The silence from the NDP is deafening and frankly confusing. Their inability to connect with their best supporters, their members, their failure to communicate any semblance of policy(ies) to Albertans and the constant “cry wolf” fundraising missives have led to, I’m sure, a shrinking of membership from their one time high during the campaign.
Fighting a grossly incompetent premier who lights dumpster fire after dumpster fire and yet the NDP can’t even get to the starting blocks I don’t get it? Who’s running the NDP and why are they so out of touch?
To use a generational reference “what we have here is a failure to communicate”.
I tend to agree with this point. I, myself, keep wondering what the NDP are waiting for. We have some groups on social media that simply post items about what the UCP are doing. We see and hear nothing from the NDP, even the MLAs, as to what they would do instead of the actions taken by the UCP. Yes, the silence is deafening. I do not see any problem with the NDP going public with their own platform, even if it is for the next election; because, the UCP will not adopt or even adapt any policy from the socialist lefties.
I would love that speculation to be true - that there will be an earlier election - but not just yet. The left needs a bit more time to create something to attract those people that are disenfranchise and disheartened by politics. Those that chose to not vote in past elections.
As for Smith's popularity - when a team is on the winning side they don't seem to care how they got there or how things are managed - just as long as they are winning/won.
I attended the throne speech in 2023 and Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani seemed to read through Ms Smith's drivel with the enthusiasm it deserved. When a person is forced to read something that is full of lies, misinformation, etc and knows they cannot put their heart into it.
One thing I was shocked to see and hear was the Lord's Prayer. I though we separated church and state.
The separation of church and state has nothing to do with prayers at a government function. It actually refers to the government not making A religion the official religion of the state. The thing that would be shocking or ironic is the UCP having the Lord's Prayer, in which it states "Lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil..." . I guess ironic would be the best descriptor.
I believe the polls that reflect another UCP win were an election called anytime soon. The UCP popularity, I believe, is largely due to Smith holding out on calling thd bi-elections as long as she did thereby preventing Nenshi from actively participating in the Alberta legislature sessions. I blame a largely Conservative Alberta media that reports every move Smith and her caucus make while ignoring Naheed Nenshi and the NDP members of the opposition.
I'm happy NDP funds can now be spent on promoting Nenshi and Alberta NDP policies, one of which was Nenshi's promise to separate the provincial NDP from the federal NDP party. That will be a boost for the party's future. It's been popular opinion and a constant reminder by the Conservatives that voting for a provincial NDP party is a vote for the federal NDP party. There's no better time than the present to change that sentiment since the near death of the federal ND Party of Canada in the last federal election.
The Social Learning Theory of Prof. Alberta Bandura of Stanford University (an Alberta, BTW) provides one possible explanation for the continued popularity of the UCP. The theory holds, in essence, that people, especially children, learn behaviours and attitudes/beliefs by observing those around them and then adopting them. In Alberta, we are now into the 3rd or 4th generation of a significant portion of the population largely, as you correctly note, Dave, in rural and small centres, who are raised "conservative". That's their identity, and that's how they vote when they reach voting age.
All one needs to do is surf social media on Alberta politics to see that for them, conservative = good, while NDP = bad. It doesn't matter what policies or legislation are proposed or enacted, nor what actual effect those have on individuals or communities, that's the belief that overrides all others.
I grew up in Saskatchewan that had NDP Premiers (Tommy Douglas, Allen Blakeney, Roy Romanow) and I can attest that Alberta's NDP is far closer to what in Saskatchewan was Liberal, than it is to those NDP governments. Interestingly, the main support for the Saskatchewan NDP of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, was farmers and small local businesses. In those years, the most significant economic activity in terms of GDP in Saskatchewan was agriculture, and then towards the end, potash. It wasn't until oil and gas started to become a significant factor in the 80s that Saskatchewan started a significant shift to more conservative governments. Coincidence?
I 95% agree with you that the continued support for Conservatives in both Saskatchewan and Alberta is learned behaviour passed down from generation to generation. It's 100% true that Conservativism equals good while everything else equals bad.
I too grew up in Saskatchewan when elections were won by the NDP. I'm aware of the significant contributions Tommy Douglas, Alan Blakeny and Roy Romanow made not just in Saskatchewan, but for all of Canada. It was in the early '90s Roy Romanow soundly defeated the worst Conservative premier Saskatchewan ever had, Grant Devine and his criminal ministers and caucus, 16 of whom were charged with crimes following their defeat. But Romanow was left with a near bust province to rebuild. And he did. All 3 worked for thd little guys (and girls) before corporate farms and big corporate business took over.
Now Saskatchewan has gone full-on Conservative where they once were more Liberal-minded. I can attest to that having 12 aunts and uncles, some 50+ cousins and now more than 100 2nd and 3rd, etc. cousins who once voted Liberal provincially and federally but are now die-hard Conservatives of the extreme kind.
The silence from the NDP is deafening and frankly confusing. Their inability to connect with their best supporters, their members, their failure to communicate any semblance of policy(ies) to Albertans and the constant “cry wolf” fundraising missives have led to, I’m sure, a shrinking of membership from their one time high during the campaign.
