I'd extend the suggestion to be "Let's make the Alberta Government Boring Again!". I find Danielle Smith & Co. to be both extremely aggravating and arrogant. They have the mistaken attitude that if they introduce radical wholesale political and social changes that the population will "just get used to them and go along". NOPE! Did Hungarians just get used to Viktor Orbán and go along? The more a spring is compressed, the greater the energy manifested when the pressure suddenly releases (and it will do that inevitably). Some Albertans may be content with policies being forced on the population, but I believe that a great many are unhappy, particularly because of the undemocratic and unconstitutional legislation being enacted. What is done through bad legislation can also be undone.
I expect that the UCP is trying to play the long game and expecting that their (unwanted) changes will be too difficult to undo, so Alberta will be nudged along into fitting their own warped dystopia. However, if a successor Gov't starts with undoing the unconstitutional aspects of UCP legislation and engages in open and honest consultation with Albertans, a great deal might be accomplished in fairly short order, particularly if the true costs to citizens resulting from UCP actions (or inactions) are made public. The UCP cannot unilaterally end the CPP for Albertans and an Alberta Police Force which is not wanted either might be quickly shut down.
Orbán and Smith's policies have something else in common: they have negative economic consequences. Sixteen years of gleichschaltung, mismanagement and corruption have led to an unprecedented brain drain in Hungary, exploding living costs, economic stagnation and decaying public services.
Don't think it can't happen here. The first signs are there. And when people's wallets get hit, that spring can get reloaded.
I'm not suggesting complacency. Messes of this magnitude take many years to undo, and petroleum revenues are a wildcard. This is serious, serious business, and we have a lot of work to do. But take some comfort in the knowledge that reality is a merciless negotiating partner, and no amount of fantastic thinking can save you, me, or Danielle Smith from it.
Appreciate the response Stephen. What you say is pretty real. As far as the negative effects of smith’s onslaughts on everything good, I’m hoping that the most negative effects fall on her and her vile cult of followers and sycophant supporters. Hope and commenting here, sharing what I know and what I believe is about the most action I can take.
Participating in public protest, talking to reporters and throwing a few dollars the way of civil society groups that are fighting this are things nearly anyone can do.
An active voting community preserves one of the key rights in our society: democracy. When people participate in voting, elected leaders are more motivated to listen and represent their interests." From: www.voteer.com
This electoral district gerrymandering proposal is way over the top to create electoral districts which will literally make it impossible for Albertans to choose any other party, but the UCP.
That rural vote is like concrete, set, firm, unmovable and once in place seemingly impossible to change. And believe me I live in a rural area town, and was called a socialist for wearing a mask during Covid. Adding rural voters to city riding is blatant corruption and where we are going is IF another party is ever elected is, they can do the reverse, cut number of rural ridings and add a small minority of rural boundary electoral districts to dilute the rural influence.
The other thing is the word socialist. The provincial NDP is not a socialist party. In fact the rural Albertans think it appears they perceive socialist means public Medicare, public education, old age pensions, assisted housing and income assistance. Our prime ministers since world War 2 have all worked on creating our liberal democracy, not socialist but with affordable benefits like education and OAS.
And now the UCP plans to eliminate voting fairness like they deal with everything else. Less freedom and more regulation.
Honesty is not a trait that Danielle Smith has. It definitely isn't something that the UCP has, when it comes to a number of different things, including provincial elections. They know times is running out for them, and it is because of how badly they have been running things.
The UCP have been messing with the municipal election process in Alberta, and it made things worse. Now we see the UCP meddling with provincial elections, once again. Seven years ago, we witnessed the Kamikaze affair. This time it's gerrymandering of ridings to work them into the UCP's favor. It's like a flame of a candle, that is slowly burning out. Three years ago, the UCP's majority government shrunk substantially. Danielle Smith wants to prevent the UCP from facing defeat in the next provincial election. This is one of the ways it's happening.
One of the similarities between the MAGA movement and the supporters of Danielle Smith is their belief that their champion is not stupid, they're just "playing 4d chess" and the rest of us are simply too dim to understand it.
For the last two months the world has watched helplessly as the American president has driven the global economy off a cliff for no good reason whatsoever. As the cost of fuel explodes (the one thing American voters can be reliably counted on to care about) it is dawning on even his most fervent supporters that "4d chess" has limits, and some of them are even wondering if their hero is really as smart as they thought.
Smith's version of "4d chess" is her creative interpretation of Canadian constitutional law. So far, the gameplay has been merely theoretical, and the only constitutional scholars she's had to convince are of the alt-right Tiktok variety. She's gotten away with this for so long that she may have convinced even herself that she knows how this works better than intelligent people who have spent their entire careers studying it.
