Carole James Resigns as BC NDP Leader

[Curtis]

Hot off the Press...

www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20101206/carole-james-resignation-101206/

VANCOUVER — B.C. New Democrat Leader Carole James has resigned following weeks of internal dissent.

James called a hasty news conference Monday morning and announced she will step down immediately as the Opposition leader.

The party cancelled an emergency caucus meeting planned Sunday to deal with the ongoing controversy over James's leadership.

Last week, the party's longest-serving MLA put the final nail in James's political coffin with a blistering public attack on her leadership

MLA Jenny Kwan's call for an immediate leadership convention was only the latest in a string of dissent and criticism that saw one MLA turfed from cabinet and several others publicly renounce James' leadership.

Carole James was elected Leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party on Nov. 23, 2003.

Good news for the NDP. IMO, she's saved them from caving in on themselves kind of like Campbell did when he resigned. Now I am interested what BC will decide come 2013.

[Quatchi]

WOOPIE, fresh start, I think this is the best outcome for the province. It also gives both parties a fighting chance, the next election is going to be a tight one.

Cheers,

[Mirrlees]

The writing was on-the-wall. I do hope the NDP will re-invigorate itself to get back on task to be a viable alternative to the governing BC Liberals.

[mrdot]

:)merlees is a very good marine engine, and this is a marine forum, we should leave all the political crap for the gordos, and lames of this world. that being said, this is a very good retirement place to spend some of my senior years,when we get politics and marine matters wixed up we end up with fast cats and other monumental screwups, and some people use that as an excuse to flush our history down the crapper, and we end up with a sudo free- enterprise model, and a ferry service that is a shadow of the navy that wac. built. mrdot.

[Neil]

Carole James faced an impossible situation. There was no way to make peace with such a large, unhappy segment of her caucus. And it would have been willfully blind to ignore the fact that poll after poll after poll showed that she lagged behind her party in popularity, and was holding it back.

She's a good person, and an able politician, and she took the party from two MLAs back to contender status. Maybe a baseball analogy is in order. There's no shame in the tiring starting pitcher who's carrying a lead to make way for the reliever to come in and successfully finish things up. There will be two fresh faces leading BC's major parties next time, with two leadership conventions coming up shortly.

A fascinating time for us political junkies.

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And, jeez folks, if you don't want to read about politics, don't click on a thread with a heading like this one. How easy is that?

[lmtengs]

I did the jig when I read this. ;D

I'm ecstatic. Nothing more to say.

[D'Elete BC in NJ]

Dec 6, 2010 15:18:21 GMT -8 Neil said:

And, jeez folks, if you don't want to read about politics, don't click on a thread with a heading like this one. How easy is that?

...isn't that kinda like saying if you don't like the TV programming, change the channel?

[Neil]

Dec 7, 2010 4:08:25 GMT -8 D'Elete BC in NJ said:

Dec 6, 2010 15:18:21 GMT -8 Neil said:

And, jeez folks, if you don't want to read about politics, don't click on a thread with a heading like this one. How easy is that?

...isn't that kinda like saying if you don't like the TV programming, change the channel?

Kinda. Quite the concept, eh?

I didn't think Carole James distinguished herself yesterday, after delivering her written speech.

She refered to the thirteen dissidents as 'bullies', and characterized her entire role in the few days previous as the only constructive person in the whole scenario, while people on the other side were not willing to get down to work and were just interested in negative, petty bickering. Her bitter remarks did nothing to start any process of reconciliation, and I think she inadvertently corroborated what the 'baker's dozen' had been saying about how she deals with dissent or individuality in caucus meetings.

On the day Gordon Campbell resigned, there were no shots at anyone on the Liberal side who might not have fully supported him, and even when Bill Bennett came at him with all guns firing, the response was measured.

Not the best way for James to go out, and now, cooler heads have to prevail so that the party can come together and pick the best successor from what should be a reasonably qualified field.