Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Yoho

And yet smart people like you stay in the Province year after year to complain. Why on earth would they change a thing?

Wouldn’t their seat count taking a big hit last time around not be reason to consider reassessing some of their positions?

[Yoho]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

Wouldn’t their seat count taking a big hit last time around not be reason to consider reassessing some of their positions?

Was supposed to be a cake walk after Kenny for the lovable loser Notley.
I’d think the NDP needs some navel gazing before any other party.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Yoho

Was supposed to be a cake walk after Kenny for the lovable loser Notley.
I’d think the NDP needs some navel gazing before any other party.

When was it supposed to be a cake walk?

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Yoho

And yet smart people like you stay in the Province year after year to complain. Why on earth would they change a thing?

Are you seriously that dense? You realize that Alberta is more than just an incredibly ####ty conservative government right?

There's a ton of great reasons to be in this province - family and friends, our growingly progressive cities, quality of life, cleanliness, friendly people, the mountains, the Okanagan right next door, affordability (although this is deteriorating), the sports scene, the architecture, the growing tech and film scenes, etc.

I stay in Alberta for a ton of reasons - but the current government is definitely not one of them. My career is not Alberta-centric, so technically I could leave anytime - but I chose not to. I will continue to vote against this deplorable UCP government, and convince everyone I can to do so, as long as I'm here. I will happily provide my voice and my vote against them.

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

When was it supposed to be a cake walk?

In the land of make believe, alternative facts, and unicorn jizz.

[Muta]

Speaking of cake walks, the election in May was supposed to be one for the UCP - and it wasn't. The UCP has lost a ton of ground in the major cities, which is not a good trend for them heading into 2027. They are the ones that should be looking inwards for re-evaluation.

[FurnaceFace]

I still believe if the ANDP changed their colour from orange to say a forest green, renamed to The Alberta Party or similar they’d win. I think removing the NDP federal stigma would change enough votes. The traditional NDP voters would stick with them and they’d be able to pull more progressive votes. A new leader might be needed as part of that rebranding too.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by FurnaceFace

I still believe if the ANDP changed their colour from orange to say a forest green, renamed to The Alberta Party or similar they’d win. I think removing the NDP federal stigma would change enough votes. The traditional NDP voters would stick with them and they’d be able to pull more progressive votes. A new leader might be needed as part of that rebranding too.

That says more about the average Alberta voter than it does the NDP.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by rubecube

That says more about the average Alberta voter than it does the NDP.

Ok, maybe that's the case...but so what? Is the point to win elections or tell everyone that they're stupid and make poorer decisions? Like if you change your name and colour scheme and that nets you 5% and a win, isn't that the overall point?

Honestly...the progressives in this province mystify me. It's been this way for decades, and I really shouldn't expect it to change, but they just have no care for strategy or gameplay to actually win elections. The one time they managed to win was basically a complete fluke, and aside from that they just won't think strategically in the least.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Slava

Ok, maybe that's the case...but so what? Is the point to win elections or tell everyone that they're stupid and make poorer decisions? Like if you change your name and colour scheme and that nets you 5% and a win, isn't that the overall point?

Honestly...the progressives in this province mystify me. It's been this way for decades, and I really shouldn't expect it to change, but they just have no care for strategy or gameplay to actually win elections. The one time they managed to win was basically a complete fluke, and aside from that they just won't think strategically in the least.

Yeah, if you truly believe your ideas are better than taking that one simple move that would almost certainly allow them to win seems like a no brainer. It sort of seems to me like they'd rather honour Rachel Notley's father than governn Alberta.

[Ozy_Flame]

Nope, UCP barely won this last election and that with the NDP label in place, oil prices on a high, and the Smith government having to hide ####ty platform policies that they're now extolling on Canadians because they knew they would lose elections with their crummy platform.

The UCP has TBA, but the progressives have time, pressure, and a quickly diluting conservative base because Alberta called and progressives are responding.

Just need to wait this out and let the UCP eat themselves alive. NDP just have to not be them.

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by Slava

Ok, maybe that's the case...but so what? Is the point to win elections or tell everyone that they're stupid and make poorer decisions? Like if you change your name and colour scheme and that nets you 5% and a win, isn't that the overall point?

Honestly...the progressives in this province mystify me. It's been this way for decades, and I really shouldn't expect it to change, but they just have no care for strategy or gameplay to actually win elections. The one time they managed to win was basically a complete fluke, and aside from that they just won't think strategically in the least.

I don't think they lack strategy. It appears to be about a three-fold problem.

