Politics

Surrey-Tynehead VP explains why he quit the B.C. Liberals

by Charlie Smith on March 3rd, 2013 at 1:38 PM
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      Here's a blog post that's adding to the chaos surrounding the premiership of Christy Clark.

      Entitled "Why I Quit the BC Liberals", former Surrey-Tynehead constituency executive vice president James Plett lays out the gory details.

      Plett declares he is distressed by "the pattern of arrogance, deceit, and downright unethical behaviour of the BC Liberal Party". Here's more of what's on his blog.

      The most recent scandal — “ethnicgate” — is one of the most appalling things I have read about this party doing. Government staffers, who are required to be non-partisan, put together a document explaining how the BC Liberal government could take advantage of horribly racist crimes in order to get a jump in the ethnic vote. The document talked about leveraging an apology for the Chinese Head Tax and the Komagatu Maru incident, to name two. This document was circulated among some of the highest levels of provincial government.

      What makes it so repugnant is that the government misused taxpayer dollars to put together a document explaining how the government could misuse taxpayer dollars further and to offer apologies for absolutely horrible things all for a bump in the polls. Not to actually apologize for the events, but with the end goal of winning popularity points.

      Today, the B.C. Liberal cabinet will hold an emergency meeting in Vancouver amid reports that some in the caucus want Premier Christy Clark to resign.

      Normally, revolts against party leaders start at the riding executive level before MLAs and cabinet ministers start speaking out.

      It's conceivable that Plett's outburst is the first major volley in an escalating series of moves to get Clark to step aside before the scheduled May 14 provincial election.

      One clue is his comment that B.C. Liberal Dave Hayer is "the best MLA" in the province. Plett also praises Amrik Virk, a member of the RCMP, who has been nominated to run for the B.C. Liberals in Surrey-Tynehead.

      It's not out of the question that a new interim leader (Mike de Jong?) could be appointed. Then legislation could be passed to change the election date. A leadership race could be held. And lots of B.C. Liberal MLAs could look forward to continue receiving paycheques for a few more months before they're finally bounced out of office.

      Comments

      9 Comments

      miguel

      Mar 3, 2013 at 2:21pm

      Ethnic people get all the good apologies.

      DavidH

      Mar 3, 2013 at 2:47pm

      There isn't a single BC Liberal MLA, caucus or cabinet, who has not been touched by poison. Might be the Campbell poison which led to the BC Rail and HST scandals. Might be the Clark poison, which has led to the latest scandal.

      Anybody who agreed to take over party leadership at this point can be safely categorized as an idiot or a naive, power-hungry fool.

      The end times.

      CharlesD

      Mar 3, 2013 at 2:58pm

      Yes, she has to go now. It's obvious and those Surrey Indo-Canadian liberals who are now calling for Christy's head were the ones who brought Christy to power against the will of the caucus ironically. However, De Jong or Coleman are not the men to step in. They've got too much dirt themselves and De Jong has strained relations with the Indo-Canadian community in his own riding in Abbotsford. None of them have the public popularity to pull up the party. The only viable options are Abbott or Falcon but both those chaps say they are not running again.

      Just Wondering

      Mar 3, 2013 at 4:05pm

      I disagree with CharlesD there is no one good enough as anyone in the party that supported Campbell or Clark don't deserve it. Call the election,now.

      JD

      Mar 3, 2013 at 4:54pm

      Mike de Jong?...have we sunk that low!?

      Rick in Richmond

      Mar 3, 2013 at 5:16pm

      If I were a New Democrat, I would vote NO in your poll.

      The longer Christy Clark clings to power, the better it is for Adrian Dix. The longer she stays in office, the more she looks like Gordon Campbell. The longer she is Premier, the more unhappy her caucus will be.

      There is a tipping point in leadership. Beyond a certain point, credibility is shot. Christy Clark has hit that point, and from now on it's all just a matter of timing and gravity and over she goes.

      The longer she stays as Premier, the better off the NDP will be.

      Now, if only we could recover the $6 million she wasted on Basi and Virk before she takes the Liberals down with her.

      judi sommer

      Mar 3, 2013 at 6:45pm

      The entire party has lost its moral authority to govern.Granting them more time to get their house with a "new" leader is rewarding bad behavior so why give them more opportunities to try to reinvent themselves?They got that break when they picked a replacement for Campbell.Time's up!

      judi sommer

      Mar 3, 2013 at 6:47pm

      Sorry for typo.Should read "more time to get their political house in order" with a new leader...

      Technowhiz

      Mar 4, 2013 at 7:50am

      I've participated in and watched BC Politics for 40 years.
      I've watched some boneheaded moves over that time. Some have brought down many Premiers...
      The classiest move was from Harcourt who simply said "I'm sorry this happened, I don't need this, and I quit"
      David Eby is one helluva fine man and I'm sure will do a great job replacing Christy Clark as MLA for Vancouver Point Grey.
      Mr. Plett hit the nail squarely on the head.