THE ALBERTA PARTY DIFFERENCE!
There is a foundational idea that underpins the spirit and intent of the upstart Alberta Party. This is a new citizen's movement forming into a political party. It is starting to make waves in the volatile Alberta political culture. That idea is about "Doing Politics Differently." The intent is to move beyond the narrow focused partisan motivated choice between left or right that is so embedded in the current approaches.
The evolution of the Alberta Party is a work in progress by progressives for Albertans and all about "Doing Politics Differently" - but on a fast track too. The next election is not that far away. The Alberta Party is busy getting ready with constituency set ups, a leadership selection, candidate recruitment and fund raising so we can be a force in the next election.
GOOD IDEAS COME FROM MANY SOURCES:
The Alberta Party difference is the belief that there not one source of good ideas. Good ideas should be used, not refused, simply because they come from "the other side." The traditional adversarial model of decision making creates political winners and losers. It will always get you an answer. It rarely gets you a very good answer and it is not even interested in pursuing the best possible public policy answer. It short changes the citizen's best interest and pushes politics into gamesmanship.
Another Alberta Party differentiating attribute is a commitment to embracing difference and diversity over dogma and doctrine. This is why the Alberta Party is attracting membership from all the traditional doctrinaire style political parties and peopl who never belonged to a political party before in their lives. Albertans are coming to realize and savour this diversity as a fundamental principle of the Alberta Party. You can be yourself and share your best ideas openly, without fear, as we work together to map out a plan for the Next Alberta as Albertans.
LISTENING IS A LOST ART:
Listening is a lost art in these days of hyperactive partisanship and always-on connectivity. In the Alberta Party part of doing politics differently is the expectation of people that they will be listened to, heard and understood. That respectful expectation goes both ways as we gather together as citizens to discuss and design the best way forward to the Next Alberta.
Our values research out of Reboot Alberta shows the largest portion of Albertans are in the progressive thinking centre. They want a polity and a government that aligns with values of integrity, honesty, accountability, transparency, environmental stewardship, fiscal and personal responsibility. The progressives have started to wake up to the fact that political participation is not a choice any more. It is a necessity if the Next Alberta is going to reflect their hopes and aspirations for themselves, their families and their province. The Alberta Party is becoming their preferred choice to make such a difference.
The Alberta Party is inviting people to rethink, redesign, and restructure politics and governance in Alberta. The Big Listen is a continuing process to engage citizens in the difficult and messy process of citizen participation. Participation and conversations create the conditions to form new relationships, gain new insights and achieve enhanced levels of commitment to citizenship and democracy. This is not about delivering change to people. It is a journey to involve citizens in the co-creation of the change people want.
COMMAND & CONTROL TOP-DOWN POLITICS IS DONE!
The old standard of top-down, command and control edicts dictated by political bosses is done. The power has shifted to like-minded persons working in horizontal networks spawned by the Internet and social media. This shift has neutered the power-based model of enforced compliance through intimidation, innuendo and bullying. There is still some who cling to power by hunting down the disloyal and repeating their propaganda until is becomes perceived as "fact." In the new social media made networks, citizens are more interested in learning, sharing and growing as persons than they are in being loyal or compliant to some political authority that insists on enforced obedience.
Reality has always been something that individuals create and interpret for themselves based on values and perceptions. Reality is not something prescribed by someone else any more. It is more about what we believe in that determines what we see. We only believe in and commit to those things that align with our values. That alignment with our values and beliefs actually defines significance for us. Shared significance drives groups to form who then decide to get active in solving the great problems we face together. Shared significance is a product of conversations and that is why the Big Listens will continue to be embedded in the Alberta Party culture.
It is important to understand we don't have to completely agree on an interpretation or hold identical values to agree on what needs to be done to resolve an issue. We need to get off our personal or partisan soapboxes and open up to new ways of thinking, even if they disturb us. What then invariably happens is individuals come to agree on concerted courses of action and will make personal commitments to the goals that are decided. We can have the collective wisdom of the crowd or the pooled ignorance of the power elites.
