Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
I thought you were saying Albertans haven't shown much interest in electing centrist governments. They gave a clearly centrist Redford a huge majority.
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No, I am saying believing the Redford or stelmach government were centrist is an Albertan view of the political spectrum.
Their centrism was largely cynical vote buying alliances with some special interest public sector unions and with the general public with things like the removal of msp premiums.
Stelmach and Redford were certainly to the left of Klein on their governance, but Klein showed himself to be radically right wing on occasion (whether personally or politically): slashing the social safety net, cutting funds to municipalities, threatening the not withstanding clause, Ralph bucks, gutting healthcare, selling profitable crown corps etc.
Redford and stelmach's uneasy lean leftward opened the door for an even more right wing party, willing to touch social issues even Klein wouldn't touch, to become the official opposition.
Albertan voters have been so appalled by a seeming drift to the center they just voted to embrace right wing politics even further with the UCP, headed either by the right wing opposition leader or a preston manning reform schooler. "Progressive" has literally been excised from the right nomenclature.
Redford perhaps would've eventually had the legacy of centrism, but was unceremoniously ousted from power. Sure, she had some deep personal failings of corruption and hubris, but let's be serious and note it was a snap back to conservatism that lead to her downfall.
Suffice to say, drifting towards the center is enough to make the Alberta electorate uncomfortable enough to pull the pin and retreat to the comforting bosom of Canada's version of social and economic conservatism.
If you think stelmach, Redford and Prentice were centrist politicians you also have to note each one had a declining share of support among the Alberta electorate as they successively approached the centre of the political landscape.