Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Pallas Data Poll: British Columbia: This poll does not cover the period after the BC NDP budget with its sea of deep red ink. That said, there's some good data here to chew through.   The first is that three of the four main parties are down in the polls by statistically insignificant amounts, 2% is within the margin of error. That all three are down though, kind of interesting.    The Greens are up by 3pts but I don't think that's of any value in the BC political picture mainly because we have an Anybody But Conservatives or ABC movement in the province. This means that Green votes will likely shift to the NDP in ridings with close races.   Regional numbers Regionally the numbers are great for the NDP. They have a 10 point lead in Metro Vancouver. On Vancouver Island they have a 21 point lead. In the rest of BC the BC Conservatives lead by 7 points meaning there are plenty of seats that the BC NDP is still competitive in.   OneBC is eating some Cons...

On Saturday January 31 st , I had the opportunity to speak with Conservative Party of BC leadership candidate Yuri Fulmer. The following is part of the discussion we had which began with me asking him what defined a conservative.   YURI: I think that days of purity tests are all over. We all have a view on a bunch of different issues. I would be a staunch fiscal conservative ... because I believe in small government. I believe in less government in my life, less government in my home, and less government regulation, other than to protect British governments. I believe in a balanced budget. I believe in growing the economy. So, I don't know; does that make me a fiscal conservative? I know what I believe, and I try not to pigeon-hole people along the way. I think we all have diverse beliefs. I think for the conservative party to be successful, we have to include everybody that’s a right of center thinker. But if we don't open the tent, let's call it the big blue tent, ...

How do we decide who’s blue enough to be a Conservative? AS OF TODAY (Friday January 30 th ), there are now eight individuals who have put their names forward to lead the Conservative Party of British Columbia. Having been involved with BC’s Conservatives since 2010, and having seen MANY ups and downs, having 8 people say “I want to lead the party” is to me, an incredible turn-around from the past. Sadly, however, it seems that our party cannot seem to shake what I, and others, call a purity test of ‘what is a Conservative’. And that seems to have already come to the forefront of the campaign by a couple of candidates. Let me just say as a Conservative Party of BC member, and as someone active in the party, that frustrates me to no end. Conservatives, more than any other political philosophy or belief, at least to me, seems to have the widest and broadest spectrum of ideals.   For the most part, they are anchored by these central thoughts --- smaller and less intru...