I was unable to make it to the AGM of the revitalized Alberta Party on the weekend. I had a speaking engagements in Calgary of the Oil Sands Leadership Initiative and the Banff Centre Leadership Development program. Then I had to be back to host a table at the Gandhi Foundation Dinner my partner Satya Das was speaking at. It was a busy weekend already.
From all accounts the Alberta Party AGM was a positive exercise in doing politics differently. Dave Cournoyer was there and offers a comprehensive blog post on his impressions of the meeting. It is worth a read and some time for reflection on this new political initiative.
The comments on Daveberta's blog post are interesting too in that the sense of the Alberta Party is working on doing politics differently. The goal is not to beat the other party in the pursuit of political power but rather to make Alberta the best it can be. I see the potential for Alberta to aspire to look beyond trying to be the best in the world but rather to be the best for the world. I hope the Alberta Party can help refocus our province towards this kind of future.
Dave King is very active in the Alberta Party too and one of the co-instigators of Reboot Alberta. He has written a thoughtful blog post that sums up this progressive spirit of the Alberta Party...at least to my mind.
Dave King captures my sense of where we need to move the political narrative and culture of the province. The adversarial gamesmanship of conventional politics turns off citizens, discourages quality people with the necessary wisdom and servant-leadership qualities and capabilities from getting involved in politics and governing.
The influence of big business and donors working behind closed doors in government relations seems like collusion for self-interest and not open collaboration to create a better Alberta for a greater number of citizens. The merchandising of messages instead of sharing ideas and concerns and seeking mutually agreeable solutions is the basis of party politics these days. Too many everyday Albertans feel their governments are not listening to them and that their opinions don't count any more.
We live in complex and chaotic times and solutions offered by superficial and artificial mock battles played out in the media between partisans is not going to get us to realize the potential we have as a province. Achieving our potential will not result by one side merely proving the other side wrong and therefore "winning." Albertans lose in that situations. This progressive approach to politics will take a greater degree of pioneering leadership embraced by people with a genuine intent on serving the greater good not just winning the next election.
I am hopeful that the Alberta Party can be the beginning of that more progressive and enlightened approach to politics and government and can develop into being as a positive force in the betterment of the lives of Albertans. The prerequisite for any of this is an informed, engaged and conscientious sense of citizenship. More citizens have to take back control of the power and become influencers on the politics of our time in order to overcome the deficiencies in our democracy that have been caused by decades of political indifference.
Full disclosure - I am a member of the Alberta Party but not actively engaged in their organizational efforts. My time is focused on Reboot Alberta and that is a progressive citizen's movement in Alberta that welcomes participants from any or no political affiliation provided you want to do help Alberta to be more than it is and serve a greater good beyond ones self. Reboot is a great place to start re-engaging as a fully responsible citizen without the burden of political affiliation. If you are a partisan who wants to change from within your party you can find others with a similar goal at Reboot too.
If you want a progressive political culture in the Next Alberta register now for RebootAlberta 3.0 Nov 5-6 at Edmonton Delta South at www.rebootalberta.org
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Monday, October 04, 2010
Donald Duck Meets Glenn Beck
This came via @prog_blog and is a very funny and telling narrative of the "reality"of the radical right
If you want a progressive political culture in the Next Alberta register now for RebootAlberta 3.0 at www.rebootalberta.org
If you want a progressive political culture in the Next Alberta register now for RebootAlberta 3.0 at www.rebootalberta.org
Is There a Tea Party Movement in Alberta's Future?
Is there a potential for an Alberta Tea Party? Where has Craig Chandler gone? What happened to WAP leadership candidate Jeff Willerton? Where are the Alberta Separatists these days? Where are the Libertarian activists located politically these days? We get little or now news from them for quite some time but we know they are out there...in more ways than one!
My sense is they are hiding quietly in the basement of the Wildrose Alliance Party. So long as Danielle Smith can keep up the media generated momentum for the alliance side of the WAP, the wild side of the party will keep quiet and wait until the power shift happens. If that happens after the next election expect the Tea Party types to come out of hiding. they will want to reassert and impose their values on what has become a very compliant, confused and all-too content and comfortable Alberta public. It will be a a hard-fought contest for the heart and soul of the WAP too but all of us will suffer in the internal culture war that will ensue.