FIXING DEMOCRACY:
Finally, the democratic system in Alberta is broken. It is performing poorly partly because too many citizens have abdicated their duty to become informed and active supporters of real representative democracy. It is as if they presumed they are above the responsibility for good governance and the selection of quality people to hold public office.
A broken social system, like our democracy, only gets fixed by those who are in it. The repair work happens by people talking amongst themselves and changing themselves - and the system. The Alberta Party is an example of people coming together within a system, talking and taking personal responsibility to share information and ideas for a better functioning democracy. It is a living organic system, not a machine model, of human interaction.
This is part of my personal sense of what makes Alberta Party politics Different. The Doing aspect of changing the political culture in Alberta requires different thinking by individuals about the role of government. What you do is determined by what you think. It is all a part of exercising citizenship, stewardship and leadership. These are all large concepts but let me give you a thumbnail of each one as part of Doing Politics Differently.
RENEWING CITIZENSHIP STEWARDSHIP &LEADERSHIP:
Citizenship is an act of intentional informed engagement on things that matter and are meaningful to individuals. Those persons who know what matters to themselves are more likely to commit to apply their skills and capacities to serve themselves as well as the greater good. Leadership is not an assigned or an assumed task. It is a shared task. In horizontal organizations leadership is not static. It moves around and amongst those in the network and is taken up by different people at different times by certain individuals depending on the task and the skills required at the time. Leadership is shared but it begins in the mirror for engaged netizens. The other key aspect of the difference in Doing politics the Alberta Party way is the collective and personal stewardship duties for the environment, the society, the biodiversity of the planet and pride in the legacy we will leave for future generations.
SOME EXAMPLES OF THE ALBERTA PARTY WAY OF DOING POLITICS DIFFERENTLY:
Here is a link to a Letter to the Editor of Will Munsey that captures much of what I am talking about when it comes to the spirit and intent of the Alberta Parry - in his own experience. He resonates with my sense of the Alberta Party in this letter. Will's letter tells me I am not alone.
Here is another story about the relationship of municipal governments to the provincial government and how services are provided to the taxpayer/citizen. It quotes Glenn Taylor the three time Mayor of Hinton, Vice President (Towns) for the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association and candidate for Leader of the Alberta Party. Full disclosure, I am working on Glenn's campaign for Alberta Party Leader.
Again it shows the change in thinking towards horizontal collaborative partnership relationships that have to replace command and control paternalism inherent in vertical concepts of "senior" orders of government. Taxpayers want quality public services that represent value for money. They don't care much which order or level of government provides them. These collaborative partnership models of governance have to trump traditional hierarchies as we Learn Our Way to the Next Alberta.
This blog post is just some of the reasons why I am in the Alberta Party and supporting Glenn Taylor as its servant-leader. Join us in moving past the Alberta Advantage and into the journey of defining the Aspirations of the Next Alberta. The Alberta Advantage was a scheme to make us the best in the world. The Alberta Aspiration is to use our blessings and skills to become the best for the world.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Interesting Insight Into the Mood of Blog Readers?
So the Burning Question last week was about the mood of some readers of this blog. This is not a scientific sampling and only a conversation starter.
We did not put a context on the question just what is your mood about so it is hard to be specific around context. There were 41% who were on the optimistic side and 22% pessimistic. Things are generally very good in Alberta but the future is uncertain for 34% of us. For what it is worth the majority of those who responded are not in a particularly happy place. Why is that with all the wealth we are told we have?
The economy is turning around, so we are told. So why only 41% of us are optimistic? There is a lingering concern that are we in for another energy sector induced Boom. But is that a good thing in the minds of most of us. I think not. We have seen the negative results of that last two Booms. Is it time to print the third version of the iconic Alberta Bumper Sticker? Please God Give me One More Boom and I Promise Not to Piss it Away - AND THIS TIME I MIGHT ACTUALLY MEAN IT!
The Boom-Bust cycles are harmful for most of us. We make a bunch of money but the hours are long and it takes a toll on families. The other sectors in our economy suffer staff shortages and we end up with social pressures of all kinds.
