Premier Stelmach to Lead Stelmach Tories in 2012

Premier Stelmach to Lead Stelmach Tories in 2012

Who really won and who are the real losers?

Let’s put this into perspective for Albertans.

It comes as no surprise that premier Stelmach survived the leadership vote. The 77.4% of the votes cast for the premier are a clear indication of just how little influence fiscal conservatives have with the Stelmach Tories and how far they have slid in PC patrty influence. The endorsement of Ed last weekend should wake up Albertans to what is really happening inside the PC Caucus and inside the party.

This is not about Alberta and Albertans, it is about the premier keeping the best job he ever had and for which he is totally unqualified. It is all about stifling any potential opposition from the southern PC caucus members and would be leadership hopefuls from Calgary and southern Alberta. This was a battle within the PC party; between north and south caucus members and between recently self proclaimed fiscal conservatives and spendthrift Stelmach loyalists. It was an internal political battle between supporters of Ed and supporters of anyone but Ed. It was a battle between those in the PC party that see the writing on the wall and those that still have their heads buried in the sand and believe they will forever be able to manipulate the process and have a right to rule us peasants. It was a battle for Alberta political power. Ed won; Calgary and southern Alberta MLA’s and Albertans lost.

The PC party tactics used to scare, intimidate, confuse and otherwise control the outcome of the leadership vote are nothing new. Numbered ballots were enough to convince many voting delegates in attendance that the secret ballot is never a secret. But do Stelmach loyalists have any teeth? Apparently so. Just ask Guy Boutilier. It is obvious that the premier and Guy Boutilier have not seen eye to eye for a long time. Guy’s battle over a new long term care facility in the Ft. Mac area is well known. He called out the premier on a promise the premier made to build this facility. When Ed reneged on his promise, he left Guy to answer to Ft. Mac constituents on behalf of the premier and government and take the heat. Guy refused and stood up for his principles and his constituents interests and for that we should put up a statue of him in the legislature where all MLA’s could see it and learn something from it. Instaed he gets kicked to the curb. Can Ed be trusted? Is he good for his word? No he is not. Or should I say he knows not waht he does. So remember that when Ed promises us something. What good are promises if they are not respected and upheld? They are not worth a pinch of coon $%^&*.

The PC strategy has been to pit Albertan against Albertan, rural vs urban, the oil industry and development vs the public, north vs south, individual property rights vs the governments Bill 50 and power lines, free speech vs the Human Rights Commission, consumers vs producers, producers vs regulators, the public vs, in the words of Dr. Stephen Duckett, loitering tea sipping nurses, etc, etc, etc.

The pattern is very clear. Their strategy is Divide and Conquer. They do it within the PC caucus and they apply it across Alberta. It is beneath us as Albertans. The power struggle lamely appeared to be in the provincial caucus and now southern Alberta and Calgary MLA’s have been told to go back home, shut up and toe the line. Ed is your man, like it or lump it. There will be no leadership questions going into the next general election and anyone who had aspirations of challenging Ed for that role has been pushed to the curb, they just got Boutiliered.

Ted Morton, Jim Dinning, Jim Prentice, Allison Redford, Brett Wilson and anyone else who was mentioned as a potential saviour of the PC party, have been told that Ed still controls caucus and nothing has changed. You will not be needed. Now think about this. Can Alberta afford another Stelmach win in 2012?

Not in my lifetime. He could re-jig every policy, withdraw Bill 50 and Section 3, cancel the New Royalty Framework and never again regain the credibility and trust that is required to rebuild our Alberta advantage and restore confidence in Alberta from outside let alone inside.

A new leader and party can restore confidence in Alberta and re-establish trust between business and government and restore confidence in Alberta and large investments from the capital markets. What is to say that Ed wouldn’t make more poorly thought out policy changes down the road when and if the economy recovers? He has done it before and his promises do not hold water and we should not place our trust in anyone that has broken promises. Just ask Guy and Ft. MacMurray constituents.

It is sad that we have come to expect this from the PC’s. Business requires a long term stable, predictable, competitive fiscal policy and that is not possible coming from these Stelmach PC’s who ripped up our reputation as the best place to do business in Canada. That would require this government to admit to their mistakes, take responsibility for their failures and correct the inequities of policies and unintended consequences they neither had the foresight to predict nor the intestinal fortitude to cancel once the “Unintended Consequences” became obvious. They are oblivious.

This government cannot be trusted and that is the essence of the problems we will continue to experience over the next several years. We have lost trust in our premier and his ministers and PC MLA’s. There is no getting it back under the Stelmach PC’s.

And what of the “Fickle Fiscal Four” ? Too little, too late. Sorry but your pronouncements are not going to make us forget where you have been for the last several years and this sudden change of heart will not get you re-elected as a Stelmach Tory. This is simply an attempt to salvage small parts of their reputations here in Calgary where their inaction, silence, inability and past unwillingness to stand up for their newfound principles are well known. The bogus attempts to get the message through to Ed were painfully inadequate over the last 3 years. They simply have let us down.

Now we have several more PC MLA’s in Calgary and we have not heard a word from them. Don’t hold your breath. Ted and Jim will not be premier; time to go back to your stall. Let me ask the Calgary Caucus if they are OK with that. Are you going to ask Ed to knock on doors with you in 2012? Ask DCU how that worked out in Calgary-Glenmore. She was literally run off at the door. Ed has you walking the plank. You can either jump in and swim for shore or you can go down with the ship. It is your choice. Ed or your constituents? True conservatism vs Ed’s way? Either way you have to get wet and the water is very deep and getting a lot colder.

So where does one go if you have been ignored, ridiculed, marginalized and told your fiscal conservative opinions and that of your constituents don’t matter? To the Wildrose Alliance Party. There is comfort in confession. They say it is good for the soul. Calgary PC MLA’s need to look in the mirror. The longer they remain silent and disengaged, the less chance the confession will be real and belive me a confession must be forthcoming. Wilfully following a party line that you know will get you defeated is kind of like committing political suicide.

So who won? Stelmach lives to fight another election as leader of the PC Tories. His Ministers will stay put or he will shuffle the deck chairs on his sinking ship. Will it make a difference? Not a chance. The arrogance, incompetence and sense of entitlement, a liberal trait, is out there for all to see. Calgary and southern Alberta can shut the hell up. The rural northern Stelmach loyalists outnumber the southern non-loyalists and PC’s from Calgary and southern Alberta may have to live with that for another 7-8 years? God help us. We cannot let that happen.

The Stelmach Tories must be defeated and replaced. This Province deserves better leadership and much more highly educated and qualified Ministers and MLA’s. Danielle Smith and the Wildrose Alliance will bring that to the table and all Albertans will be the beneficiaries. Join Danielle Smith and the Wildrose Alliance Party (www.wildrosealliance.ca ) and let’s end this dynasty of broken promises, big and bigger government, growing record deficits, bureaucratic inefficiencies, endless red tape, cronyism, pork barrel politics, mismanagement and ministerial incompetence.

Sound like a big job? You bet it is. But it must be done so let’s get after it and “Let’s Make it Happen”. Together we can build an Alberta economy that we can all thrive in and be proud of and that will lead this province and country to great accomplishments while providing a bright future for our families, friends and businesses.