So much for the sour grapes NDP’ers hopes that she would lose…

Those who did not believe this would be the result suffer from serious flights of fantasy.

Time to pull heads out of sand and look to see who will be the leader that can give the BCLiberals a run for their money.

I wonder if Simpson is sitting and waiting how this will all unfold for the BC NDP, or if he is simply disappearing from BC politics.

The sour grapes will still result in a big batch of whine.

0.0
^

Seems like we have a Liberal, that lost in her own riding, and had to go to a Social Credit//Conservative riding to get elected.

So the real question is. Is Christy Clark, a Liberal, a Social Creditor, or a Conservative.

My guess is that we in effect now have a Conservative Government in BC flying under the flag of liberalism.

Have a nice day.

Absolutely DISGUSTING.

its fitting Actually … Taking what the Bennets made this great province was … the next premeiere to sit in their riding will destroy everything they built … its nice to see stuff come full circle

I hoped she would lose. She had her shot and I don’t think she should get a do over.

Fixed!

BUY elections are a joke

Left wing nut bars are out in full force.

Lets see my choice – I have the premier from my riding or I can have someone else. Most people would chose the honour of having the premier representing their riding even if you disagree with the party.

lonesomesparrow says “The sour grapes will still result in a big batch of whine.”
followed by 8 posts of whine – thanks for not letting us down folks
lol

Sweet … now lets get going on governing the province

Palopu wrote: “My guess is that we in effect now have a Conservative Government in BC flying under the flag of liberalism.”

Geez, and you did not know that? The Social Credit remnants, known as the Howe Street boyz or gang, under Campbell took Gordon Wilson’s BCLiberals over when he managed to get some actual seats in the Legislature (15 I believe) under the Liberalism Flag.

When Campbell took over, there was little liberalism left.

In my opinion, most of the Howe street gang of reformers, social crediters, etc are now gone under the leadership of Clark who was and may still be a federal liberal.

Getting a seat in another riding is the way the Canadian system has top deal with such situations.

If you want to change it, talk to someone who cares. These days, I have not the faintest clue who that would be. We are looking at tradition by now and tradition is hard to change.

Seems the truth about BC Hydros, $300 Million overrun on the Northern Transmission Line on Highway 37 came to light after the election. Hmmmmmm. Were the Liberals lying and hiding the truth again. Hmmmmmmmmm

Colman reduced the proposed increase in rates from Hydro from 30% to 17% over three years before the election, however after the election, Bennett states that there is no way we can avoid huge increases in Hydro, to cover their maintenance, and other costs. Sooooo. Were the Liberals hiding this information before the election?? Hmmmmmmmm.

This is just the tip of the iceberg there will be much more to come.

The Liberals were elected without making one significant promise on any subject through out the Province, and so basically have a mandate to continue to screw the Citizens of BC.

Rewarding bad behavior is not an intelligent way forward, however it seems that in the last election, this is exactly what we have done.

Its not a question of Liberals or NDP, its a question of good Government which is what the of people of BC are entitled to. We shall see if we get it.

Have a nice day.

gus wrote: “Time to pull heads out of sand and look to see who will be the leader that can give the BCLiberals a run for their money.”

I have nothing to base this on but rumour and innuendo, but I’d put money on Gregor Robertson if he decides he’s had enough of civic duty.

Funny how when the HST was defeated, Palopu told people it was over and to suck it up on move on. Too bad he couldn’t take some of his own advice regarding the Provincial Election.

to all you liberal lovin lollipop lickers if you were so cock sure that she was gonna win well yall must be brain surgeons so tell me why she didn’t pick a ndp stronghold ooya. furthermore I hope that all you Christy crunch lovers read the front page of todays newspaper because this is where we are all headed with this team of idiots another day older and deeper in debt!!!!! so tell me brain surgeons exactly what your stocks will be doing in 15 years crunch seems to think so uh uh uh unless she has some insider backwoods er backroom deal cookin naw just my thought for the day couldn’t possibly be or can it….

Prior to the Richard McBride government of the 1920’s BC didn’t have party politics. Each MLA was an elected independent and only those elected to the legislature could form government and belong to cabinet. If one didn’t win their seat they were out of government whether they were the premier or not.

I recently talked to the head historian at the legislature while in Victoria, as I wanted to find out when did the legislature change the rules to allow a party to have primacy over the legislature in appointing the premier.

What is the enabling legislation that can see an unelected person appointed to cabinet, much less appoint the cabinet and hold the position of premier?

I fully expected to be directed to this legislation or that legislation drafted by a party in power to ensure the party with the most seats gets to appoint a cabinet regardless if they are elected or not.

Turns out BC has no such legislation, no rule in the constitution, or in written law that enables a premier to continue after loosing a seat in the legislature. Nor is there any legislation that allows for unelected cabinet members.

