Thoughts on BC Politics and More

IMAGE CREDIT:   Scholars Portal I didn't grow up with politics. Unlike so many Canadian families, my family didn't debate political issues around the supper table, it was more about the Canuck's latest loss and which child was hiding peas in their napkin.  Consequently when I left high school, political jargon was foreign, social studies was my toughest subject, and I'd taken zero part in municipal, provincial or federal political movements.  I went into forestry. First college and then years spent in the bush learning more about communal living, teamwork, and after drawing the short straw, how to build shitters.  Eventually I had to come back to society to raise a daughter which I wasn't very good at and try to figure out how to be a 'school mom.' Instead of doing homework every night we were doing crazy eights in the snow in the backyard on a Baha Minibike. I kept up the  writing I'd done my whole life, had a blog, did a column for Castanet and wrote s...

I learned in the early days in elected office that when controversy or disagreement erupts it is best to move toward it. Think of grabbing the hot pan just out of the oven with your bare hand, the natural response is to remove it as quickly as possible for fear of getting burned. In politics, it seems the opposite is true. In my experience, when things get heated, withdrawing into silence often creates more of a challenge. It’s not always easy to confront the discomfort head on. However, it is much better to go straight at the issue than to let the discontent foment. Often a lack of response is interpreted through an individual’s own perspective and the quiet is, by extension, agreement with the disagreement or vice-versa. On the political landscape, silence equals a lack of accountability or an unwillingness to be transparent. It is the oxygen for the fire and what was once small quickly grows out of control and it is usually fueled by speculation. ...

A message from Jody Wilson Raybould ... Just over two weeks ago, I announced that I will run for re-election in the 2019 federal election in Vancouver Granville and that I will be running as an Independent candidate . The response I have received in Vancouver Granville and beyond has been overwhelming and encouraging. Thanks to your support, I am more resolute than ever in this journey we have begun together. With a little over four months ahead of us until the election, we have much work to do. We hope we can count on your continued support. There are many ways to contribute and get involved: Volunteer I am pleased to share that we kicked off our first canvas this past weekend with an energetic team of volunteers. We will be canvassing every week and offering training opportunities to newcomers. Please join us for one of our upcoming activities by signing up as a volunteer. Feel free to identify the other volunteer opportunities of interest to y...

Expecting reason and balance in an election campaign would be nice, but on the long-established record, amounts to wishful thinking, in the highest degree of naivety. Without indicating any preference, I am reposting some of my previous thoughts on how voters make choices. Before I start, a couple of comments: First ... a vote for the “ least bad ” is still a choice. Or, as the French philosopher, Voltaire (1694-1778) said, almost 250 years ago, " the perfect is the enemy of the good ". Second ... based on the record of most of the “winners”, we can be assured that the leaders are lying about their plans on one or more major campaign issues. But then, we have to anticipate which direction the “winners” are likely to move in (as in party philosophy or to whom they owe their election – monied interests, business, labour, seniors, youth, wealthy, poor, churches, etc) when “the rubber hits the road”. I have observed at least 15 motivators (...