Can't we level out the booms and busts so we have steady predictable growth that enhances the well being and prosperity of more Albertans and not just the few at the top in the energy industry? Is the Alberta destiny to be captives of destructive Booms and then devastating Busts? There are billions of dollars of investment in oil sands already and billions more to come. How can we optimizing the full range of benefits of this investment now and for future generations?
What is our legacy going to be from the development of the oil sands? I think it can be fabulous but only if we Albertans, as owners of the oil sands, get engaged in the politics and policy around the responsible and sustainable development of our resource. With a world addicted to hydrocarbons and Alberta being the only place with significant reserves that is a functioning democracy, we citizen/owners have some serious obligations beyond getting as rich as possible as fast as possible from oil sands development.
What are your thoughts on Booms and Busts being the destiny of Alberta? Do you like it of not? What can we do to provide for a more rational integrated economic growth, with environmental protection and a society enhancing approach? We Albertans are the owners of the oil sands. We have the blessing and bear the burden of oil sands development as a result. What do you think we should insist on from the industry as our tenants and the government as our property managers?
What would it take to make you proud as an Albertan and as an owner of the oil sands? I think the announcement of the commercial upgrader/refinery in Fort Saskatchewan area yesterday is a good start. We Albertans will get more value from the bitumen royalty we take in-kind instead of cash and create the jobs and value here, including raising the bar on environmental concerns like carbon capture. What do you think?
We did not put a context on the question just what is your mood about so it is hard to be specific around context. There were 41% who were on the optimistic side and 22% pessimistic. Things are generally very good in Alberta but the future is uncertain for 34% of us. For what it is worth the majority of those who responded are not in a particularly happy place. Why is that with all the wealth we are told we have?
The economy is turning around, so we are told. So why only 41% of us are optimistic? There is a lingering concern that are we in for another energy sector induced Boom. But is that a good thing in the minds of most of us. I think not. We have seen the negative results of that last two Booms. Is it time to print the third version of the iconic Alberta Bumper Sticker? Please God Give me One More Boom and I Promise Not to Piss it Away - AND THIS TIME I MIGHT ACTUALLY MEAN IT!
The Boom-Bust cycles are harmful for most of us. We make a bunch of money but the hours are long and it takes a toll on families. The other sectors in our economy suffer staff shortages and we end up with social pressures of all kinds.
Can't we level out the booms and busts so we have steady predictable growth that enhances the well being and prosperity of more Albertans and not just the few at the top in the energy industry? Is the Alberta destiny to be captives of destructive Booms and then devastating Busts? There are billions of dollars of investment in oil sands already and billions more to come. How can we optimizing the full range of benefits of this investment now and for future generations?
What is our legacy going to be from the development of the oil sands? I think it can be fabulous but only if we Albertans, as owners of the oil sands, get engaged in the politics and policy around the responsible and sustainable development of our resource. With a world addicted to hydrocarbons and Alberta being the only place with significant reserves that is a functioning democracy, we citizen/owners have some serious obligations beyond getting as rich as possible as fast as possible from oil sands development.
What are your thoughts on Booms and Busts being the destiny of Alberta? Do you like it of not? What can we do to provide for a more rational integrated economic growth, with environmental protection and a society enhancing approach? We Albertans are the owners of the oil sands. We have the blessing and bear the burden of oil sands development as a result. What do you think we should insist on from the industry as our tenants and the government as our property managers?
What would it take to make you proud as an Albertan and as an owner of the oil sands? I think the announcement of the commercial upgrader/refinery in Fort Saskatchewan area yesterday is a good start. We Albertans will get more value from the bitumen royalty we take in-kind instead of cash and create the jobs and value here, including raising the bar on environmental concerns like carbon capture. What do you think?
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Bill 36: The Alberta Land Stewardship Act - Fix It - Don't Kill It.
I want to direct your attention to a very well written op-ed piece in the Edmonton Journal, written by my friend Joe Obad, the Associate Director of Water Matters. It is a clear and comprehensive survey of why we need to retain the Alberta Land Stewardship Act (ALSA) but we must fix it too.
