| Liberals in danger of riding into the sunset? |
| January 25th, 2013 | James Peters |
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Some used to call them Canada's Natural Governing Party.
Their values were those of most Canadians - socially progressive, fiscally moderate, strong on foreign policy.
How far the Liberals have fallen.
Those party characteristics are still true, but they always used to get elected time after time with strong leadership.
That's what's changed.
It's been downhill since Jean Chretien was prime minister, and with a new set of contenders and pretenders to the Liberal throne making their way through Kamloops this week, one wonders if the party will be able to turn it around soon.
They had better this time around, because the long term future of the party is in grave danger.
In fact, I'd suggest they have this one shot to save themselves from obscurity.
There is plenty of unrest with the Harper government right now.
Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae has been as effective if not more so than Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair.
With a permanent leader, they have to be able to keep that credibility and momentum up until 2015, acting like they and not the NDP are the official opposition.
Their biggest challenge, though, will be the increasing polarization of the electorate.
Just like here in Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, Canadians are voting more along two extremes, rather than seeing the benefits of more moderate leadership.
They see the Conservatives - who are extremely conservative - and the NDP - representing the polar opposite - and align themselves into one of those two camps.
If the NDP under Mulcair fall back significantly in the next election, as is a distinct possibility, the Liberals still have a shot at opposition status or even governing.
If the vote continues to fall along those two polarities, then the fat lady may be singing on their chances.
That's why this leadership race is probably their last real shot, and they had better get it right for their own political survival.
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| What's The Incentive To Save For Old Age? |
| January 23rd, 2013 | Doug Collins |
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Federal Liberal leadership candidate Martha Hall-Findlay was one of several hopefuls to visit Kamloops this week. She has had some interesting ideas recently. She told the Canadian Press last week that she would look at a tax on the rich, only not until the economy was in better shape. As if the ... |
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| Common Sense The Best Way To Prevent Crosswalk Accidents |
| January 22nd, 2013 | Doug Collins |
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The City of Kamloops is trying hard to find ways to decrease accidents at pedestrian crosswalks. It seems this past year we've gone through a spate of accidents at crosswalks, involving various conditions and at different times of day. But the major issue at crosswalks has to deal with things... |
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| More To First Nations Problems Than Government Handouts |
| January 21st, 2013 | Doug Collins |
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Last week marked another round of protests by the group Idle No More, who are protesting poor conditions among our aboriginal people and demanding the government do something about it. But they are only addressing part of the problem. They try to make us believe that the governments and the non-a... |
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| NHL Starts Tomorrow-Who Cares? |
| January 18th, 2013 | Doug Collins |
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The NHL season starts tomorrow, but I must confess to you that I really don't care. I find it very difficult to get excited watching players on the ice who have fought with the league for the past several months shutting down half a season of hockey. I find it difficult to support teams whose... |
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| Maybe It's Time for A Big Tax Increase |
| January 17th, 2013 | Doug Collins |
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City council is going to face some pretty tough decisions in the next few months. Councillors have to decide what they're going to do about a tax hike this year. And they are really going to have to look at whether or not they want city services to expand or contract. It will take an almost f... |
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| Getting A Little Tired of Protestors |
| January 16th, 2013 | Doug Collins |
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It is time to tell people who think they can disrupt meetings that they don't have the right to do that. I'm getting a little sick and tired of protestors disrupting meetings because they have differing viewpoints. They believe that they have some inherent right to invade meetings with si... |
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| Greyhound Horror Stories Likely To Get Worse |
| January 15th, 2013 | James Peters |
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Customer service is an issue every single day in most of our lives.
Whether we're dealing with making a purchase or talking on the phone with a call centre for a service provider, poor customer service is nearly as common as good customer service.
That... |
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| Idle No More May Not Last, But The Impact May Be Lasting |
| January 14th, 2013 | James Peters |
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I stated last week how I thought the Idle No More movement was a positive force for change - even if inspirational leader Chief Theresa Spence has a lot of questions following her around.
Having expressed that sentiment - I really don't think the Idle No More movemen... |
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| Do We Really Need Ajax Jobs? |
| January 11th, 2013 | James Peters |
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Kamloops is doing pretty well economically.
New home construction was down last year - but most other economic indicators look positive.
Total construction permits issued by the city exceeded 200-million dollars in 2012 - and it's only hit that mark th... |
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| U.S. Oil Tanker Assessment Could Threaten Canadian Sovereignty |
| January 10th, 2013 | Doug Collins |
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The U.S. Coast Guard is the latest group wondering about the problems of increased oil traffic as a result of possible oil pipelines on the horizon in B.C. The Coast Guard is reviewing proposed increases in Canadian oil exports that could well have an effect on the coastline of Washington State a... |
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