Lots of room on the right of the Tories

[First Lady]

Lots of room to the right of the Tories

Don Braid
Calgary Herald
Friday, January 18, 2008

Something called the Wild Rose Alliance plans to create itself Saturday in Calgary, following a grand tradition of new parties exploding like popcorn from the city's red-hot political oven.

The other provincial parties will shrug this off as just another nutbar gathering of the right -- but they're watching very carefully.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/...0-4c4a1a930b26


Also check out our ad...
http://www.projectalberta.com/board/viewtopic.php?p=49561&highlight=#49561

If the merger goes thru; I will be running to keep my position on the executive.... wish me luck ... or not....

[SteveToms]

I am shaking in my boots....

Seriously? Do you really think this "party" has a chance??

[Vulcan]

Glad you brought up the CCF, the original reform party.

http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/5202/ccf.htm

Alberta and the West have, in my opinion, led the nation in upgrading our democracy while the East hve been for protecting the status quo. Having said that I don't see a new party getting much support while the economy is still good.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by SteveToms

I am shaking in my boots....

Seriously? Do you really think this "party" has a chance??

Actually, yes. This graph illustrates the possibility very well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:A...elections2.gif

Alberta has a history of changing governments very quickly and always to a party that has never reigned before.

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by First Lady

Actually, yes. This graph illustrates the possibility very well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:A...elections2.gif

Alberta has a history of changing governments very quickly and always to a party that has never reigned before.

doesn't mean it'll happen to this party just because it happened before. They seem a little out there for me.

[llama64]

Originally Posted by First Lady

Actually, yes. This graph illustrates the possibility very well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:A...elections2.gif

Alberta has a history of changing governments very quickly and always to a party that has never reigned before.

Alberta has also received a massive influx of new voters since then. These new voters grew up under a different electoral culture.

I still maintain my scepticism that any party other then the Liberals or a party with the word (Conservative) in it can be elected in Alberta. The rural vote isn't as powerful as it used to be, and the cities want more then the standard bickering with the Federal government that has become trademarked by parties advertising an Alberta first position.

If Stelmach comes out in this campaign with a solid plan and eases Albertan's doubts about his ability to lead properly, he'll cruise to another landslide. Otherwise he'll lose a lot of seats to the Liberals. This new party I think has a shot at about 4-8 seats max this time around.

[worth]

Do we have to wait for the merger to see policies and such? Do you guys have a website? And will you be doing town hall stuff in Calgary in the future?

[peter12]

It's still possible. I think UFA only formed after the writ was dropped and they smashed the Liberals to pieces. It's in the province's political culture and it has remained fairly "consistent" over the past centuries, even with the constant influx of new workers and immigrants.

[Bobblehead]

You probably shouldn't post the entire article.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by First Lady

"We need to go back to a free-enterprise party that understands how business and investment work. Our government is now working against our economy."

Hinman feels the Tories betrayed the energy industry by letting companies buy leases at sky-high prices, and then increasing the province's royalty take.

yay, another party that just cares about energy companies and big business. How is this supposed to help us little guys? Not all of us work in oil you know....

[FireFly]

Just because there's room on the right doesn't mean Albertans still want that position filled.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by peter12

It's still possible. I think UFA only formed after the writ was dropped and they smashed the Liberals to pieces. It's in the province's political culture and it has remained fairly "consistent" over the past centuries, even with the constant influx of new workers and immigrants.

No, UFA was a lobby group founded in 1909. They became political in 1919, and after winning a provincial and a federal by-election in 1919 and 1921 respectively, decided to run in the 1921 provincial election. They were so disorganized, however, that they didn't even have a leader.

The Liberals must have really pissed off the populace for that to have happened.

[Thunderball]

While there is definitely room for a centre-right party built on pragmatism and integrity, with priorities on smart growth and urban issues... I'm not sure that is the Wildrose Alliance.

Maybe I'm prejudgiced, but there's too much Mormonism in those parties for me to lend my support. I've heard from a couple sources that the Mormons are the only reason Hinman even has a seat. I can easily see that party betraying people like Mrs. Greydanus and going antiquated Social Conservative in their earliest opportunity.

The PCs have become the centrist rural party, and that will drag the province down too.

[Resolute 14]

Well, in the Cardston riding, Mormon ties are going to matter. The candidate reflects the community.

That said, if the WRA is going to become government, it's candidates are also going to have to reflect the communities they run in, and the strong religious ties aren't going to play well in the cities.

This is going to be an interesting election, if for no other reason than supporters on all sides are pretty much going to be holding their noses as they mark their X.

[photon]

In the future do not repost entire articles that you don't own the copyright for.

[Slava]

I wish you all the vote-splitting best! Please siphon away the so-called Blue Tories like Craig Chandler and race to the bottom! (I hear that Craig is available if you need a leader!!!)

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

No, UFA was a lobby group founded in 1909. They became political in 1919, and after winning a provincial and a federal by-election in 1919 and 1921 respectively, decided to run in the 1921 provincial election. They were so disorganized, however, that they didn't even have a leader.

The Liberals must have really pissed off the populace for that to have happened.

Yeah, I know that, bud. They decided to run provincial candidates after the writ was dropped.

[Nehkara]

The last thing most people want is someone to the RIGHT of the tories. I think most people are slowly leaning left as the "big business first and only" strategy shows its inability to solve problems in our current situation.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by Nehkara

The last thing most people want is someone to the RIGHT of the tories. I think most people are slowly leaning left as the "big business first and only" strategy shows its inability to solve problems in our current situation.

The last thing most people want is someone SOCIALLY right of the tories.

People are starting to realize that running a government like a business does not make good governmental policy, but that does not mean that a right of centre economic policy that holds people accountable, taxes as little as possible and spends money pragmatically and as needed, when needed is no longer popular. Running the odd deficit budget is often a good thing, especially when the economy is in a downturn, and capital projects can be built as cheaply as possible... rather than creating a infrastructure crisis and spending like drunken sailors, competiting with the Oilpatch and other industries that are filling their coffers... driving everyone's costs up. When the PCs compete with private industry and start using rhetoric like "fair share", they sure as hell aren't being fiscally conservative.

Villainizing big business and making them uncomfortable is not a way to solve problems either. The PCs are doing that right now, and just watch the layoffs roll in and the capital leave.

[moon]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

The last thing most people want is someone SOCIALLY right of the tories.

There are still plenty of Albertans that support socially right wing polices. Even some that go further to the right than the current PC view.

I think the whole "Alberta moving to the left" crap is a little overblown.

Despite the influx of new voters, a Premier who was basically a lame duck leader and did numerous things to piss off and alienate voters and no real possible successor in site the Tories kicked the crap out of the other two major parties, if they can be considered major or even parties, in the province.

Federally the province overwhelmingly supports the major right wing party, electing them in 28 of 28 ridings in the last election.

It doesn't even address the fact that really the provincial, and Federal liberals, are hardly a left wing leaning party anymore and any move to support them should not be looked at as a ideological shift in the province.