2 Wildrose MLAs to cross to PCs

[killer_carlson]

For Albertans, Anderson, Forsyth, Towes And Smith were very good in question period. Hopefully the latter three keep that up in caucus.

Forsyth has carved up Mandel on health care a few times already. Hopefully she keeps that up as well

[Aarongavey]

I love Alberta, what a province, the citizens can only vote for one party federally and provincially. Smith finally realized this. She will win her riding next time in a landslide, who else could the people vote for?

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

Unbelievable. Between this and the Gay Straight Alliance gong show I'm completely disenfranchised with this government.

Precisely.

The turn to the right and the strong-arming of MLAs on Bill 10 has a few Tories disenchanted.

[4X4]

I just can't understand how Danielle Smith can ever show her face in the Leg after this. Or in public for that matter. I'm embarrassed for her for how vehement she was about the PCs, and even a couple weeks ago with the other two that crossed the floor, and now, the leader, is crossing the floor.

Unreal that the loudest mouthpiece in years, the loudest, whiniest critic of the PCs, the one that blatantly questioned the integrity of the other two, just a couple weeks ago, is doing the same thing. Abandoning her party? She's the f'n leader! How can someone do that?

If she gets re-elected anywhere, ever again, I'm going to be so disappointed in my fellow Albertan/Canadian. This has got to be the sleaziest political move I can think of.

Seriously! HOW THE F*** does a leader cross the floor? Really?

I'm just laughing at how ridiculous this is. Is this Bizarro world?

Hilarious. Pathetic. Incredible.

[Dion]

Chris Bloom@cbloom007 · 2 hrs2 hours ago
@GlenStromquist @AlbertaGrl @SheilaGunnReid @ilikeroxxx
I gotta ask is, Smith ####ing insane? Does she think WR voters will vote pc for her?

[ranchlandsselling]

nm.

[Flash Walken]

If you can't beat em, join em.

[Dion]

OkotoksNow@okotoksNow · 5 hrs5 hours ago
A report that Danielle Smith has been in contact with large donors over the past few days to explain her position. #Okotoks #HighRiver

[Kjesse]

In the case of an MLA crossing, its a betrayal of the constituents who voted for you. In the case of the leader of the party, who is the face of what everyone in every constituency votes for, its the betrayal of each voter who supported your party.

So Smith is basically betraying just under 500000 Albertans.

She's not a leader, she's a complete fraud.

[starseed]

When was the last time the official opposition crossed over to a majority government? This is absolutely insane.

If ever there was a time for the Liberals/Alberta party to merge into a credible centre-left entity, it is right now.

[Senator Clay Davis]

She showed what kind of leader she was when she showed no strength in barely condemning the anti-social comments the party's candidates had. That lost them the election. She obviously realized the party has no chance of getting elected to anything above what they are now because it can never be appealing enough to win unless they basically become exactly like the PC's. The Wildrose window was the one election and they blew it. Won't even get a second chance.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Ducay

At what point do the left leaning parties wise up and merge to try and pull the left vote and become the opposition?

PCs occupy such a large swath of the spectrum, you'd think they'd (lefties) try and capitalize on it.

#anyonebutWRP

Originally Posted by Bunk

Yep. Time for a real opposition to (put egos aside) come together and provide a real alternative (big tent - centrist). If not, we're all screwed in an actual one party state type situation. I don't like Wildrose, but at least they are an opposition.

Originally Posted by Bunk

An opposition has to come together. Has to. Disaffected Red Tories, liberals, Alberta Party - dare I say even NDP.

Put differences (and more importantly egos) aside and create a big tent centrist party.

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.

Originally Posted by 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.

I've seen this kind of thingwritten several times now, in this thread and others.

How do the liberals to merge/turn into a credible centre-left entity when no one in the province will vote for them, often in large part just because of their name? They don't have any seats to combine now, does the alberta party really syphon votes off the Liberals in such a number that it would impact the final election results?

If something as superficial as their name is a limiting factor in attracting votes, how on earth are they going to be 'credible'?

Seems like a great big red herring to me. A moby dick sized red herring.

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Could be a few more Independents sitting in the legislature by next session from what I'm hearing privately.

