Kootenay Crust

By Ian Cobb

It’s election time and the two big beefy B.C. parties are flailing away at one another like the dancers and cowboys at the end of Blazing Saddles.

And yes, the dancers are the BC NDP and the cowboys are the BC Liberals.

Standing on the sidelines are the BC Green Party and Libertarian Party, searching for a way through but destined to be knocked flat in the spending frenzy and promise pukefest that billow from the ruling Liberal Party camp and NDP camp.

Here is a sample of ‘media releases’ dished out by both parties since the writ dropped April 11 – signalling a start to the one-month dash to try and convince as many voters as possible to show up and vote.

I’ve always found it quite hilarious what the political parties believe to be ‘news’ for ‘media releases’ at election time. I’m only publishing the suggested headline followed by the party issuing the releases, which appear in order as they arrived from April 11 to 16. See if you can make anything out of it all.

Christy Clark’s record kills her credibility on jobs – Says BC NDP

John Horgan’s BC NDP Election Campaign: Brought to you by the United Steelworkers of America – BC Liberals

Horgan announces $400 renter’s credit to make life more affordable – BC NDP

Andrew Weaver releases B.C. Green Party income security strategy – BC Green Party

Today’s BC Liberals launch bold vision for new Silicon Valley in Canada’s Pacific Gateway – BC Liberals

Christy Clark’s “big spending” record – BC NDP

HORGAN APOLOGIZES, BUT NOT TO METRO VANCOUVER MAYORS HE CALLED COWARDS – BC Liberals (the suggested headline came in all-caps)

REALITY CHECK: Coleman, Wilkinson team up to prove how out of touch Christy Clark’s Liberals are – BC NDP

Fudge-It Budget, the Sequel
PS: The Sequel is ALWAYS worse – BC Liberals

John Horgan will make life more affordable, create 96,000 jobs, build 114,000 homes and fix services people count on – it’s all part of building a better B..C – BC NDP

LNG can create a clean, bright future in B.C. and the world – BC Liberals

MEDIA ADVISORY: Media are invited to join Today’s BC Liberal candidate Michael de Jong as he contrasts the BC Liberal plan to keep B.C. strong by growing our economy, controlling spending and cutting taxes with the BC NDP scheme to recklessly hike taxes and spending. – BC Liberals

BC NDP “plan” a multi-billion dollar crater for B.C. economy – BC Liberals

John Horgan will create 96,000 jobs, make life more affordable, and improve the services people count on – BC NDP

What they’re saying about the BC NDP platform… BC NDP

John Horgan puts financial interests of union friends before public safety – BC Liberals

Andrew Weaver welcomes new UBC sexual assault policy – Green Party

Horgan $10 a Day Child Care – Come Back in 10 Years – BC Liberals

Encouraging more charitable giving with a tax credit increase – BC Liberals

While the ‘big parties’ duke it out, Green Party leader Andrew Weaver pounds away by trying to tell people his party’s various strategies and plans, which I give him and the party credit for and yet still wonder about how much thought or care the Greens put into rural B.C.

It was laughable that the party introduced Kootenay East riding candidate Yvonne Prest, via a media release the day before the writ dropped without a photograph of said candidate!

The party was a bit more on top of things when it trotted out Samson Boyer to be the candidate in the Columbia River-Revelstoke riding at the beginning of March. This will be a learning experience campaign for young Boyer who, like most of his colleagues across the province, will nick votes from the BC NDP, much to the delight of the BC Liberals.

Ah springtime in British Columbia! The dense odor of renewal and new growth is everywhere, but this year we’ll struggle to smell it due to the heaps of bull shiznoot left lying around by the corporate party politics poopers as they vie for a four-year snout-pound into the public trough.

Headline: Parties differ on everything because ideology is more important than reality.

Good luck to the candidates running in the East Kootenay’s two ridings.

This election means there will be two new MLAs representing our region; may the winners be able to work together for the betterment of this region, whatever your Party – ruling or not.

This take that being in the ruling party is the only way to get things done, while completely correct, is also exactly what is wrong with modern politics.

Shelving personal views to work together and get as much for the region from Victoria as possible is what is needed moving forward, if it turns out we once again have a Liberal and NDP MLA in the region.

To those heading for new office – may you strive to keep your riding’s best interests as your number one focus.

Finally, please get out and vote. Exercise one of the greatest rights bestowed upon you for living in our great, free land.

– Ian Cobb is editor/owner of e-KNOW. He dislikes all political parties because they are outdated, backassward and demand fealty while also sinking their teeth into party members like starving vampires.

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