But I think this obvious mishandling of the electoral boundaries is going to be her Iran moment. The moment when the centrifugal forces tearing at her fragile coalition (and make no mistake about it, the UCP is a coalition, united in name only) become too great for even her magical gravitation to cancel out. She has a mere 18 months of runway left, and that is far from enough time to break the judiciary (although she sure is trying!).
It has been a good forty years since Canada had a constitutional crisis, and there has been a great reluctance to wake sleeping dogs since then, but I've long felt that our country has been harmed by the unwillingness of the political class to address the uncomfortable unfinished business.
Now that unfinished business is coming for us.
She can't hide behind Section 33 this time. I hope everybody likes reading court transcripts, because it's time to lawyer up and put this insane nonsense to bed once and for all.
Thanks to the Chair for giving Smith this opening in an individual opinion expressed after delivery of the report. Presumably, the Chair was UCP and the statement was self-serving!
Notice the desperation is setting in for the UCP. The UCP never cared about affordability in Alberta. This is quite interesting. If the NDP did this, there are Albertans and the UCP itself, who would call this communism. Since a provincial election is coming up, next year, Danielle Smith is resorting to anything to try and keep the UCP in power.
In a recent talk by Ibram X Kendi ‘Chain of Ideas: Great Replacement Theory’ the fear of authoritarians in loosing power and their perceived privileges prevails.(alliteration included)
"Same old, same old" with Danielle Smith and her pro-separatist government. After what we have seem of misrule, shown on the health system crisis, deficit, deficit ballooning, rampant corruption and destruction of our democracy, following the model designed south of the border, we cannot trust what she states.
Smith's entire political career is hallmarked by being fundamentally untrustworthy. Jason Kenney was mostly incompetent. But Ms Smith is flat out treacherous and self-serving (think: Wild Rose Party, 2014 when she crossed the floor, leading 8 other WR MLA's to join the PC's, smiling every step of the way). That is who she is: Not. To. Be. Trusted.
I'd extend the suggestion to be "Let's make the Alberta Government Boring Again!". I find Danielle Smith & Co. to be both extremely aggravating and arrogant. They have the mistaken attitude that if they introduce radical wholesale political and social changes that the population will "just get used to them and go along". NOPE! Did Hungarians just get used to Viktor Orbán and go along? The more a spring is compressed, the greater the energy manifested when the pressure suddenly releases (and it will do that inevitably). Some Albertans may be content with policies being forced on the population, but I believe that a great many are unhappy, particularly because of the undemocratic and unconstitutional legislation being enacted. What is done through bad legislation can also be undone.
Brian Mills: The UCP have already done so much damage, that it may be impossible to undo it. If it can be undone, it will take time.
I expect that the UCP is trying to play the long game and expecting that their (unwanted) changes will be too difficult to undo, so Alberta will be nudged along into fitting their own warped dystopia. However, if a successor Gov't starts with undoing the unconstitutional aspects of UCP legislation and engages in open and honest consultation with Albertans, a great deal might be accomplished in fairly short order, particularly if the true costs to citizens resulting from UCP actions (or inactions) are made public. The UCP cannot unilaterally end the CPP for Albertans and an Alberta Police Force which is not wanted either might be quickly shut down.
Brian Mills: We hope this happens.
Not if rural vote prevails, as seems designed to do. I’m not sure there’s enough tension in your spring.
Orbán and Smith's policies have something else in common: they have negative economic consequences. Sixteen years of gleichschaltung, mismanagement and corruption have led to an unprecedented brain drain in Hungary, exploding living costs, economic stagnation and decaying public services.
Don't think it can't happen here. The first signs are there. And when people's wallets get hit, that spring can get reloaded.
I'm not suggesting complacency. Messes of this magnitude take many years to undo, and petroleum revenues are a wildcard. This is serious, serious business, and we have a lot of work to do. But take some comfort in the knowledge that reality is a merciless negotiating partner, and no amount of fantastic thinking can save you, me, or Danielle Smith from it.
Appreciate the response Stephen. What you say is pretty real. As far as the negative effects of smith’s onslaughts on everything good, I’m hoping that the most negative effects fall on her and her vile cult of followers and sycophant supporters. Hope and commenting here, sharing what I know and what I believe is about the most action I can take.
Participating in public protest, talking to reporters and throwing a few dollars the way of civil society groups that are fighting this are things nearly anyone can do.
Oh - I also contribute monetarily as I’m able.
Pretty much what I can do is beak off from comments and share their good stuff. I’m physically past protesting I’m afraid.
