Premier Ed Stelmach has his head stuck in the sand at the rising fortunes of the new
upstart Wildrose Alliance Party. The Wildrose Alliance is now ahead of Eddy's PCs
in the polls. He's just shrugging it off. But that's just fine with me. That means if he keeps doing this we could very well see a Premier Danielle Smith and a Wildrose Alliance government with some real conservative policies.
Ed could just end up in the opposition benches at this rate or back to the farm. Shuffling the cabinet (deck chairs) is not going to help. The only thing that will help is take the word conservative in Progressive Conservatives and put that to practice and forget the word progressive, maybe even dump it.
For too long, they have been putting the word progressive to practice way too much. Even in the last term of Ralph Klein, he was too progressive. That party is not recognizable as conservative anymore in anyway shape or form.
The polls indicate support is not going to the lefty Swan's Liberals or Mason's NDs, they are turning to the only true conservative party in the province.
I have voted PC in the past but next election I'm afraid I'm going to have to go WAP.
Ed, Danielle is going to give you a run for the money come next election campaign in a couple of years. She and the party will be very well funded and organized by then.
I will be doing my best to help her. Good luck Ed, you're going to need it!
The PCs took their base for granted a long time ago, figuring they could get away with it. But now, with the savvy, hard-working Danielle leading the WAP, the PCs are going to pay the price for their foolishness.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, they absolutely should have taken the word "progressive" out of their name long ago. The original intent from the 1920's or so (because there was a merger of the Progressive and Conservative Parties) no longer applies. The term has been co-opted by the Lefties. Fine, let them have it, and use it with pride.
Stelmach is obviously in over his head. It's not just his weak communication skills, but the his policies and choice of rhetoric make me cringe. A good example was the Royalty review. One, it was poorly thought out, and didn't heed the warnings from the oilpatch and others. Two, Stelmach called it "getting our FAIR share", or some such lefty drivel.
Ed, don't use the same language as the Dippers !!! Sheesh, the guy is beyond hope.
Getting Stelmach to be a little more Conservative and a little less Progressive is unlikely to happen. It would require him to turn against the leftists that put him in the Premier’s office. It would be pretty unconvincing anyways.
ReplyDeleteThe PC Party of Alberta fortress walls are soon going to be breached by the pitch fork carrying un-believers!
Sounds like it’ll be a good time had by all!!
The feeling is almost tangible here in Alberta. It's time for a change. I don't believe the PCs can do anything to turn it around.
ReplyDeleteFor conservatives like myself it is the excessive spending, the 2 billion blown for a non-existent CO2 problem, and the broken agreements with the petroleum industry that irk me. For conservatives that tend to be a little more liberal, it is the heavy-handed way the health care issues have been handled. In every case, it is the tendency of this government to do things behind closed doors and then presenting it as a fait accompli.
I work part time in a group of ten people, five of whom are past 65. Normally this group, while conservative, is in no rush to change things. The situation has gone from me being the sole Wildrose Alliance supporter to the point where eight are now planning on changing their vote to the new party.
I think this movement has now become a snowball rolling downhill.
I think you're right Powell Lucas. It is time for a change. The PC's have been in for so long. They're old, tired and lost their way.
ReplyDeleteAlbertans are ready for somethng new and fresh.
The next little while will interesting to watch. I believe history is in the making.