2125 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

Typical. 

[dasmo]

Right now there is no option municipally. Provincially you need more than 40% of the politician’s riding. All physical. So Eby is premier with just over 5,000 votes. To recall him you need at least 16,213 plus the extra votes to account for the ones they will reject. Two months and you can’t advertise or pay anyone to canvas.

[Nparker]

You don't have to convince me that our recall legislation is a complete joke.

[dasmo]

I’m not! Just posting for the record. For all the viewers at home.

[LJ]

Brad West has said he will not be the new leader of a merged party, surely we can find someone else suitable, please.

[lanforod]

Rustad won't back down, and because of that I don't think Falcon will either. Best I think we can hope for is a limited non-compete in certain battleground ridings.

[Mike K.]

Rustad said he intends to run 93 candidates in 93 ridings.

The United created this situation. They’ll have to wear this in the election and yes, ridings will be split, giving the NDP the edge. That’s the risk the United took when they made it impossible for two MLAs to remain with their party.

If the United really are about the betterment of BC, then they should pull candidates where it is clear a Conservative has the edge. It’s the Cons leading in the polls, not the United, and the Cons have strong support in northern and eastern BC, and pockets of rural BC, and the Fraser Valley.

Where ridings will split is in the urban areas that are more of a toss up.

Now all that being said, many voters won’t be familiar with the United brand, but they’ll be familiar with the Conservative brand because of the federal party. I can see someone choosing the Cons, only because they can associate the candidate with a party they understand even on simple terms. United is a grey term.

[Nparker]

...United is a grey term.

A deliberately vague name for a political party that can't decide on which side of the fence it wants to land.

[Nparker]

Détente between the BC Conservatives and the United Party seems somewhat unlikely before the fall election. From a recent BCC newsletter:
 

"I’ve worked jobs including cutting down trees, fighting wildfires, and running a small technology business in the resource sector. I never expected to be a politician, and I certainly never expected to lead a party. But I was pissed off with the status quo, and I’ve never been the type of person to just give up and walk away. The truth is, I’m not who downtown Victoria and Vancouver consultants want to be Premier. I’m not a wealthy lawyer or a hotshot urban mayor. I’m a small business guy from the North — and I have the chainsaw scars to prove it.

 

When I joined the Conservative Party of BC, we were the last place party — now we’re first place in many polls and we’re competing for government.

 

I tried to come to the table months ago when BCU and the Conservatives were evenly matched in the polls, so we would have the best chance of defeating the NDP. The answer we got was: “#### Off.”

 

So we worked even harder to build our party up and defeat the NDP on our own..."

[max.bravo]

Sigh. Egos that can’t work together will never be able to unseat the NDP. Time to put the measuring sticks aside and come together for perhaps the only chance in a generation to radically change BC’s politics.

[Victoria Watcher]

Yup.

[Mike K.]

The merger talks show weakness, though. I don’t think the United has parsed that yet, that this isn’t a good look.

They threw out the MLAs, who now lead the Cons, over opinions United considered untenable.

You cannot have it both ways. Only after the election can there be a sincere conversation about a merger, I think.

The NDP to its credit has managed to hold together as a party with a huge spectrum of left-leaning views. When the
BC Liberals were confronted with a difference of opinion they panicked, straight into the hands of the NDP.

[Nparker]

[Matt R.]

Why so sad, 37% guy?

[splashflash]

https://www.msn.com/...nts/ar-BB1n0jrk

Falcon says there were talks between two representatives of each party this month, most recently on Wednesday, and BC United proposed the non-competition framework.
He says the proposal included that the parties would not run candidates against each other's members who were seeking re-election, and the BC Conservatives would run in 47 seats and BC United in 46.

"Despite the common ground achieved during these meetings, last night John Rustad decided to reject a reasonable offer aimed at preventing a vote split, risking another four years of (Premier David) Eby’s NDP government that will further jeopardize the well-being of this province," Falcon's statement on Friday said.

[max.bravo]

What exactly are the objectionable views that would prevent the parties combining?

[lanforod]

The view over who should lead and run in each riding is probably the main blocker right now.

[Mike K.]

Adam Pankratz: BC United killed its electoral chances by rejecting conservatism
The BC Conservatives are on a meteoric rise courtesy of the meaningless, valueless BCU

- https://nationalpost...ng-conservatism

[lanforod]

Adam Pankratz: BC United killed its electoral chances by rejecting conservatism
The BC Conservatives are on a meteoric rise courtesy of the meaningless, valueless BCU

- https://nationalpost...ng-conservatism

 

100%. Any voter right of Eby who didn't know who to vote for, now has an option. Not always the most attractive one, but better than the BC United who are left of centre too.

[Mike K.]

Yes, it’s a tragic slide for the BCU.