OP/ED: One election down, three to go.
By Kyra Hoggan
I will forever remember election 2011 as the “ambivalence” election.
I was glad to see incumbent Atamanenko retain his seat, not out of any loyalty to the New Democrats, but because I didn’t feel the other parties fielded candidates worthy of ousting Atamanenko. I think the only real competition for the seat came from Stephen Hill … who I’d say badly misjudged the riding’s culture, launching a campaign that was both aggressive and negative enough to cross the line into offensive for the laid-back Kootenay voting community. He chalked his loss up to the decision of a riding that goes for the protest vote – and I think if he really believes that, he’s doomed to lose in the next election, too. I think Hill has much to alter in his approach and presentation before he’ll win a seat in the BC Southern Interior. Brain Hunt and Shan Lavell (Green and Liberal, respectively), never really had a shot, but I think they deserve our appreciation for stepping up in a riding where they likely knew at the outset they’d lose. There is merit to elevating the level of debate and forcing the real contenders to address issues on which they might not otherwise touch. So, no surprises locally. It was the national result that left me stunned. As a life-long Liberal, I was heartbroken to see the ignominious defeat of my favoured party … and absolutely thrilled to see the implosion of the Bloc Quebecois. It’s like the old joke about watching your mother-in-law drive off a cliff in your brand-new sports car – you just don’t know what to feel. I have to disagree with the pundits who’ve already mounted a tombstone for the Liberals, though – I think they’re down, but not out, in the long term. In the interests of being cautiously optimistic, maybe this humiliating defeat is just what the federal Liberals need to really step up their game. Liberal leadership has, for years now, offered us a choice between the lesser of who-gives-a-damn. Now, perhaps, they’ll start choosing leaders with charisma, poise and some of the presence that has seen Stephen Harper enjoy such success. I don’t have much use for the man, myself …but even I have to admit that Harper comes off more appealing and credible than have many Canadian leaders in the past, seeming at home on an international stage, and playing well to a modern age that elects its leaders largely based on television appearances. In short, he’s media savvy in a way the other party leaders simply are not. I’m personally anxious to see Justin Trudeau take the Liberal helm – while I’m not keen on political dynasty-building, I think he offers the youthful energy and charisma, as well as the political poise, to deliver the Libs a come-back run next election. As for the Harper majority … I can only say “Yikes”. This is a result I think bodes very ill for Kootenay values. The NDP may be congratulating themselves now, but at the end of the day, I think they’ve been rendered largely toothless. A minority opposition is rarely a result I enjoy, regardless which party’s in power, because I think it leads to a lot of steam-rollering and bull-dozing of agendas not necessarily in the public’s best interest. A Conservative majority for four years may also leave the Quebec electorate so disenfranchised that the Bloc enjoys a resurgence in power the next time the writ is dropped – I sincerely hope not., but I still think the next federal election is anyone’s game. Having said all that, I’m not going to belabour my national-election ambivalence – instead, I’ll expend my energy hoping voter fatigue won’t diminish upcoming ballot-casting for the HST, provincial government and municipal governments. It’s hard enough to get people to show up and participate at the best of times, but with four separate votes each required in 2011, I think British Columbians are in for a long slog.
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