It appears as if  Andrew Weaver’s Greens will likely go for BC(neo)Libs.They’ll not likely “join” them, just agree to a couple of policy changes in return for supporting Premier Clark’s revised “Green” budget.

Greens seem more angry with the NDP for suggesting that the splitting of May 9th’s  election vote would hand the election to the B.C.(neo)Libs than they are with the sixteen years of odious government rejected by 60% of British Columbian voters.

Andrew Weaver has bit of a Napoleonic streak , and would love to be a Cabinet Minister with an extension of the media love and policy clout he’s currently enjoying.

There are lots of advantages to this agreement/arrangement between Greens and BC(neo)Libs.

Premier Clark knows that without Green support, Kevin Falcon or James Moore will have her job quicker’n you can say “Leadership review.” She has to get Greens on side or she’s done, as Premier and party leader.

She’ll sell the farm to hold onto power – she’s in a very weak bargaining position.

And what do the Greens want from her.?

Party Status? I’m sure Premier Clark has “already giffen ze order…” This can’t even count as a demand.

Big money out of politics? That’s easy if you have a huge war chest left over and corporations and unions can easily turn big corporate donations and much smaller union donations into myriad “personal ” donations – no biggy.

Proportional representation? Gee, that assures a three party system in B.C.,  with two progressive party’s splitting the “hell no , not Christy” vote. Done deal.

Kinder Morgan? Environmentalists will likely stop Kinder Morgan anyway -if she can just stall a bit, this could be done.

Premier Clark can get the Green’s “big three” demands in the bag without any financial budget effect and with little fuss.

So Mr. Weaver can easily extort his big three;  big money out of politics ,a promise of a “re- look” at pipelines,and a referendum on proportional representation. Premier Clark gets  off cheaply –  the deal is done.

But more important,and the real motivator for Mr Weaver’s BC(neo)Lib sellout, will be the fawning street cred he’ll get as a “negotiator.” Just think…

” Mr. Weaver got more out of Premier Clark than the NDP could in 20 years – all because he’s reasonable and not combative and ill tempered like the NDP’s John Horgan.

“Weaver Catches More Political Flies with Honey…”

The script reads beautifully – the media will report on it daily for months and the “Weaver’s a brilliant negotiator” narrative will join, perhaps even supplant , “fast ferries” and “the 90’s” as the go to anti NDP mantra in B.C’s right wing election lexicon.

Both BC(neo)Libs and Greens will be able to point to what’s possible if one collaborates on issues rather than just saying no all the time, like the NDP does.

If ( when) this happens, Weaver will have cynically chosen personal and party ambition over his progressive agenda,not one plank of which matches the BC(neo)Lib agenda, the first plank of which is to “control spending.”

But we likely won’t notice this and it won’t be reported on.

What remains to be seen is whether the sixty percent BC(neo)Lib  rejectors, in BC will buy this  Macbeth -like move by Mr. Weaver or choke on the photographs of Premier Clark welcoming him into the fold.

Personally ,I’m preparing a friend to perform the Heimlich maneuver on me when I see the smiling pair of them shaking  hands collaboratively..