Bill Tieleman

Bill Tieleman, president of West Star Communications, is one of BC's best known political commentators and communicators. Read political commentary from Bill every Tuesday in 24 hours, Vancouver's free weekday newspaper (also online) and in The Tyee — BC's award-winning online magazine.

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BC Liberals’ nasty campaign leaves bitter taste

May 162013

Canadian politics

Clark ran the most right-wing, Republican-style campaign Canada has ever seen.

by Bill Tieleman

“Politics determine who has the power, not who has the truth.”
— Economist Paul Krugman

Last night’s victory by Premier Christy Clark and the BC Liberals will go down in British Columbia political history as one of the biggest upset victories ever. Unfortunately, it will also go into the books as a triumph of fear over hope, of choosing incredibly negative, personal attack ads over policy and vision, and a revolting example that using taxpayer dollars to advertise your own party cause works.

Christy Clark the main question on E-Day in BC

May 132013

Canadian politics

Premier brought in HST despite Liberals' promise. Now she promises to protect the sensitive BC coast from oil pipelines and tankers.

By Bill Tieleman

"We've got tankers going up and down the St. Lawrence for heaven's sake. I don't know why we'd ban them necessarily off the west coast."
– Christy Clark, Feb 24, 2011.

If you liked how the BC Liberals betrayed voters by imposing the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) after the 2009 provincial election, you'll love what they will probably do with bitumen oil pipelines if they win again in 2013!

Christy Clark’s pipeline promises not believable

May 082013

Canadian politics

The party that brought BC the HST after pledging not to, now promises to stop Northern Gateway pipline.

by Bill Tieleman

"We've got tankers going up and down the St. Lawrence for heaven's sake. I don't know why we'd ban them necessarily off the west coast."
– Christy Clark, February 24, 2011.

Christy Clark selling more whoppers than Burger King

May 022013

Canadian politics

Premier misquotes credit rating agencies in attempt to bolster her own financial credibility.

By Bill Tieleman

"The things, you say / Your purple prose just gives you away
The things, you say / You're unbelievable"
– "Unbelievable" by EMF

If you believe Premier Christy Clark, BC's budget is not only balanced — it's actually been verified by international credit rating agencies. And thanks to Clark's BC Jobs Plan, this province apparently leads the country in job creation. But the facts simply contradict the premier.

During this election Clark has been trying to sell more Whoppers than Burger King.

Christy Clark pushing bad LNG trip

Apr 252013

Canadian politics

Provincial debt relief through selling Liquified Natural Gas likely a pipe dream.

by Bill Tieleman

"Roll up for the Mystery Tour/ The Magical Mystery Tour/ Is hoping to take you away"
— The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour.

Come on British Columbia! Premier Christy Clark's Magical Mystery Campaign Tour is dying to take you away! Just drop a big hit of this free LNG and it will be a psychedelic, far out, groovy good trip — satisfaction guaranteed!?

Poll: 65 percent disapprove of Christy Clark

Apr 172013

Canadian politics

Clark's attempts to appeal to all sectors make some question her sincerity.

by Bill Tieleman

"For every person who says they dislike her because she's too casual, there is another person who dislikes her because she is too formal."
– Angus Reid pollster Mario Canseco on Christy Clark

How do we dislike BC Premier Christy Clark? Let me count the ways. Because with a 65 percent personal disapproval rating in a poll last month, a 20 percent gap behind the front running New Democrats and only 16 percent saying she would make the best premier after two years on the job, Clark is obviously not Miss Congeniality to British Columbians.

BC NDP gambles on the high road

Apr 112013

Canadian politics

Party bets that Liberals' nasty attack ads will backfire big time.

By Bill Tieleman
"The research clearly shows that negative ads are not more persuasive than positive ads."
– Bill Benoit, Ohio University communication studies professor

New Democrat leader Adrian Dix is taking the biggest political risk of his life — and his party will win or lose this election because of it.

No, it's not by promising well in advance that an NDP government would increase the corporate tax rates or put a minimum tax on banks and financial institutions nor is it an ill-advised policy in the party's forthcoming platform.

Dix rolled the dice a year ago when he publicly pledged the NDP will not run negative or personal attack ads, period. The NDP has not and will not respond in kind to the vicious $1 million assault on Dix's own character launched by Concerned Citizens for BC, a BC Liberal-linked group led by Jim Shepard, an ex-Christy Clark advisor and former corporate CEO.

BC Premier slammed for “inappropriate” meeting

Apr 042013

Canadian politics

Christy Clark photographed with former Liberal candidate now facing tax-related charges.

by Bill Tieleman

"Religion and political expediency go beautifully hand in hand."
– Friedrich Durrenmatt, Swiss author

Premier Christy Clark held an "inappropriate" meeting last week with a former BC Liberal candidate who faces six federal charges for failing to file corporate income tax returns, says BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins.

BC MLAs to pay price for imposing HST

Mar 282013

Canadian politics

Fight HST won the referendum — and the Liberals lost the public's trust.

by Bill Tieleman

"If Premier Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberal MLAs don't listen to the people and drop the HST, he and his party are finished."
– Former BC premier Bill Vander Zalm, April 1, 2010.

Three years to the day of that warning from Fight HST leader Bill Vander Zalm, the harmonized sales tax is finished, Gordon Campbell is finished and in six weeks most BC Liberal MLAs will be finished.

Justin vs Joyce won’t solve Liberals’ problems

Mar 202013

Canadian politics

Famous name not enough; inter-party unite-the-left scheme flawed.

by Bill Tieleman

"Twitter is a great place to tell the world what you're thinking before you've had a chance to think about it."
Chris Pirillo, blogger

Apparently, Canada is doomed — unless one of two things happens, depending on which Twitter feed you follow:

Either Justin Trudeau — Parliament's member for Twitter-East — becomes Liberal leader, is elected prime minister in 2015, and vanquishes both Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper and New Democrat leader Tom Mulcair, or;

Vancouver Quadra MP Joyce Murray becomes Liberal leader and drags into a one-time-only 2015 electoral cooperation deal her own reluctant party, the uninterested NDP and the keen Greens, who all then implement proportional representation and allegedly ensure Conservatives never rule Canada again.

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