2 Wildrose MLAs to cross to PCs

[crazy_eoj]

Looks like one party rule for another several decades.... sigh. Here's to mountains of debt for everyone!

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I also would likely vote for some fringe party candidate. Hopefully I have a separatist candidate in my riding.

rofl. I did that once federally at the height of Chretien's dictatorship. The separatist candidate got all of 600 votes. Was a good early lesson in just how little value a protest vote really has.

[Flash Walken]

I wonder if this will be cause for reflection for Wild Rose/Conservative supporters.

Is this move, and the preceding political fates of Stelmach and Redford any kind of reflection on conservative ideology in Canada?

Is this just a case, again, of forthright ideologies being misrepresented (again) by the wrong politicians, or is it deeper than that? Is the current political landscape a reflection of the conservative ideology that has had popular support for decades? You reap what you sow, right?

Does the entrenched, conservative nature of these parties and ideologies breed this sort of behaviour?

For example is it conservative resistance to efforts to pluralise voting results, most famously the SoCred decision to abolish proportional representation in favour of first past the post, or their ideological approach to regulation of natural resources that contributes to this kind of anti-democratic action?

Is conservative ideology not up for reflection when once again, two parties on the conservative side of the fence have put power above representation of their constituents?

There seems to be a plurality of posters in here that would rather not vote than vote for a party that didn't identify as conservative. Are these posters aware of their contribution the lack of representation of alberta voters?

When the time a single party has been in power is measured in decades, at what point do the political ideologies that frame the elected officials become as culpable as the officials themselves?

To put it simply: When people who eschew progress are continually rewarded, should we be surprised when precious little progress has been realized?

Stelmach, Redford, the current wild rose disaster. Are these not symptoms of 'conserving' power? Of an ideology opposed and resistant to change? Or is the facile argument of it being the politicians themselves and not the system they have created and represent going to be used again to pull the wool over peoples eyes?

How long can this charade of 'small government' and 'social conservatism' hold relevance in the face of floor crossing and power mergers in a province without political recourse or popular representation, and how long will voters in the province pretend like it has nothing to do with them?

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Alberta politics:

Where the only tenable political position is to go further to the right.

[MarchHare]

Has there ever been a previous instance in Canadian history (federal or provincial) in which the leader of the opposition crossed the floor and joined the government?

[Makarov]

Hard to believe that this thread was started just two and a half years ago: http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...light=wildrose

[Resolute 14]

The first half of your post, Flash, could easily describe the federal Liberals. The second half only speaks to the gross incompetence of the Liberals and NDP.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Credit to https://twitter.com/cspotweet for this one, cause one last BusTit shot is always good

[Senator Clay Davis]

No shocker here but Danielle will apparently be getting a cabinet post. Insert 30 pieces of silver reference here.

[troutman]

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

The first half of your post, Flash, could easily describe the federal Liberals. The second half only speaks to the gross incompetence of the Liberals and NDP.

Truly impressive that you have managed to turn this WRP debacle into a criticism of the Liberals and NDP. "Resolute" is an understatement.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

The first half of your post, Flash, could easily describe the federal Liberals. The second half only speaks to the gross incompetence of the Liberals and NDP.

This is, sadly, exactly what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about local alberta politics and you bring up the federal liberals.

YOU voted for this.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Makarov

Truly impressive that you have managed to turn this WRP debacle into a criticism of the Liberals and NDP. "Resolute" is an understatement.

Well, I could have worded it as "the first half describes politics in general", but the simple fact is, anyone who laments how the electorate just keeps voting in the same people has to realize that a major reason for that is the ineffectiveness of the opposition parties. So yes, any time I come across someone who criticizes the people for failing to vote Liberal or NDP, I will make a remark about why nobody votes Liberal or NDP.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Well, I could have worded it as "the first half describes politics in general", but the simple fact is, anyone who laments how the electorate just keeps voting in the same people has to realize that a major reason for that is the ineffectiveness of the opposition parties. So yes, any time I come across someone who criticizes the people for failing to vote Liberal or NDP, I will make a remark about why nobody votes Liberal or NDP.

Some people (me for instance) do vote Liberal or NDP. I would also note that no Liberal or NDP MLAs are crossing the floor today.

[Jacks]

I highly doubt that many disaffected Conservatives that are disgusted with this are going to drift to the Liberal or NDP parties. A brand new upstart party has about as much chance of forming government as either of those parties do, probably a better chance.

If the Liberals pulled their heads out of their butts, got a decent leader, changed their albatross of a name and totally distanced themselves from their federal cousins they would probably have won an election by now. If they had done that in 1993 they would have probably won then. Taft probably would have had a decent chance against Stelmach without the Liberal baggage also.

[troutman]

Internal Wildrose Party document outlining the conditions for a merger with Alberta's ruling Progressive Conservative Party.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/250299264/...-reunification

Benjamin Kendrick ‏@Ben1kendrick
Rob Anders is free to lead the #wrp now. #ableg #cdnpoli

[Bunk]

Amazingly, if this all happens - when Hehr and Kang need to resign when the Federal writ drops, Rachel Notley and the NDP will be the Official Opposition.

[troutman]

Darcy Henton ‏@darcyhenton
Former WR leader Paul Hinman says WR ldr Danielle Smith would want to be deputy premier & finance minister if she crossed the floor #ableg

Here we go. She was incapable of serving on a school board, and now wants to snub her constituents and members to be deputy premier and finance minster? #bigballs

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by troutman

Darcy Henton ‏@darcyhenton
Former WR leader Paul Hinman says WR ldr Danielle Smith would want to be deputy premier & finance minister if she crossed the floor #ableg

Here we go. She was incapable of serving on a school board, and now wants to snub her constituents and members to be deputy premier and finance minster? #bigballs

If that's her demand, then I hope Prentice tells her to pound sand. What does he have to gain by agreeing to that? For that matter, what does Prentice have to gain from any of this? It's not like his party is in any danger of losing an election to the WRP.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

If that's her demand, then I hope Prentice tells her to pound sand. What does he have to gain by agreeing to that? For that matter, what does Prentice have to gain from any of this? It's not like his party is in any danger of losing an election to the WRP.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/...lvr.it-twitter

Prentice has always wanted to eat Wildrose alive.

The PC dream, voiced by one insider, is to unite the right and make the Liberals the official Opposition again. That would require nine Wildrose defections, and the premier might just get them.

For Wildrose this can only mean political death. Imagine it — an official Opposition party with 13 seats, still only five points behind the government in the polls, collapses like cheap tent into the PC fold. Why would anybody give the Wildrose rump another dime?

[GP_Matt]

What do you think happens to the millions of WRP dollars?

I hope they bury it somewhere in the province like pirates.