Gordon Campbell Resigns

[Unition]

The man who brought us HST has resigned in shame:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Premier+Gordon+Campbell+resigns/3771490/story.html

I didn't think he was THAT bad but I'm sure most of us can agree that HST was pretty brutal on top of all of our other taxes.

[Kell]

Much as I'm glad to see him gone... likely all this will really mean is that the next guy will shrug off all the current problems on him, saying nothing can be done now, and its not his fault, and go right on taxing and being the most conservative liberal party evah.

Ah well, life goes on.

[Icey Dominus]

sounds about right kill one and another one worse that the first will rise in its place

[Tony Greyfox]

I didn't expect to see Campbell stepping down just yet, so this surprised me thoroughly when I heard it. It's an interesting step, and an attempt to take the heat off of the Liberals with the HST referendum and recall campaigns looming.

The Liberals have had their popularity dragged down by Campbell's 9-percent approval rating. Losing him and getting a new leader will improve that, especially considering the NDP has a weak leader in Carole James - but who they choose will be what decides the impact of this change. Anyone who's been seen as involved with the HST - Colin Hansen, Kevin Falcon, and some of the others in Cabinet now - will suffer just as much as Campbell. People from the backbench but with experience could be a better option, and there's rumblings of some outsiders coming in - like Surrey mayor Dianne Watts, and apparently someone was joking about MP Chuck Strahl quitting federal politics and taking a run at Premier, which could be *very* interesting.

TLDR version: Campbell gone good, Liberal leadership could be interesting.

[Kithop]

the most conservative liberal party

I've said it multiple times here before - the 'BC Liberals' are not "liberal" at all - as far as I understand, they even cut ties with the federal Liberal party.  They are the continuation of the old right-wing, McCarthyist 'Social Credit' party, with scraps of whoever was in the official Conservative party thrown in the mix.  BC has always been a fight between the NDP (left-wing) and SoCreds (right-wing), but when Bill Vander Zalm moved the SoCreds from not just fiscal conservatives, but to social conservatives as well (think Bible Belt in Abbotsford, Cloverdale, etc.), everyone jumped to the 'Liberals'.

So when the election comes up, and you see the 'BC Liberals' running their candidates, don't think of guys like Chretien and the federal Liberals - think of guys somewhere between them and the Conservatives - they love helping their big business buddies, corporate handouts, big megaprojects like Gateway, the Olympics, and yes - the Canada Line (that, to be fair, the NDP have also had their fair share of - see fast ferries), all at taxpayer expense, while being completely indifferent, if not downright elitist towards the poor and underprivileged (see minimum wage freeze, skyrocketing tuition fees).

Sadly, I'm not even saying vote NDP either - I can't stand Carole James, and remember - the NDP has had its fair share of scandal and we all still remember photo radar vans, right? ;)  I love the federal NDP, but the provincial one does NOT do it for me... so we're kind of stuck in a bind, and will have to see if either side makes some huge policy shifts to try and fix the messes they've both made.

The absolute best thing any of us can do is to find what issues matter most to us, research each candidate's stances on said issues, their track records, and their fellow party members', and vote informed.  Some of the individual candidates from each party stand out, for better or worse, and if they're in your riding, you can make all the difference.

The worst you can do is blindly stick to partisan lines without real knowledge of the issues at hand, or vote a certain way because 'that's the way you've always voted'.  Look at what just happened in the US - do we really want to be like that? :/

[mediar]

TBH I think the Liberal party did more good then harm to BC. Gordo just was the face of the HST and how they snuck it in.

[Kithop]

TBH I think the Liberal party did more good then harm to BC. Gordo just was the face of the HST and how they snuck it in.

We won't know for sure for years, if not decades from now - things like the Canada Line and maybe even the Olympics may turn out to be a net positive, like Expo was.  Was it worth continuing to let the Downtown East Side slide, more and more people being unable to make ends meet as their cost of living skyrockets while their wages stay flat, and more students trying to find better work and taking the student loan route ending up bankrupt?  I don't know.. maybe my priorities are different.

[Silvermink]

So, any guesses on who will pick up the pieces? Of the mentioned front runners I think I prefer Rich Coleman. I really hope it's not Falcon, because I've never been a fan of his since he did his little tea-party thing in Cloverdale (can I use that term to refer to something that long ago?) and then suddenly and mysteriously was running for the Liberals.

I don't like James, either - she's kind of a nobody. Someone on an article I was reading suggested she ought to go out to pasture with Campbell and I can't help but agree.

I was just thinking Adrian Dix would be a good NDP leader, but maybe he's better as the pit bull that the leader can rein in if necessary. But I digress.

[mediar]

I hope NOT Watts from Surrey, she is all about cutting costs even if it will be a huge mistake. She wants the Skytrain to run in Surrey but on ground level to save money... nevermind the HUGE cluster fuck that will cause with the vehicle traffic... I really don't know much about any provincal party :\

[Zen]

Actually using the existing rails for a light rail won't be so bad.  It won't change much in terms of traffic either.

But yes, Watts is a moron and I am glad Campbell is leaving.

[Silvermink]

I hope NOT Watts from Surrey, she is all about cutting costs even if it will be a huge mistake. She wants the Skytrain to run in Surrey but on ground level to save money... nevermind the HUGE cluster fuck that will cause with the vehicle traffic...

Well, it's not cool to care about drivers right now.

[mediar]

I hope NOT Watts from Surrey, she is all about cutting costs even if it will be a huge mistake. She wants the Skytrain to run in Surrey but on ground level to save money... nevermind the HUGE cluster fuck that will cause with the vehicle traffic...

Well, it's not cool to care about drivers right now.

:o why is that?

[Silvermink]

:o why is that?

Because we're all environment-hating bastards, of course.

[mediar]

:o why is that?

Because we're all environment-hating bastards, of course.

Bastards! *shakes paw*

[Tony Greyfox]

If the Liberals are smart, they'll get out of the core group they have right now, because almost all of their central members are tarred with the same brush as Campbell when it comes to the HST implementation. They may have to go to an outsider to find a strong potential candidate. Right now, the usual suspects are being discussed, such as Falcon and Hansen, both of whom will have the same problems as Campbell in a big way. George Abbott is being discussed, but he's got a lower profile despite a long track record, and he's not a really engaging speaker. Someone like Barry Penner might be a decent option - he's relatively young, has some charisma and hasn't stepped into the pile too badly with anything he's done.
Watts? I've met her; she seems nice enough, and she's done a fairly good job of turning around at least bits and pieces of Surrey. But she has no experience at the provincial level, and that might be a problem.
Nobody's mentioned Christy Clark, who was considered for that job at some point. She's pretty established in the media now, though, so might not want to take it. Same deal as Carole Taylor, who's just been appointed Chancellor at SFU.
The one thing that intrigues me is the suggestion of Chuck Strahl. He's a genuinely good guy, even if he is pretty conservative (I actually met him, too, a few times before he got into politics) and he's got experience at the federal level. He might be an interesting contender if he decided to make a run for it.

Tough to say who might take a run at it at this point... it'll be interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks as contenders pop out.