Jean Charest gets a vote too.

The Liberal Party is a federation, and it is great to see that provincial leaders still get to vote at the federal conventions.

The only way for Gordon Campbell to get around that would be to change the name of the BC Liberal Party. That's fine, but the federal Liberals own the rights to the name, and it wouldn't be suprising if there were enough people in BC who would want to recreate a BC Liberal Party like it was prior to Gordon Campbell, and it would be easier to convince the federal Liberals to go along with that if Campbell was explicitly selling himself as a Klien-style Tory. Or something like the Saskatchewan Party.

Without charismatic leadership, that kind of BC Liberal Party would probably turn out to be a spoiler, and could help to elect the NDP.

So Campbell has no choice.

Maybe he could secretly go to convention and try to affect the outcome.

Without charismatic leadership, that kind of BC Liberal Party would probably turn out to be a spoiler, and could help to elect the NDP.

So Campbell has no choice.

Posted by Liberal on September 27, 2006

Am I reading this right? "Liberal" has just described Gordon Campbell as charismatic.

The really convenient thing about the relationship between the national and provincial Liberal Parties in BC is that it's a game of plausible deniability for both of them. Depending on what the particular voter, ... or pundit, ... want's to hear the Liberals can tell them that the two parties are, ... or are not, ... connected. It's a real shell game.

As to who "owns the rights" to the name, the correct answer is whoever wants to use it.

Let me get this straight - the Gordon Campbell who said the BC Liberal Party was completely separate from the Federal Liberal Party is the same Gordon Campbell who actually has a seat on the Federal Liberals National Council?!!!

Who can attend the national Liberal leadership convention as a delegate?

Calling all federal Conservatives - looks like you've been suckered once again!

Am I reading this right? "Liberal" has just described Gordon Campbell as charismatic.

Gordon Campbell and charismatic don't go together in the same publication.

Micromanager and Gordon Campbell go together very well in the same publication.

"As to who "owns the rights" to the name, the correct answer is whoever wants to use it."

Well not technically true, since law does recognise "rights of first use". It may be not
be accepted by everyone, but it is there.

But would the BC Liberals change their name?

No way. People like Christy "Im not a Liberal!" Clark, Colin Hansen, Wally Oppal would screech in protest. May Brown would also protest.

The BC Liberals are hardly "liberal". They are
slightly more right wing than the Bill Bennett
Socreds were (but to the left of the VanderZalm
Socreds).

The nausea indicuing phrase "Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals" and "Golden Decade" are enough to tell anyone who exactly the BC Liberals are.

That party is Gordon Campbell's party and no one elses. It doesn't even belong to the membership
as it is not a populist grassrootes party.

The micromanaging induced by Gordon Campbell and Martyn Brown is legendary.

Man oh man, the Federal Liberals still consider Gordon one of the boys. The guy is to the right of Attila the Hun. I recall a politician a few years ago telling us that Gordy's right hand man Martyn Brown was removed from his staff as too far right. The guy talking wasn't NDP or Liberal. Poor Bill Teileman is having trouble with the concept and Bill isn't alone on this deal for sure. Rock on Gordo, maybe there is a place for you in Ottawa yet, but working with Harpo not the Federal Liberals

Ideological differences between the federal Liberals and the BC Liberals?

Would that be Paul Martin Liberals? Like, that was then and this is now?

Just imagine...Gordo, the Ujj, Mayor Da Vinci "I'm not a politician" Campbell, and Bob Rae hand-in-hand, singing the same LPC trained seal tune? Gawd, what a thought. This is worse than having that damned Z-effect stuck in my head!

I love the ND's like Bill and Budd piling on to this complete non-story. Gordon Wilson, nutty as he was, rightfully concluded that the only way the provincial Liberal party could be taken seriously and advocate on behalf of BC was if the federal and provincial wings divorced. It may have been the only time in his political life Wilson was right.

Someone should ask Campbell when he last attended a federal Liberal event. I can tell you.

It was over 10 years ago when he addressed the federal Liberal Caucus meeting in Vancouver and this was done as a reach out to the sitting government caucus. And someone should look at the press coverage that resulted from that complete train wreck.

In terms of his participation in anything federal Liberal related the answer is never.

How much money goes back and forth between the 2 parties? None, unlike the NDP which shifts money and organizers around whenever it is convenient.

No story. Yawn.

Gordon "Wont anyone think of the Natives?" Campbell? Who has never seen a union he didnt have a billion bucks for? Right wing? Cummon... that rhetoric may have worked in 2001, but today, Campbell is virtually indistinguishable from federal Liberals, and to some degree, the provincial NDP.

"Rock on Gordo, maybe there is a place for you in Ottawa yet, but working with Harpo not the Federal Liberals"

Forget it. Gordo would make the Conservatives HIS party and invoke his legendary micromanaging
style deep into it.

Who would want that? Those who are chosen by Gordo himself and get paid to do very little that is useful.

