors ... a perceived / real closed shop clique of do it my way or else individuals. 

Again, this wasn't intended to be an in-depth analysis, just quick observations. 

It also might be interesting to note that the person that posed the question(s) to me, earlier this Spring, also said to me, "I'm frustrated with the argument that we (BC Liberals) are conservative, because we balance budgets by raising taxes, and we pay for things by continual rate increases."  Which perhaps leaves credence to my statement that the perception is there that the BC Liberals are the only game in town?  

In Kamloops, I'm Alan Forseth. You've heard from me ... do you agree or disagree?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nurses Take Job Action After Years of NDP Neglect

Image Credit:  BC Nurses Union BC nurses have reached a breaking point after years of unsafe conditions, rising violence in the workplace and a government that wouldn’t listen. Now they are on the picket line fighting to be heard. Last week, nurses began job action with a 72-hour strike notice, refusing non-essential overtime and stepping back from non-nursing duties. As of Tuesday, they have escalated to picket lines for the first time in decades. This moment was avoidable. It is the result of years of unanswered concerns from the frontline workers who keep our hospitals running. Nurses have been raising the same concerns for years: unsafe staffing levels, rising violence on the job, and a workload no single person should have to carry. None of it is new, and none of it should have taken a strike vote to get the government's attention. "Nurses are exercising their legal right to job action, but it shouldn’t have had to come to this," said Kiel Giddens, MLA for...
Post a Comment
Read more

British Columbians Still Don’t Know Who’s Paying for NDP’s BC Hydro Deal

The NDP is making billion-dollar promises with BC Hydro, but British Columbians still don’t know who will pay the bill. Last week’s memorandum of understanding isn’t what the federal government and the NDP are making it out to be. It’s an admission that the NDP failed to make the long-term investments needed to keep B.C. powered. Now British Columbians have serious questions about the cost and whether BC Hydro ratepayers will end up paying the price. David L. Williams, MLA for Salmon Arm-Shuswap and Shadow Minister for BC Hydro and Electrical Energy Development , said British Columbians deserve clear answers about the full implications of the Canada–British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement. “British Columbians deserve the full truth,” said Mr. Williams. “This multi-billion-dollar announcement does not answer who pays for cost overruns, who pays for new generation, who carries the risk if industrial customers do not materialize, or whether ratepayers will be forced ...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDP Government Blames Everyone but Themselves

The federal government has announced new measures to support British Columbia's forestry sector, including $65 million in funding for projects across the province. While any support is welcome, it falls far short of the level of assistance other provinces have secured for key industries. Conservative Forests Critic Ward Stamer says the NDP government needs to take responsibility for its mismanagement of B.C.’s forest industry instead of trying to pass on the blame. Despite promising to create more jobs in the forest sector, the NDP government has overseen the loss of thousands of forestry jobs and 21 mill closures which have devastated communities. “If Premier Eby spent more time addressing the regulatory issues impacting the forestry sector than he did complaining about the federal government, we would not be in the position we are now,” said Stamer. “And instead of trying to place the blame for mill closures on Donald Trump, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar should t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more