The call in last week's VOICE for BC Liberals to turf Gordon Campbell will fail because he will not go willingly, and a leadership contest would split their coalition. Rank and file BC Liberals have the opportunity to force a leadership review by simply showing up at their local constituency meetings over the next few months and voting for a review. Vaughn Palmer pointed out in his Vancouver Sun column that two years ago when this happened fewer than 1 out of 50 members bothered to vote. A serious challenge to Campbell would require a potential leadership candidate speaking out and urging rank and file members to vote to oust Campbell. It is far more likely that they will all go down with the ship. Perhaps that is because they still have the arrogance of having all but two of the legislative seats. They still think they won, rather than understanding that the NDP lost. Who could have believed that the biggest parliamentary majority in BC's history could be squandered in just three years?

One year from now, on May 17, 2005, voters will pass judgment on the Campbell government. The VOICE's description of Campbell as mean is a view shared by many British Columbians who voted for him in 2001 only to find that he is "liberal" in name only. Campbell misled the Hospital Employees' Union before the election when he told them he would not break contracts. After the election he said that $18 an hour is too much for what his whip described as "toilet cleaners". That is less than $40,000 a year. According to information from income tax filings, 75% of British Columbians make no more than that. They know it is hard to get by on less than $40,000 per year, which is why it frequently takes two income earners to support a family. Why does Gordon Campbell relate better to the six figure set, those making over $100,000, than he does to typical income earners? Shortly after taking office he defended big salaries for deputy ministers by saying "we have to pay enough to attract the best"; he then hired the president of the BC Liberal party and attacked low income workers.

Those who apologize for Campbell frequently point to housing starts as a sign that BC's economy is doing well. Housing is doing well throughout North America because of incredibly low interest rates. Campbell's economic policy has failed. Economic growth slowed in BC in 2003. Provincial GDP grew by 2.2%, down from 2.4% in 2002. The 2003 growth rate is a half point worse than the average estimate for 2003 made by BC's economic forecast panel at the beginning of 2003. When the year was over they revised their forecasts (downward) and the government then used that to make misleading claims of better than expected performance. The "good news" they manufacture are overly optimistic forecasts which haven't been right yet.

It is not just his failed tax cuts and his preference for high income earners that has alienated Campbell from many of his former supporters. Consider some of his other broken promises.

Promise: "I will not sell BC rail."

Fact: The 990 year "partnership" deal with CN is the same as a sale. Every 90 years the government has the option of buying the railroad back at market rates. That's not a lease.

Promise: "I will not expand gambling."

Fact: Government is treating gambling like a business, and it is encouraging BC Lottery Corporation to maximize the take for government. So far, gambling revenues are up by over 50% with more expansion on the way.

Promise: "Stop the endless bureaucratic restructuring of the Ministry of Children and Family Development."

Fact: Line level child protection workers have been laid off. The entire management team has been replaced after financial irregularities required an independent audit. Efforts to regionalize child protection services to 10 authorities have been put on hold. The budget has been cut for developmentally disabled adults while efforts are made to offload responsibility to a controversial appointed authority.

Promise: "Provide high quality health care where you live and when you need it."

Fact: Waiting lists grew by 25% before the recent hospital strike.

In addition to the string of broken promises, none of which are owned up to by Campbell, the government has demonstrated that it is not competent to manage. It made a mess of liquor privatization. It had to back off from privatizing the Coquihalla Highway. Its attempt to influence TransLink to change its transit priorities from the northeast to RAV ended in failure. Its attempted sale of the Roberts Bank spur line had to be stopped after the RCMP warned of irregularities. Campbell can't even run a caucus meeting without creating controversy. Attempts to smear the reputation of an MLA who quit the caucus resulted in the government whip acknowledging that MLAs are subject to secret suspensions from caucus.

With only a year to go, it is too late for Campbell to change his style or fix his policies. First he would have to recognize that he has a problem, and like many politicians in trouble, he is in denial and blaming "communications". Running bigger and more expensive government ads will further antagonize the public and dig a deeper hole for the government. Rather than fix his mistakes and change his ways, Campbell will go into the next election campaign attacking the NDP. Campbell and his MLAs already mention Carole James' name more often than any other during silly little speeches in the legislature. Thanks to Campbell's fixing of the election date, James can plan her campaign down to the minute. That gift is appreciated by the opposition, but government MLAs in trouble must be cursing Campbell for his political stupidity.