NDP Rebirth in Alberta

[maplesyrup]

Image makeover for Alberta NDP

Albertans need to join the rest of the Canadian family, and there would be no better way of showing it than voting for the New Democrats.

[idealisttotheend]

Albertans need a democratic province. The only way that will happen is if the Liberals and NDP get together over there instead of spending most of their time attacking each other. There are talented people in both parties (though the Liberals have been losing people either federally or just all together) like Kevin Taft and Brian Mason. But they constantly reject any idea of a merger and when it's brought up they just put down the other guys. It's really very sad.

Klein sad his biggest opposition will come from the right and if this keeps up he will be right vis a vie the Alberta Alliance.

[takeanumber]

More than likely, the next wave of gettymandering bastards will be the Alliance party.

It's not in Alberta's culture for there to be 'democracy'.

It's just a series of one party dictatorships that trample on rights in the name of 'majority rights'.

[Stoker]

Alberta NDP

But it will take more than a rebranding for the New Democrats to rally voters behind a cash-strapped party that holds only two seats in the 83-seat legislature, both in Edmonton.

The Tories, with 73 seats, have an election war chest bursting with more than $4 million in donations, with more money sure to come.

The Alberta NDP is $55,000 in debt.

[jay74]

NDP in Alberta. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Sorry about that. Had to be done. If Alberta wants a different gov't they will change it. That is why we vote. If the people of the province don't vote for the party that YOU think should be in gov't. Though. If the NDP want to govern, then they must develop policy that will appeal to the people of Alberta. If you want change, then do something don't wait for the guy next to you to go first.

[theloniusfleabag]

Dear maplesyrup,

NDP in Alberta. HAHAHA

I'll have to agree with jay74 on this one. Alberta is predominantly redneck conservative. Even morons such as Rob Anders get re-elected based on the colour of their posters.

[Greg]

Lets cut the "Morons" and "bastards" comments out. It's called libel and it is illegal in these forums.

Remember, Rob Anders and the Alberta Alliance could easy sue you for libel for such comments. If you've got a problem with someone or something, lets hear a reasoned argument, rather than childish name calling.

Greg

Admin

[kimmy]

oooh, new Website!

http://www.albertandp.ca/

It looks like they're trying reach out to the colorblind vote

-kimmy

[kimmy]

All kidding aside, I took a few minutes to read their website and I liked much of what it had to say.

-kimmy

[Big Blue Machine]

Alberta won't go to the NDP. It's the most conservative province in the country.

[takeanumber]

Yes, Anders is a good example.

And yes, people do in fact get elected based on the color of their posters.

We ended up electing a federal Liberal as the mayor of the city of Calgary, all because nobody knew much about him, and he had green and blue posters.

Hence, he won.

Anyway, that's the way it is in Calgary. They all vote conservative so they can wallow in self-pity, whilst they vote very Liberal when it comes to municipal elections.

---------------------

Alberta's electoral system is designed so that no party can form the government without winning the rural vote. The map is so incredibly gettymandered, it makes Nova Scotia look pretty good. (And in case you didn't know, N.S. is pretty bad for having freakish seats).

Around 30% of the population of Calgary votes, election after election, for parties OTHER than the cons, and the votes are constantly wasted.

You never hear consevative elites complain about this form of injustice. You'll on hear them complain about the overall electoral map, arguing they should be allowed to gerrymander more.

And several prominent conservatives within the party have actually sat on provincial panels to gettymander the map furthur.

True story.

[August1991]

This is the way the pros do it. Designer districts!

Mr. Toobin discloses what these columns have noted for years, no, decades--namely that new computer software "permits mapmakers to analyze an enormous amount of data--party registration, voting patterns, ethnic makeup from census data, property-tax records, roads, railways, old district lines."

Armed with these tools, incumbent politicians can design House districts that more or less guarantee their re-election short of some political tsunami.

