2 Wildrose MLAs to cross to PCs

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

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

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

i'm not sure that is the right question to ask. I would suggest these:

What are the "net" numbers on the fundraising after the 3rd party fees were paid?

What is leftover after the by-election campaign?

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by troutman

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?

So is that actually a move by Prentice to shift Alberta's political landscape slightly to the left? He's a self-described Red Tory, so by eliminating any credible challenge at his right flank, he'd be free to govern more towards the centre. Is that his plan?

[kirant]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

So is that actually a move by Prentice to shift Alberta's political landscape slightly to the left? He's a self-described Red Tory, so by eliminating any credible challenge at his right flank, he'd be free to govern more towards the centre. Is that his plan?

That would make sense I think as the Southern Alberta communities, in particular rural areas, have a tendency to stick closer to right wing parties. At least, as long as I've followed politics (which is admittedly not a long time).

If no credible right wing party exists, then he's free to keep moving the PC left as long as he keeps dominating the entire right side.

[calgarygeologist]

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

In the Reunification Agreement it says that "The Premier wants each of our MLAs to take up meaningful roles in his government to continue his work." I wonder when these unification talks started? I was also wondering why Prentice hadn't announced a Deputy Premier. Maybe this has been in the works since right after the by-election?

[crazy_eoj]

Originally Posted by kirant

That would make sense I think as the Southern Alberta communities, in particular rural areas, have a tendency to stick closer to right wing parties. At least, as long as I've followed politics (which is admittedly not a long time).

If no credible right wing party exists, then he's free to keep moving the PC left as long as he keeps dominating the entire right side.

I disagree, Prentice would be doing this to move the party back to it's historical strength as a fiscally conservative party.

The PC's have been drifting left for a decade and have seen the rise of a real opposition party to the right, even almost losing an election under their most left wing leader ever who gained party leadership on the back of the teachers union. Thus, by taking the Wildrose in and moving back towards fiscal responsibility they eliminate the only credible opposition in the province. The Liberals/NDP never had a sniff there's nothing to gain moving further left.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by crazy_eoj

I disagree, Prentice would be doing this to move the party back to it's historical strength as a fiscally conservative party.

The PC's have been drifting left for a decade and have seen the rise of a real opposition party to the right, even almost losing an election under their most left wing leader ever who gained party leadership on the back of the teachers union. Thus, by taking the Wildrose in and moving back towards fiscal responsibility they eliminate the only credible opposition in the province. The Liberals/NDP never had a sniff there's nothing to gain moving further left.

LOL, when did they almost lose an election? 1993? The Liberals were far closer to forming government than the Wildrose. The last election the PCs ended with 70% of the seats. I would take that as a pretty solid victory.

[Sr. Mints]

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

Wow. If this isn't a textbook case of self-preservation politics undermining our democracy, I don't know what is.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

In the Reunification Agreement it says that "The Premier wants each of our MLAs to take up meaningful roles in his government to continue his work." I wonder when these unification talks started? I was also wondering why Prentice hadn't announced a Deputy Premier. Maybe this has been in the works since right after the by-election?

This is not a "unity government" situation? WRP have 14 seats. Fourteen. The PCs have 63. There is no need to appease WRP MLAs by giving anything to Danielle Smith. This has been in the works since WRP realized they were going the way of the dodo bird.

This is about WRP members (mostly Smith) saving face and staying relevant before all being obliterated in 2016. Hence why the membership is angry, this is all for personal gain, and not for the party/constituents.

[Dion]

Courtney Theriault‏@cspotweet4h4 hours ago
Obligatory Wildrose Party meme. #ableg #WheelsFellOff #wrp pic.twitter.com/qdosadU9fv
View photo Hide photo 0 replies31 retweets13 favorites




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[Bunk]

Originally Posted by crazy_eoj

I disagree, Prentice would be doing this to move the party back to it's historical strength as a fiscally conservative party.

The PC's have been drifting left for a decade and have seen the rise of a real opposition party to the right, even almost losing an election under their most left wing leader ever who gained party leadership on the back of the teachers union. Thus, by taking the Wildrose in and moving back towards fiscal responsibility they eliminate the only credible opposition in the province. The Liberals/NDP never had a sniff there's nothing to gain moving further left.

Moving backwards on fiscal responsibility, lately, is a specialty of right-wing parties/politicians, not left or centrist.

[CaptainCrunch]

Well they'll be no checks and balances with the Conservatives once this happens. They will basically be able to do whatever they want. Release any kind of budget and there's nothing that can be done to counter them.

We've seen in the past how that kind of ultimate power corrupts.

It will be interesting to see what happens from a political point of view, but without a capable opposition, its frightening as hell.

A lot of people are being stabbed in the back by this merger.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Moving backwards on fiscal responsibility, lately, is a specialty of right-wing parties/politicians, not left or centrist.

I don't think its mutually exclusive to any side of the political scale.

[crazy_eoj]

Originally Posted by Slava

LOL, when did they almost lose an election? 1993? The Liberals were far closer to forming government than the Wildrose. The last election the PCs ended with 70% of the seats. I would take that as a pretty solid victory.

Everyone was surprised how well the PC's did in the last election. You even predicted that the Wildrose would win the popular vote in the last election and come within a seat of forming the government.

Short memories around here.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by crazy_eoj

Everyone was surprised how well the PC's did in the last election. You even predicted that the Wildrose would win the popular vote in the last election and come within a seat of forming the government.

Short memories around here.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by crazy_eoj

Everyone was surprised how well the PC's did in the last election. You even predicted that the Wildrose would win the popular vote in the last election and come within a seat of forming the government.

Short memories around here.

I did dread the Wildrose forming a minority, but in the end they weren't close to winning and the PCs weren't close to losing an election. Just because I thought it might happen doesn't matter.

[crazy_eoj]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Moving backwards on fiscal responsibility, lately, is a specialty of right-wing parties/politicians, not left or centrist.

Odd comment in this thread.

As the PC party moved leftwards on the political spectrum, or became a more centrist party, under Stelmach and then moreso under Redford they became much less fiscally responsible.

Under Ralph Klein they undoubtedly were more fiscally conservative and payed down our entire debt.

It's this shift that led to the creation of the Wildrose party in the first place.

[crazy_eoj]

nm

[Dion]

Originally Posted by crazy_eoj

Everyone was surprised how well the PC's did in the last election. You even predicted that the Wildrose would win the popular vote in the last election and come within a seat of forming the government.

Short memories around here.

I wasn't. People tend to vote for the devil they know as opposed to the devil they don't know. Add to that, Smith failed to deal with the radicals that which ultimatley brought her party a defeat at the polls.

[nik-]

I'm glad the Wild Rose with Smith and her soundbite politics will be gone. Now hopefully the people outside the right and further right spectrum get their heads out of their asses and form a true left centre opposition party for this province. That's what we need, not right vs further right.

[cal_guy]

Originally Posted by crazy_eoj

Odd comment in this thread.

As the PC party moved leftwards on the political spectrum, or became a more centrist party, under Stelmach and then moreso under Redford they became much less fiscally responsible.

Under Ralph Klein they undoubtedly were more fiscally conservative and payed down our entire debt.

It's this shift that led to the creation of the Wildrose party in the first place.

I'm going to say natural gas prices were more of a factor than the PC's fiscal discipline especially after the 90s.