It was nice while it lasted:
Alberta's opposition Wildrose caucus is expected to meet Tuesday to discuss merging with Premier Jim Prentice's Progressive Conservatives, sources have told The Canadian Press.
If merger talks fail, there may be four or more defections to the Tory team, said one source. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity.
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith and house leader Rob Anderson could not be reached for comment late Monday.
Politics is a low profession. It got a bit lower this week. It's impossible for outsiders to know the personal dynamics within a party caucus. The private jealousies and petty feuding that makes much of the political process sound and feel like junior high but with less acne. Wildrose has been plagued in recent months by defections and by-election defeats. They've taken it on the chin. But was it really that bad? Is there no alternative but abject surrender to what you once rebelled against?
Comparisons are obviously being drawn to the unification of the Right under Stephen Harper a decade ago. Except that was the Reform Party, rebranded as the Canadian Alliance, swallowing the rump of the federal PCs. It was the rebels finishing off what was left of the old Tory Establishment. They even dumped the much hated qualifier: Progressive. Whatever you might think of Harperist incrementalism - I'm not a fan - the old style Red Tories are dead at the federal level. A brand of political ideology that was once described as socialism for WASPs.
What's started to leak out about the merger is, to say the least, cringe inducing:
A letter will be sent to the Wildrose party executive and members inviting them to “formalize the union.”
The Wildrose and PC mucky-mucks will “roll out multiple endorsements for reunion from several senior statesmen from both parties.”
The party will hold a spring vote on the “reunion resolution.”
As for what is known in PR as “overall messaging” they will speak of “the reunion of the conservative family under Premier Prentice.”
Prentice, says the messaging, “has shown himself to be a man of integrity and an exceptionally competent leader at a time of great economic uncertainty.”
Prentice, continues the Wildrose PR, has “adopted the vast majority of Wildrose policies and principles.”
With an "if" here and a "but" there you can put Paris, or the Wildrose Party of Alberta, in a bottle. For those of you following the bouncing ball at home the Alberta PCs, who were sworn foot soldiers of Alison "Red" Redford a few months ago, are now magically transformed into rock-ribbed conservatives. All that was needed was three months of Jim Prentice waving his Tory wand.
It's as if the Liberal Party of Ontario overthrew Kathleen Wynne and begged Mike Harris to lead them into battle. Credulity isn't being stretched here. It's being chopped up into little pieces and sold by the pound. To head off any possible counter-revolutionary activity we have this tidbit:
“The assurance that if an individual does decide to challenge an MLA despite the premier’s endorsement there will be a call reminding them of the premier’s endorsement.”
Perhaps a knock on the door in the middle of the night too. Just in case the "individual" doesn't remember what he was told before. Memory is a tricky thing in Alberta politics. It looks like the Wildrose Party, and whatever it once stood for, is about to be dropped down the memory hole for good.
A populist party is an ugly thing to a principled voter especially when it is seen as the prettiest date at a pig party. Alberta's Conservative legacy is marked by big government, corruption and political entitlement - all made possible by fear of an opposition perceived as being worse (and they likely are). Along came WRP and what started out as a Party attempting "conservative" ideological purity became social conservative handicapping and populism over principles. Urban Alberta said no, particularly to the former - assuring a conservative progressive future for a few more years.
It could be worse. Look at Ontario!
Posted by: John Chittick | Wednesday, December 17, 2014 at 01:52 AM
The social conservatism was by no means the reason they lost. More social conservatism and less of an odour of libertarianism probably would have gone over far better. The party through the social conservatives under the bus, and then wondered why they stayed home on election day.
Posted by: Leacock | Wednesday, December 17, 2014 at 09:56 PM
There's nothing like a more authoritarian political platform to drive out that foul stench of liberty. The sweet smell of dependency, paternalism, intrusiveness and coercion is so much more preferable to free will, free speech, property rights, self-responsibility, and thrift.
If you are correct, it's even worse than I thought.
Posted by: John Chittick | Thursday, December 18, 2014 at 02:27 PM
"The party through the social conservatives under the bus, and then wondered why they stayed home on election day."
They didn't stay home. They don't exist. SoCons are dinosaurs and no one wants anything to do with them.
The WRP's problems were not caused by too much libertarianism or social conservatism but by Smith's falling under the Siren Song of THE CENTER. The Center, where new parties go to die. There is no center. Only the politically myopic think it's The Sweet Spot. Smith vandalized the WRP platform and turned it into PC-lite. Good riddance to her and her gullible friends. The WRP has enough time to reconfigure, assuming no snap election.
Posted by: Cytotoxic | Friday, December 19, 2014 at 02:33 AM
" the old style Red Tories are dead at the federal level. "
Completely wrong. The Red Tories are effectively in control. Moore, McKay, and the PC caucus have all gotten their retrograde policies in place.
Posted by: Cytotoxic | Friday, December 19, 2014 at 02:34 AM