I am sure Gord can use some good advise from the federal grits. In particular, how to hide hundred of millions of tax dollars from scrutiny in a false paper trail of deceipt, lies and theft.

Good for Gord.

It is clear that he knows that he needs everyones support to defeat the NDP. It appears that Gord finally realizes that at least part of his coalition actually votes Liberal federally.

My question is, did Dosanjh and Campbell hug at the event?

I hope Gord checks out the Ekos poll that puts the NDP at 32% fedeally in BC.

What I want to know most of all, is was that other Campbell really sick, or begging off for another reason? Is our mayor a closet Gordo-style Liberal after all? The COPE split may mean Larry will be seaking a Provincial seat sooner rather than later.

Staffers we can figure....but give us the Gadflys!

I think you're on to something, complaint.

Larry joins the liberals, gets a seat and in the inevitable G. Campbell 2006 shuffle out, BC gets two former cops vying for the head of a provincial party and the premier's office. History making.

Only problem is. Rich Coleman wins. you probably don't want to hear my rant on it ...

Liberals who think their big L home is going anywhere but further right after the '05 election are in dreamland. If you put your ballot in the box for Campbell the last time and you're disappointed or surpised by the result - do everybody a favour - vote NDP or stay home. You're dangerous and you may not know who you're helping.

IMHO The Liberals will be a "work from the middle and maintian solid ties to the right" party if they lose government or are seriously put in their place in May. If they are re-elected and full of themselves, the right takes over and tries to work a middle sheen.

Rich Coleman "fears" one thing Young Federal Liberal's cause they will Vote Christy Clark as Leader of The Liberal Party of British Columbia.

Annoy: does the youth wing of the BC Liberal Party, and in particular its federal young liberal supporters, have that much influence within the party?

From what I can tell, youth wing of the federal Liberals have a major say in the party in BC. Look at their last convention - the executive members who get voted in must all pander to the youth commission who are the largest voting block. I don't know the breakdown of votes in Penticton, but the youth delegates gifted executive spots to their favoured candidates. The BC Liberal youth wing is small and ineffective in comparison.

Spice asks an excellent question. How will Dosanjh behave during the upcoming provincial election. There were many in the NDP who counselled no reprisals when Dosanjh stabbed the party in the back last year. They had a year's warning that this backhanded slapshot was headed their way, and yet they strangely refused to say a thing. Why? Because some of them were hoping that Dosanjh would make pro-NDP noises during the provincial election as a federal minister, and that would help to remove the taint of illegitimate outsider from the party. They are going to be in, I think, for a big disappointment as Dosanjh plays Liberal politics all the way.

The truth is that Dosanjh was mad as Hell that he didn't get the NDP provincial leadership in 1995 when Mike Harcourt stepped down, and doubly furious that the prize went to his East End neighbour Glen Clark, whom Dosanjh regarded with undisguised personal contempt. By 1996 he was conducting negotiations with both Paul Martin and Brian Tobin around the idea of doing something with the national Liberal organization. IOWs, ... by the time Dosanjh did become BC NDP leader in 2000, ... he was, at a bare minimum, already an established player on the Liberal Party's outreach and recruitment track. (Already working under Liberal Discipline?) In the upcoming provincial election, Dosanjh will be getting himself photographed with Health Min Bond, Fin Min Hansen, and Premier Campbell, not with Opposition Leader Carole James, and certainly not with NDP strategist Paul Ramsey, one of the loudest of the "let Dosanjh do his thing" voices.

C, Pankurst - you are forgetting that the NDP might be at 32% in the ekos poll, but the fed libs are in the 40's and the Tories are in the 20's. Gordon should be hanging out a lot more with the liberal side of his coalition. Harper and his same-sex wacko stuff and his sucking up to Quebec is leaving BCers shaking their heads. Watch for a Tory implosion in BC.

So, Campbell speaks to Tories and Liberals. Hmm, could be because they are the folks in his tent. Colin Hansen-Rich Coleman. Kevin Falcon-Linda Reid. The list goes on.

Love him or hate him, Campbell has done a pretty good job (a few disgruntled folks notwithstanding) of keeping both his Caucus and Party united.

The key to election for the centre-right is not to shatter the coalition. 1972, 1991 and 1996 all saw significant splintering between the centre and the right. 1975 and 2001 pretty much corrected those splits.

Who knows what 2009 will bring, but as for 2005 there will be some BC Lib losses assuredly, but for the C.Parkhursts of the world, they can take their 32 percent and remain in the wilderness of opposition as long as there is a united 68 percent on the other side.

I would just like to congradulate "coalition wins", ... or "toobadndp@byebye.com" if you refer to his Email address, for being so frank. He calls it the Coalition, be it SC or BC Liberals, just as I do myself!

Budd
You bet it's a coalition, which is why the young federal liberals will never have significant influence in the B.C. Liberal Party and Christie, Gary, or Geoff will never lead it.

As "coalition" says, if they can't keep the centre and right together like in the 1980s and in 2000, they lose. And unless Christie's willing to do the things Gordon did to prove his right wing bona fides - including sue the government over the Nisga's treaty, hire Martyn Brown away from the racist anti-treaty group he headed up in the ealy 90's or she plans to become a tough guy like Bill Bennett - she will never beat Coleman for leadership of the party.