"Voting Is the Pillar of Democracy
An active voting community preserves one of the key rights in our society: democracy. When people participate in voting, elected leaders are more motivated to listen and represent their interests." From: www.voteer.com
This electoral district gerrymandering proposal is way over the top to create electoral districts which will literally make it impossible for Albertans to choose any other party, but the UCP.
That rural vote is like concrete, set, firm, unmovable and once in place seemingly impossible to change. And believe me I live in a rural area town, and was called a socialist for wearing a mask during Covid. Adding rural voters to city riding is blatant corruption and where we are going is IF another party is ever elected is, they can do the reverse, cut number of rural ridings and add a small minority of rural boundary electoral districts to dilute the rural influence.
The other thing is the word socialist. The provincial NDP is not a socialist party. In fact the rural Albertans think it appears they perceive socialist means public Medicare, public education, old age pensions, assisted housing and income assistance. Our prime ministers since world War 2 have all worked on creating our liberal democracy, not socialist but with affordable benefits like education and OAS.
And now the UCP plans to eliminate voting fairness like they deal with everything else. Less freedom and more regulation.
Honesty is not a trait that Danielle Smith has. It definitely isn't something that the UCP has, when it comes to a number of different things, including provincial elections. They know times is running out for them, and it is because of how badly they have been running things.
The UCP have been messing with the municipal election process in Alberta, and it made things worse. Now we see the UCP meddling with provincial elections, once again. Seven years ago, we witnessed the Kamikaze affair. This time it's gerrymandering of ridings to work them into the UCP's favor. It's like a flame of a candle, that is slowly burning out. Three years ago, the UCP's majority government shrunk substantially. Danielle Smith wants to prevent the UCP from facing defeat in the next provincial election. This is one of the ways it's happening.
One of the similarities between the MAGA movement and the supporters of Danielle Smith is their belief that their champion is not stupid, they're just "playing 4d chess" and the rest of us are simply too dim to understand it.
For the last two months the world has watched helplessly as the American president has driven the global economy off a cliff for no good reason whatsoever. As the cost of fuel explodes (the one thing American voters can be reliably counted on to care about) it is dawning on even his most fervent supporters that "4d chess" has limits, and some of them are even wondering if their hero is really as smart as they thought.
Smith's version of "4d chess" is her creative interpretation of Canadian constitutional law. So far, the gameplay has been merely theoretical, and the only constitutional scholars she's had to convince are of the alt-right Tiktok variety. She's gotten away with this for so long that she may have convinced even herself that she knows how this works better than intelligent people who have spent their entire careers studying it.
But I think this obvious mishandling of the electoral boundaries is going to be her Iran moment. The moment when the centrifugal forces tearing at her fragile coalition (and make no mistake about it, the UCP is a coalition, united in name only) become too great for even her magical gravitation to cancel out. She has a mere 18 months of runway left, and that is far from enough time to break the judiciary (although she sure is trying!).
It has been a good forty years since Canada had a constitutional crisis, and there has been a great reluctance to wake sleeping dogs since then, but I've long felt that our country has been harmed by the unwillingness of the political class to address the uncomfortable unfinished business.
Now that unfinished business is coming for us.
She can't hide behind Section 33 this time. I hope everybody likes reading court transcripts, because it's time to lawyer up and put this insane nonsense to bed once and for all.
Bring it on, Danielle. Bring it on.
Crooked is as crooked does.
Thanks to the Chair for giving Smith this opening in an individual opinion expressed after delivery of the report. Presumably, the Chair was UCP and the statement was self-serving!
Notice the desperation is setting in for the UCP. The UCP never cared about affordability in Alberta. This is quite interesting. If the NDP did this, there are Albertans and the UCP itself, who would call this communism. Since a provincial election is coming up, next year, Danielle Smith is resorting to anything to try and keep the UCP in power.
Province seeking to lower food prices, says Premier Danielle Smith | Calgary Herald https://share.google/rthiFNArHiuOXKWMT
In a recent talk by Ibram X Kendi ‘Chain of Ideas: Great Replacement Theory’ the fear of authoritarians in loosing power and their perceived privileges prevails.(alliteration included)
Now can we guess who gave that after dinner talk?
"Same old, same old" with Danielle Smith and her pro-separatist government. After what we have seem of misrule, shown on the health system crisis, deficit, deficit ballooning, rampant corruption and destruction of our democracy, following the model designed south of the border, we cannot trust what she states.
Smith's entire political career is hallmarked by being fundamentally untrustworthy. Jason Kenney was mostly incompetent. But Ms Smith is flat out treacherous and self-serving (think: Wild Rose Party, 2014 when she crossed the floor, leading 8 other WR MLA's to join the PC's, smiling every step of the way). That is who she is: Not. To. Be. Trusted.
Denver Riggleman has some questions too.
Now What ?