New merger could rock Alberta

[maverickeastwood]

Originally Posted by moon

Also, there is a big difference from getting a good reception on doorsteps and tangible results at the polls. Canadians still are pretty lousy when it comes to turnout and many of those young professionals that talk about changing the right wing climate here seem to prefer to go out for another martini or make another ten bucks than stop by a polling station.

Being an immigrant from another province where 3 parties have run the province in the last 20 years and 4 (or was it 3...) different premiers from the same party in 10 years, I don't have too much faith in any elected official at any level. The next always seemed to be worse than the last...or a better liar, as it may be. Same thing happened here as in BC, Stelmach wasn't elected by the people just like Ujjal Dosanj and Glen Clark if memory serves me right.

Don't get me wrong, I vote...therefore I can bitch

[Cheese]

Originally Posted by maverickeastwood

Being an immigrant from another province where 3 parties have run the province in the last 20 years and 4 (or was it 3...) different premiers from the same party in 10 years, I don't have too much faith in any elected official at any level. The next always seemed to be worse than the last...or a better liar, as it may be. Same thing happened here as in BC, Stelmach wasn't elected by the people just like Ujjal Dosanj and Glen Clark if memory serves me right.

Don't get me wrong, I vote...therefore I can bitch

I think the point within your post is...at least the other provinces have the balls to vote out politicians who arent performing. The fact that they may be close to the same makes it easier to send a message.

[Hakan]

Consider Hakan rocked.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Cheese

I think the point within your post is...at least the other provinces have the balls to vote out politicians who arent performing. .

Again Cheese - you need to have an alternative. The opposition in this province has been woefully inept for far too long.
Brian Mason is a good politician but the NDP never have a hope out here (thank god)
Kevin Taft is a very smart guy, but he's not a good politician.

[Cheese]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Again Cheese - you need to have an alternative. The opposition in this province has been woefully inept for far too long.
Brian Mason is a good politician but the NDP never have a hope out here (thank god)
Kevin Taft is a very smart guy, but he's not a good politician.

Not arguing that you dont have smart opposition...specially the NDP....but are they worse than what you have now? Id think not really.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Cheese

Not arguing that you dont have smart opposition...specially the NDP....but are they worse than what you have now? Id think not really.

Honestly I don't know.

And therein lies the problems.

The Liberals have fallen into the trap of defining themselves purely by saying "we aren't the PCs". Other than that - they have failed completely at communicating WHY someone should vote for them.

I have no idea what they actually stand for.

The NDPs simply aren't relevant out here at all, except to take away votes from the Libs.

Politics in Alberta has gotten lazy across the board because of the PC's dominance. The conservatives act like they can't lose, and the Liberals act like they can't win.

[Cheese]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Honestly I don't know.

And therein lies the problems.

The Liberals have fallen into the trap of defining themselves purely by saying "we aren't the PCs". Other than that - they have failed completely at communicating WHY someone should vote for them.

I have no idea what they actually stand for.

The NDPs simply aren't relevant out here at all, except to take away votes from the Libs.

Politics in Alberta has gotten lazy across the board because of the PC's dominance. The conservatives act like they can't lose, and the Liberals act like they can't win.

I hear ya JH...it was the same for decades when I lived in Cowtown. It actually pissed me off that there was no chance of real opposition. I think Albertans simply need to bite down hard and try something different...whether that be Libs or Greens or whoever and show the PCs that they dont rule by birthright. A wake up call per se.
Say what you want about Ontario...they change governments at the first sign of problems...to a fault.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Cheese

I hear ya JH...it was the same for decades when I lived in Cowtown. It actually pissed me off that there was no chance of real opposition. I think Albertans simply need to bite down hard and try something different...whether that be Libs or Greens or whoever and show the PCs that they dont rule by birthright. A wake up call per se.
Say what you want about Ontario...they change governments at the first sign of problems...to a fault.

Well I think that wake up call wil come in the form of a small majority for the conservatives in the next election and I think they'll lose a lot of ground in Calgary - because Stelmach is ticking off this city.

But long-term that could also mean that the Liberals just get lazier as they will believe they are on "the right track".

Though I could be wrong - Alberta has a history of long political dynasties followed by sudden and sweeping change. So you never know.

Should be the most interesting election in a loooong time either way.