The sense is the popularity of the Wildrose Alliance Party has peaked but at a significant level of support that cannot be ignored. They are not going away but the question is will Albertans vote for them in protest just to send a message to the PC Party? Smith has done a remarkable job of soothing the citizen's fears about the scary side of the WAP. This is in no small part because she is personally able to do that with her mellow messaging and skillful positioning of herself as a Peter Lougheed kind of politician.
There is a yearning for a return to Alberta of that kind of Lougheed socially progressive social, fiscal conservative and culturally diverse basis of public policy coupled with a long term view of good governance over short term pursuits of political power. So far nobody has been able to capture the imagination of the Alberta public to convince us that any of the existing parties can deliver that kind of inclusive, creative and conscientious government we used to enjoy under Peter Lougheed.
I hope nobody is fooled by this illusion of the WAP selling us that they are going to be a return to a Lougheed style of governing . The hard-nosed mean-spirited Harper Conservatives are very much behind the provincial Wildrose Alliance Party in our Alberta. We have seen the dire consequences to progress from that kind of Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld inspired reckless abuse of power.
The way I see it is with the Harper-Cons coupled with the Fraser Institute inspired WAP will take Alberta into a socially conservative policy approach that will be marked by wedge issues, division and marginalization of minorities and further damage vulnerable citizens. They abhor government because they think it interferes with individual rights and freedoms and is inefficient. While at the same time they fail to understand the need to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens - especially those who disagree with them.
They think individual competition and marketplaces forces are the only way to create a society based on economic wealth being the trump card in any political policy decision. They scoff and the idea of a synergy existing between individual talents foster in ways the benefit those individuals and in the service of our society as a whole. They are proudly the anti-intellectual and rejects science, preferring superstition and fundamentalism as a basis to make public policy decisions.
They think nature is a resource only to be exploited now and not protected in a duty to ensure we leave the planet in better shape than when we arrived as an obligation to future generations. Environmental policy is always seen to be in the way of their version of wealth-creation based on market forces that dictate conspicuous consumption. Long term conservation and habitat protection policies it must be tamed to ensure "wealth" is created as quickly as possible with little or no regard for the long term environmental or biodiversity implications. As "wealth gets created they have little if any regard as to fairness in how that wealth is distributed. If you are poor or disadvantaged the social conservatives say it is your own fault. You must simply pull up your socks...if you have no socks...well that is your fault too.
So is there a Tea Party in Alberta's future? In my opinion, chances are yes! Especially if progressive thinking Albertans continue to avoid their responsibility to re-engage in the political culture of the province. Abdication by progressive thinking Albertans of their duty of citizenship will leave the wielding of political power to those who aspire to take Alberta backwards. If you want a progressive political culture in the Next Alberta come to RebootAlberta 3.0, November 5-6 in Edmonton. Register now at www.rebootalberta.org
My sense is they are hiding quietly in the basement of the Wildrose Alliance Party. So long as Danielle Smith can keep up the media generated momentum for the alliance side of the WAP, the wild side of the party will keep quiet and wait until the power shift happens. If that happens after the next election expect the Tea Party types to come out of hiding. they will want to reassert and impose their values on what has become a very compliant, confused and all-too content and comfortable Alberta public. It will be a a hard-fought contest for the heart and soul of the WAP too but all of us will suffer in the internal culture war that will ensue.
The sense is the popularity of the Wildrose Alliance Party has peaked but at a significant level of support that cannot be ignored. They are not going away but the question is will Albertans vote for them in protest just to send a message to the PC Party? Smith has done a remarkable job of soothing the citizen's fears about the scary side of the WAP. This is in no small part because she is personally able to do that with her mellow messaging and skillful positioning of herself as a Peter Lougheed kind of politician.
