Every now and again I have a quick chat with someone I greatly respect, and who has been involved in centre-right BC politics for many years. I think the following brief conversation is worth repeating, and so, here it is.
Note, their name is being held confidential – I’m going to call them Sam.
Sam: Yesterday we had the “Chicken in every pot” strategy announcement. It is a seductive fantasy for a certain cohort!
Me: That's very astute on your part, that’s exactly what it is. The trouble with this new announcement from Kevin Falcon is that he has no idea what the state of the provinces' finances will be -- other than worse than the NDP is acknowledging. Kevin knows that.
On top of that, he's already said he'll balance the budget first term. That's one heck of a hit to the treasury. For a former provincial Finance Minister, this is a very reckless promise to make.
Sam: The campaign has taken on a quasi-US style since Mark took over…attack ads and a million promises, a new mega proposal almost every day. Trump has advised his disciples to “Just say it … people will believe you”, and he does over and over.
This new BC United approach reminds me of that… say anything. He (Kevin Falcon) will never be accountable for this province because he will never be Premier.
Sam IS certainly correct, and in my opinion (and that of many others), making promises you’ll never have to keep is easy!
Some in the media also had their own ideas about yesterday’s announcement from Falcon, calling it … delusional ... wishful thinking ... and one which will be difficult to accomplish. One individual also said it was Falcon trying to be a fiscal Conservative, with his promise to eliminate taxes. I completely disagree.
I think this was little more than a “Copy and Paste” from the BC NDP election playbook; an outrageous and unrealistic promise made to ‘buy’ the votes of British Columbians. It is little more than a Hail Mary Pass on the part of Kevin Falcon.
People want real change – not a rehash of the past. That kind of change will only come through a BC Conservative government, led by John Rustad.
Remember that on election day – October 19th.
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