The Alliance Party has said they would repeal the ALSA if they formed government. There is an election coming up soon so that is not an idle threat. That repeal position is consistent with the fundamental libertarian-based beliefs of the Alliance. They promote that private rights are paramount along with a belief that government is the problem and the marketplace can solve most if not all public policy problems.
Private property is one of the great things about our society and a basis of our prosperity. There are times, however, when the greater good of community, has to take precedence. For example when infrastructure requires private property to be expropriated and used for community needs like roads, schools, hospitals and so forth. Now there is an other community interest legislated in the ALSA that recognises of a common community responsibility for stewardship of water, air, land and habitat protection.That is a good thing.
The balancing and choosing between competing values and interests is the essence of good governance. That is why we elect governments. There is a growing suspicion amongst land owners, in rural Alberta especially, that bad politics might be used to choose instead of good governance. It seems to many that politics are are play here. People are concerned that their lands can be taken by the government at the discretion (or whim?) of a Minister, without compensation or appeal to the courts. That is the wrong way to go and once such a suspicion is embedded, it is hard to prove otherwise. Cynicism dominates. There is a line of argument that says none of those fears are founded but they persist anyway.
There is a perceived lack of clarity in the legislation that needs to be fixed to assure people that politics are not at play here and will not be. There needs to be an explicit commitment to the protection of property rights of landowners. There needs to be a clear commitment to a fair and open expropriation process with a legislated guarantee of adequate compensation and the right to seek redress from the courts if need be.
People knows that politics tends to enable abuse and coercion and that can't come into play here or anywhere else in good governance. Interpretations of the implications of the ALSA vary and the intentions of the PC government are suspect. Frustration, fear and distrust dominate the public discussions and the feelings of those showing up at the community meetings who hear and outline of the downside of the ALSA.
The fact that there is so much suspicion, lack of trust and disrespect for the stated intentions of the government on this matter is very telling. It shines a spotlight on just how big the trust and respect gap is between the governed and the governors in Alberta these days. It is the belief of many Albertans that our democracy is broken when well intended policy decisions are met with such fear and resistance. It is also a terrific opportunity to play opposition politics and feed the fear and frustration for political gain. It is for others to decide if that is happening here but it is a legitimate question .
There is a lot that is very good and progressive about the ALSA. Clearly some things about the legislation that need to be fixed for clarity, reassurance of intent and with strong guarantees to protect the property rights of citizens. The value of environmental stewardship is near and dear to the hearts of most Albertans, including most private property owners. We can't lose those aspects of the legislation with a political promise of the Alliance to merely repeal the entire Act once elected. Repealing it is not a viable option. That goes too far in the other direction. Revisiting it and clarifying it is the best approach.
Joe Obed sets out the issues and events and the need for Albertans to have the ALSA. He also put the duty to get it right squarely on the Stelmach government. We can only hope that there will be an honest, open, accountable and transparent process that empowers people and that the province engages in an authentic conversation with Albertans so we can keep the best and fix the rest of the ALSA. We all need to be sure we get it right and that means we need fix it - not kill it.
Conversations matter. Not every conversation changes the world but every time the world actually changes it was usually started by a conversation. Lets park the debate model that looks for winners and losers. Lets dispel with the superficial meaningless public consultation processes. Lets have an adult conversation that is province wide that uses the best evidence, the best expertise and seeks a mutually acceptable solution based on the principles or peace, order and good government...not top down command and control power politics. Hopefully we will see some amendments to the ALSA in line with these aspirations in the forthcoming session of the Legislature. Time will tell.
The Alliance Party has said they would repeal the ALSA if they formed government. There is an election coming up soon so that is not an idle threat. That repeal position is consistent with the fundamental libertarian-based beliefs of the Alliance. They promote that private rights are paramount along with a belief that government is the problem and the marketplace can solve most if not all public policy problems.
Private property is one of the great things about our society and a basis of our prosperity. There are times, however, when the greater good of community, has to take precedence. For example when infrastructure requires private property to be expropriated and used for community needs like roads, schools, hospitals and so forth. Now there is an other community interest legislated in the ALSA that recognises of a common community responsibility for stewardship of water, air, land and habitat protection.That is a good thing.