Gordo's micromanaging style is not something the Tories need or want. In fact many BC Tories use Gordo's party as an example of what not to do when it comes to encouraging volunteers or building up EDAs.

The BC Liberals can keep him. Even though he is
more than half way through his useful shelf-life.

Boys. There is no way a person like Gordo can be a Minister in Harper's cabinet. Gordo is Prime Minister material, and is far better suited to run the country then Harper. Gordo did a very good job in keeping his caucus intact for much of 2001-2005, although he a couple of shipjumpers. Gordo's problem was the tough policies he had to adopt, not that he wanted personally wanted to make those changes. Gordo can easily become PM, actually watch out for him after 2011, I see him taking over a party.

Gordo is Prime Minister material

ba ha ha ha ha... that's a good one.

Gordo kept his caucus together because all they had to do was show up now and again and cut another collective agreement, or close a hospital, or court house or social program. Ministers who could hardly walk and chew gum at the same time got off easy as the opposition was two women working their buns off on so many issues. Those two women managed to catch them at a few things but physically just couldn't be everywhere every time. That was then, this is now. So Gordy shuts down the house after making a big deal of it just must be run on days listed. Did you notice today, the good old corporate citizen who got BC Rail for a song just got jumped on by the Safety Board. Or did you notice that the so called private ferry system is getting more public money and refused to reduce the fuel surcharge. The list goes on. so the safest way is to stop the house from sitting. OH almost forgot he screwed the retired government employees on their pension benefits and is now trying to appeal a court decision allowing them to do a class action against his shifty ways. Class action by the union retirees, not so Classy by Gordo. seems the ex government employees are rallying on October 2 around noon down at the Legislature. Maybe Gordo will try to have the guards turn on the sprinklers.

Nonsense, "Liberal",

Gordon Wilson formally withdrew from the Federal Liberal collective or federation as you state. The membership voted to dump the Fed connection by amending the Consititution. The Fed Libs are so desperate to claim to have any support in the West that they are purposely refusing to acknowledge this. How pathetic.

"Boys. There is no way a person like Gordo can be a Minister in Harper's cabinet. Gordo is Prime Minister material"

No he's not. Gordo doesn't come across as being
much of a leader, jsut a micromanging boss.
Gordo is no statesman (but neither is Harper right now).

" and is far better suited to run the country then Harper. "

Yeah right. Far more rigid and tightly controlled Cabinet and caucus. Who would want to
be a part of that?

"Gordo did a very good job in keeping his caucus intact for much of 2001-2005, although he a couple of shipjumpers."

If there's employee turnover, then management should see if there's a problem. Christy left because she was rocketing up too fast and got stuck in the Children's Ministry. Gary Farell Collins left because he had his time as Finance Minister and there wasn't much of anything left
to do.

"Gordo's problem was the tough policies he had to adopt, not that he wanted personally wanted to make those changes."

Since Gordo controls everything (and everyone who knows their way around the Liberals in Victoria knows that is very true), he does personally want control and he wanted those changes himself.

Gordo can easily become PM, actually watch out for him after 2011, I see him taking over a party.

Hopefully not the Conservatives. His micromanging style would grate more than a few Conservatives who are used to a more volunteer based grassroots political style.

The BC Liberals are abysmal when it comes to encouraging non financial help in their party.

Quite a few seasoned volunteers have left since
they figure they're not welcome in there anymore.

federal liberals: Bob Rae, Ignatiff and Gordon Campbell. Truly all things to all men er Canadians

I love the ND's like Bill and Budd piling on to this complete non-story. ...

Someone should ask Campbell when he last attended a federal Liberal event. I can tell you.

It was over 10 years ago when he addressed the federal Liberal Caucus meeting in Vancouver and this was done as a reach out to the sitting government caucus. ...

How much money goes back and forth between the 2 parties? None, unlike the NDP which shifts money and organizers around whenever it is convenient.

Posted by whatever on September 27, 2006

Each and every one of these assertions is completely false. First, there is no piling on, and this is no more a non-story than all the little Liberal Leadership non-race stories, which have tended to become incredibly boring.

The notion that Campbell hasn't been seen with anyone from the national Liberal Party in ten years is really too funny. Since the 2001 election, up to the fall of the national Liberals, there was constant self-congradulatory chatter and smarmy camera shots staged by the two Liberal governments about how cozy the relationship was now. Senator Austin was a particularly vocal proponent of this view.

That Campbell hasn't attended national Liberal fundraisers or organizational meetings is not the point. The two governments and parties have worked closely together. So closely that John Reynolds had to go over to Victoria and read Campbell his rights after the Basi affair broke and it became clear that provincial government aides and staffers were doing partisan federal Liberal organizing work.

The last point about the NDP was true in the past, but no longer. The new federal act on expenditures would prohibit this kind of revenue sharing. Any staffers loaned from one party organization to the other would have to be accounted for in the expense statements.