CKNW Editorial
for September 25, 2000

The process of getting a nomination is usually very stressful to say the least and this is specially true when the riding is winnable. In fact, the more winnable the seat is, the more vicious the process. It is really a mini leadership convention.

In the run-up to the vote there is usually an outward veneer of civility but it’s pretty thin. There is a scramble to get members and, if your people are doing their job properly, a brisk effort to get other people’s signups to change their mind or at least come to you on the second ballot.

While it’s not open to make too many campaign promises to supporters one does try to push the right buttons. In a small constituency it might to well to make the building of a bridge a priority so as to get the construction people on-side. Or to promise to make every effort to get Indian lands out of city boundaries. Or get a new courthouse. Those, incidentally, were campaign promises of mine way back in 1975 and they were all fulfilled – though in the case of the construction promises not as quickly as I would have liked. But as W.A.C. Bennett used to say, never spoil a good promise by keeping it!

There is one thing that is sure. The losers all have a death wish for the winner. That’s why none of the losers in my campaign were given any important posts in the election campaign itself. During my political campaigns I saw numerous cases where the loser became the campaign manager for the winner – big mistake. Even though he says he’s loyal and even though he thinks he’s loyal, the loser thinks he was the better person for the job and somewhere down the line that shows.

I raise this issue because from what I hear Gordon Campbell is getting personally involved in some candidate races. This is a big mistake – a very big mistake. In fact there is nothing more likely to throw gasoline on an already fiery situation than have the leader, even indirectly, interfere. It is that sort of thing that leaves such a bad taste in the mouths of the losing candidates that they will often actually campaign against the party at election time.

Bill Bennett was a very wise politician and I’m sure that he learned a lot at the knee of his father. He made it clear that he would help no one … not sitting members, not cabinet ministers, not even senior cabinet ministers. His view was simple – if you can’t handle your own nomination you don’t belong in politics. As far as I’m aware, Bill never wavered from this rule.

The result was obvious. First off, while the leader may not have made any particular friends in various constituencies, he made no enemies either. Second, everyone in caucus knew that their colleagues had got there the hard way – on their own and without the laying on of hands. In other words, there were no teacher’s pets.

This is called leadership and it’s leadership where it counts … in the trenches. And it’s in the trenches where the real war is won.

Gordon Campbell would do well to back off and let his people fight their own battles.