Parachute packing time for the BC Liberals?

To say these have been some challenging weeks for Premier Christy Clark would be an understatement.

Over the course of the last month, the Premier has faced the prospect of growing unrest in the education system as the province's Public School Teachers went out on strike for three days in protest over the introduction of the back to work legislation of Bill 22.

Spring break seems to have cooled down that particular bit of heated rhetoric though it would seem the whole issue is set to revisited in mid April, all while the BCFT and the Ministry of Education meet under the watchful and hopefully helpful eyes of mediator Charles Jago, former President of the University of Northern British Columbia.

Still the education problems are just one of many facing the Premier at the moment, she inadvertently  put her foot in things over the issue of funding for Translink, the Lower Mainlands transportation agency calling for an audit of finances while seemingly not being aware that the issue she was championing at the moment wasn't particularly relevant to the financials of the agency.

Then of course came the revelation that the province has been rather negligent in collecting unpaid fare tickets issued by the Translink Secuirty forces, leaving some 7 million dollars in potential revenue uncollected.

There's been the BC Place naming rights mess, where the province with little explanation has left some 40 million dollars at the table in a spat with Telus, a head shaking moment for a province that continues to suggest that money is tight, while at the same time finding new ways not to collect cash that is seemingly there for the taking.

This week, the Premier was in the spotlight as a former member of her caucus walked out of the party, heading towards the rising Conservatives, now the loss of John van Dongen itself probably isn't the end of the world for the Liberals, van Dongen has been kind of a lightning rod in the past what with his lead foot and traffic ticket travails, yet he certainly showed no hurry to leave the party upon the arrival of Ms. Clark a leader he clearly had little use for.  In fact, for a guy that likes to speed, his slow departure brings to mind the old axiom that revenge is best served cold.

His departure has roiled the rumour mill waters of Victoria, a place where it doesn't take much to get a rumour percolating, whispers that more Liberals may cross the floor were making the rounds on Monday, seemingly cooling down by Wednesday, the Liberals to a degree coming together in support of their leader.

Still, the Liberals who at the moment are in a bit of a free fall in polling, can't seem to help themselves, while they may not cross the floor, a number of high profile members of the Clark caucus are thinking aloud as to their political future in the short term, with both Kevin Falcon the Finance Minister and Education Minister George Abbot suggesting they may seeking to take some personal time by the time the next election comes around.

All of which has Victoria's media corps wondering if the foundation of Ms. Clarks leadership isn't getting just a little wobbly as she tries to gain some traction with a public that seems to be watching the political implosion with more than just a little curiosity.

To that theme, Vaughn Palmer of the Vancouver Sun took to his twitter feed today to throw open the theory of an eventual merger of the Liberal and Conservative forces under a made in BC name, which of course is what most British Columbians believe the Liberals were all about anyways.  An amalgam of the old Social Credit brand and the perceived hijacking of the old more middle of the road Liberal moniker of the Gordon Wilson era.

Regardless, considering the growing sense of doom that seems to be invading the current Liberal mindset, one wonders if any merger would have room for Ms. Clark, who at the moment is taking much of the political lighting strikes of the day and so far suggesting that her hold on power is fine.

Time as they say, will prove that perception as either true, false or blindly hopeful.