Nation, by now you’ve no doubt heard the results of the first ballot to replace outgoing PC Leader and Premier Ed Stelmach. For those living under a rock, though, here they are again:Gary Mar 24,195 (40.8%)Alison Redford 11,127 (18.7%)Doug Horner 8,635…
Continue readingAuthor: Enlightened Savage
The Enlightened Savage: It’s Time To Play The Music… It’s Time To Light The Lights…
Nation, after what seems like a 16-year long campaign, the time has come to cast your vote for a new leader of the Progressive Conservative Party and, by extension, for Premier of Alberta.My thousands (millions?) of PC-inclined readers are no doubt alr…
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: PC Leadership Candidate Profile – Doug Griffiths
Dark horse.Maverick.Agent of Change.Doug Griffiths has been called a lot of things in this race. My favourite, though, has to be “Weapon of Mass Discussion”. Griffiths, the 9-year MLA from Battle River-Wainwright, will talk to anyone, about a…
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: PC Leadership Candidate Profile – Alison Redford
Alison Redford is a successful, independent woman – mother to a nine year-old girl, a lawyer who advised Brian Mulroney and Joe Clark on policy before travelling the world promoting the structural edification of human rights into the governance of deve…
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: PC Leadership Candidate Profile – Ted Morton
Candyman.Candyman.Candyman. If you look into a mirror and say it 3 times, so the legend goes, you’re in for a VERY bad night. So it goes, too, with “Wildrose Party” – at least, if you subscribe to Ted Morton’s view of provincial politics.&nbs…
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: PC Leadership Candidate Profile – Gary Mar
Newton’s Second Law of Motion defines “momentum” as “mass multiplied by velocity”.That said, Gary Mar had better find the accelerator on his huge campaign bus, because momentum can be a fickle mistress for such a massive campaign.Mar has been the …
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: PC Leadership Candidate Profile – Doug Horner
Legacy. Any story about Doug Horner’s rise in politics has to start with the Horner legacy. Doug’s grandfather, Ralph, was a Senator for Saskatchewan. At the time of Doug’s birth, his father was the sitting Member of Parliament for…
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: PC Leadership Candidate Profile – Rick Orman
Rick Orman is mad as hell, and he’s not going to take it any more.The PC Party, according to Orman, has strayed from its founding principles. It doesn’t handle itself the way it should. It needs saving. And Rick, after 18 years away from politics, is j…
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: PC Leadership Candidate Profiles – Primer
Nation, almost 5 years ago, this blog was born. The first post was a welcome. The 2nd was a review of the recent PC Leadership Forum. And the third was the first in a series of profiles of the candidates to replace outgoing Premier Ralph Klein (t…
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: The Race to the Premier’s Office – 16 Days to the First Ballot (Who’s Going To Bring Me Donut Mill?)
Nation, long time no speak… I mean, granted, we’ve gone longer… but in the midst of a hotly-contested leadership race, 2 weeks is just 2 weeks too long… ;)It’s been an interesting 15 days, to be certain… 2 party-sponsore…
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: The Race to the Premier’s Office – 31 Days to the First Ballot
I don’t know what to tell you, Nation.On the one hand, it seems to all the world as though the 6 candidates for PC Leader are just floating placidly on the pond of public consciousness, not making any waves and waiting to drift into the sun.As anyone w…
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Shoulda Carried the "1"…
Nation, typos happen. We’ve all zigged linguistically or mathematically when we should have zagged.When politicians do it, however, it’s a bit more of a problem. Because, quite simply put, we don’t know whether or not we can trust a lot of them. They’r…
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: The Race to the Premier’s Office – 38 Days to the First Ballot
Hello, Nation…As panicked school children wonder where their summer holidays have gone, we take a gander at the calendar and realize we need but tear off one more page for the long-awaited PC Leadership election to be upon us. Political watchers are …
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: The Race to the Premier’s Office – 52 Days to the First Ballot
Nation, this blog isn’t going to become JUST about the PC Leadership Race over the next few months… but, it would be stupid and, quite frankly, irresponsible to NOT cover the race which will determine who gets to spend my tax money. That’s the …
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: The Race to the Premier’s Office – 58 Days to the First Ballot
Nation, the race to replace Ed Stelmach as leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is now, by any measure, under way. While nominations opened in mid-June, it was just 6 days ago that the nomination period ended. All 6 previously …
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: "The Next Premier of Alberta"
Nation, I’ve been watching with interest as the mainstream media began to notice that there was, in fact, a leadership race going on within the Alberta PC Party.I admit to experiencing some level of schadenfreude as I watch some not-quite-ready-for-pri…
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Video: Interview with PC Leadership candidate Doug Griffiths
Nation, in early February I had a chance to sit down with Doug Griffiths, MLA for Battle River-Wainwright, to talk about his vision for the province of Alberta going forward. Griffiths had announced only the day before that he would be seeking the PC l…
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: When Free Speech Crosses The Line
You all know I’m a man with opinions.
I have ideas that are in keeping with the political party I’ve chosen to support. I have ideas that are very different, and I defend them vociferously. I’m always happy to debate those ideas, and listen to the ide…
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Glenn Taylor Elected Alberta Party Leader #abpleader
With 665 votes, Glenn Taylor, Mayor of Hinton, has been elected Leader of the Alberta Party. Taylor will now begin in earnest the joint tasks of setting up his own campaign for MLA in West Yellowhead, and in working with the party’s Election Readiness …
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Savage On The Scene: Sue’s Big Goodbye at #abpleader
Outgoing Acting Leader of the Alberta Party, Sue Huff, pointed out on stage this afternoon that on his last day in the job Edwin Erickson had performed a rap song on his accordion. Not to be outdone, Sue picked up her guitar and brought the 300 or so c…
Continue reading