Today was a good day for the BC Conservative Party up-to and including the incident where John Van Dongen left the party.
The party elected Voice of Reason Al Seibring as president, Christine Clark as Vice President,Linda Bellamy as Secretary and re-elected Treasurer Lambert Leung .
Also elected were a whole host of new directors including Dan Denis,Dennis Beliveau,Daniel Brooks and Douglas Machan.
All the instigators of the last week were not elected and lots of new blood was elected to the board.
John Van Dongen left the party ( I told you that might happen in my post yesterday) and so the party has a chance to get some work done and elect some MLAs next May.
Van Dongen worked hard on the BC Rail file but he also worked hard at disrupting board meetings with his monthly ” I am getting elected with or without your help threats”.
During his goodbye speech John Van Dongen mentioned that the BC Conservatives did not work as a team. This is a concept that Van Dongen himself doesn’t understand as his demands on the board above illustrate.
Could we have done more to pacify him? Probably but he could have done more during the by-elections to help us too.
Sure losing an MLA is a blow but in this case the party is better for it!
Thoughts Anybody?
Oh ya, more trouble coming Al and John, you can be sure of that.
An example of the lack of leadership is what happened to me with the BC Conservatives, first I was told I could not be a nominee, then I was told that they changed their minds and I could. Now, two days ago, they told me that my nomination papers have been canceled or pulled. Now, the reason is simply I was asking Al Seibring to call a time out, call all the Presidents of the CA’s together and make a list of things that are disturbing them and work out their differences. So for my efforts to try and bring the Party together, his next act was to send off 15 letters of bla bla, and take me off the approved nomination for Esquimalt-Royal Roads.
Now he and his buddy Cummins have everyone of our CA directors extremely agitated. It this a leader really. This is why the list of so called instigators is growning. “A pebble in a can” is this what this so called leader of men thinks of everyone in this Party, as disposable. You two will bring this Party and all of its good ideas into the toilet and mark my words, ” you will and it will be your fault and you will not be the leader next year”.
Scott Attrill
ex nominee for Esquimalt Royal Roads.
It was a very good day. I strongly urge our new leadership to take the high road, stop referring to members of the BCCP as instigators. I talked quite a bit to people on both sides of the issue. From what I can deduce, there were plenty of mistakes made by both sides. Ergo, both sides need to learn from it and take steps to make sure it does not occur again.
As a former Party President, 2 x provincial candidate, and an active member of the BC Conservative Party for 20 years, all I can say is none of this seems new. “Small c” conservatives, by our nature, seem to suffer some kind of divisive personality disorder.
If Van Dongen doesn’t want to be a team player than good day, good bye. Let’s move on.
It was a very good day.
No discredit to John vanDongen in leaving. He came found that this wasn’t for him and left.
Any person who starts a job only to find that he wasn’t happy is best to leave.
At least he was honest enough to do it up front and want to spend more time with his family BS.
Yes but there is a right way and a wrong way to go about leaving. Grandstanding on the steps of an AGM shows lack of character in my books.
While I understand the hurt to the Conservative party caused by the departure of John van Dongen, I am certain that the criticism cast by the commenter’s here reflects more on them than on van Dongen.
I have known John for too many years (26!) through my work. He has always been willing to meet and listen. It is clear that honesty and integrity are his hallmarks. If you trash a person like this, it says a lot about you!
To van Dongen, thank you for having the courage to stand up to the Clark juggernaut in he BC Rail fiasco. You have always been a friend of Agriculture.
I am only speaking about what I observed.
I agree that it is great of him to stand up for BC Rail and I applaud him for that!
Thank you for your comment and for taking the time to read!
As a former Party President, 2 x provincial candidate, and an active member of the BC Conservative Party for 20 years, all I can say is none of this seems new. "Small c" conservatives, by our nature, seem to suffer some kind of divisive personality disorder.
It was a very good day. I strongly urge our new leadership to take the high road, stop referring to members of the BCCP as instigators. I talked quite a bit to people on both sides of the issue. From what I can deduce, there were plenty of mistakes made by both sides. Ergo, both sides need to learn from it and take steps to make sure it does not occur again.
YOU LOST YOU MLA. THAT’S ALL I NEED TO KNOW.
With all due respect we lost an MLA who did not want to be part of a team and demonstrated it form the beginning.
That he did not want to be part of your time anymore may say something about your team. But please, continue whistling past that graveyard.
Actually it says more about him given we are not the first team he has bailed on.
“Actually it says more about him given we are not the first team he has bailed on.”
Ouch! 😉
It remains to be seen if this is a “good day” for the BCCP. They are still stuck with n over-the-hill Leader,whom I admired in the Federal government, but seems disconnected from his role in the Provincial Party.
He’s shoved his foot into his mouth on several occasions, and hasn’t commented on much of the Liberals scandals and embarrassments effectively.
The BCCP,with a competent and charismatic Leader,and charisma IS necessary in today’s world of sound bites, could possibly have held the other two Parties to a minority position, now,I doubt they’ll elect any MLA’s.
Their only hope is if Adrian Dix continues to reveal his true radical Left position on business and industry,and as he does, Cummins had better be ready to jump on him with some coherent criticisms.
Now lets see if he will be begging the liberals for a second chance? Getting rid of the BAD apples is called pruning, and pruning leads to a better harvest.
And prune the BC Conservatives did!
If Van Dongen doesn't want to be a team player than good day, good bye. Let's move on.
I totally agree!
Thank you for stopping by!
It was a very good day.