The only answer I could get from the BC Legislature as to how this can happen is what they call Westminster parliamentary tradition. It is legal (through tradition and not law) in Britain to have a Lord appointed to cabinet without being elected and it is through this tenuous connection to the mother country that they are allowed to overlook the matter of a premier or cabinet member being actually elected here in BC. A quirk of our association with the Crown that allows ‘tradition’ to trump actual constitution and written legislation here in BC.

To me that is troubling and is a slippery slope that says we are really only a democracy so long as ‘tradition’ allows for it. ‘Tradition’ being a living thing that is evolving to include new and greater more obtuse interpretations of what tradition will allow in the role of party power usurping the legal process of the elected legislature… one slippery slope at a time.

Seems to me I had four historians including the head historian for the legislature all telling me the reason parties can appoint unelected people to the BC executive cabinet is due to foreign traditions and not domestic constitution and legislation. None of them were comfortable with the fact of the matter, and were in shame admitting that should Christy Clark lose this bi-election this whole role of tradition would have become a serious issue and she would not get a second do over.

I think as a result today the historians and those tasked with protecting the integrity of our system are the most relieved that they are not stuck in a box they can’t represent their way out of without the lame excuse of tradition.

Still it is a shame we ever went down this road in BC of allowing party control to dictate the terms of our democracy.

I think based on written law in BC and the tradition of our founding legislature Christy Clark should have lost her position as premier when she lost her elected seat in the legislature. An interim Premier should have been decided by the legislature until such time as Christy Clark won her seat in a bi-election. That would be democracy based on the rule of law and the tradition of our founding fathers.

What a shame we didn’t get to further our own tradition in BC based on the respect of the voter and not the will of the party power.

Good to see the NDP intelligent quotient show up again.

This is the NDP at its best.

With all the wineing,it should drop the price of B.C. Wine at the Liquor store.
The intelligent majority in the province has spoken, wish them well.

Thanks Eagleone. Nice to get some factual information once in awhile, to offset some of the **off the cuff** remarks that have not been researched, have no bearing on fact, and are little more that **keyboard bantering** by those who have little or no concern about the real meaning of democracy.

Its interesting to see that those who voted Liberal are (according to Gus) in fact voting for a Conservative type of Government.

The Liberals historically are left of Centre. I wonder if people in the Province of BC have a clue as to what they are voting for.

**Politicians kiss babies, not because they necessarily like babies, but kissing babies get them votes**

I personally would like to congratulate “Christy Clark and wish her al the best, along with all “the cock sure”
“liberal lovin lollipop lickers”…lol

Liberals are far right of the NDP…after all they sold/got rid of B.C. Rail – you remember that don’t you?…lol
What left wing party would do that? – none

Left wing parties are really no different from right wing parties when it comes to listening to the dictates of FINANCE, riskeone.

They BOTH have to curry favour with their bankers, or the credit they need to conduct the government dries up.

People talk about a government being a “tax and spend” regime ~ particularly left wing governments. But that’s not quite how it works. Rather its BORROW, then spend, and then tax. They system is creditary, and the banking system holds a monopoly on the creation of the needed credit.

As long as that’s the case, the idea that we have political democracy is a complete fallacy.

It was a left-wing Labor Party government in New Zealand that privatised or sold off most of that country’s publicly owned assets. And that happened very quickly, back in the 1980’s, solely because that’s what FINANCE wanted.

Here, there is fundamentally no difference between the policy of the BC Liberals and that of the BC NDP. The only difference is in the method by which it will be imposed on us, and how quickly. Those who see themselves as being ‘right-wing’ are really supporting a government that is going to bring in exactly the same things a left-wing government would. Sadly, things that will fail, and cost us all dearly.

” I wonder if people in the Province of BC have a clue as to what they are voting for”.
Okay then, The Clueless Majority in the Province has spoken, LMAO.
Let’s move on and let the government the Majority of us voted for do the job.

Socredible…I do not agree with you , however, you do present your case in a respectful manner.

No whining, crying, conspiracy theories, or disparaging remarks…you could end up being one of us one day?

My belief is that left wingers very simply fall under government control,ownership and red tape…which has a crippling effect on free enterprise and economies.

Grizzly1. The majority of voters in BC did not vote for the Liberals. Liberals got 44.4% of the vote, Others got 54.6.

I think what you mean is the Government that got the majority of seats, which of course is a different thing entirely.

Eagleone some more NDP gobeldegook… checkout the 1924 election for ‘tradition’ when it comes to party leaders never mind Premier losing their seat. John Oliver lost his seat but remained Premier until he died in 1927. Even the leader of the opposition lost his seat in 1924 so no party leaders made it into the house at all during those 4 years, never mind holding a byelection.

