Now that Christy Clark is an unelected premier what are your thoughts? I was hoping all through the campaign that her charisma would catch on to the members and bring her in, and it did.
What a debacle for the Liberals. Talented people who were in the hard-button regime of Campbell were overlooked, so it definitely means that the coalition is dead. All those conservative-minded people will come over to the B.C. Conservative party.
The runners up to Clark’s campaign discounted her completely, so she is a fly in the ointment just like the Vander Zalm fiasco as an unelected premier flash in the pan. The fact that she was a duly elected member, being there in the house when the B.C. Rail scandal story broke, will help sink her as she won’t have the guts to call a full legislative assembly where all MLAs have a chance under the jurisdiction of the Speaker to ask questions dearest to their hearts. These questions must be answered when people summoned by the proper legislative inquiry are called to testify. The deeper story of scandal would most certainly unfold.
This rail fiasco won’t go away with a public inquiry because it will be too bureaucrat-dominated which will not be acceptable by the public and some MLAs. That was her big mistake in running. Nobody before Christy in my research had the guts to call this legislative assembly together to deal with the issue but now the pressure will be on and it won’t go away.
A byelection won’t solve the big issue for an unelected premier to sit in the house with this huge issue on the table, so a general election must come forth by fall, with this issue and a defeated HST referendum as the issues that will set the tone for conservative insistence that the legislative inquiry be held.
She won’t be able to overcome these issues with her family first agenda, so a Conservative minority government will be the result. You can bet your boots that those Campbell Liberals that survive this election will be part of the legislative assembly inquiry and called to testify because there is more to the B.C. Rail fiasco than Basi-Virk. I predict this will all happen by spring of 2012.
Which four MLAs will walk the floor and join B.C. Conservative party ranks? Wait and see. Interesting times ahead.
Ted Dever
Sooke
