BESLER / FORSETH: They've created new slices in the pie, however all the other slices are now smaller
Today, we have a piece for you
that was co-written by myself, and Ben Besler.
We were both coming at, thinking about, texting similar thoughts -- so
it only made sense to piece them together, and present them to you. Let us know
what you think in the comments section below:
What kind of insights were there to a recent post? Here's a sampling:
The right is in ruins. The
government is all left wing and in tatters.
A compelling figure could rise
from the ashes, but who? Everyone is hell bent on not working together.
Does the right take over the BC
Liberals and then change its name?
Does a new party with a name that
has no baggage sprout?
What about Kevin Falcon? Too much
baggage?
Rick Peterson? Couldn't even beat
Brooks.
Jordan Bateman? Too elitist??
Government will fall apart
further, but I don't think BC is ready to deal with it yet. That said, someone
better start organizing now to lead above the fray and cast vision while the
rest are tied in their own filth.
It sounds like lots of work ... yes, there's lots of work
to be done if someone decided to champion the cause, and raise up an army of
workers. Of course anyone with a drive to rise up from the ashes, of BC's
recent election, needs to keep in mind those who are the disenfranchised
groups: Restaurant owners, pub owners, real estate agents (individuals not
umbrella associations), hobby farmers, (not large agricultural industry's), and
all the Ma and Pop shops scattered through BC, just to name a few.
The ever-shrinking people who make up rural BC -- the ones
who work in the resource industries that feed Metro Vancouver jobs.
People that still own a FAMILY home, and who want and
desire to have one ... NOT those treating a home as a financial resource, to be
exploited, by pushing prices higher and higher.
So high that average everyday British Columbians are priced right out of
the market.
There are so many others out there -- but the key is to
actually focus on these groups and individuals.
The NDP and BC Liberals all pay lip service to the middle class -- and
the people THEY CALL everyday British Columbians -- but it truly is little more
than lip service.
Now, over to all the fourth-place finishers in the past
election. The problem with all these
fourth-place parties is that while they all have desire, there is no direction
and no expertise ... which is why none of them are gaining traction with the
people of BC.
I (that's me, Alan)
love peach pie ... in fact I tell everyone, especially family, that Peach Pie
should be a required item at all family gatherings and special occasions. Regardless of how much I love Peach Pie, if I
cut an extra piece into it, the pie itself won't become any bigger, it's still
the same size -- and sadly there won't
be any more for me to eat.
That is exactly what happens every time a new political party
in BC is created.
They've created new slices in the same pie, however all
the other slices are now smaller. Nothing
grows any larger -- the rest of the pieces simply fracture and get smaller.
Interestingly, someone said to us, "Who in their right mind would give up
precious time for an ungrateful job of directing them?"
Some one(s) has to, however; if we are going to break out
of our current cycle of choice and options.
Someone(s) need to pick up the pieces, pull them together
because ... those who are part of the
status quo will not come to terms with the fact that they need to learn to
govern to the right, and campaign to the centre.
These are important thoughts because any chance of success,
for a political party outside of the BC Liberals, will have to have a wide
degree of thoughts and ideas that can be compressed into policy and direction
-- and they'll have to do it soon.
With the BC Legislature now fractured, as it is, following
the May 9th election, we'll likely be going back to the polls in twelve to
eighteen months. Policy and direction that
has best chance to appeal to center / centre-right voters needs to be put
together rapidly.
There are definitely people that perhaps would become involved, but many are gun shy after seeing
the BC Conservative Party fiasco. Of
course there's no guarantees in life, but they (ourselves included) will steer
clear of anything that looks, and feels, like an approaching train wreck.
That said, people like these will be crucial -- not only
for knowledge and experience -- but also to give credibility to the party.
That of course is just our opinion ... and you're going to hear a lot more of them, from well meaning people, before BC holds its' next election.
That of course is just our opinion ... and you're going to hear a lot more of them, from well meaning people, before BC holds its' next election.
Please be sure to leave a comment below if this post has
struck a cord with you ... we'd love to hear your thoughts. And, as noted above, this piece was co-written
by Kamloops
resident Alan Forseth ... and Ben Besler from Hope.
This is the text of email that was sent shortly after the election.
ReplyDeleteSomewhat sad but from such disappointments often springs new hope. Perhaps we should get together sometime with a number of like minded individuals to have some Coffee and PYE (Park Your Egos) ( PolY Equitas). I, for one, believe that the BCCP has been undermined to the extent that it has become (publicly and internally) a non-starter going into a certain quick election (if the minority status of the government holds after the recount and absentee ballots). I also don't believe the group who hijacked the BCCP will ever let it go without a fight - and it is simply not worth a fight because the brand has been permanently tainted in the eyes of the public and the political community. The reality is that the BCCP never gained the support of the federal Conservative Party of Canada nor even the support of the conservative parties in other provinces. There is a reason that this support was never forthcoming and astute individuals are able to acknowledge and accept that reality. It is long past time to move on.
The province is full of small 'c' conservatives who rightly believe that the BCCP abandoned them. We continue to hold discussions with a small, but growing, number of astute, committed and capable individuals who are looking to form a genuine fiscally conservative political entity that will be a legitimate alternative to the BC Liberals going into the next election.
Sad to see how the inbred, exclusionary hierarchy of the BCCP and the lack of diversity in membership totally destroyed any chance that the BCCP could have been a legitimate player in the 2017 election. The existing Board of Directors is, to a man, in full denial concerning their very real blame for the embarrassment suffered by candidates and well-intentioned, committed members, past and present. The BCCP ran the most juvenile and wholly ineffective political campaign in recent memory and the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of a number of obstinate and not particularly intelligent individuals, at least in a political sense. To a man, they never put their 'big boy' pants on and refused to take responsibility for an unbelievable number of political gaffes - and disastrous decisions, many unconstitutional.
The BCCP was rightfully punished at the polls and must be written off as another failure in the annals of BC politics.
There is certain to be a new movement of accountable, conservative individuals with integrity and a true understanding of the requirements necessary to form and run a viable political party to contest in the next provincial election. Such a party will thrive on diversity (and even dissension at times) since change never comes from a blind and unwarranted acceptance of a failed (and dysfunctional) status quo.
Glen Walushka
insightbc.org
rightforbc.com
The BC Conservatives are coming back with a vengeance. Bank on it.
ReplyDelete