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

It will NOT WORK. And furthermore, I believe it will ONLY INFLICT FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE BC CONSERVATIVE BRAND



This mornings political email avalanche was indeed an avalanche, as always, and it included one from the BC Conservative Party. 

 

The Subject line?  "Electorally enfranchised or no?"

 

I thought, that's an interesting, what are they up to now?  Turns out I had been made aware of the topic awhile back, in a basic general discussion.  Still I am, and was, surprised that it came to pass.

Here is a copy of today's email.



Bob Bray, candidates
What do I think?  Well, first off, it will not be much of a stealth campaign because everyone is now aware of their intentions. 

I also have to say however, that the individual that I discussed this idea with, a few weeks back, probably had the best of intention -- however it will NOT work.  And furthermore, I believe it will ONLY INFLICT FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE BC CONSERVATIVE BRAND.

The BC Conservatives plan is to endorse individuals.  It's unclear from the email I received however, whether they are actually to be BC Conservative candidates.  If discussions previously are what I think this plan is about, then these individuals will actually be running as Independents.  They will however be endorsed by the party.

As you can see, the only support they will have is by being included on the party website (I suspect there will be a separate section for endorsed rather than official candidates), but after that they are on their own ... no campaign signs, no campaign office ... no advertisements.

Having been part of a doomed campaign from the outset, as the Campaign Manager for B C Conservative Candidate Peter Sharp in Kamloops South Thompson, it actually doesn't sound a lot different from the 2013 election campaign actually.  After the party imploded, we were pretty much on our own to try and be a credible option.


As most (all?) of you are aware, I have not been part of the BC Conservative Party for quite some time now.  Still I honestly have a deep down desire that sometime (hopefully before I die) they can indeed become a realistic option for BC voters.

To twist the subject line of the BC Conservative email this morning ... British Columbians are disenfranchised when it comes to have a true small 'c' conservative option to vote for.  Endorsing independent candidates however is NOT the way to go for this election.

It will only ensure that the thinned ranks, within the party, will not have the opportunity to full vet, and then endorse, those who apply.

It will leave the party wide open to an individuals interpretation of party policy, with no control over them.

Media comments made by this individuals, to news reporters, will ultimately be reported as a valid viewpoint of the party, regardless of how crazy it might be.

Individuals in the midst of a campaign, with no support from the party, will feel total adrift and abandoned (see my above comment about 2013 campaign). 

That will likely lead to nonconstructive, and pessimistic, comments being made in social media about the experience they are going through.

Here's my message to Bob Bray, Director of candidate support for the BC Conservative Party ... PULL THIS PLAN BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.

I'm interested in your thoughts on this idea, please feel free to add they to the comment section below.

In Kamloops, I'm Alan Forseth. 

Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. KurtApril 1, 2017 at 5:39 PM

    Thanks Alan. This "policy" smacks of desperation. If I were a BC liberal supporter, I would sign up...become the biggest racist, womanizer and whatever negative word I would come up with and totally sink the BC Conservatives.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WARD STAMER: “Hopefully he’s actually listening to what people have to say, and not just showing up for a photo op”

In his latest travels across the province, BC Forest Minister Ravi Parmar touched down in the Okanagan. A trip essentially, he said, to be on the ground meeting industry people. I read what he had to say, and about how he has been tasked with getting more timber to market. Let me start by saying, “ He hasn’t been tasked. He and Premier Eby guaranteed 45 million cubic metres of available wood fibre – they guaranteed that .” BC Timber Sales is a government agency within the provincial forest’s ministry, which is responsible for managing a portion of the province's Crown timber; specifically, 20 percent of the province's annual allowable cut. Unfortunately, BC Timber Sales did not provide anywhere near that amount last year, it was just 12.2 percent. Three years ago, BC mills cut 52 million metres of wood, bringing in nearly $2 billion dollars to the provincial treasury. That figure doesn’t include the taxes from 55,700 people directly employed in the industry, nor from the tens o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Conservative Opposition demonstrates focused and policy-oriented approach in first four weeks of the legislative session

In the first four weeks of the legislative session, the Conservative Official Opposition has scored significant policy wins as it proves every day that the Conservative team has fresh ideas and real-world experience to bring to the table. At the same time, the NDP government has been listless, struggling to find a policy agenda that addresses the problems that British Columbians are facing. “This NDP government led by David Eby has tried to do everything under the sun to distract from their disastrous fiscal record and the fact that they are utterly out of ideas,” said Conservative Opposition Leader John Rustad. “They’ve tried to use the U.S. President to deflect from their eye-popping $11 billion deficit, the worst business confidence in the country, and the fact that they’ve created almost zero private sector jobs. This is no way to run a province or an economy.” Since the legislative session started on February 18th with the Throne Speech, the opposition...
Post a Comment
Read more

Conservative Party of BC Calls for Coroner’s Inquest in the Death of Chantelle Williams

  Chantelle Williams/Facebook “Somebody has to come out and tell the truth on what happened and who’s at fault” ~~ Martin Watts, Uncle of Chantelle Williams The Conservative Party of BC is urgently calling for a coroner’s inquest into the death of 18-year-old Indigenous youth Chantelle Williams, who tragically died under the care of Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services, an agency of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Her family is disturbed by the lack of transparency and unanswered questions surrounding her final moments, and are seeking answers on who was responsible for her care and supervision and why no one noticed she was missing until it was too late. Chantelle was found unresponsive in Port Alberni in the early morning of January 28, 2025. She was later pronounced dead in the hospital. Temperatures had dropped below –7°C the night of her death. Her family is demanding clarity on the circumstances that led to her untimely passing, and they demand answ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more