There is a yearning for a return to Alberta of that kind of Lougheed socially progressive social, fiscal conservative and culturally diverse basis of public policy coupled with a long term view of good governance over short term pursuits of political power. So far nobody has been able to capture the imagination of the Alberta public to convince us that any of the existing parties can deliver that kind of inclusive, creative and conscientious government we used to enjoy under Peter Lougheed.
I hope nobody is fooled by this illusion of the WAP selling us that they are going to be a return to a Lougheed style of governing . The hard-nosed mean-spirited Harper Conservatives are very much behind the provincial Wildrose Alliance Party in our Alberta. We have seen the dire consequences to progress from that kind of Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld inspired reckless abuse of power.
The way I see it is with the Harper-Cons coupled with the Fraser Institute inspired WAP will take Alberta into a socially conservative policy approach that will be marked by wedge issues, division and marginalization of minorities and further damage vulnerable citizens. They abhor government because they think it interferes with individual rights and freedoms and is inefficient. While at the same time they fail to understand the need to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens - especially those who disagree with them.
They think individual competition and marketplaces forces are the only way to create a society based on economic wealth being the trump card in any political policy decision. They scoff and the idea of a synergy existing between individual talents foster in ways the benefit those individuals and in the service of our society as a whole. They are proudly the anti-intellectual and rejects science, preferring superstition and fundamentalism as a basis to make public policy decisions.
They think nature is a resource only to be exploited now and not protected in a duty to ensure we leave the planet in better shape than when we arrived as an obligation to future generations. Environmental policy is always seen to be in the way of their version of wealth-creation based on market forces that dictate conspicuous consumption. Long term conservation and habitat protection policies it must be tamed to ensure "wealth" is created as quickly as possible with little or no regard for the long term environmental or biodiversity implications. As "wealth gets created they have little if any regard as to fairness in how that wealth is distributed. If you are poor or disadvantaged the social conservatives say it is your own fault. You must simply pull up your socks...if you have no socks...well that is your fault too.
So is there a Tea Party in Alberta's future? In my opinion, chances are yes! Especially if progressive thinking Albertans continue to avoid their responsibility to re-engage in the political culture of the province. Abdication by progressive thinking Albertans of their duty of citizenship will leave the wielding of political power to those who aspire to take Alberta backwards. If you want a progressive political culture in the Next Alberta come to RebootAlberta 3.0, November 5-6 in Edmonton. Register now at www.rebootalberta.org
Don't Vote!
There is a link at the end of this post to an American video made for the 2008 election. However the sentiment is very applicable to the Alberta local, provincial and national elections. It makes the point that not voting is stupid...uninformed voting may be even dumber. However, it is no longer acceptable for uninformed apathetic citizens to stay that way and give up on their citizenship responsibility to support democracy and cast an informed ballot for the candidate(s) of their choice.
So we are 2 weeks away from civic and school board elections all over Alberta. You have 2 weeks to check out the candidates and see which one comes the closest to reflecting your values. You have to consider which ones are wise enough to govern not just slick or rich enough to run. You have to decide who is worthy of your trust to govern you and to make the hard far reaching decisions that will impact your life and your family.
No candidate will be a perfect fit - that is life. But that does not mean you can't support the closest fit to your values and issues and priorities. You just have to take the time to find that candidate and with the Internet it is easy. Google them. If they don't show up on Google you may want to consider if they are even serious enough about the job of being a politician if they are not even with it enough to be using digital media to reach out to connect with citizens.
There are the values our research shows that Albertans want their politicians to use when making decisions. I strongly suggest you put every candidate for municipal government or school board in your community to these values tests. Do they have integrity? Are they honest? Do you believe they will be accountable and transparent? Do you believe they will be fiscally responsible and expect you to take personal responsibility too - like being an informed voter!!!
Now take 4:45 minutes and watch this video and forgive the fact it is American. If that offends you then make your own Alberta version and send it to me. I will be sure it gets an audience.
