Last week, I wrote about the 7 things to watch in the four October 27th by-elections and now that the results are in, I thought I would revisit the questions. 1. How many ridings will the PCs hold? Premier Jim Prentice (credit: Dave Cournoyer) The PC’s go 4 for 4! Despite the fact that these … Continue reading REVISITED: 7 THINGS TO WATCH IN ALBERTA BYELECTIONS →
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Revisited: 7 things to watch in Alberta byelections
Last week, I wrote about the 7 things to watch in the four October 27th by-elections and now that the results are in, I thought I would revisit the questions. 1. How many ridings will the PCs hold? Premier Jim Prentice (credit: Dave Cournoyer) The PC’s go 4 for 4!
Continue reading7 THINGS TO WATCH IN ALBERTA BY-ELECTIONS
By-elections are being held in four ridings across Alberta on October 27th. This mini-election, of sorts, is needed to elect Premier Jim Prentice and two of his cabinet ministers to the legislative assembly. More importantly, the four races will serve as a weather vane in the rapidly shifting winds of politics in Alberta today. We shouldn’t … Continue reading 7 THINGS TO WATCH IN ALBERTA BY-ELECTIONS →
Continue reading7 things to watch in Alberta by-elections
By-elections are being held in four ridings across Alberta on October 27th. This mini-election, of sorts, is needed to elect Premier Jim Prentice and two of his cabinet ministers to the legislative assembly. More importantly, the four races will serve as a weather vane in the rapidly shifting winds of politics
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Bread, Circuses and the Great Alberta Plate Debate
Poor Premier Hancock. Remember him. He tried to pull off the “bread and circuses” gambit—and kicked over a hornet’s nest. The phrase “bread and circuses” was coined the Romans. It refers to the political strategy of distracting the population from failed government policies and inadequate leadership with “bread” (trivial benefits)
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Alberta Federation of Labour’s Litmus Test for Alberta’s Opposition Parties
“Sometimes telling the truth hurts…and it will hurt here.”—Rob Anderson, Wildrose MLA at the Alberta Federation of Labour Conference in response to a question about the legal right to strike* The Alberta Federation of Labour held a two day conference this weekend in Calgary. Ms Soapbox was extremely fortunate to
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: The Wildrose Alliance: An Example Of Alberta Centrism
In 2012, it seemed as though Alberta’s long-running Progressive Conservative dynasty was finished. The Wildrose Alliance party, led by Danielle Smith, was set to form government. Hence it was all the more shocking that the Wildrose lost the election. In the aftermath of the election, Danielle Smith said that her
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Three more PC MLAs throw their support behind Jim Prentice
TweetBy: Scooter M. Rock Political reporter with the Calgary Gazette Tribune: CALGARY- More than twenty MLAs have now pledged their support to former federal cabinet minister Jim Prentice’s campaign to become leader of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party. Rita Donnelly-McIntyre, Tory MLA for Calgary-Sunny Hills and Associate Minister of Social Media tweeted
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Is the Jim Prentice Juggernaut unstoppable?
TweetHe is a leadership candidate backed by long-governing party establishment. He has chased away his potential rivals. He has experience in both the federal cabinet and the corporate sector. He is a respected party insider. He has a track record as a moderate conservative and can raise significant amounts of
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Success Defeated Alison Redford
Alison Redford was defeated because her party is too successful. And there’s proof. In politics there wouldn’t be many opportunities to test such a theory; to really know if it was the success of Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives that caused Redford to resign. Luckily for this experiment there just happens to
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Success Defeated Alison Redford
Alison Redford was defeated because her party is too successful. And there’s proof. In politics there wouldn’t be many opportunities to test such a theory; to really know if it was the success of Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives that caused Redford to resign. Luckily for this experiment there just happens to
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Success Defeated Alison Redford
Alison Redford was defeated because her party is too successful. And there’s proof.In politics there wouldn’t be many opportunities to test such a theory; to really know if it was the success of Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives that caused Redford t…
Continue readingcalgaryliberal.com: Liberals triple support in Lethbridge: Liberals at 24%, NDP at 14%, Conservatives at 38%
Something is happening in Lethbridge. According to a group out of Lethbridge College the Liberals under Trudeau have jumped from 8.38% (2011) to 24% for the area of Lethbridge. Provincially, Raj Sherman’s Liberals have jumped from 14.7% (2012) to 18% in Lethbridge-East, a point ahead of the Wildrose and the
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: A “Two Minute Tory” Spends an Evening with Ted Morton
Ted Morton, the former Finance Minister and unsuccessful PC leadership candidate, was holding court at the Manning Foundation. He was going to give a speech on how a bunch of lefty carpet baggers (aka the “Two Minute Tories”) hijacked the PC leadership selection process to the enduring detriment of the
Continue readingcalgaryliberal.com: PC MLA Caught in Prostitution Sting Operation
Resigning from the Conservative caucus today Ft. McMurray MLA Mike Allen now sits as a independent in the legislature after being arrested in Minnesota due to being caught in a prostitution sting. According to the Edmonton Journal he approached two undercover police officers and agreed to exchange money for sexual
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Conrad Black and Danielle Smith
Conrad Black, the Canadian media mogul and convicted felon* was in Calgary last week to have a “conversation” with the Calgary business elite (and me) over lunch at the Calgary Petroleum Club. The big question is why does Baron Black of Crossharbour—oh let’s just call him Conrad—continue to draw sell-out
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Ms Soapbox’s Great Adventure—Off to the Leg (it rhymes with “edge”)
Last week Ms Soapbox was introduced to the Legislative Assembly by Liberal MLA, Laurie Blakeman, the oldest (as in longest-serving, not age!) opposition MLA. Ms Blakeman noted that Ms Soapbox was a lawyer but said the House wouldn’t hold that against her. Ms Soapbox stood to receive the “traditional warm
Continue readingcalgaryliberal.com: Alberta In Open Revolt
Allison Redford has a problem. Between mayor Mandel unleashing his fury on her government and the University of Alberta’s rage at the province’s letters of expectation progressives across the province are finally coming to see that Redford is simply not on their side. For the Liberals who saw that supporting
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Price of Justice in Alberta: One Free Crime
On March 17, 2013, Alison Redford’s PC government broke the back of justice…and none of us saw it coming. Lady Justice, or Justitia, is the personification of the justice system. Her blindfold symbolizes objectivity, her scales symbolize the balance between truth and fairness and her double-edged sword demonstrates that reason
Continue readingcalgaryliberal.com: Alberta Politics: “21 per cent of all respondents were undecided.”
21% of Albertans, according to a Leger poll, are undecided as to who they would support in an election. So who is going to convert these 1 in 5 Albertans? It’s not the Wildrose. They’re a known quantity, for good or ill. Nor will it be the Progressive Conservatives, racked by
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