For all intents and purposes, that would be blackmail ... which is defined as, "extortion or coercion by threats ..."

Is Christy Clark at the end of her reign ... and have the BC Liberals gone as far as they can go as the current big tent party?

That's a question that I, and many others, are asking now that the Provincial General election of May 9th is over.  Over at least until recounts are completed, as well as absentee ballots.

Although the BC Liberals gained the largest number of seats, they are still not officially the holders of a minority government -- and as we are all well aware -- even if a few seats flip either way, it will be dangerously close every single day the legislature sits.  All that needs to happen is for a couple on the government side not to be in the legislature, and the opposition could call a vote of non-confidence, and back to the polls we go.

Okay ... so well know all of that.  Here's what I do wonder is going to happen though.

The BC Green Party did not get the required 4 seats to receive official party status.  There is word out that this will be part of the demands of Andrew Weaver and the Green Party, for it to support either the Liberals or NDP, should neither of those two parties get a clear majority.

I hold to the process in place; one where the BC Green Party would have NO right to be accorded party status in the BC legislature.  Four seats is four seats -- not three.  To accord the Greens with official status will only be pandering to the party in hopes of having ongoing support.

Basically, for all intent and purposes, that would be blackmail ... which according to the Merriam Webster dictionary is defined as, "... extortion or coercion by threats ..."

How exactly does that fit with our government style of DEMOCRACY??

Even if the Green's, led by Andrew Weaver, do decide to support either the Liberals or the NDP, how long will a government last before it is defeated with a vote of non-confidence?  And what will that mean then to those who supported Green Party candidates on May 9th?

If the Greens pair up with the Liberals to support them, will it lead to them being reduced to just one or two seats ... maybe even none ... in the next general election ...

1. due to supporter anger at propping them up?
2. due to Green votes moving over to the NDP, or Liberals, to give one or the other a majority next time round

A story a few days back in the Globe and Mail indicated that Weaver would also be seeking a change to how we vote next time around. 

Proportional representation is one of his party’s top priorities.  This is the scary part however, again as it relates to democracy.  Jillian Oliver, press secretary for the BC Greens stated in the Globe and Mail story that, “We would implement form of proportional representation without a referendum, that’s the difference between us and the NDP,”

AGAIN the question of Blackmail vs. democracy comes into play.

Finally ... Green Party aside.  If Liberal support continues to decline, due to voter upset, over a number of issues which I and many others have brought forward, will there now indeed be room for Center / Centre right support come together under a new, old, or existing banner?

John Crocock and the BC Action Party ran two candidates with no success ... John Twigg ran as Party leader under the BC First banner and had no success ... the YPP (Your Political Party) ran a number of candidates, again with no success ... and of course the BC Conservatives ran 10 candidates.

None of the above were able to crack the higher than a fourth place showing.

Even Michael Henshall, running for the BC Social Credit Party, was not able to get higher than fourth.

All of these parties running on their own, cannot (at least in my opinion) have any hope of success in the near future.  And the near future is all we have because we'll be holding a new general election in the next 12 to 18 months -- if not sooner.

Theoretically, the BC Conservatives should have the best hope, however they chased away a several thousand members by all of the chaos, and embarrassing issues, the party went through prior to / after the 2013 election.  Additionally several dozen of their most experienced political people abandoned the party for the same reasons, along with a few more.

The YPP and BC First seem to have more in common with each other, however again I can't see how they can gain enough traction (apart or together) to be a factor next time out.

The late WAC Bennett, BC's first Social Credit premier

That leaves the BC Social Credit Party.

Can new life be breathed back into a party that ruled for year after year prior to a re-birth of the Liberal Party?

There are a few things going for it, which of course begins with the Party name, and a history of building the province, creating huge employment opportunities, a rail system, ferry system, cheap economical hydro and much more.

Of course the name of the leader who buried the party in controversy also comes to mind for those at least 40+.  Bill Vander Zalm turned the party into a laughingstock that ended it in the early 1990's.

On the positive side again, however, is the fact that those 40+ will likely know of, and / or been through all the positives the party had through its many years in government.  AND ... those are the same people most likely to go to the polls to cast a ballot.

Do they have time to recreate and build a party basically from scratch?  Can they attract grassroots people to their cause?  How long will it take to build people oriented policies that the majority of people will support?

And ... do they have enough time, before whoever gets the nod to govern, falls in a non-confidence vote.

Time is short ... and time will tell.

In Kamloops, I'm Alan Forseth.