Image: Flickr/Province of British Columbia

Yesterday B.C. was witness to one of the biggest flip flops in our political history with the B.C. Liberals giving a throne speech that for the most part was a copy of the NDP platform — a platform that the Liberals heavily criticized during the election not even two months ago.

Take for example the B.C. NDP pledge to remove tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges, a move the Liberals called reckless and short sighted a few months ago but is now included in their throne speech as a commitment.

The Liberals have also mysteriously adopted the idea of an affordable child care plan which, when proposed by the NDP, they claimed would drive the province into debt and destroy our credit rating. The Liberals sudden change of heart also includes things like creating a poverty reduction plan (which they have ignored for years to the point where we are now second in child poverty throughout Canada), an increase in social assistance and disability (something that just months ago the Liberals were still claiming were just fine where they were), and even fully funding basic adult education programs (funding that was stripped away just a few years ago by the very party now promising to put the funding back).

This colossal change of heart has even the most experienced political analysts scratching their heads and trying to figure out what exactly the Liberals end game in all of this is. After all, even Christy Clark has admitted that she will most likely lose the confidence vote and ultimately the power to govern — so she wont even have the power to implement anything in her throne speech anyways.

Surely she cant be naïve enough to believe that anyone from the Greens or NDP (or their supporters) are actually buying into this sudden change in core policies — certainly not enough to jump parties. Also by diving into the socialist policy pool full bore she also has to realize that it will cost her a lot of her hard right supporters — which are arguably her biggest core support. In fact I have already seen ads for the B.C. Conservative party pop up on my Facebook newsfeed today signaling what could be a re-birth for the otherwise absent party surged by angry right wing supporters who certainly feel betrayed by the Liberals’ sudden left-wing nose dive.

So if they aren’t winning any left support, and almost certainly losing their right support, what exactly is point of this bizarre throne speech? Here are just a few possible explanations:

  1. As Micheal Smyth pointed out there could be a Christy Clark body double impersonating her or a political freaky Friday episode unfolding.
  2. Clark actually believed that this last ditch effort would sway the Greens into ditching the NDP and forming an agreement with the Liberals instead.
  3. Clark has decided the best way out of this whole mess is to literally become #IamLinda.
  4. Clark knows she is done and has decided if she’s going down she’s taking the whole damn Liberal party with her.
  5. Clark is being blackmailed into adopting these policies with some incredibly incriminating information.
  6. Clark has been offered a leadership position with the B.C. Conservatives and is sabotaging the Liberals before jumping ship.
  7. High level NDP and Green members have infiltrated the B.C. Liberal party and hypnotized Clark into actually caring about people.
  8. Just like that episode of The Simpsons, Clark was abducted by aliens and is currently sitting in a spaceship right now somewhere while the Clark we see is actually an alien in a really good costume.
  9. Clark has developed a split personality from the stress of the recent election and what we are seeing is actually her super good alter ego.
  10. Just like the Grinch that stole Christmas, after being inspired by watching the Greens and NDP form an agreement and work together, Clark’s heart grew five times the size and she does actually care now.

Whatever the case may be I think we can all agree that the stench of desperation waffling from Clark and the B.C. Liberals can be smelled across the province and their next move is really anyone’s guess.

Image: Flickr/Province of British Columbia

Like this article? Please chip in to keep stories like these coming.

Avatar photo

Sarah Miller

Sarah Miller was born and raised on Vancouver Island. While enjoying the island life Sarah developed an early passion for writing, photography and art. In recent years she has become a strong advocate...