WSJ

[Cartman]

I'll have to agree with jay74 on this one. Alberta is predominantly redneck conservative

IMO, the problem is that any opposition party, regardless of whether they are left or right, are unable to provide strong opposition to government policies because Albertans like to vote in an homogenous fashion. We have had few governments since Alberta was even created! I believe this to be the case because there is the perception that a united front to the ROC is needed; dissent is simply bad for Alberta's interests.

An image change for the NDP will not work even if they moved way to the right. In order to topple any ruling party, an opposition must do it very quickly and with the strong economy, this is not gonna happen anytime soon. We should just take a poll rather than spend the $$ on an election.

[Hawk]

Rofl.

1. That website looks rather... disturbing. But that is a mix of my own bias against anything socialist in addition to having artistic blood in my veins (and omg those colors just do not work unless you live in the tropics)

2.

The Klein Tories rake in billions in unbudgeted surpluses, yet our schools are in disrepair, we’re among the only Canadians who have to pay health care premiums, medicare is under constant threat, and...

Found that on the site's main page, yet more proof of Liberal mudslinging. Last I checked the evil tories have our province out of debt, something that I have yet to see a Liberal government even come close to =p Not to mention I see no supporting articles, no sources, no anything except an opinionated statement. That is also typically liberal, because to a liberal the simple act of forming a left-wing opinion makes it flawless.

3. Alberta is right-wing, to any left-wingers who can't understand why let me put it this way.

a) We dont like having elite hypocrite Fiberals throwing our tax money around like we have been seeing them do with everyone else.

Fiberals have constantly had an anti-west bias, so dont expect us to welcome you with open arms now that you finally realize we exist as a part of Canada

c) We are primarily a province of farmers, and farmers are far from stupid. If you think they are then you are one damnably ignorant person. Farmers vote conservative because Liberals and socialism has NEVER been friendly to the farmers, just look at every socialist 'utopia' in history, every single one has persecuted the farmers as the ignorant people who needed to be scourged to make way for the enlightened. Fiberals have a history of screwing over the rural areas and therefore you aren't going to be loved in a rural province. Sorry but it just wont happen.

4. In some ways I agree with Cartman, simply because I understand where he is coming from. Albertans stick together for the most part, same as Quebec sticks with Quebec. The only difference being Quebec gets what it wants while Alberta gets the bill =p

[playfullfellow]

There are a lot of perceptions in the ROC that Alberta is just a bunch of redneck farmers who vote conservative just because they have always voted conservative. In a lot of cases this is not true. Albertans have watched what goes on the ROC in regards to when they continually vote in a different party every election. They also see what happens to these provinces financially with each flip flop. BC went from one of the richest provinces to one of the poor provinces under the NDP. The BC Liberals said they would fix the problem but seem to making a bigger mess out of things. Saskatchewan seems to walk the fine line of being broke all the time and has done so for years. I am not too familiar with Manitoba so can not make any assumptions of the situation there. Given that our 2 closest neighbours have been in continual chaos over the last 10 years due to their provincial politics, why would we chose that?

[caesar]

BC went from one of the richest provinces to one of the poor provinces under the NDP

Much of what you said is true; too many flip flops but I hardly think that BC is now or ever was one of the poorest provinces. Geesh, let's not exaggerate.

Klein did give a bunch of Alberta's welfare bums a one way ticket to BC but I imagine most of them are either working or one of our street people. I generally do not give money to beggars but one boy; cried good tears (probably here trying to get acting parts) and said he wanted to go home to Alberta; so I tossed him a couple bucks and said go!

The USA lumber problems has contributed greatly to our recent fall from wealth. That is now being cleared up enough for the mills to start re hiring.

[playfullfellow]

Ceasar, what I meant to say is that BC went from being a have province to being a have not province. BC will recover but it will take time, let's just hope you guys dont vote in someone completely radical next year and put you guys further behind.

[Stoker]

BC will recover but it will take time, let's just hope you guys dont vote in someone completely radical next year and put you guys further behind.

.......Like the NDP.