Throne Speech Reveals ‘Bizarro World’
Prince George, B.C. – UNBC political science lecturer Jason Morris may teach politics for a living but he’s never seen a throne speech like the one delivered yesterday in Victoria.
As 250News previously reported (see previous story here) it was loaded with goodies and promises not mentioned by the BC Liberals during the election campaign.
Political Science lecturer Jason Morris – photo courtesy UNBC
“It’s like a bizarro world in there with the throne speech promises the BC Liberals campaigned against, which the BC NDP and the Greens want to see but will vote against,” he says.
Morris adds it seems like the “long laundry list” of promises is simply political posturing.
“So that over the ensuing debate each time the NDP wishes to vote against something the BC Liberals can just say ‘but you promised that. That’s what you supported.’ It’s like Kabuki theatre.”
He says it was also noteworthy the speech mentioned very little for northern B.C. – instead focusing on pressing Lower Mainland issues like bridge tolls and tunnels.
“It feels so far removed from the political, economic and social reality of people in the North.”
At the very least, he says all the political ‘theatre’ will help inform the course in B.C. politics he’s due to teach this fall.
“I’d like to take a few weeks off but I’ve got a syllabus to revise. It would nice to use my old lecture notes but I can pretty much see they are all out of date.”
Comments
Bizarro would be one way to describe it.
Wonder how all those Liberal supporters feel about a throne speech that is for all intents and purposes NDP/Green.
Did they vote Liberal expecting that they would be sold down the river, so that the politicians could keep their jobs.??
One would think that if they wanted all those things in the throne speech they would have voted Green or NDP. Looks like they were sold a bill of goods.
**Crass** would be another way to describe the throne speech.
“Self Serving” also comes to mind.
Coming from an old railway guy, your position does not come as a surprise.
You are used to staying on the fixed track.
The BCLiberals have lifted the rail wheels off their crew cab, gotten off at a crossing and driving down more flexible roads and maybe even unexplored fields. A rougher ride, but well worth a try to get the people of the province to where they seem to want to go.
A government has to be adaptable. Let us see if the others can get off their steel tracks as well and ride down those rough roads into new territory as well to benefit the voters in this province.
Actually Palopu, being a liberal voter im happy with it. It brings more balance in. Living in the north im not too crazy about the carbon tax increase proposal, but that was coming down the pipe at the Federal level anyway.
You have to admit that this is a great tactical move by Clark..It maybe dirty but its still great. In case any of you haven’t noticed the gloves were off once the Greens/NDP decided on a Coalition.
Totally agree Northman. Clark is just playing the same game as the opposition. The only difference is, she is looking at what might happen and is setting her game plan in place.
First of all, they didn’t change their position on Site C or Kinder Morgan, all they did was acknowledge they need to work better on the social issues of the day. Part of elections is making gov’t accountable, this looks like they heard the electorate and are now willing to do some of the things they heard. The bigger question is, is the NDP/Green now going to vote against the policies they have been promoting all along just to get to be the gov’t. Seems that would be just as self serving as what some people a saying the Liberals are doing.
A good simple analysis which the political fanatics on this site would not understand.
When one looks at it from a cost-saving point of view giving that changing the administrative arm of government does no come cheap, then adds the fact that the vote was not decisive, to say the least, any rational individual would hopefully think that when just one missing person can bring a government formed from either side can bring a government down and force another election, what the BCLiberals are proposing is to emphasize some of the policies of the other two parties.
While some people see this as a ploy to keep control, some simply see it as the way it works in some more enlightened countries. The more parties there are, the more it is necessary for ALL parties to “listen” to the voters and try to work it out.
We still see ads for management jobs which ask for “team players”.
Well, if this is not a call for team players, I do not know what would be under the circumstance.
Adopt, adapt, develop. Three stages when one needs to tacklle a new situation.
The BCLiberals threw out the first challenge in showing that they can adapt to the situation. Let’s see if one of the other two parties can do so as well.
Anyone who knows how to start a speeder, knows the Liberals did exactly what the NDP did not want, and picked up a few votes in the LMD for an election coming soon to a switch near Wedgewood.
Yes, the bill of goods sold and delivered, kinda strange, but politicking certainly takes some strange twists.