The balancing and choosing between competing values and interests is the essence of good governance. That is why we elect governments. There is a growing suspicion amongst land owners, in rural Alberta especially, that bad politics might be used to choose instead of good governance. It seems to many that politics are are play here. People are concerned that their lands can be taken by the government at the discretion (or whim?) of a Minister, without compensation or appeal to the courts. That is the wrong way to go and once such a suspicion is embedded, it is hard to prove otherwise. Cynicism dominates. There is a line of argument that says none of those fears are founded but they persist anyway.
There is a perceived lack of clarity in the legislation that needs to be fixed to assure people that politics are not at play here and will not be. There needs to be an explicit commitment to the protection of property rights of landowners. There needs to be a clear commitment to a fair and open expropriation process with a legislated guarantee of adequate compensation and the right to seek redress from the courts if need be.
People knows that politics tends to enable abuse and coercion and that can't come into play here or anywhere else in good governance. Interpretations of the implications of the ALSA vary and the intentions of the PC government are suspect. Frustration, fear and distrust dominate the public discussions and the feelings of those showing up at the community meetings who hear and outline of the downside of the ALSA.
The fact that there is so much suspicion, lack of trust and disrespect for the stated intentions of the government on this matter is very telling. It shines a spotlight on just how big the trust and respect gap is between the governed and the governors in Alberta these days. It is the belief of many Albertans that our democracy is broken when well intended policy decisions are met with such fear and resistance. It is also a terrific opportunity to play opposition politics and feed the fear and frustration for political gain. It is for others to decide if that is happening here but it is a legitimate question .
There is a lot that is very good and progressive about the ALSA. Clearly some things about the legislation that need to be fixed for clarity, reassurance of intent and with strong guarantees to protect the property rights of citizens. The value of environmental stewardship is near and dear to the hearts of most Albertans, including most private property owners. We can't lose those aspects of the legislation with a political promise of the Alliance to merely repeal the entire Act once elected. Repealing it is not a viable option. That goes too far in the other direction. Revisiting it and clarifying it is the best approach.
Joe Obed sets out the issues and events and the need for Albertans to have the ALSA. He also put the duty to get it right squarely on the Stelmach government. We can only hope that there will be an honest, open, accountable and transparent process that empowers people and that the province engages in an authentic conversation with Albertans so we can keep the best and fix the rest of the ALSA. We all need to be sure we get it right and that means we need fix it - not kill it.
Conversations matter. Not every conversation changes the world but every time the world actually changes it was usually started by a conversation. Lets park the debate model that looks for winners and losers. Lets dispel with the superficial meaningless public consultation processes. Lets have an adult conversation that is province wide that uses the best evidence, the best expertise and seeks a mutually acceptable solution based on the principles or peace, order and good government...not top down command and control power politics. Hopefully we will see some amendments to the ALSA in line with these aspirations in the forthcoming session of the Legislature. Time will tell.
Monday, February 14, 2011
In Egypt the Revolution Was Tweeted! Is Alberta Next?
Very interesting article in the Sunday edition of the Toronto Star by Don Tapscott entitled "Here Comes the Wiki Revolution." I like Don Tapscott's writings and read his books. Still have to get to MacroWikinomics but the sub title alone "Rebooting Business and the World" grabs my attention as one of the instigators of Reboot Alberta.
Tapscott starts with a challenge to the Malcolm Gladwell assertion last October in The New Yorker magazine essay "Small Change:Why the Revolution Won't be Tweeted." Gladwell contended that social media only created "weak ties" between people and it took "strong ties" and close relationships to bring about real social change.
Tapscott says "If Twitter, Facebook and YouTube didn't exist, Hosni Mubarak would still be president of Egypt. The social media tools gave Mubarak's opponents unprecedented ability to share information and organize their activities, including massive protest which riveted the world's attention." This is the core new reality of the shift of power to the networks of engaged citizens from hierarchies of personal power brokers.
