B.C. Liberals by any other name still . . .

As the B.C. Liberals sink in the polls — and the B.C. Conservatives steal their support among right-wing voters — the governing party is searching for any way out of its predicament.

Premier Christy Clark thinks changing the name of the struggling party might be part of the answer.

“We should be considering and actively debating a name change in our party, and I’m glad we’re doing it,” Clark said Wednesday.

“I think we need to have a name for our party that’s as inclusive as possible.

“We are a free-enterprise party that consists of people with independent minds from all across the political spectrum. The thing we share in common is a desire to build the economy and ensure a thriving private sector.

“That’s what binds us, so my preference is to find a name that reflects that.”

Liberal members will decide at a convention this fall whether to rename the party before next year’s election.

But would simply changing the Liberals’ name to the “Free Enterprise Party” or any other new handle do anything to stop their slide? I doubt it. There are few examples of political parties that changed their fortunes just by changing their names.

The old federal Reform Party became the Canadian Alliance in 2000, for example, but still couldn’t win an election.

It wasn’t until the Canadian Alliance became the Conservative Party of Canada that they were finally able to seize power.

But that wasn’t just a name change; it was a merger with the Progressive Conservatives, the result of a unite-the-right movement that took years to achieve.

Now it looks like that’s the only thing that will save the Liberals here: a merger with B.C. Conservatives. But B.C. Conservative Leader John Cummins has no interest in such a deal.

Instead, the Liberals may try to fool voters by coming up with a quicky name change this fall.

It reminds me of the time when I was 17, and I bought a couple of cans of candy-apple-red spray paint and repainted my first car: a rusty $250 VW Beetle. It looked a lot better. But it still ran like crap.

Voters will see right through a name change, especially since Christy Clark has been part of the B.C. Liberals for 15 years. She was a longtime, diehard federal Liberal, too, and many voters will see a name change as a desperate bid to hide her true record.

Instead of political gimmicks like party name games, Clark should concentrate on governing and showing bold leadership of the province.

Instead, she continues to waffle on critical issues.

She refused again Wednesday to take a stand on both the northern Enbridge pipeline, as well as the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion, which would increase oil-tanker traffic through Burrard Inlet.

As Clark waffles on the important policy files, her political enemies keep hammering away at her government’s vulnerabilities.

Former liberal mla john van dongen — who recently jumped ship to the Conservatives — served notice Wednesday that he’s still digging up dirt on the B.C. Rail scandal.

Just wait. Van Dongen is going to hurt his old party, no matter what they rename themselves.