The Future of Alberta Politics is Collaboration Not Competition

Dave King has penned a thoughtful blog post on collaboration being a better governing model than the tired and distrusted competition model of politics we are stuck in these days.  Dave applies us usual wisdom and wit to the world as he sees it.

In the outmoded adversarial model of politics and governing we short change our society because we seek competition for power trumping good governance.  If a good idea emerges from the opposition, the old-style politics will reject it because they don't want to be seen as giving the opposition any credit.  There are exceptions but they are rare.

In the outmoded adversarial model we use simplistic debates to find an answer to complex issues.  To every complex problem there is a simple answer - that is wrong!  Dialectic arguments are an insufficient decision model for a modern interdependent and integrated world.  To "win" in a political debate like in a legal argument, you don't  have to prove you are right - you merely have to prove the other side "wrong."  The nurturing of good ideas to make them better never happens because some adversary says "yeah but" pointing out some flaw, real or fictitious, and the best of a good new idea is shelved for fear of uncertainty.

Uncertainty is the only certainty in the real world these days.  The key question for citizens in selecting a government is to figure out who you can trust, respect and rely on to hold true to the best interests of the greater good.  What is it about a candidate and a leader that makes them worthy of your vote and your consent to be governed?  Who can show caring and compassion while empowering individuals to become the best they can be but in the service of that greater good is the talent for a 21st century collaborative politician.  Who can do all this and enhance the environment and not just plunder it in the process.

We in the Alberta Party are striving to be collaborative first. We prefer a co-creative approach that is about design not just debate.  There is a place for debate but based on curiosity and sharing of ideas, not jut defeating the opposition. The competition between good ideas must be about the ideas themselves.  Ideas should be judged on their merits and not just rejected because of the sources.  Give credit where credit is due is part of a new political culture we need to foster in our Alberta...and this, I believe, can all be achieved through the Alberta Party.  Get Alberta Party curious and learn more.  Join this citizen's movement that is based on thinking for a change.  It is a place to start to be the change you want to see.