She didn’t play hide-and-seek with reporters or their questions. She didn’t take the opportunity to go after her opponents. She wasn’t defensive or dismissive.
In fact, when Christy Clark spoke to the media on Tuesday about her plans and her plans for the B.C. Liberal Party, she was the epitome of leadership and class. Kudos to her.
She says she’ll take on the position of leader of the Opposition if it comes to that, and she seemed clear that that was a very large possibility in the near future.
In fact, she said she will position the legislature for a potential vote of non-confidence by the end of June. She could have strung it out for a couple of months and tested the NDP-Green brotherhood for awhile.
But she appears to have put the need for a functioning government in B.C. ahead of personal political motivations. And, yes, we can already hear the pundits saying it’s all a time-stalling act. And, yes, we know there was almost certainly a political calculation in the way she delivered her message, but we’d like to give her the benefit of the doubt this time. Because, frankly, she appeared a bit sad but nonetheless at peace with her new, albeit temporary, position of being the ruling underdog.
Perhaps that is where she is most comfortable.
She’s often at her best when she’s fighting for a place at the table – and operating in opposition against a two-man brigade will test those skills.
For B.C., in our opinion, this is good.
If the taxpayers of B.C. are left with an NDP leader challenged by a Green backseat driver, and facing a tough critic such as Clark, voters may get the best of both worlds.
The votes in the legislature will still be close, forcing, we hope, rational compromises on any number of issues. Voters may witness true dialogue in the legislature after so many years of rubber-stamping and short sessions and pandering to one political base.
Perhaps we’re being overly optimistic. But at least for now we’d like to believe in a kinder, more democratic B.C.