1) The strategies they choose are ineffective and don't compel the voters they need to flip. They had a few points to hammer in the last election, but the big thing I remember them dedicating their time to was "Smith will take away your healthcare". Notley must have said it 8 or 9 times in the debate. There was so much more to nail, but after COVID fatigue they drove home more healthcare rhetoric. It didn't work.

2) Tribal politics. A certain segment of Albertans will never listen to them, no matter how reasoned and beneficial the NDP campaign is to them. They are utterly convinced they are the devil and are damning Alberta to "woke communism", or some other such nonsense. The best they can manage with these folks is not giving them ammunition. However, when they flip out over how many Keurig pods the Red Deer NDP offices used you're never going to come out ahead.

3) They are unwilling to step down a peg or two and enter the fray in the same way as the UCP. While noble, this constantly holding themselves to a self-perceived higher standard and hoping Albertans see through the BS isn't working. They could have taken a much bigger swing at Smith and her insane rambling, but they stuck to the healthcare issue and let the rest of the crazy fade away.

Given with what they have to work with, a re-brand at this point actually isn't a bad idea.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Slava

Ok, maybe that's the case...but so what? Is the point to win elections or tell everyone that they're stupid and make poorer decisions? Like if you change your name and colour scheme and that nets you 5% and a win, isn't that the overall point?

Honestly...the progressives in this province mystify me. It's been this way for decades, and I really shouldn't expect it to change, but they just have no care for strategy or gameplay to actually win elections. The one time they managed to win was basically a complete fluke, and aside from that they just won't think strategically in the least.

Aren't you a finance guy? How do you propose the NDP, a party that does not traditionally receive donations from corporations and the wealthy, fundraise enough to be competitive without the financial benefits of being associated with the federal party?

[Yoho]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Nope, UCP barely won this last election and that with the NDP label in place, oil prices on a high, and the Smith government having to hide ####ty platform policies that they're now extolling on Canadians because they knew they would lose elections with their crummy platform.

The UCP has TBA, but the progressives have time, pressure, and a quickly diluting conservative base because Alberta called and progressives are responding.

Just need to wait this out and let the UCP eat themselves alive. NDP just have to not be them.

We can keep playing this on repeat after every election I guess.

[ThisIsAnOutrage]

Originally Posted by BowRiverBruinsRule

This is something I just don't understand. Alberta is one of the most wealthy and prosperous Provinces. Just look around. What more does Alberta want? I get the hate for Trudeau - a world leader, young, good looking, articulate, etc. I just don't get it. I do know what it's about.

In what way/on what issues do you see Trudeau as a world leader?

The one I can see is stifling his own country's oil & gas sector, but that's it. What do you see?

[The Fisher Account]

Originally Posted by ThisIsAnOutrage

In what way/on what issues do you see Trudeau as a world leader?

The one I can see is stifling his own country's oil & gas sector, but that's it. What do you see?

Ahh yes, more Trudeau hates oil and gas propaganda

[Izzle]

Originally Posted by ThisIsAnOutrage

In what way/on what issues do you see Trudeau as a world leader?



The one I can see is stifling his own country's oil & gas sector, but that's it. What do you see?

Stifling O&G how? There liberals bought the pipeline.

I suppose you're not a fan of the carbon tax then?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Aren't you a finance guy? How do you propose the NDP, a party that does not traditionally receive donations from corporations and the wealthy, fundraise enough to be competitive without the financial benefits of being associated with the federal party?

The only party that has that association is the NDP. Every other part in Alberta has no official federal ties, and they receive no money. If they actually have a party that is capable of winning, and running the province, they'll raise money.

And leading up to the last election, they raised more money than the UCP. It's questionable about whether the tie to the federal party is a positive or a negative.

[ThisIsAnOutrage]

Originally Posted by Izzle

Stifling O&G how? There liberals bought the pipeline.

I suppose you're not a fan of the carbon tax then?

And quashed how many others? Yada Yada Yada. We could go around and around on that one and we're not likely to agree.

I am not a fan of the Carbon tax. It.just gets passed on to the consumer. I don't.think it incentivizes.more environmentally friendly practices, since for most purchases there aren't any. Can I by low carbon bananas for less than regular bananas, or do they all just cost more?

[kermitology]

What is Alberta going to do when the oil and gas sector globally collapses? That industry is so subsidized it’s insane. But pragmatically, it’s going to end one day, and burying your head in the sand about it isn’t going to save future albertans. But I guess it’s just another case of #### you, got mine.

Why is the idea of standing up for people instead of corporate interests so bloody hard to reckon with?

Alberta deserves the future it gets. Look at coal country in the US. That’s coming for you.

I’m so happy I don’t live there anymore. I have zero desire to return. I don’t even really want to visit.