B.C. Conservatives claim Christy Clark's win signals death of B.C. Liberal coalition

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      B.C. Conservative officials are hoping that Christy Clark's victory in the B.C. Liberal leadership contest will give their party a boost as it heads into its own leadership race.

      Shortly after the results of the B.C. Liberal leadership vote were announced this evening (February 26), the B.C. Conservative Party issued a press release attacking Clark as someone who "only wants to be Premier for the sake of being Premier" and ran a campaign "devoid of ideas, vision and policies".

      "Christy Clark's election as Liberal leader marks the end of the B.C. Liberal Party as the brand under which free-enterprise voters can unite," Keith Roy, spokesperson for the B.C. Conservatives, said in the release. "For three straight elections, centre and centre-right voters were united behind the leadership of Premier Campbell. With Christy Clark as the new Liberal leader, this coalition is now over."

      Roy also said that the "coalition is dead" and that "British Columbians who are looking for common sense government, greater accountability and more choice are welcome" to join the B.C. Conservatives.

      On May 28, the B.C. Conservatives will hold their leadership convention.

      The party has been leaderless since Wilf Hanni resigned in June 2009, citing infighting on the party’s board of directors.

      It faces competition from the fledgling B.C. First Party, whose spokesperson is Fight HST lead organizer and former B.C. Conservative deputy leader Chris Delaney.

      You can follow Stephen Hui on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenhui.

      Comments

      14 Comments

      Steve Y

      Feb 26, 2011 at 9:30pm

      Hate to break it to anyone, but EVERYBODY is running a campaign devoid of ideas. Ideas can be used against you and we wouldn't want that. Look at John horgan... under ideas, he has one, protect the environment! Wow, what a deep thinker....

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      Stewart MacKenzie

      Feb 26, 2011 at 11:09pm

      We are about to see the Greed Coalition go through another spasm as Christy's ever active mouth has alienated a large number of Federal Harperites who are ready to jump ship to the BC Cons. Heavies like Randy White, John Reynolds, Brian Peckford and others are unlike previous failed BC Cons in that they have major profile and credibility with the right wing voters. Clark's spoiled brat type personality will not weather this storm very well!

      Clark's gender is irrelevant, the fact she is a self centred airhead whose tongue is a couple of speeds ahead of her brain is not. She has little support in caucus and an arrogance fed by her years at CKNW, where she could dominate all conversations with her off switch and was often rude and abusive without consequence.

      Her campaign was erratic, and her record in cabinet reflects her dilettante status, as she made a mess of pretty much everything she touched and flitted from one thing to another. She has no record as a leader or consensus builder and the cracks in her facade will start to show early, as any trace of good humour disappears under the pressure of the situation she is going to find herself in.

      Her claims to be "new" are ridiculous considering perennial Socred bagman Pat Kinsella is in her camp as an "Elder Statesman", consigliere, or whatever!

      She is going to make a great target for lefties and righties, and I am eagerly awaiting the show!

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      Theresa

      Feb 26, 2011 at 11:27pm

      Gah, I wish there was a party that wasn't beholden to the unions that was somewhat between the Libs and the NDP.

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      Dan Clay

      Feb 27, 2011 at 6:46am

      Good riddance, I am glad Harperites are not going to be happy as they backed Falcon who now cant be of too much support in Harper's horrible dream of a majority ...I cant stand either of them,

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      seth

      Feb 27, 2011 at 8:18am

      Kevin Falcon will be the perfect leader for the revitalized BC cons.
      seth

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      glen p robbins

      Feb 27, 2011 at 12:12pm

      A strong BC Conservative splits the centre right - but may also reduce NDP support in some areas. The problem is a successful BC Conservative candidate might have been inclined to support a BC Liberal policy - they will avoid Christy Clark.

      Harper will press the button right away

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      Ken Lawson

      Feb 27, 2011 at 12:45pm

      Yes I see it this way, BC is blue with reformers and conservatives like myself, I can see them moving to the BC Conservatives, but Im not working for any party for free.

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      pwlg

      Feb 27, 2011 at 1:00pm

      One thing's for certain, Christy will be easy prey for a seasoned debater as she tends to not be able to remember her lines very well without reading from a prepared script.

      Her acceptance speech at the convention was well tailored to appease the so-called social conservatives (just why do they call them social conservatives as most of them offer ideology more fitting of sociopaths) but she needed to read it from a script.

      Family, family, family...are Canadian politics this dead that Christy and her fellow partiers need to borrow from the Republican Party's 1980 campaign strategy...often referred to as The Ronald Reagan Book of the Dead.

      Well we will see how Maggie Thatcher the Second nee Christy Clark makes out in the real world of politics. I would imagine the honeymoon period for her from the media should be fairly short as questions regarding her involvement with the BC Rail scandal will haunt her.

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      Bruno15

      Feb 27, 2011 at 2:51pm

      Not being much of a CC fan myself, I nonetheless predict that her election will save more votes on the left of the Lib spectrum than it will lose on the right just because those on the right know their potential Cons vote on election day is the only way the NDP can triumph.

      BC Conservative Party in one word:

      Feb 28, 2011 at 11:57am

      Fringesayswut?