[maverickeastwood]

Originally Posted by Cheese

I think the point within your post is...at least the other provinces have the balls to vote out politicians who arent performing. The fact that they may be close to the same makes it easier to send a message.

Well, thats not exactly true. BC is divided into 2 regions...the lower mainland and the rest being monikered "no mans land". That being said, the Vancouver region has all the voting power in the province. The lower mainland ridings voted out the Socreds in '91 to give the "uggh" NDP a shot. That was a grave mistake. Mike Harcourt led the NDP to victory only to fall to scandal. He stepped down and Glen Clarke took over the party reigns. Another election comes along, the NDP win was not as strong as the first, but it was enough to get them into power AGAIN. The last time the NDP won was because of a vote split between the Liberals and I believe it was Reform BC or Socred...I could be wrong. NDP wins yet again. Three terms worth of NDP is torture. These donkeys couldn't run there own lives and they're allowed to run a province. The rest of the province (the breadbasket) tried to vote them out but the interior and northern BC have no voting power...not enough representation in the legislature due to a population versus representation imbalance...and elections BC just recently wanted to take away 2 MLA seats in the interior of the province, to what end I don't know. They were not successful.

Depending on the population/representation balance, the people may have true ability to excercize their vote. Just don't let the NDP have a single seat...they are a virus that will destroy you!

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by maverickeastwood

Well, thats not exactly true. BC is divided into 2 regions...

I've been watching voting patterns in BC for a couple or three decades, and I have many relatives throughout BC who I've tried to quiz about BC electoral patterns, but I'm still puzzled about one thing. Is it mandatory to be either higher than a kite or three sheets to the wind when entering a polling station in BC? At least Alberta seems to follow a pattern (a very deep rut), but I've never been able to figure out what's going on in BC, other than trying to elect the most corrupt leader maybe.

[maverickeastwood]

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

I've been watching voting patterns in BC for a couple or three decades, and I have many relatives throughout BC who I've tried to quiz about BC electoral patterns, but I'm still puzzled about one thing. Is it mandatory to be either higher than a kite or three sheets to the wind when entering a polling station in BC? At least Alberta seems to follow a pattern (a very deep rut), but I've never been able to figure out what's going on in BC, other than trying to elect the most corrupt leader maybe.

Thats what I was driving at. The lower mainland has over 2 million people with the province having just over 4 million. The vast majority of MLA seat are based in the south. The north is where the money comes from with all the resource based economies, yet no people. The next election, just watch...whatever Vancouver votes for is what BC gets. It's always been that way. Even Vancouver got pissed off enough at the NDP to vote them out...took 3 terms worth to get it through their heads though.

But, at the end of the day, they were all crooks and liars. All that BC does is vote for the next less scandalous party, not neccesarily the best choice. The Socreds got turfed on the "Fantasy Gardens" scandal, The NDP with the "fast ferries" and bingogate". I just wonder what the Liberals are going to do for a scandal, they're on their second term now. Maybe they'll be what the PC is here in Alberta and hold the leadership for many years to come.

[Cowboy89]

The real reason why the Liberals won't get elected in this province is because they are inheriently left of center. I hate Stelmach and the PCs with a passion and would throw my vote in the direction of another party on principle, however I'm much more likely to throw my vote in the direction of a loser third party that isn't named "NDP." That being said that's only under the current regime where the PC's won't lose. If the Liberals showed signs of actually getting elected I'd hold my nose and vote PC, because I'm afraid Taft would do a bunch of stupid things like implement rent controls (Economically proven to be stupid), give out free tuition to university students, further enable health unions to continue to drive up costs, carbon tax us, repeal the balanced budget legislation, and all out spend our money in even higher levels on the usual Big Government scale. All of these things are short-sighted solutions whose proponents lack the ability to properly calculate unintended consequences.

Posters on here also mention that new people from other provinces bring new ideas and maybe will swing politics left in Alberta. I'd argue that these people didn't come here to live in a nanny-state, clutching to their union mandated 37.5 hour work week government/crown corporation job (Should they even be so lucky to get one in places where unemployment rates are closer to Europe levels than US levels). Chances are that's exactly why they left Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec,Maritimes, etc in the first place.

[MelBridgeman]

Interesting...but nothing will rock alberta harder than the upcoming foo fighters show