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Precisely.

The turn to the right and the strong-arming of MLAs on Bill 10 has a few Tories disenchanted.

Are you suggesting some fracture in the PC Party?

I wonder what happened first, the invitation to come over, or internal turmoil.

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by Dion

Cory Morgan....

Oh, he was bleating all over Twitter last night. It was amusing.

This made me laugh.

[octothorp]

I think DefectaCons would be a good name for them.

[Kjesse]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

For Albertans, Anderson, Forsyth, Towes And Smith were very good in question period. Hopefully the latter three keep that up in caucus.

Forsyth has carved up Mandel on health care a few times already. Hopefully she keeps that up as well

This reminds me of the earlier times where the pc's had a massive majority with a tiny opposition-- for the first time, and the reports were often how, to try to show democracy was working, the pc's basically introduced the concept of having their own government members question their cabinet members in public, even though they first met in caucus in private.

This was novel at the time, and if I were to dig hard enough I think I could find the references because it was a big deal at the time, but it is particular to politics in Alberta.

It was then, and is now, a complete sham. Its the equivalent of having a police officer investigate his partner in a cop shooting a member of the public, but letting them meet beforehand to discuss the nuances.

You've posted long enough here, and intelligently, that I don't think you even believe your own post.

[Dion]

So I went to my deep water aerobics class tonight in High River and as i'm checking in, the girl at the front desk points me to the field house. There was the Global TV crew interviewing people to get thier thoughts on Smith possibly crossing. I yell out..."She's a turncoat and she'll never get relected in this town!!!"

LOL the crew runs up to me and asks if I wanted to repeat what I said on camera. I laughed and said no. They practicaly begged me to say something. Couldn't be bothered.

[J epworth]

Originally Posted by Delgar

This reminds me of the earlier times where the pc's had a massive majority with a tiny opposition-- for the first time, and the reports were often how, to try to show democracy was working, the pc's basically introduced the concept of having their own government members question their cabinet members in public, even though they first met in caucus in private.

This was novel at the time, and if I were to dig hard enough I think I could find the references because it was a big deal at the time, but it is particular to politics in Alberta.

It was then, and is now, a complete sham. Its the equivalent of having a police officer investigate his partner in a cop shooting a member of the public, but letting them meet beforehand to discuss the nuances.

You've posted long enough here, and intelligently, that I don't think you even believe your own post.

Are you thinking of the reforms Klein made to caucus, replacing cabinet and caucus committees with "standing policy committees", consisting of backbenchers and cabinet members, plus non-MLAs? He did that in 1992 and 1997 to enhance his populist image, showing that the PCs weren't an imperial one-party rule. Made show that power was widely dispersed, but in reality was still centralized by the Klein dominated cabinet.

[Dion]

MLA Pat Stier's Decision

Please be advised that, based upon information provided on the weekend, and then again at a special Wildrose Caucus meeting held here earlier today in Edmonton, I shall NOT be joining several of my colleagues who have decided to suddenly join the Progressive Conservative Caucus.

Instead, I intend to remain in the seat that the electorate placed me, as a Wildrose MLA.

Albertans follow a recognized and fair democratic process for elections in good faith and they expect their elected officials to follow that decision.

When a time for change becomes necessary for elected officials, in my opinion they should then follow a procedure that includes their electorate in the new process, prior to making such a change.

Unfortunately, the procedure that has been pursued by some of my Wildrose Caucus members would appear not to have provided the electorate such an opportunity, therefore I cannot support it.

Despite the above circumstances, I wish all of my colleagues every success in their new venture as I know their solid intentions are for a better government in Alberta.

PAT STIER, MLA
Livingstone-Macleod

http://www.patstier.com/articles/155...tiers-decision

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by Delgar

In the case of an MLA crossing, its a betrayal of the constituents who voted for you. In the case of the leader of the party, who is the face of what everyone in every constituency votes for, its the betrayal of each voter who supported your party.

So Smith is basically betraying just under 500000 Albertans.

She's not a leader, she's a complete fraud.

Is she friends with Peter MacKay?

[Kjesse]

Originally Posted by edslunch

Is she friends with Peter MacKay?

I doubt it. She's not rich.