A troubled British Columbia Premier David Eby wondering how his government will hold power.
Save the judicial count of ballots in the ridings of Kelowna Centre — where a mere 38 votes separate BC Conservative candidate Kristina Loewen from her NDP challenger, Loyal Wooldridge — and Surrey-Guildford, where incumbent NDP MLA Garry Begg staged a tentative come-from-behind victory once the mail-in ballots had been counted, at present and before the judicial recount takes place this upcoming weekend, finds himself leading by a gargantuan 27 votes — judicial recounts rarely change the outcome — the 43rd British Columbia provincial election may well be considered to be all but over, with a bare majority of 47 seats in the 93-seat BC Legislature having been won by British Columbia New Democrats, the surprisingly robust, upstart BC Conservatives almost prevailing on election night, currently holding 44 seats in the house, with two Green MLAs rounding out the contingent of electeds who will sit in the BC Legislature through the next election.
While the BC NDP have prevailed, and will now form government for a record third consecutive time for an incumbent BC New Democratic Party — no mean feat that, given the strong desire expressed by the electorate for change — there’s no getting away from the fact that the 47th British Columbia election campaign run by the BC New Democrats was a botch job from beginning to end, despite the bare win, the most mundane, lacklustre, lethargic, utterly enervating, tone deaf, and uninspiring campaign the BC New Democratic Party has waged in its glorious 91-year history.
Everyone must watch all 8 minutes and 24 seconds of this speech by Michelle Obama.
It might be the finest I’ve ever heard on the topic of abortion rights, as well as the stakes in this election for American women…and the men who love them.
Share widely.pic.twitter.com/GJOa3OZJxD
— TrumpsTaxes (@TrumpsTaxes) October 26, 2024
What good speech-making sounds like in the midst of a campaign. David Eby has to up his game.
And, who’da thunk that David Eby would prove to be such a terrible campaigner, or as former Chief of Staff to Premier John Horgan, Geoff Meggs, boldly stated on the Hotel Pacifico podcast during the course of the election campaign …
“During the campaign, David Eby was reasoned and lawyerly, when what was required was an impassioned and inspiring provincial political leader fighting for the social good,” said Geoff Meggs, “David Eby and the BC NDP waging a battle to represent all British Columbians, against a ne’er-do-well crew of bunko squad racist, misogynist, homophobic QAnon conspiracy theorists. How did the BC NDP not consign them to the dustbin of history?”
NEW: The Kamala Harris campaign just released its final ad & I’m reduced to tears. Kamala Harris is the leader we need. Working for her has been an honor of the lifetime & we are going to fight like never before these next 3 days to get her elected as president. Watch & share. pic.twitter.com/zuDat4BOL8
— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) November 2, 2024
What a decent ad, a moving ad can do to motivate people. There are lessons to be learned BC NDP.
The BC NDP campaign for office was further harmed by the worst conceived voiceover campaign ads VanRamblings has seen in a generation, devoid of compassion, with no human faces ever shown, with no focus whatsoever on key issues — like the BC Conservative plan to scrap rent caps, which would detrimentally affect 600,000 households who rent, across the expanse of our province — with negative and utterly irrelevant backward focused campaign ads, rather than a forward focused campaign for government that would state “this is what we stand for, this is what we’re going to do for you, we’re the change you seek, we’re on your side.”
Had BC Conservative leader John Rustad had his wits about him — yes, a tall order we know — rather than choosing to run a troubled Bryan Breguet in Vancouver-Langara, when the popular former BC United candidate, Jamie Stein, would have won the riding in a walk; or had Rustad allowed popular Lumby Mayor Kevin Acton to run in the riding of Vernon-Lumby, rather than parachuting his Kamloops friend Dennis Geiesbrecht in as the BC Conservative candidate in Vernon-Lumby, the BC Conservatives rather than the BC NDP would have won a majority government, a majority which would have been further enhanced by allowing former BC United Richmond candidate Jackie Lee to run in Richmond-Steveston.
Is VanRamblings unhappy that our beloved British Columbia New Democratic Party — and leader / Premier David Eby, who we love with all of our heart — eked out an undeserved win in the 2024 British Columbia provincial election? Nope, despite our kvetching, we’re kind of over-the-moon. We believe the BC New Democratic Party to be comprised of kind and passionate human beings, as well as very bright, forward thinking Members of the Legislature who, universally, mean well for our province. We continue to believe that David Eby is a once-in-a-generation visionary leader who means much good for our province. So, colour us very happy, indeed.
In tomorrow’s column, we’ll focus on where the BC New Democratic Party government goes from here, and what the party and its elected members must do to remain in government — which we believe will be a much much easier task for the BC NDP to achieve than most political pundits currently believe may be the case.
Note. Humility, collaboration and consultation must carry the day going forward.
