Quote:
Originally Posted by Firebot
What do you describe as centrist? Clearly your definition is different than mine. I see myself as right of center, for what its worth and voted for Liberals (yes I've voted for Trudeau), Conservative and now provincial NDP in the past decade.
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Centrist I would describe as pragmatic to most of the issues. Someone who is open to varying opinions but requires a well thought out discussion with pros and cons and not relying as much on the political dogma. Centrist people will understand that there is a Climate Emergency and something must be done, but balance that with the economy and the needs of the market. They will look at taxes as an overarching requirement for getting government services, but also not want to be taxed to death.
For comparison I would consider myself a pretty firm Left-winger, which is why I laugh at calling this place left wing. I would argue that the Just Transition is completely necessary and that the climate emergency is so real that 2050 is not soon enough and we NEED to get emissions down by 2035. I think the healthcare system is already over-privatized and needs to be more public, and that should increase taxes, especially on those making over $200k a year and corporations. I think unions need to be a lot stronger and we need to fully stop with all corporate welfare. Basically, if I actually started talking about real left leaning ideals, I would end up being called a moron just as much as UCP voters are getting it now.
This election was a choice between the centre and the right. I support the left wing style of the Federal NDP and tolerate the ANDP stance because I feel that the UCP is so much worse, but I am under no illusions that the ANDP represent my left wing values as solidly as they did 10 years ago. I am a left winger, and this forum is not a safe place for me if I wanted to talk about the real issues I believe in, so like voting for Redford, I will accept that what I want isn't even close to the feeling of the majority of Albertans but recognize how much worse the Wildrose is.