Last June a 28 year-old businessman Khaled Said was beaten to death by two police officers. Said has posted video of these police officers dealing in illegal drugs. Shortly after Said 's death a Facebook page was created called "We Are All Khaled Said" with pictures of his beaten body in the morgue. Within weeks the site had over 100,000 friends and that grew to over 500,000 and became a rallying point for Egyptians.
Tapscott notes that social media "...can take weak ties between people initiated on the web can become strong ties and forge close relationships that organize for social change. Egypt shutting down the Internet gave citizens no other choice but to take to the street to communicate. The paradox is dictators typically take control of the conventional gatekeeper media and can effectively control the message and stifle rebellion. When the access to the Internet and social media was removed by Mubarak, those in remote and decentralized connected nodes "were triggered into action" and took to the streets. It had just to opposite effect from what the dictator expected.
Social Media Implications for Governments
There are some very serious lessons here for modern democracies and free market enterprises. Stable democracies but with fundamental political deficits around accountability, honesty, transparency and openness, like Alberta and Canada, should take heed. The political leaders and political parties depend on the voluntary consent by citizens to those in power to govern us. When the citizen wake up looking for change they will show up to make that change happen. The voter volatility in Alberta is early signs of citizens waking up politically and not liking what they see offered by the current options.
When we vote, or not vote, we voluntarily give up some personal power and individual agency to politicians to form governments that we expect will act for the greater good. The engaged and informed but frustrated or angry citizen will not comply with the old and outdated vertical political power model. It is being replaced by a horizontal participatory public service model of governance where stable and mature democracies are involved. Social media is playing an enormous role in creating and sustaining that change to horizontal based shared governance with real citizen participation in the political culture.
Social Media Implications for Industry.
Industry that depends on a social license to operate in the marketplace is also in serious peril from the organizational capacity of social media. The growing public opposition to big Telcos and Cable operators over ridiculously high cost and low performance of Internet service and the manipulation of rates known as User Based Billing is going to bring them to heel. That is only one sector to feel the pressure. Any other regulated sector is vulnerable and those unregulated industries will not escape the power of the mouse.
The shifting of public opinion on oil sands in Alberta and around the world, is another prime area where the corporations developing this resource are now responding to demands for authentic corporate social responsibility beyond providing investment, jobs and public relations campaigns.
Governments and industry who are not accountable, open and transparent, that do not align overtly and effectively with the values of the culture they operate in and fail refuse or neglect to adapt have reason to be afraid - very afraid.
The Alberta Party and Social Media
The Alberta Party and its membership gets this shift from vertical power based democracy to horizontal participatory democracy. We know that social media is a powerful force to create and sustain this shift in power distribution and citizen participation in politics. We are mocked by those who's power comes from the status quo for saying we want to do politics differently. We are belittled by conventional-traditional political thinkers who make comments like "it looks like the Alberta Party is trying to Tweet its way to power." We are and we will because the capacity to do so is in the Internet here and the will of citizens for a better government will make it happen.
Those who think that accusing the Alberta Party of "Tweeting it's way to power" are partly true but they don't understand the difference this new technology is making. What is happening is not a set of weak tie relationships but new vibrant networks are forming of like-minded citizens who have decided to get involved in the spirit of Reboot.
They are citizens who are going to retake Control of our democracy and politics. Many are looking to create Alternatives like the Alberta Party and others are dedicated to changing others parties from within. Then there is the need to Delete the old attitudes that lead to cynicism and disengagement from politics and participating in preserving our democracy.
Rebooting Alberta
The Reboot Alberta effort was the sparked that got progressives in Alberta together where we realized we were not alone and others shared our values and perceptions. We also realized political complacency was not a citizenship option in Alberta any more. We had to get engaged in the political culture of the times to change the trajectory from the hard core right wing shift we saw happening with the rise of the Wildrose Alliance and its libertarian governing ideology.
The forlorn belief that there is no reason to believe that anything can or will change justified not getting involved. The amazing way citizens in Egypt and Tunisia used their collected energy enabled by social media to overcome fear and get rid of dictators has to be an inspiration. Citizens in Alberta are starting to challenge how their governments work and behave.