NDPs own Premier Dave Barrett lost his seat in the 1975 and had to run in a byelection to remain in the house. Bill Bennett also had to run in a byelection when his father WAC resigned his seat to get him into the house.

PS – history lesson – Richard McBride ran in 1903 along party lines as the 16th Premier of BC. He was Premier until 1915 when he resigned to go as BCs rep to London and died in 1917

In federal politics William Lyon Mackenzie King lost his seat TWICE and had to run in byelections to sit as Prime Minister

No, riskeone, I couldn’t support a BC Liberal Party government, or really any other right wing Party government that offers nothing more than a ‘rear guard’ action. (I’m not an NDPer ~ I’m an unabashed Social Crediter ~ from when that name meant something more than being the most marketable label-of-convenience for some politican to get elected under.)

A ‘rear guard’ action that amounts to a staged retreat to slow down all the depredations that come with left-wing socialism, while surrendering to them, one at a time. Simply because it can’t think of anything better.

Or maybe, if it doesn’t sound too ‘conspiratorial’, it’s not supposed to think of anything better.

Regardless of which it is, that’s what we currently have here in BC. We can’t ever have any real progress that way. We’ll continually fail to achieve our full potential in providing a genuine prosperity for all.

Notice in the last election there was no mention whatsoever from the BC Liberals that “Tax cuts work.” And they do, too. When they’re meaningful, and directed where they’ll do the most good in stimulating economic activity that benefits British Columbia CONSUMERS.

The BC Liberals allow the NDP to set the agenda for them. And then they follow it. Take but one of many examples. The NDP wanted ‘Cap and Trade’ ~ an utterly inane way of trying to keep us from all melting (supposedly) from so-called global warming.

The Liberals gave us a ‘Carbon Tax’ instead. Now we have the Liberals bringing in their own ‘Cap and Trade’ set up, PLUS we’re still being hit with the ‘Carbon Tax’. Which we would’ve got, or at least will never get rid of, had the NDP been the government instead.

Ask either of them about things like that, and the answer will eventually come down to exactly the same thing. “We (the government) need the money.” So we (the government) can do for you all the things you can no longer afford to do for yourself.

That last is never spoken about exactly that way, but that’s the inference. But WHY can we no longer individually afford to do the things that need doing ourselves?

The NDP would tell you that it’s because the ‘rich are rich that the poor are poor’. Which is nonsense. But what would the BC Liberals tell you ~ if you could pin them down? Exactly the SAME THING! There’s NO DIFFERENCE between them. And we can never get ahead by continually retreating from the principles we’re supposed to be standing for. Simply because those at the top have been, or are being, “bought off” by the power of money.

Normally in Canadian politics if a party has a electoral mandate (such as the Liberal Party attained with their majority win) the opposition does not run a candidate in the byelection to get the party leader elected to the house.

But since when did the BC and Alberta follow tradition? Only seems the eastern provinces follow any sort of tradition when it comes to elections.

Newfoundland and Quebec have had the same issue arise and did not run candidates against the unelected Premier in byelections. Even Prime Minister Mackenzie King did not have to run against any candidates in his byelections when he lost his seat.

Yes, even the CBC’s choice for the ‘Greatest Canadian’, the NDP’s one time leader, old Tommy Douglas himself, lost his seat in Saskatchewan in one general election, and was elected in a by-election in a Vancouver Island riding later on.

The Premier, or Prime Minister, is simply the first advisor to the Crown, in which executive authority rest. And so it should.

It is a wonderful system full of personal checks and balances based on ‘tradition’ and not, like the American system, beset with Constitutional impediments often not really worth the paper they’re written on.

Those who want to change it to something they see as being more ‘democratic’ should realise the difference between style and substance. But most of all, realise that political democracy is no more than an illusion without first having economic democracy. And generally, that latter we currently do not have. And what little we do possess of it is being filched away from us.

Sir John A MacDonald himself, the very first Prime Minister of Canada lost his seat and had to run in a byelection

Tradition or not, it seems to me a silly way to run a government. Clark lost in her own riding, she should be out. Oh well, she got her day and her victory, we will pay the bills, not to worry.
People of the Okanagan: Miss Christie said she ‘might’ buy a house there, I heard her say that during an interview, back when the by election was announced. Pretty much indicates that she plans to go on living in Vancouver, and visit the okanagan once in a while. Good lip service, but no real service to her constituents is what I predict. Typical politician.
metalman.

In Canada, neither the role of prime minister or that of provincial premiers is not defined by any law or constitutional document.

I do not understand why that should be a surprise to adults in this country that have at least a smidgen of understanding of what goes on around them.

Along with that goes the understanding that the party members vote for the party leader. The party that has the best chance to form a relatively stable government will be the governing party if accepted by the Queen’s representative in Canada and that party’s leader will be the prime minister of the country or the premier of the province.

