The B.C. Liberals are an easily annoyed bunch these days, but one thing in particular seems to stick in their craw.
That would be comparing their situation to that faced by the crumbling Social Credit dynasty in the run-up to the 1991 election. I touched on a few parallels a couple of weeks back.
Here's another potential parallel: watching the NDP win byelections in ridings where no one had ever given them a chance before.
On Thursday, there are two key byelections in the ridings of Port Moody-Coquitlam and Chilliwack-Hope. The NDP appears to be the favourite in Port Moody-Coquitlam, where the party's candidate is former Port Moody mayor Joe Trasolini.
The NDP candidate took almost 40 per cent of the vote in the last election, which is a pretty solid base to build on. Throw in a very unpopular government, the fact the Green Party is not running a candidate and the stage appears to be set for an NDP win.
But the Chilliwack-Hope result has the potential to go down as a pivotal historic moment in B.C. politics. It could be a surprise win by a sitting government, which may staunch the bleeding it has been suffering in the polls.
Or, perhaps more likely, the byelection result may end up being compared to some of the byelection losses piled up by the Socreds in that party's waning days.
A number of the Socred byelection losses (under then-premier Bill Vander Zalm) were unique not so much because the government lost them, but because the NDP won them. The NDP took seats in the Cariboo, the Okanagan and in the posh riding of Oak Bay in the capital region.
All three seats had been Socred strongholds for years, and the NDP was never given any hope of winning in them. But win they did, which underscored the fact the presiding government was not only tremendously unpopular, but teetering on the verge of collapse.
Could we see the same scenario unfold in Chilliwack-Hope? It certainly seems possible, since this seems to be a three-way fight, which could split the centre-right vote just enough for the NDP to win.
The NDP grabbed 33 per cent of the vote in 2009. Assuming most of the Green party's support goes the NDP's way, it would appear the NDP will have a much stronger showing on Thursday.
Of course, if the Conservatives win the seat, it will also rank as a history-making moment. The party hasn't elected an MLA in almost 35 years, and gaining a foothold in the legislature could have enormous implications for the party and the one it's trying to take down.
There's no upside for the B.C. Conservatives to make nice with the Liberals. They'd be swallowed up in a formal merger, and would be the junior partner in any coalition arrangement.
The party also seems to be taking the long view, realizing a win in the next provincial election is rather unlikely. But kicking the Liberals to the curbside is certainly possible, setting the stage for a two-party fight in the 2017 election.
All of which brings us back to those comparisons to the last days of the Social Credit dynasty. The party was replaced by another free enterprise alternative, which only gained power after it moved closer to the political middle than the hard right.
That may be the biggest challenge facing the B.C.
Conservatives: if it insists on simply being a provincial version of the old federal Reform party, it may never actually form government.
As for New Democrats, I can't help but suspect they're looking back fondly at the run-up to the '91 election that saw them gain power, with the hope that history is repeating itself.
Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter for Global BC.
