Quick, time to refill the vodka bottles with water and hide all the empties... E.S. is back in the house...
Hello, Nation.
Anything interesting happen while I've been gone? ;)
It's good to be back, although I certainly could have gone for another week or two in the beautiful Mayan Riviera. Mrs. Savage and I dodged a meteorological bullet, having Hurricane Ida pass right by our resort, and then enjoyed a week of blue skies and temperatures that are just plain unnatural for a born-and-raised Albertan and his Yukoner bride to be experiencing in November. All that said, though, I can't recommend the resort more highly - if you're planning on heading that way, look up the "Valentin Imperial Maya" - you'll be glad you did.
I want to thank Jane Morgan, the "Acting Savage", for holding down the fort while I was gone. She did a great job, as there are no e-mails from lawyers waiting in my inbox, so she definitely kept you all in line. I know she wanted to post more that she actually got to, but I understand that things have been rather... interesting... in WAP-land over the past week or 2, so the fact that she was able to post at ALL is very much appreciated.
I'm going to be doing my best over the next few days to respond to most of the major issues that cropped up during my absence - I'd do one of my patented "quick hitter" posts, but these issues deserve more than just a passing reference.
I WILL try to break a little news, though, so remember that you read it here first: With the "Fiscal Four" growing to the "Magnificent Seven" after adding MLA's Alana DeLong, Doug Elniski and Raj Sherman, the group will soon be able to bill itself as the "Enlightened Eight" with the addition of another veteran Calgary MLA to the mix. They might not be able to bill themselves as the under-40 "young turks" of the caucus any longer, but with over 10% of the PC caucus on board (and 5 of the 8 from Calgary-area ridings), it will certainly make for an interesting spring session - and some interesting discussions heading into a rumoured January cabinet shuffle... can you actually promote some of these "rebels" into full cabinet positions, or does that diminish their ability to publicly use QP to question cabinet members about spending?
Of course, you have to ask the question... if these 8 are the real "fiscal conservatives" among the PC caucus... then what does that make the other 62?
If the PC's want this group to keep its credibility among fiscal conservatives, they have to tread carefully... what, dear reader, would YOU do? Pull a "Ralph", and promote almost all of them to cabinet to show how seriously you're taking them? Or let them maintain their "outsider" image, so they can be seen as an in-caucus alternative to casting a vote for "the devil you don't know" with the "WAP" after his/her name on the ballot?
... an attempt to make sense of politics and political happenings in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and North America.
6 comments:
Good to see your back.
As far as the "Magnificent Seven" with the additions as of late, having them in minister positions will have pro's and con's. On the downside if they are not pressing the questions in the Legislature, then they will be recognized as part of the status quo. On the upside they may have a better mindset than the current, since there are too many that are plain arrogant and dismissive. The new ideas they could bring to the table may be exactly what we need.
The question that comes to my mind is whether or not they are the real deal or a prop by the GOA. Rob Anderson and Doug are, and I do not personally know the rest well enough to say (however you have been known to refer to Denis as a red tory LOL.)
The only other comment I would like to add. I do support the WAP, because I long for change, Democratically. The mistake the PC party is making is they are not listening to the people. The party is so worried about running to the right they have missed the real message being sent. We want our MLA's to openly represent us in the legislature. There were many citizens and MLA's I spoke to opposed to Bill 50. Simply not showing up to vote does not make our answer heard. I was amazed no PC member voted opposed bill 50, even though I talked to a couple of MLA's that were.
If this is how our democracy is run we deserve better.
Perhaps they are the "10" who were claimed to be willing to cross into WAP. If so then cross.
No one near where I live is talking fiscal this and fiscal that they are talking health care , health care , health care.
Good to see you back and active again. Your posts are a refreshing break in the blog world.
Welcome home... !!!
if the "Enlightened Eight are as effective as the "Fiscal farce" don't worry, it will still be the same old, same old with a catchey name and black outfits. You didn't miss a thing!
The only cabinet Alana DeLong will ever see is the one which already contains the mops and cleaning supplies. I don't think anyone is taking them even remotely seriously - just like nobody took any of them seriously before. Is the other "veteran" Dave Rodney? Wow. Seriously, the only thing this represents is a consolidation of idiocy.
I think some of the "enlightened eight"'s questions have been very effective. Anderson's question style has been very pointed and harsh so I really doubt he's put up by the Premier's office. Griffiths maybe - he's been there much longer.
Is Denis really a red tory though? He was on Jason Kenney's board before he was elected and I don't think there's many reds there.
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