As BC Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson toured Northern British Columbia over the weekend, one imagines that his aides were quick to intercept any copies of the Globe and Mail from finding their way to the hotel room, with the Globe's national affairs columnist Gary Mason having recently deconstructed the last two decades of Liberal rule with a scathing indictment of their competence.
Such was the damning review of how the Liberals conducted their affairs while in power that the article first published in the Globe on Friday, quickly became the dominant political theme of the weekend in British Columbia, spreading like a wildfire on a hot July weekend fuelled by the winds of Social Media.
The Deceit that was the BC Liberals' case for power
For the Liberal leader who is looking to spread the party message to the North a review of Mason's thoughts on the state of his party and how arrogance over-ruled reason for much of the last ten years might be worth a read.
One requiring a few moments to sit for an uncomfortable review, if for no other reason than to get a map of where some of the damage is and what needs to be done to address the many issues raised by the columnist.
The list is rather long and one that may require a fair bit of explanation and maybe even some contrition for Mr. Wilkinson and those that continue to carry the Liberal banner at the Legislature.
The overview ranges from questionable real estate decisions to an incomprehensible approach to the issue of money laundering through the province's gaming centres, the mis-handling of many of the past files over the years certainly doesn't deliver a vision of a steady hand on a government tiller that the Liberals are hoping to present as an alternative to the NDP.
The review of history also comes as the Liberals are seeking to remain engaged on a number of issues, high among them the very way that British Columbians elect their governments, how Wilkinson and his caucus handle the giant spotlight that the Globe article has turned on will have some impact no how their messages while in Opposition are received.
The Mason article certainly caught the attention of Victoria's political class, with NDP and Green politicians quick to their twitter feeds and Facebook pages to share the piece and add their own commentary as need be to ensure that Liberal timeline was fully reviewed.
The temptation of course was strong for the government members and their helpful Legislature mates from the Greens to chortle a bit about all the Liberal misfortune that the article will generate for the moment, the reviews from BC Liberals however made for a little less in the way of distribution as the weekend moved forward.
While they share the article far and wide with supporters, the NDP and Green contributors may however want to remain mindful that the old adage of "power corrupts" tends to be proven true time and time again and at some point, a litany of poor judgments and deceptive tendencies could just as easily be attached to any party, whether it be one of a short lived stay in government, or that of an extended one.
For now though the reviews are in, complete with favourite takeaway lines, and for the most part the Mason article is quickly becoming the best read of the summer so far ....
Not to be left out of the list of punditry on the theme, the North Coast's Jennifer Rice found some time to dig into the Globe piece, with Ms. Rice also quick to flag the article as a must read for her constituents.
For more items of interest out of the Legislature in Victoria see our archive page here.
Cross posted from the North Coast Review
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