mike watkins dot ca : October 15 2008 Archives

October 15 2008

Vancouver-Kingsway: Media Watch

Post election wrap of of results and media references:

Party                      Candidate          Votes  % of Total
---------------------------------------------------------------
Communist                  Kimball Cariou       291         0.6
NDP-New Democratic Party   Don Davies        15,933        35.2
Libertarian                Matt Kadioglu        309         0.7
Marxist-Leninist           Donna Petersen       149         0.3
Conservative               Salomon Rayek     12,417        27.4
Green Party                Doug Warkentin     3,031         6.7
Liberal                    Wendy Yuan        13,134        29.0
---------------------------------------------------------------
Total number of valid votes:                 45,264
  • Emerson legacy helps create NDP victory (Oct 14, Vancouver Courier) Standing in the expansive Golden Swan restaurant on Victoria Drive on election night, the sense of deja vu was overwhelming.
  • Urban voters say no to Conservatives (Oct 15, Globe and Mail) Voters shut out the Harper government from two of Canada's major cities for a second consecutive election last night, with the Tories failing to secure a single seat in either Toronto or Montreal. Editor: Globe editors should note that Vancouver shut them out too. North Vancouver is not Vancouver.
  • Davies reclaims Vancouver-Kingsway for NDP:Hard work credited for victory (Oct 14, 24 Hours Vancouver) Vancouver-Kingsway is back in the NDP's hands and Don Davies wants to keep it that way.
  • In Vancouver-Kingsway, an NDP rookie replaces Emerson (Oct 15, The Tyee) Why did Don Davies become the only NDP non-incumbent to snag a seat in B.C. last night? He’s an authentic, regular guy who lives in his riding, unlike a certain David Emerson who preceded him. That and the fact that Davies campaigned like a demon for 24 months, building a polyglot base in one of Vancouver’s most diverse neighbourhoods, Vancouver-Kingsway.
  • Don Davies makes lone victory speech at NDP party (Oct 15, Georgia Straight) The NDP crowd was hungry for a victory, so when Vancouver-Kingsway candidate Don Davies walked into Heritage Hall, it might as well have been Posh ’n’ Becks. The thick crowd pounded their applause, and chanted "Davies, Davies!"
  • NDP takes a nail-biting three-way race (Oct 15, Vancouver Sun) After losing Vancouver-Kingsway to MP David Emerson in the last election, the New Democrats won a decisive victory there Tuesday.
  • Vancouver-Kingsway: the Emerson Riding (Oct 15, The Province) Voters in Vancouver Kingsway never got their chance to officially "de-elect" David Emerson -- who took the riding as a Liberal in 2006, only to bolt to the Tories two weeks later. But last night, they did the next best thing.

Election Winners and Losers

Winner: Vancouver Kingsway, who finally has a real representative in Don Davies (NDP). After suffering through two and a half years of misrepresentation by David Emerson, the honest election of a member of parliament to represent the residents of our riding has brought closure to a sorry chapter in Canada's history. Congratulations Mr. Davies.

Winner: Stephen Harper, for increasing his vote, his seat count, and his "apparent" mandate. Loser for blowing Quebec and fomenting the ABC movement, a fatal combination of flaws which took away his prize. Loser for spending hundreds of millions on an election which in calling Harper has broken his own law. Loser for gaining only 1 percentage point in the popular vote overall, winner for gaining more ground in B.C. Loser for not gaining a single seat in Vancouver and for having appointed Emerson during the last parliament against the will of the people in the first place.

Loser: Stéphane Dion, obviously, for being a decent person with the right idea, perhaps at the wrong time, saddled with a party who on balance had no intention of supporting him. Dion rightly wears the failure, a failure of timing and packaging not of ideas, as a carbon tax is the right policy for a world facing climate change. Loser: Michael Ignatieff, for the Bob Rae/Power Corp/Chrétien juggernaut is already moving. Unless the future takes a radical sidestep, Rae (or someone of the Chrétien team's choosing) will be crowned king with the full backing of the Jean Chrétien camp there to help him. Martin's old team will be purged, savagely.

http://64.21.147.48/tv-20081015-095125.gif

Loser and Winner: Premier Danny Williams? He's a winner for having helped stop a Harper majority, but at what cost at home? Our thanks must go to Danny, a real Progressive Conservative. Thanking Gilles Duceppe is too difficult for me but I will acknowledge his role in stopping Harper from further gains, which is a positive.

Loser: Jack Layton, having run the most expensive NDP campaign ever, has only picked up a paltry 8 additional seats. He won't get to keep all this gains in the next go round, and he won't at the next election be able to rely on a weakened Liberal party to prop himself up. The national gain is offset by a net loss of one seat in BC, a traditional stronghold. If the NDP wishes to continue to gain ground it will have to convince Canadians that it can govern, yet despite trying very hard to do so, Jack Layton has failed now through three elections to meet that objective.

Loser: Elisabeth May and the Green Party. May and Carr should have picked more winnable ridings to run in, or done a better job in bringing credible candidates with profile into ridings that could be won, such as Saanch-Gulf Islands.

Loser: The fight against climate change. Loser: The planet.

Loser: Canadian Federalism, being slowly whittled away. The long term trend will result in a much weaker federation where separatist movements, not just in Quebec, can exert their influence with greater authority. Through the use of the power of the purse, which has already been radically savaged under the first Harper government, fundamental changes to the very meaning of federalism can be accomplished without a single first minister's meeting or constitutional discussion. Few Canadians, and relatively few Conservatives, are even alert to this. Big Loser: Inextricably tied to federalism, Canadian unity and Canadian sovereignty. Biggest Loser: Canadians, including politicos, most of whom are blithely unaware of such big picture issues.

Loser: Democracy, the Harper record is clear. What about going forward? How long before the next series of votes are declared votes of confidence when they should not be? How long before Harper breaks his own laws again? How long before the next episode of contempt of parliament occurs? The Harper government record in this regard is far worse than that of the Jean Chrétien Liberals. Yesterday's election saw a lower voter turnout than even 2006's dismal result and is indicative of the disdain Canadians have for politicians.

Loser: Canada.