If you want a progressive political culture in the Next Alberta register now for RebootAlberta 3.0 at www.rebootalberta.org
So we are 2 weeks away from civic and school board elections all over Alberta. You have 2 weeks to check out the candidates and see which one comes the closest to reflecting your values. You have to consider which ones are wise enough to govern not just slick or rich enough to run. You have to decide who is worthy of your trust to govern you and to make the hard far reaching decisions that will impact your life and your family.
No candidate will be a perfect fit - that is life. But that does not mean you can't support the closest fit to your values and issues and priorities. You just have to take the time to find that candidate and with the Internet it is easy. Google them. If they don't show up on Google you may want to consider if they are even serious enough about the job of being a politician if they are not even with it enough to be using digital media to reach out to connect with citizens.
There are the values our research shows that Albertans want their politicians to use when making decisions. I strongly suggest you put every candidate for municipal government or school board in your community to these values tests. Do they have integrity? Are they honest? Do you believe they will be accountable and transparent? Do you believe they will be fiscally responsible and expect you to take personal responsibility too - like being an informed voter!!!
Now take 4:45 minutes and watch this video and forgive the fact it is American. If that offends you then make your own Alberta version and send it to me. I will be sure it gets an audience.
If you want a progressive political culture in the Next Alberta register now for RebootAlberta 3.0 at www.rebootalberta.org
Elizabeth May & Ezra Levant on CTV Question Period
Here is a great piece of informative video from CTVs Question Period where Green party Leader Elizabeth May and Ezra Levant discuss implications about the oil sands. May makes the point that being "ethically" the best oil supplier in the world (ignoring Norway???) is not a pass to responsible developing the oil sands more responsibly. Being the best hydrocarbon provider of a bad lot is not good enough for Canadians. It most assuredly not good enough for Albertan, as evidenced our recent research on values we want to see guide and drive oil sands development. Only 31% of Albertans think oil sands are being responsibly developed now.
I have written about trade off between dirty oil and blood oil on this blog in the past. My position is in agreement with Elizabeth May and many of the more progressive and responsible oil sands companies that have formed the Oil Sands Leadership Initiative (OSLI). Those forward thinking oil sands companies that are starting to realize they need the direct support of the Alberta public as owners of the oil sands to justify an on-going social license to operate in our natural resource.
It should not be lost on Albertans that two of the companies in OSLI are state owned by Norway (Statoil) and France (Total). The other key members of OSLI are Nexen, ConocoPhillips and Suncor. These companies are aiming higher than the ethical standard of competitive advantage of Mr Levant. The get that there needs to be responsible prosperity from the oil sands that integrates concerns for issues of environmental integrity, social well being and fairness as well as a reasonable rate of return to the owners - Albertans.
BTW - you can see my business partner Satya Das the author of Green Oil in discussion/debate/dialogue (who knows what it will end up as) with Mr. Levant at LitFest in Edmonton's Stanley Milner Library October 19th at 7 pm. Tickets available at TixontheSquare
If you want a progressive political culture in the Next Alberta register now for RebootAlberta 3.0 at www.rebootalberta.org
I have written about trade off between dirty oil and blood oil on this blog in the past. My position is in agreement with Elizabeth May and many of the more progressive and responsible oil sands companies that have formed the Oil Sands Leadership Initiative (OSLI). Those forward thinking oil sands companies that are starting to realize they need the direct support of the Alberta public as owners of the oil sands to justify an on-going social license to operate in our natural resource.
It should not be lost on Albertans that two of the companies in OSLI are state owned by Norway (Statoil) and France (Total). The other key members of OSLI are Nexen, ConocoPhillips and Suncor. These companies are aiming higher than the ethical standard of competitive advantage of Mr Levant. The get that there needs to be responsible prosperity from the oil sands that integrates concerns for issues of environmental integrity, social well being and fairness as well as a reasonable rate of return to the owners - Albertans.
BTW - you can see my business partner Satya Das the author of Green Oil in discussion/debate/dialogue (who knows what it will end up as) with Mr. Levant at LitFest in Edmonton's Stanley Milner Library October 19th at 7 pm. Tickets available at TixontheSquare
If you want a progressive political culture in the Next Alberta register now for RebootAlberta 3.0 at www.rebootalberta.org
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