“Cynical,” almost Trumpian…
You reap what you sow. You do a hand shake back room deal to take down the government and then wonder why she’s doing what she’s doing. Looks like a fair fight to me.
Exactly! The fake “coalition” is really Bizarro, in my opinion! It is not a real formal coalition. It is just an arms length agreement to temporarily stick together when called upon voting in the Legislature, but not too close! The two roosters are still strutting and vying for the top position on the haystack!
Flippin NDP hacks think she should just roll over and hand it to them … because they want it … same attitude as their supporters. She’s one scrappy smart lady ..
The Liberals should change the name of their party to the Chameleon Party.
Definition of chameleon.
**a person who often changes his or her beliefs or behavior in order to please others or to succeed…She’s a political chameleon.**
Sounds like every political party and politician in a democratic society..
The good professor needs to start to look at politics in today’s world in a little more realistic way. He stated: “the speech mentioned very little for northern B.C.”
The speech mentioned the divide in the province and the notion that much of the wealth in the province resides in the interior of the province, yet there are few social benefits derived from that wealth.
That may be the first time that was mentioned in a Throne Speech. A public recognition of that is extremely important to keep in mind when looking at government programs.
“I’d like to take a few weeks off but I’ve got a syllabus to revise. It would nice to use my old lecture notes but I can pretty much see they are all out of date.”
If the course had dealt with “traditional” single party approaches to governance coupled with the changing face of governance in the world, even though the course may be a Canadian Politics course, then he would likely not have to change much at all.
But, it sounds as if it is a very parochial course.
Some interesting recent quotes from Justin, the person people in the West like to hate.
With respect to Trump:
——————————————
The Canadian prime minister praised the U.S. president for his ability to listen and said Trump is not like those politicians who have a “deep-vested interest in being right all the time.”
“One of the things that I’ve learned is he actually does listen,” Trudeau said. “There’s a lot of politicians who have a deep-vested interest in being right all the time, and therefore close themselves off sometimes to facts or evidence or differing opinions.”
“What I’ve found from this president is he will listen to arguments made, he will look at the ensemble of facts, of proposals, of impacts you put together, and he will be open to shifting his position,” he said, adding: “That’s something we can definitely work with.”
———————————————
Put that notion of politicians closing “themselves off sometimes to facts or evidence or differing opinions.” into the context of the BC Throne Speech. Obviously the BCLiberals are not closing themselves off. Let’s whether the NDP and/or Greens will.
At the end of the day people! result will be the same!! Election before the end of the year.
Let Horgan and Weaver have their moment, Won’t last.
See you all in the fall!!!
The chameleon comment is a good one , does anyone actually still believe a word out of Clark ? Changing with time can be good , but to adopt your opponents platform when facing defeat is not . So when the Lib-cons become the opposition are they going to sit quietly as the ndp-green carry on with their agenda ?
does anyone actually still believe a word out of Horgan …. or Weaver …?
They are politicians. They are allowed to change their mind to suit the occasion.
BTW, if you never change your mind, you are dogmatic rather than flexible to suit changing conditions.
If the Green/NDP coalition vote against any of the proposals then they would be even less trustful. Possibly the Liberals have taken a more softer stance to spare BC the agony of going through a term with the NDP leading the province. Sort of choosing to do the lesser of two evils like most voters have been doing for years now.
There is not Green/NDP coalition./ Show me where you get the false fact/news from that they are.
Do you not understand what a political coalition means?
Bent ndp-grn have already said they want site c stopped till it is properly reviewed . Why would you expect them to pass on that now ?
I wouldn’t, but there were far more points than just those two. The NDPeeners voting against those isn’t really a vote of non-confidence.
If they have enough money that has been budgeted and approved to carry on for a year or so, then it really does not matter what people want. They will simply carry in.
It is pretty hard to get excited about politics if you really understand who is calling the shots and it isn’t the government. These elections are just a way of having us sheeple believe we have a choice.
This is a really interesting commentary from Geoff Plant in yesterday’s Victoria Times Columnist.
“Comment – Green leader can help avoid an early election”
“The NDP-Green agreement does not commit the Greens to vote against the B.C. Liberal’s Throne Speech”
ht tp://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-green-leader-can-help-avoid-an-early-election-1.20713087
Well worth the read! Things could get even more interesting!
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