Life Is Not Purgatory
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Politics According to Me
...
By the end of this evening there will be two new political leaders in Canada. One will be the Premier-designate of the wealthiest province, the other will be the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in Parliement as the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
In Alberta there are three choices:
- Jim Dinning, former Alberta Treasurer, heir-presumptive for a decade, centrist.
- Ted Morton, UofC political science professor, rookie MLA, hard-right idealogue.
- Ed Stelmach, former multi-portfolio cabinet minister, right-centre.
The showdown of course is between Ted Morton and Jim Dinning with Ed Stelmach who placed a distant third on the first ballot seen as the spoiler candidate. If Jim Dinning wins it will be a victory for the power brokers of the party, all the backroom party hacks who control the policies of the Tory dynasty. If Ted Morton wins, it wil be a slap in the face to every 'Red Tory' and centrist conservative that made the PC dynasty possible. In either case, the likelyhood of the PC party continuing it's dynastic rule over Alberta will be in doubt... as the centrists will leave en-masse if Morton wins, and the rural power base of the Tories will defect to the Alberta Alliance if Dinning wins.... and all bets are off if somehow Ed Stelmach manages to squeak up the middle in this convoluted interperetation of preferential balloting.
Personally, I hope Ted Morton wins - not because I like his politics, but because I would love to sit back and watch the spectacular fireworks and the party implosion that will surely follow. It's time for some fresh air in the Alberta Legislature and it's not going to be the Tories who bring it - well it's not likely to be any of the provincial parties... but one can hope.
I have recently started the process to seek the nomination of the Green Party of Canada for the riding of Edmonton - Strathcona. Having recently looked over the platform and found only a few specific points I disagree with, I am capable of supporting the broader goals of the Party while dissenting upon certain points (like proportional representation). The email exchange has just begun but I wasn't immediately scoffed at, so we shall see. If it happens, I am certain that this blog and it's archives will be expunged and a new political blog will be created.
...
By the end of this evening there will be two new political leaders in Canada. One will be the Premier-designate of the wealthiest province, the other will be the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in Parliement as the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
In Alberta there are three choices:
- Jim Dinning, former Alberta Treasurer, heir-presumptive for a decade, centrist.
- Ted Morton, UofC political science professor, rookie MLA, hard-right idealogue.
- Ed Stelmach, former multi-portfolio cabinet minister, right-centre.
The showdown of course is between Ted Morton and Jim Dinning with Ed Stelmach who placed a distant third on the first ballot seen as the spoiler candidate. If Jim Dinning wins it will be a victory for the power brokers of the party, all the backroom party hacks who control the policies of the Tory dynasty. If Ted Morton wins, it wil be a slap in the face to every 'Red Tory' and centrist conservative that made the PC dynasty possible. In either case, the likelyhood of the PC party continuing it's dynastic rule over Alberta will be in doubt... as the centrists will leave en-masse if Morton wins, and the rural power base of the Tories will defect to the Alberta Alliance if Dinning wins.... and all bets are off if somehow Ed Stelmach manages to squeak up the middle in this convoluted interperetation of preferential balloting.
Personally, I hope Ted Morton wins - not because I like his politics, but because I would love to sit back and watch the spectacular fireworks and the party implosion that will surely follow. It's time for some fresh air in the Alberta Legislature and it's not going to be the Tories who bring it - well it's not likely to be any of the provincial parties... but one can hope.
I have recently started the process to seek the nomination of the Green Party of Canada for the riding of Edmonton - Strathcona. Having recently looked over the platform and found only a few specific points I disagree with, I am capable of supporting the broader goals of the Party while dissenting upon certain points (like proportional representation). The email exchange has just begun but I wasn't immediately scoffed at, so we shall see. If it happens, I am certain that this blog and it's archives will be expunged and a new political blog will be created.
