Interesting media reactions to Calgary's Ted Morton and his comment about the backroom influence on the PC Party by the so called Calgary Mafia. Consider the future of Alberta - all Alberta, if the Prime Minister comes from Calgary, the Premier comes from Calgary and Mayor Bronconnier - of Calgary - takes over the Liberal leadership...a highly expected probability in many circles. With so much power concentrated in three men in one city are we doing ourselves and a functioning representative democracy any favours?
Calgary is a great city but it is not all of Alberta, just as Alberta is not all of Canada. We already have a Toronto - we don't need another one or a replacement for that matter. What if the prevailing attitude in Calgary turned it into a "metropolitan David Dingwall" and they started to believe they "were entitled to their entitlements." With so much concentrated power, what is to stop that possibility? What good would it do? Prevention is possible. A cure may not be found before some serious damage is done to our society and representative democracy. There is more than one method to piss away a boom. Citizen's cynicism and indifference are amongst them.
By voting we consent to be governed by leaders and politicians who we select as a matter of choice. Failing, refusing or neglecting to participate in elections and party leadership selections is not granting an informed citizen's consent. Consenting to be governed by default due to citizen's indifference can have dire consequences...for everyone. The "chosen ones" to govern have an enormous concentration of power over our lives. Indifference is a luxury citizens cannot afford.
Alberta needs a Premier who IS NOT from Calgary.
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog from link from daveberta's blog.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statements, particularly the last paragraph where you mention "vote by default". In this day and age, not voting is unacceptable for provincial and federal elections. I think even for the Alberta PC leadership race, many people who would not normally hold an annual membership should think very strongly about participating. For the price of a fancy coffee, you can help choose the next premier - at least until the next election, if not longer. As far as I am concerned, not voting in an election entitles you to exactly zero complaints afterward ;-)
One concern I have is with respect to financing campaigns like the PC leadership race. When one candidate has effectively been campaigning and fundraising for years it will be tough to counter that. People need to vote with their wallets also, in this case, particularly those that do not want a premier from Calgary (i.e. many people outside Calgary).
I think this is an amazing opportunity to be involved - it's not just selecting a party leader who will become Premier (of a very successful party, who has two years left in a mandate), it's also about engaging, making your opinions, values and visions known, having an influence on Candidates and subsquently on Policy development, and bringing your issues out into the public eye to be debated. It's a chance to participate in a way that isn't always made so available (certainly the other parties don't seem to make it so easy to participate in their leadership races - that is if they have them).
ReplyDeleteYou'd want the capital and the leader to be from the same city? ...that wouldn't be a concentration of power?
ReplyDeleteThx djeffery for the comment - with modern communications governments are virtually everywhere we want them to be and too many places where we don't want them to be. McDougall Centre in Calgary hosts as many announcments and government business as the Legislature. Nothing wrong with that. It is the real estate between politician's ears that is the critial location of government "concentration.".
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