Albertans have a safe secure and stable society but without much resolve to achieve our true potential. We must move past the pure economic realm of the Alberta Advantage. We need to consider what are our Alberta Aspirations in this changing world. Those aspirations, must be a stretch that worthy of us and push our potential as people and a province. We have to be a more integrated in our thinking and always be concerned for the economy, the environment and our social cohesion in policy and politics.
One of my aspirations as an Albertan is in the spirit and intend of the new Alberta Party as we create a new progressive, inclusive political culture with integrity, accountability, transparency, fiscal responsibility and environmental stewardship as fundamental values. I see so much potential in this new citizen's movement that has morphed into the Alberta Party. I am inspired by the courage and commitment of individual Egyptians and Tunisians who have so much more to lose and so much to gain by getting engaged. I only hope Albertans will now commit to change by a personal resolution for a peaceful but profound political revolution in Alberta.
Tapscott starts with a challenge to the Malcolm Gladwell assertion last October in The New Yorker magazine essay "Small Change:Why the Revolution Won't be Tweeted." Gladwell contended that social media only created "weak ties" between people and it took "strong ties" and close relationships to bring about real social change.
Tapscott says "If Twitter, Facebook and YouTube didn't exist, Hosni Mubarak would still be president of Egypt. The social media tools gave Mubarak's opponents unprecedented ability to share information and organize their activities, including massive protest which riveted the world's attention." This is the core new reality of the shift of power to the networks of engaged citizens from hierarchies of personal power brokers.
Last June a 28 year-old businessman Khaled Said was beaten to death by two police officers. Said has posted video of these police officers dealing in illegal drugs. Shortly after Said 's death a Facebook page was created called "We Are All Khaled Said" with pictures of his beaten body in the morgue. Within weeks the site had over 100,000 friends and that grew to over 500,000 and became a rallying point for Egyptians.
Tapscott notes that social media "...can take weak ties between people initiated on the web can become strong ties and forge close relationships that organize for social change. Egypt shutting down the Internet gave citizens no other choice but to take to the street to communicate. The paradox is dictators typically take control of the conventional gatekeeper media and can effectively control the message and stifle rebellion. When the access to the Internet and social media was removed by Mubarak, those in remote and decentralized connected nodes "were triggered into action" and took to the streets. It had just to opposite effect from what the dictator expected.
Social Media Implications for Governments
There are some very serious lessons here for modern democracies and free market enterprises. Stable democracies but with fundamental political deficits around accountability, honesty, transparency and openness, like Alberta and Canada, should take heed. The political leaders and political parties depend on the voluntary consent by citizens to those in power to govern us. When the citizen wake up looking for change they will show up to make that change happen. The voter volatility in Alberta is early signs of citizens waking up politically and not liking what they see offered by the current options.
When we vote, or not vote, we voluntarily give up some personal power and individual agency to politicians to form governments that we expect will act for the greater good. The engaged and informed but frustrated or angry citizen will not comply with the old and outdated vertical political power model. It is being replaced by a horizontal participatory public service model of governance where stable and mature democracies are involved. Social media is playing an enormous role in creating and sustaining that change to horizontal based shared governance with real citizen participation in the political culture.
Social Media Implications for Industry.
Industry that depends on a social license to operate in the marketplace is also in serious peril from the organizational capacity of social media. The growing public opposition to big Telcos and Cable operators over ridiculously high cost and low performance of Internet service and the manipulation of rates known as User Based Billing is going to bring them to heel. That is only one sector to feel the pressure. Any other regulated sector is vulnerable and those unregulated industries will not escape the power of the mouse.
The shifting of public opinion on oil sands in Alberta and around the world, is another prime area where the corporations developing this resource are now responding to demands for authentic corporate social responsibility beyond providing investment, jobs and public relations campaigns.
Governments and industry who are not accountable, open and transparent, that do not align overtly and effectively with the values of the culture they operate in and fail refuse or neglect to adapt have reason to be afraid - very afraid.
