The reason the recall of Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett didn't amount to anything more than a long, agonizing schoolyard threat is the same reason all attempts at MLA recall in British Columbia are doomed to fail.
Recall goes beyond a show of political discount to the realm of personal attack on a politician who has likely worked long and hard for the community he or she lives in.
This is precisely the reason why the Cariboo-Chilcotin Recall against Ms. Barnett didn't get off the ground.
There are very few provincial politicians who arrive in Victoria with the municipal government and community volunteer experience that Donna brought to the table.
The anti-HST crew and their NDP supporters didn't stand a chance of mounting a successful recall, as Donna has more supporters and has helped more people than you can shake a stick at.
That's not to say her constituents, and a number of friends, weren't peeved or disappointed with her stand on the Harmonized Sales Tax.
Donna has a huge extended family out there, and like any family they can fight amongst themselves, but it's very unwise to attack one of them.
So why did so many British Columbians march down the recall road?
Simply, there were deceived.
They were bamboozled by an egomaniac.
Bill Vander Zalm jumped back on the political bandwagon when he saw an opportunity to win some popularity points.
He had the charisma and the cause that might just help British Columbians forget the gong show that was the provincial government under his leadership.
We must give him credit for grabbing the reins of the anti-HST movement as it was floundering near the precipice and spurring it on during a popular crusade in every corner of the province.
He got what he wanted - the government was forced to hold a province-wide referendum and, eventually, he forced Premier Gordon Campbell to fall on his sword in an attempt to save the B.C. Liberals.
But, when the Liberals didn't capitulate immediately and kill the HST on the spot, the true nature of Mr. Vander Zalm presented itself.
In a flash of anger, he wanted B.C. Liberal MLAs recalled so the government would be forced to dump the HST.
Then he walked away.
Did he knowingly send his troops into a no-win situation because even the ego of Bill Vander Zalm wouldn't succeed in winning a recall vote in this province?
