EugenicsDollsVille
Paul Willcocks has written a solid piece in the Tyee about Mr. Wilkinson's 'extremist' problem.
Paul Willcocks has written a solid piece in the Tyee about Mr. Wilkinson's 'extremist' problem.
It's worth heading over to read the entire thing, but this snippet snagged in my brain:
Now.
...Throness will still likely win his seat in Chilliwack-Kent and sit as an Independent...
Now.
I realize it is unlikely given the current polling, but let's say Ms. Furstenau and the Greens do come back and make things close when the final seat numbers are counted, at least in terms of making it problematic for the Dippers to reach majority status, and...
Well.
Can you imagine?
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7 comments:
Is the coalition coagulating, congealing or curdling?
In 2013 Thrones won with 10,053 votes 49.75% out of 20,452 total
In 2017 Thrones won with 11,841 votes 52.75% out of 23,294 total
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In 2020 there are 43,698 registered voters
Maybe the 23,000 Chilliwack-Kent silent voters (majority) of past elections will finally step up to the plate and exercise
https://elections.bc.ca/docs/stats/total-registered-voters.pdf
Bruce--
I do not believe those three possibilities are mutually exclusive...
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NVG--
I'd be willing wager that the latest developments will actually fire up the base such that Mr. T. of the Valley gets an even bigger percentage of the total this time around.
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Laurie Throness has been like this for years and seems to get in all the time. I don't know if it's him or the people who continually vote in his favour. I know some other politicians that continually get in and I shake my head in disbelief!
The BC Liberals professed coalition, claiming to embrace liberal and conservative positions (actually neoliberals and far-right reactionaries) because supporters vote for those two federal parties; they can also point to the fringe status of seatless BC Conservatives as proof they provide better haven for conservatives (the party is neither liberal or conservative in traditional senses). Coalition implies compromise by each cooperating faction; but compromise doesn’t fit the neo-right (conservative parties usurped by neoliberals and turned toward policies antithetical to Tory traditions.).
Gordon Campbell, was an uncompromising control freak, shedding rather than accommodating initial dissenters, a usurper, a stealth operator who turned the party away from either liberal and conservative mores. He got away with it by concentrating power around his own office (expanded eight fold the very first day of his new government), delegating little to his cabinet ministers except in return for unquestioning loyalty and commitment to underhandedness, by organizing a lucrative pay-to-play system to which ethically bereft applicants contributed, and by overtly adopting his predecessors’ longstanding fear-mongering about socialist hordes.
The closest to coalition Campbell’s party ever got was the period between his forced resignation and the end of Christy Clark’s subsequent caretaker government. At that point, one newly-formed faction comprising half of caucus, declined seeking incumbency. But powerful Campbellites easily cowed the policy-light Christy who hadn’t a clue how to delegate cabinet posts from fresh caucus faces who’d usually submit only to the leader under whom they won their seats. Rather it was she who was delegated the job of BC Liberal poster girl (her frustration occasionally peeked out of the Premier’s Office rumpus-room packed full of her school chums and other personal friends—like, “Om on the Bridge”).
The party ostensibly led by a prancing majorette had returned to the monolith Gordo had once made it, now controlled by a cabal of the shadiest Campbellites. It lasted until Christy’s last, short-lived minority government lost parliamentary confidence by the combined NDP and the Greens votes, an alliance which overtly eschewed coalition (even though most Greens were reincarnated Dippers once part of a coalition that fell apart when the NDP lost an upset election and allowed the Greens their first toe-hold in parliament).
Throness’ ouster proves the BC Liberals have returned to a coalition under the lacklustre Andrew Wilkinson. In contrast, Gordo was so overbearing it mattered little from whom or how BC Liberal got votes: MLAs’ individual agendas were quickly subsumed, purging or re-educating being unnecessary under Gordo’s stricture. The same might be said about Horgan’s NDP; after all, any of his caucus could have easily demanded particularist compromises to Horgan’s agenda by sweating his extremely thin hold on parliamentary confidence—it would take only one renegade MLA. But it didn’t happen, so many political careers too wet behind the ears to chance such flights. But that’s all behind us now.
Throness is running as Independent; I doubt non-affiliation will dull his chances of winning a seat, his controversial opinions being long-known and apparently accepted among constituents. He’d doubtlessly support the BC Liberals if they could secure government by it. But that would only underscore the fact that the BC Liberals are, once again, some kind of coalition apparently led by someone who neither knows how to accommodate or squash one.
One more thing: after many decades of “socialist hordes” fear-mongering from the political right, we haven’t heard much of that stock rhetoric in BC this time. Ironically, I think we owe none other than Donald tRump thanks for making such aspersion so impolitic that it’s been abandoned by BC’s habitual users. It could also be high accolade for the kind of good government Horgan’s NDP has given us. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Booey--
Don't forget that it is also a constiuency that contains staunch anti-vaxxers.
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Scotty--
Thanks, as always for your trenchant and insightful commentary.
Regarding your last point...It would appear that Mr W. has gone way, way out on the leftest leaning limbs himself during the campaign. Heckfire, even in the latest edition of the Throness Dumblimatium the physician was forced to constantly admit that he was all for the Diipper's free contraception proposal.
Regardiing the good government aspect of Mr. Horgan's reign...I took some heat in the comment threads 'round here when I wrote about his inoculation strategy that was designed to prevent a second Dr. No blitzkrieg this time around. Clearly, unless the Zubykistas do a desperate about face in the coming week, that strategy has worked. And, on the flipside, do not think that folks like me didn't notice the trial balloon about a potential kiboshing of Site C during last week's radio debate...
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Thank you Scotty on Denman. Nothing to add to that except people who vote him into office don't care about his belief on the subject. Haven't been out the Chilliwack-Kent way for a couple of decades. However, I imagine its still a "white" neighbourhood with more "white flighters" there now.
If he is elected he'll vote with the b.C. LIeberals and the greens in their quest for power, will vote with them also, regardless of the impact on the people of B.C. they have yet to demonstrate to me, they care about children living below the poverty line, etc. The Greens will most likely join any group willing to force another election to get rid of the NDP, regardless of how it impacts health care, education. I came to the conclusion some time ago, the greens would rather save a tree than increase the amount of food available to a kid living 50% below the poverty line.
Whatever Horgan's short comings at least its better than what is offered by the B.C. LIeberals and Greens,
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