I find it unbelievable that people do not understand that. It has gotten us to his point since 1867.

Wanna change it? Go ahead, start a political movement to do so.

So what would a party do to ensure that it has a sitting leader, whether in opposition or in power if that were the law?

Gee, let me see …… how about running the party leader in the safest riding in the province or country?

Gee … what a good idea!!!

And that would solve what? Sure would not stop the whining.

“Pretty much indicates that she plans to go on living in Vancouver, and visit the okanagan once in a while”

Ever followed the life on an MLA, especially that of a Cabinet Minister or Premier?

They get a place to stay in the capital so that they can be near their work. Duh…

And then they travel home on weekends when parliament is in session …..

If they are ministers, they also travel in other parts of the province to open highways, dig holes to save some excavation money for new buildings, give speeches, shake hands, meet with unhappy seniors, first nations or street people, travel on official fact finding missions to Turkey or Mozambique and see how things are done in Iowa …..

In the meantime, the people who really run the constituency office are busy doing their work taking care of matters and they use the phone, e-mail, and various smart phone apps to stay connected with the local rep.

Remember folks, this is 2013 not 1913……

Years from now the whine experts will look back and say that 2013 produced a bumper crop of the Christy Cabernet but the quality of the whine was marginal at best:)

Those dyed in the wool NDP’ers may be upset with the outcome of the election from a Political point of view, which makes sense if you support the NDP.

The Liberals getting re-elected after all the BS they have pulled off in the Province in the past 10 years is amazing, and get’s one thinking about how easy it is to get people to vote for flimflam rather than substance.

The old saying that BS baffles brains, was coined for a reason. We have just seen a case in point.

Will we get good Government from the present bunch of Liberals??? One can always hope, however if the past is any indication then we are in for a rough ride. Having the NDP at the tiller would not have been any better, but at least it would have given the Liberals a much needed vacation from Government.

I notice that the Liberal supporters on these posts, don’t make any comments about the huge over runs on the Northern Transmission Line on Highway 37 (Some $300 Million) nor do they comment on the fact that Bennett states that we will be looking at significant increases in Hydro rates.

When it comes to dealing with facts it seems Liberal supporters like to remain silent.

I think I will take a spin to Whistler on the $500 Million Sea to Sky Highway that services approx. 10,000 people, was built by a third party, will be paid for by a **shadow toll** over a period of $40 years.

Or should I take a spin West on Highway 16 that need millions of dollars in meaningful work and is being ignored even though it is a huge accident prone Highway.

When the best the NDP can come up with as a leader is the likes of Dix or James the Liberals will remain in power. The further they move to the left the fewer votes they will receive.

Dix ran the worst campaign that I have ever seen, figured that if he kept his mouth shut and his agenda hidden he would waltz to Victoria. Problem was that the few times he did open his mouth it was to insert his size 9.

As for the transmission line I have seen postings on this site that explained that this type of work is normally done on a cost plus basis as you cannot see what type of conditions you may encounter till the shovel hits the dirt. Estimates are at best guess-timates.

If you asked all the volunteer fire departments along the sea-to-sky I’m sure they would say it was money well spent, some of them were considering quitting because the toll that all the deadly accidents had on them. All the times I have driven that highway there is a lot more traffic than 16 west(it too could use some upgrades). To say that it only services 10,000 people…now THAT is bs…the resort gets over 2,000,000 visitors on a annual basis and a vast majority use the sea-to-sky to get there.

There is roadwork being done west of PG…? Looks like some passing lanes are being added.

In 2011 there were 100 fewer traffic accidents resulting in injuries compared to 2007 in the Squamish region which includes part of the the sea to sky which ICBC credits to the highway improvements.

Transport Canada also came out with a report in 2011 “according to figures released on Friday there were 73 crashes in 2010 — a drop of 66 per cent from the average of 215 each year in the previous decade”

How much is life actually worth? 10 bucks? 500 bucks? 500 million bucks? If it took an Olympics to do it then bring on more Olympics and Expos (Coquihalla built for Expo 86)

Hydro rates are going up regardless, check out the rates of other provinces. Quebec is the only one close – why – hydro electric dams, cheapest power for the cost. The lifespan of hydroelectric is 100+ years (compared to 20 to 40 with natural gas or coal) and some of the older coal and natural gas stuff needs replacing now. Forbes magazine took a look at the numbers for producing electricity and came out with 4.1 ¢/kWhr for coal, 5.1 ¢/kWhr for natural gas, 3.5 ¢/kWhr for nuclear, 4.3 ¢/kWhr for wind, 7.7 ¢/kWhr for solar, and 3.3 ¢/kWhr for hydro. Alberta had to replace over 100 natural gas and coal plants in the last decade – why are we not all for site C as we are one of the lucky provinces to have the water resource