THE unexpected rebirth of B.C.'s Conservative party has put Christy Clark's Liberals in quite a pickle.
The (poorly named) governing party, which has long marketed itself as fiscally conservative and ardently pro-business, is suddenly facing an increasingly viable upstart that threatens to beat it at its own game. The inevitable result will be a split on the right and a handy victory for the NDP - an outcome that will be repeated until the NDP's opponents stop fighting over the same cluster of votes.
The Liberals' response to this problem was initially to dismiss it, and later to lobby for a coalition, but in a scoffing response to those overtures this week, the Conservatives have made it clear neither of these approaches will work.
There is however, a third option.
After decades of bouncing between polar extremes, many British Columbians are hungry for something more moderate - a party positioned at the political centre, which would be sensitive to the needs of business while at the same time taking serious steps to address problems faced by disadvantaged British Columbians and the province's environment.
If the Liberals rebranded themselves as such a thing, they might draw enough votes from both sides to hold on to power - probably not in this next election, but not far into the future.
To do so wouldn't be easy, and it would very likely require a change of leadership.
It will be interesting to see if a successor arises within the party who has the will and vision to do it.
