Topic: Provincial Election
First, I should apologise for the lack of entries in this blog. Loyal readers deserve more attention.
At the moment, I'm a bit pressed for time but here's some observations on the provincial campaign after having dissected recent interviews with both Premier Campbell and Carole James and viewed the debate between Campbell, James, and Adriane Carr.
Premier Campbell gives the impression of a man about to explode whether or not he's enduring another bad hair day (Note to Premier: only boys under 10 have their hair parted like that.) He seems uncomfortable about explaining actions, whether his own or his party's. Campbell has the unfortunate combination of being tense, defensive, and evasive and he seems unable to improvise when not supplied with scripted answers.
In the May 3rd Vancouver Sun interview by Jeff Lee, Campbell was asked 8 questions and only gave direct answers to 1. The statements in quotation marks refer to my interpretation of Campbells's answer. The question he answered was "What do you hope to achieve during the debate?" and I translated his answer to this: "We want to ruin the lying, ill-equipped NDP."
Fair enough. When asked if the recent problems over party donations would hurt the campaign, Campbell's response was "I don't know and I don't want to discuss it."
Question 3 was about Campbell's reliance on scripted responses during walkabouts and public appearances and his habit of favouring meetings with supporters rather than regular folks. His response began with "The issue for me...", where "issue" means "problem," and observed that [reaching out to campaign workers], people who are obviously committed to his party, is time-consuming, hard work. Who the hell wants to convert more Liberals if showing interest in the ones who exist is so taxing? Granted, there are 79 ridings in BC, but who didn't know that? Campbell finishes by including an ancedote about a former nurse who is evidentally a big Campbell fan. My take on this: "It's a lot of work to win people over so let's stick with the ones we've got."
Question 4 is about pissing people off with terrible decisions and whether that will "come back to haunt [him]".
The word "people" is used frequently in his answer and ascribes different sorts of people. "I think people understood we had to make choices." That'd be all voters? "People said we needed to get our financial house in order." Which people? "Were people upset by those choices?" Meaning those who didn't vote for Campbell. "But I do think people are seeing the benefits of the decisions." Obviously not the folks who didn't like his decisions, so it must be Liberals who see the benefits. Campbell seems largely unrepentant: the "people" who didn't like his decisions can go fly a kite or fuck themselves.
What about opposition? Question 5: "Are you worried that the Greens will have an impact in this election?"
"I think the Greens are effective." So is a slap upside the head. He might as well have said the Greens were nice.
"Do I agree with all their platform?" was a rhetorical question from Campbell designed to soften his image as tyrant. Follow it with "Obviously not" so as not to spook Liberals. Campbell's answer suggests that he thinks the Greens are good people who try hard, have a few decent ideas but don't have much future. "But at least they are trying to engage in a discussion of new ideas for the future of the province means "they'll talk to me" in an excited, Jack Russell terrier way.
Question 6: "You don't believe the NDP have a platform?"
The NDP's crime, according to Campbell, is that they're the same old party with a new face. Peppered with unsubstantiated attacks against NDP policy, Campbell's answer can be reduced to rant.
Question 7: "If the Greens do not elect their leader, does that finish them as a party?"
Not if they haven't established themselves as one. Campbell replied "The Green Party is driven, I think, by ideas and their commitment to their ideas." Thanks to the qualifer "I think", Campbell's comment becomes not only banal but wobbly. Driven by ideas and commitment to them? Well, for christ's sake, isn't that what all parties do? It's an answer similar to #5. The Greens are nice people who don't amount to being more than window dressing.
The final question "And saying that doesn't help you one bit to split the Opposition?" Call this the other shoe falling because Campbell's answer began with "You know what helps me..." I call this a dismissal of the question coupled with a quick advert for the BC Liberals. Campbell would rather stick pins in his eyes than say anything positive about the NDP; the Greens, however, do not pose a threat so Campbell can be seen to be magnanimous towards them. One can hope that his implied approval of the Greens may persuade some of his own to cast their vote for them. Not too many, mind.
