"NDP Loses BC Election..." excerpts, written by Mike Palecek, Fri, 22 May 2009

Excerpted from Article: NDP Loses BC Election -- Carole James must go!
Source: Fightback Magazine
http://www.marxist.ca/content/view/446/1/




Gordon Campbell, one of the most hated premiers in British Columbia’s history, has won a third term in office. His government is surrounded by the BC Rail scandal, to which Campbell can only say, “I cannot comment because the matter is before the courts”. He was actually caught and convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol in his first term. His attacks against the public sector have repeatedly brought the province to the brink of a general strike. He has frozen the minimum wage for eight years and sold off BC’s rivers to the highest bidder. Under Campbell’s government, BC Ferries have slashed services and jacked up prices. He closed 300 schools and did nothing while BC’s child poverty rate slipped to the worst in the country. The economy is in free-fall and tens of thousands of workers have lost their jobs under his watch. Clearly, Gordon Campbell cannot be given credit for his election victory. No; the responsibility for this defeat lies squarely on the shoulders of the leadership of the BC NDP.

While the final numbers in the legislature are about the same, the NDP lost over 80,000 votes compared to the 2005 election. It is very clear what happened. The NDP platform did not give working class people anything to vote for. The bureaucracy relied on the electorate to vote against Campbell and did not offer a real alternative. The endless compromises and concessions emanating from the BC NDP provincial office have taken their toll.

Just days before the election we wrote:

“The party has unveiled its worst platform in history. There is not a single substantial reform anywhere in it. Policies passed by party conventions have been replaced by watered-down promises. Instead of banning raw log exports, the platform calls for restricting them. Instead of a $5/day daycare, James promises to create a plan for a daycare program – without any details of what that plan might look like. Instead of scrapping the scandal-ridden BC Rail deal, they plan to investigate it. Instead of re-nationalizing BC Ferries, they plan to re-establish accountability. The list goes on and on.”


To the Left!

It is becoming increasingly clear to all, that if the NDP wants to actually win an election, they need to do something very different. The majority of people did not vote in this election. Young people in particular are the least likely to cast a ballot. And what is even more telling, is that the more money you make, the more likely you are to vote! It is all very clear. Those are NDP votes that are staying home. Those who are the most abused and oppressed by capitalism are the least likely to vote. And why would they? When you work 40 or 50 hours a week, time is precious. Why would you waste an hour going to the polls, when you could spend that hour with your family? The oppressed layers of society will not come out, unless they know that their vote will mean something. The NDP needs to adopt bold socialist policies that will make a difference in people’s lives. That is their only hope of forming government.

Political columnist and well-known NDP supporter Bill Tieleman seems to understand the problem. He said, "If Carole James wants to talk to business councils and chambers of commerce about how she can get along with business, NDP voters traditionally will stay home. And that's what's happened the last four years." Tieleman is not alone in this view. There are increasing calls for a shift to the left from both inside and outside the party. University of Victoria political ccientist Dennis Pilon pointed out that, "The people who are missing are people who probably would have voted NDP."

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