Fighting a grossly incompetent premier who lights dumpster fire after dumpster fire and yet the NDP can’t even get to the starting blocks I don’t get it? Who’s running the NDP and why are they so out of touch?
To use a generational reference “what we have here is a failure to communicate”.
I tend to agree with this point. I, myself, keep wondering what the NDP are waiting for. We have some groups on social media that simply post items about what the UCP are doing. We see and hear nothing from the NDP, even the MLAs, as to what they would do instead of the actions taken by the UCP. Yes, the silence is deafening. I do not see any problem with the NDP going public with their own platform, even if it is for the next election; because, the UCP will not adopt or even adapt any policy from the socialist lefties.
Agreed. Moretta would never steal a platform or a policy, well not unless she could morph it alt right.
I have no idea why the NDP aren’t coming out fighting. I can’t get them to even answer emails or phone calls.
So NDP tell us what you stand for
I would love that speculation to be true - that there will be an earlier election - but not just yet. The left needs a bit more time to create something to attract those people that are disenfranchise and disheartened by politics. Those that chose to not vote in past elections.
As for Smith's popularity - when a team is on the winning side they don't seem to care how they got there or how things are managed - just as long as they are winning/won.
I attended the throne speech in 2023 and Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani seemed to read through Ms Smith's drivel with the enthusiasm it deserved. When a person is forced to read something that is full of lies, misinformation, etc and knows they cannot put their heart into it.
One thing I was shocked to see and hear was the Lord's Prayer. I though we separated church and state.
The separation of church and state has nothing to do with prayers at a government function. It actually refers to the government not making A religion the official religion of the state. The thing that would be shocking or ironic is the UCP having the Lord's Prayer, in which it states "Lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil..." . I guess ironic would be the best descriptor.
I believe the polls that reflect another UCP win were an election called anytime soon. The UCP popularity, I believe, is largely due to Smith holding out on calling thd bi-elections as long as she did thereby preventing Nenshi from actively participating in the Alberta legislature sessions. I blame a largely Conservative Alberta media that reports every move Smith and her caucus make while ignoring Naheed Nenshi and the NDP members of the opposition.
I'm happy NDP funds can now be spent on promoting Nenshi and Alberta NDP policies, one of which was Nenshi's promise to separate the provincial NDP from the federal NDP party. That will be a boost for the party's future. It's been popular opinion and a constant reminder by the Conservatives that voting for a provincial NDP party is a vote for the federal NDP party. There's no better time than the present to change that sentiment since the near death of the federal ND Party of Canada in the last federal election.
I just read that Avi Lewis is running for federal NDP leadership. I think that might make a difference.
Edmonton—Strathcona NDP MP Heather McPherson is expected to launch her campaign for the federal NDP leadership soon as well.
Great! Hopefully lots of press coverage!
The Social Learning Theory of Prof. Alberta Bandura of Stanford University (an Alberta, BTW) provides one possible explanation for the continued popularity of the UCP. The theory holds, in essence, that people, especially children, learn behaviours and attitudes/beliefs by observing those around them and then adopting them. In Alberta, we are now into the 3rd or 4th generation of a significant portion of the population largely, as you correctly note, Dave, in rural and small centres, who are raised "conservative". That's their identity, and that's how they vote when they reach voting age.
All one needs to do is surf social media on Alberta politics to see that for them, conservative = good, while NDP = bad. It doesn't matter what policies or legislation are proposed or enacted, nor what actual effect those have on individuals or communities, that's the belief that overrides all others.
I grew up in Saskatchewan that had NDP Premiers (Tommy Douglas, Allen Blakeney, Roy Romanow) and I can attest that Alberta's NDP is far closer to what in Saskatchewan was Liberal, than it is to those NDP governments. Interestingly, the main support for the Saskatchewan NDP of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, was farmers and small local businesses. In those years, the most significant economic activity in terms of GDP in Saskatchewan was agriculture, and then towards the end, potash. It wasn't until oil and gas started to become a significant factor in the 80s that Saskatchewan started a significant shift to more conservative governments. Coincidence?
I 95% agree with you that the continued support for Conservatives in both Saskatchewan and Alberta is learned behaviour passed down from generation to generation. It's 100% true that Conservativism equals good while everything else equals bad.
I too grew up in Saskatchewan when elections were won by the NDP. I'm aware of the significant contributions Tommy Douglas, Alan Blakeny and Roy Romanow made not just in Saskatchewan, but for all of Canada. It was in the early '90s Roy Romanow soundly defeated the worst Conservative premier Saskatchewan ever had, Grant Devine and his criminal ministers and caucus, 16 of whom were charged with crimes following their defeat. But Romanow was left with a near bust province to rebuild. And he did. All 3 worked for thd little guys (and girls) before corporate farms and big corporate business took over.
Now Saskatchewan has gone full-on Conservative where they once were more Liberal-minded. I can attest to that having 12 aunts and uncles, some 50+ cousins and now more than 100 2nd and 3rd, etc. cousins who once voted Liberal provincially and federally but are now die-hard Conservatives of the extreme kind.
Albertan. Albert Bandura was born and raised in rural Alberta, and his B.A. in psychology was from the U. of A.
That's a beautiful picture that accompanies this article. It is poignant and illustrates these trying political times very well.