The Alberta Party and Social Media
The Alberta Party and its membership gets this shift from vertical power based democracy to horizontal participatory democracy. We know that social media is a powerful force to create and sustain this shift in power distribution and citizen participation in politics. We are mocked by those who's power comes from the status quo for saying we want to do politics differently. We are belittled by conventional-traditional political thinkers who make comments like "it looks like the Alberta Party is trying to Tweet its way to power." We are and we will because the capacity to do so is in the Internet here and the will of citizens for a better government will make it happen.
Those who think that accusing the Alberta Party of "Tweeting it's way to power" are partly true but they don't understand the difference this new technology is making. What is happening is not a set of weak tie relationships but new vibrant networks are forming of like-minded citizens who have decided to get involved in the spirit of Reboot.
They are citizens who are going to retake Control of our democracy and politics. Many are looking to create Alternatives like the Alberta Party and others are dedicated to changing others parties from within. Then there is the need to Delete the old attitudes that lead to cynicism and disengagement from politics and participating in preserving our democracy.
Rebooting Alberta
The Reboot Alberta effort was the sparked that got progressives in Alberta together where we realized we were not alone and others shared our values and perceptions. We also realized political complacency was not a citizenship option in Alberta any more. We had to get engaged in the political culture of the times to change the trajectory from the hard core right wing shift we saw happening with the rise of the Wildrose Alliance and its libertarian governing ideology.
The forlorn belief that there is no reason to believe that anything can or will change justified not getting involved. The amazing way citizens in Egypt and Tunisia used their collected energy enabled by social media to overcome fear and get rid of dictators has to be an inspiration. Citizens in Alberta are starting to challenge how their governments work and behave.
Albertans have a safe secure and stable society but without much resolve to achieve our true potential. We must move past the pure economic realm of the Alberta Advantage. We need to consider what are our Alberta Aspirations in this changing world. Those aspirations, must be a stretch that worthy of us and push our potential as people and a province. We have to be a more integrated in our thinking and always be concerned for the economy, the environment and our social cohesion in policy and politics.
One of my aspirations as an Albertan is in the spirit and intend of the new Alberta Party as we create a new progressive, inclusive political culture with integrity, accountability, transparency, fiscal responsibility and environmental stewardship as fundamental values. I see so much potential in this new citizen's movement that has morphed into the Alberta Party. I am inspired by the courage and commitment of individual Egyptians and Tunisians who have so much more to lose and so much to gain by getting engaged. I only hope Albertans will now commit to change by a personal resolution for a peaceful but profound political revolution in Alberta.
Changing Educational Paradigms
Sir Ken Robinson was recently in Red Deer to a packed house interested in the future of public education. We will be able to provide some clips of the presentation ion the near future.
Here is an interesting video on Sir Ken Robinson on changing educational paradigms. This is interesting stuff for context on Learning Our Way to the Next Alberta. You should block off the evening of March 17 for a lecture by Michael Adams of Environics and author of a new book about the last half of life for Baby Boomers called "Stayin' Alive."
Dr. Jean Twenge will also be speaking on her new book "The Narcissist Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement." This is part of the Learning Our Way as Aspiring Albertans series pf lectures and workshops we at Cambridge Strategies do with the ATA.
You can learn more and order tickets by clicking here.
His comments on ADHD are relevant to a new book by Kathryn Burke call "An Accidental Advocate" we have helped publish. This book is a first person account of Kathryn's journey with her ADHD son and the struggle to get him the educational help he needs.
You can learn more about the book and order it here
Here is an interesting video on Sir Ken Robinson on changing educational paradigms. This is interesting stuff for context on Learning Our Way to the Next Alberta. You should block off the evening of March 17 for a lecture by Michael Adams of Environics and author of a new book about the last half of life for Baby Boomers called "Stayin' Alive."
Dr. Jean Twenge will also be speaking on her new book "The Narcissist Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement." This is part of the Learning Our Way as Aspiring Albertans series pf lectures and workshops we at Cambridge Strategies do with the ATA.
You can learn more and order tickets by clicking here.
His comments on ADHD are relevant to a new book by Kathryn Burke call "An Accidental Advocate" we have helped publish. This book is a first person account of Kathryn's journey with her ADHD son and the struggle to get him the educational help he needs.
You can learn more about the book and order it here
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