December 3, 2010 - 1:10 pm |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
Mackinnon was on the horn last night, while Robertson didn't even bother to show up - much like this picture from the Kerrisdale Community Centre.
An inch deep and a mile wide…that seems to be the best description of the opposition when it comes to budgetary issues regarding the Vancouver Park Board.
Political observers might remember the joint press release sent out by Green Park Board Commissioner Stuart Mackinnon and NPA Park Board Commissioner Ian Robertson.
Yet in spite of that precursor, yesterday’s Council meeting (which had in excess of 30 speakers interested in offering their opinions on the budget) offered performances (or a lack thereof) that didn’t exactly live up to the bluster.
Read the rest of this entry »
November 26, 2010 - 12:34 pm |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
These wo former competitors have since formed a strong working relationship within City Hall, giving Vision peace within the caucus.
The landscape of BC politics right now is like nothing that observers have ever experienced before. A Premier has just stepped down, and his party is now at the beginning stages of what should be a hotly contested leadership contest. The stakes of this race are huge, as the winner becomes the new leader of the province, and the one tasked with pulling the BC Liberals out of the toilet.
Far be it for the ridiculous New Democratic Party to take an advantage of such a situation, as they are embroiled in a partial caucus revolt against their own leader. The dissidents are determined to push the envelope until Carole James walks out the door, which might happen soon with a leadership review likely coming in the new year.
If we turn our attention to the municipal scene in Vancouver, even the NPA continues to struggle with factions within their party, even as they try to rebuild the organization back into a competitive force for next year’s election. The recent party fundraiser saw Park Board Commissioner Ian Robertson and his silent supporters draw a line in the sand between them and the Sam Sullivan loyalists, while delivering a speech that showed he was most definitely going to take a shot at being the party’s Mayoral candidate. Meanwhile, Councillor Suzann Anton continues to cling to the Sullivan faithful for her base of support, making a showdown between the two an inevitability, and rehashing of all the nastiness that ensued between the Peter Ladner and Sullivan forces back in 2008. This is of course just the latest episode in a party that for many years has cannibalized its own in the name of personal politics of ambition.
Which brings me to Vision Vancouver. For a party that continues to grow as a coalition of progressive forces, the caucus has been one of the most peaceful that Vancouver’s civic political scene has seen in several terms.
Read the rest of this entry »
August 31, 2010 - 9:04 am |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
With the way that the NPA has planned out their candidate selection process, the above signs have little to do with the reality of the current political climate in Vancouver.
For the first time in years, it seems as though the NPA is showing signs of life by organizing a number of events for the fall. A pub night, followed by a fundraiser with former NPA Mayors as the main attraction, moving onto a public forum are all being circled on the calendars of the remaining fifty members of the party who bother to show up to events.
All of these events are designed to create the perception of momentum as the party/association/political entity moves towards November 20th, when the party intends to nominate its candidates for next year’s election.
Here, however, is why these series of events are unlikely to divert attention away from the lacklustre results that that nomination meeting is likely to produce.
Read the rest of this entry »
August 17, 2010 - 1:38 pm |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
Mayor Gregor Robertson's plans with regards to bike lanes and the establishment of a cycling infrastructure were never hidden from the public.
It has been a common theme from Vision Vancouver opponents and haters to claim that the party is running roughshod over the public will, whether it is in regards to dedicated bike lanes or increasing rental housing stock.
I call BS with these kinds of claims, largely because I believe that the whole debate regarding consultation on some of these initiatives already happened to a large extent.
How?
Here’s how:
Read the rest of this entry »
