Oberfeld: Christy, Time to Go! - Print Topic

Christy, Time to Go

  By Harvey Oberfeld
   Keeping It Real...
    June 15th, 2012

It may be too late: the latest polls (not just one!) are consistently showing the Liberals are heading for Opposition.

And maybe even oblivion.

The un-elected acting premier pooh-poohed an Angus Reid poll a week ago that showed her approval rating had dropped another three points, down to 30%,  while her disapproval rating with voters went up five points to 63%.

Now Ipsos-Reid has reported numbers that are even worse: NDP Adrian Dix is now favored by 50 per cent of British Columbians polled, up five points, while Clark dropped a whopping 14 points, down to a measly 29% public support … less than a year before the next election.

Ipsos-Reid also found the NDP is now preferred by 48% of voters, up another 4%, while the Liberals dropped another 4%, to 29%.  The Conservatives drew 16% support.

It’s time to go, Christy.

If the Liberals are to have ANY chance of stopping their slide, it won’t come through government announcements: the public are on to that game and how untrustworthy ANY promises really are.

It also won’t happen through a sudden new love affair with Clark: she HAD that going for her when she decided to leave her radio talk show post and seek re-election: but she has squandered, spoiled and subverted her own popularity by her own actions and failures.

As I’ve pointed out on this blog several times, Clark supported seeking an election mandate as new party leader and premier as the proper thing to do … until she became new leader! Then she pushed those principles aside … grabbing power like some Third World dictator.

She also abandoned her previously-stated position that the HST should be expeditiously killed in the Legislature; fighting instead for six months to keep it, and even after taxpayers voted to get rid of it, she somehow hasn’t yet been able to get rid of it!  While  the province and big business continue to benefit to the tune of hundreds of millions … pulled out of the pockets of struggling taxpayers.

Not to mention the hundreds of millions more imposed on the voters in higher MSP fees, another carbon tax increase, higher ICBC rates, higher ferry fares and another pending Hydro rate boost. (And everyone knows the announced  Hydro rate increase of 1.4% will be followed by MUCH higher charges after the election.)

And how about her handling of the teachers’ dispute! And the paramedics!  Both an absolute disaster, smacking of deliberate, planned failure to set up a political election issue …or just plain incompetence in handling and resolving a critical dispute for parents province-wide.

There is no way Clark can pull all this out for the Liberals.

The public clearly don’t like her anymore; don’t believe her anymore; and far too many are actually counting the weeks and  looking forward to sending her packing.

If she doesn;t go on her own.

The party needs a new leader … from the outside: John Furlong, David Podmore, Diane Watts  or some other high profile successful individual UNTAINTED by incumbent Liberal political “experience”.

Someone, anyone other than Clark … if it is to have any chance at all in the next election.

Harv Oberfeld

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