People don’t like the B.C. Liberals. Ditto New Democrats.
With so much unrest in the electorate, the time appears ripe for a third party to emerge.
And, there are already a number of groups working to set the stage for such a candidacy: B.C. Conservative Party, B.C. Marijuana Party, the Greens.
Of course, there’s one big problem for the supporters of a third party – they don’t have a leadership candidate.
Past successful third party runs historically have been largely candidate driven – from Teddy Roosevelt’s run as a Bull Moose candidate in 1912, and arguably, to more recently Jack Layton for the NDP winning 103 seats becoming the official opposition.
Without a person to rally around, it’s hard to imagine how a third party could effectively capitalize on voter disgust with B.C.’s two-party system.
Third party advocates insist there is still plenty of time to find a candidate. But, the names mentioned do not have the oomph, except one: Bill Vander Zalm, who almost certainly won’t run. He is the only person who would be taken seriously by the majority of voters. He is the only person to give Premier Christy Clark and NDP leader Adrian Dix nightmares.
The desire for another option in party politics is as high today as it has been. But without someone to articulate those feelings, a third party seems unlikely to make much impact in B.C. And that, is a shame.
William Perry
Victoria
