EDITORIAL: Meet the Larry, Curly and Moe of B.C. politics

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If one was a conspiracy theorist, one might suggest the B.C. Conservative Party of 2012 is nothing more than a dummy political party created by the B.C. Liberal Party to lure back disenchanted voters who are not quite ready to cast a ballot for the B.C. NDP.

It is as good as any explanation for the dog-and-pony political show that continues to play out in front of our eyes, with just seven months until the provincial election.

The B.C. Liberals implode and are seen as being done in time for the May 2013 election.

The B.C. NDP is the only viable alternative.

Along comes a B.C. Conservative Party with some notable names and growing poll numbers.

The party lures a B.C. Liberal MLA and all seems on course for the Conservatives to replace the Liberals as the Liberals replaced the Socreds as the Socreds replaced the Conservatives/Liberals in opposition to the NDP/CCF.

However, with poor showings in two byelections; with that recruited Liberal MLA not onside with the party leader and deciding to quit the party he had joined only months before; with one of the two byelection candidates jumping to the Liberals only weeks after saying nasty things about them; with a leadership convention resulting in 70 per cent of voting members supporting the leader; with dissidents nonetheless still calling for that leader’s dismissal; with the leader then demanding all traitors to leave by high noon yesterday (Oct. 10) or else; with the leader then jumping into action at high noon by issuing a press release declaring party finances in good shape; and with dissidents announcing a press conference for late yesterday . . .  well, such craziness can only be the work of some Machiavellian political machine looking to save itself, can it not?

Seriously, there is no possible way such Looney Tunes hijinks could be the result of an upstart party actually inadvertently shooting itself in the foot, again and again and again and again and again and again.

Is there?