Dr Sherman wants an on-line debate on health care amongst the leaders of the various political parties. I have suggested on Twitter that what we need is a real deliberative conversation about health care nor so much an old style political debate. Too much of what passes for political debate and even balanced reporting these days is one side arguing with the other side. The sound bites are not solutions.
Just as Don Iveson ran for Edmonton City Council and Naheed Nenshi ran for Mayor of Calgary "by campaigning in full sentences," when it comes to a complicated matter like health care we need an adult conversation in full paragraphs. I worry that a old-style debate will be little more than sound and furry signifying nothing.
There is another problem with a old fashioned Don Cherry style rock 'em sock 'em leaders debate right now. There is a shortage party leaders to participate. There are three political parties in search of a new leader right now. We only have Danielle Smith of the Wildrose Alliance and Brian Mason of the NDP left as leaders and only one of them have a seat in the Legislature. We don't know who all will show up as candidates in the other three parties and that is hardly the circumstances to have any kind of political debate.
The Alberta Party has issued as statement suggesting and alternative, a more deliberative approach for a discussion on health care concerns. I think it is worth considering because it offers more substance than a typical political debate format. Perhaps that conversation will happen in the various leadership campaigns. It would be nice if it did.
In the meantime Danielle Smith as accepted Raj's challenge to have a leader's debate on health care. I think a Smith-Sherman debate would be very interesting. Raj is now his own man and can speak his mind, not a party line. He is showing personal leadership in his Friends of Medicare facilitated town hall tour around Alberta. He is a very knowledgeable, professional and evidence based kind of guy who has captured the public's imagination. Danielle is a strong communicator with a certain vision that says more market-based competition is a key factor in solving the health care crisis. Both are excellent communicators and with different perspectives on the problems and the solutions. That is the basis for the debate Raj is asking for.
So lets see the Sherman-Smith debate on the future of Health Care in Alberta. Lets make sure Brian Mason of the NDP is part of the punch up too. Let's do it live on the Internet and see if we get some light and clarity instead of heat and histrionics over health care. If nothing else we should get a clearer sense of if the Wildrose Alliance has really abandoned what Raj calls the Americanization of Alberta Health care. Raj could be a catalyst to test the trust Albertans ought to give to the Alliance and the NDP on health care reform.
Set it up Raj - I'll watch.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Alberta Politicians Feeling the Pressure
The recent resignation of Premier Ed Stelmach as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta and reports of the pending resignation of David Swann as leader of the Alberta Liberal Party simply underscore the volatility and unrest in Alberta. Go to any of the public meetings being held on certain Bills on land and property rights issues happening over Alberta and see the anger.
I am saddened by both resignations and the internal/external political circumstances surrounding them. I have great respect for the integrity of Ed Stelmach and David Swann as people. I bought an Alberta Liberal Party membership card to support David Swann's bid for leadership. I have been in touch with David Swann on many occasions in the last 2 years and my respect and admiration for him has only grown.
I supported Dave Hancock in the 2006 PC leadership race. The evening the first vote ballots were about to be announced in Calgary Dave Hancock and I both joined the Stelmach campaign before the first vote was even announced. The integration of the Hancock and Stelmach campaigns for the second ballot was seamless and Dave was able to deliver most of his votes to Ed, contributing greatly to his victory.
The political and communications skills of these gentlemen have been questioned, internally and externally, Their resignations are a direct consequence of that questioning. There is no questioning of their character or their commitment to servant-leadership. The circumstances of there resignations are also, in part, a result of the organizational and communications skills of Danielle Smith. She has provided an alternative to those partisans who want to shift Alberta to more market based solutions for public policy and who see government as a problem not a solution to the challenges we face in Alberta. None of these gentlemen have captured the imagination of the public to provide a moderate progressive alternative. That is partially why the Alberta Party is seen suddenly seen as an alternative worth watching.
These leadership resignations are merely a function of the political realities settling in. Albertans are not happy enough with any of the political options they are currently offered. I have known this since last May from research we have done. Albertans are displeased with all the leadership alternatives conventional political parties have offered. When 51% of us do not believe our government is listening to us and 51% feel we have no influence on government, that says our politicians are out of touch, not just the PCs.
When asked in the same survey "Who do you trust the most to responsibly manage Alberta's growth" the responses were damning for all and disastrous for some. The Stelmach PCs only had 23% support. The Smith lead Wildrose Alliance was trusted to responsibly manage Alberta's growth by 19%. The Alberta Liberals under David Swann garnered 9% while Brian Mason and the NDP were trust in this context by only 4% of Albertans. The kicker that should have all conventional political parties worried is that 45% said they trusted NONE OF THE ABOVE to responsibly manage Alberta's growth. This discontent is what will plague and frustrate the conventional political parties and their leadership candidates in particular .
What this all says to me is the democratic system is broke when 60% can't be bothered to even vote. It is in need of repair not just maintenance when 45% say they don't trust any of the party leaders in play right now. What is behind all this is a sense of alienation of the public from politics because the political culture is more about gamesmanship than leadership.
What we have here is not just a failure to communicate. There is lots of messaging going on. What we have here is a failure to lead...from all political parties...and from citizens too. We citizens have a leadership role in changing the political culture of our times too. Most us us have abdicated that responsibility. In the new networked world of the Internet the "strong" leader framed as the charismatic disciplinarian autocrat is out of date. Leadership in a modern networked community based world is all about relationships and service, not personality based power and control.
The ritual sacrifice of Ed Stelmach and David Swann is a remnant of the old political culture. While I am saddened for them personally and am energized by these resignations because they provide a chance to focus and reflect on just how broken our political system is and how deep is the democratic deficit in Alberta. They beg the question about what will we do about these problems.
If you want to explore more on the crisis of political leadership in Alberta read this blog post by my good friend Dave King. "What does it mean "to lead?" What is leadership." If you want to explore the implications of there high profile political resignations on the political culture of Alberta then read Dave's blog post called "The Big Shift."
Nothing is safe or sacred, even 40 years of continuous rule by one political party, once the population decides there must be a change. Albertans have been poised for a change since the 2004 election when the PCs ran on the promise that Ralph Klein would leave shortly afterwards. When Klein mused about hanging on the rank and file PC membership sent him packing. That was the early warning signs that politics as usual was not on any more in Alberta.
The events of the past week have been bubbling from all the way back to 2004. By all accounts the next election will be a game changer. There is a political struggle that is about to emerge in Alberta. It is going to be about defining and delivering the new narrative for the next Alberta. That is the subject of an other blog or blogs. Albertans are waking up to the possibility that this sense of change could go really badly or quite magnificently....and the choice is all of ours - not just for some small group of nameless people who pull or aspire to pull the levers of power these days.
I am saddened by both resignations and the internal/external political circumstances surrounding them. I have great respect for the integrity of Ed Stelmach and David Swann as people. I bought an Alberta Liberal Party membership card to support David Swann's bid for leadership. I have been in touch with David Swann on many occasions in the last 2 years and my respect and admiration for him has only grown.
I supported Dave Hancock in the 2006 PC leadership race. The evening the first vote ballots were about to be announced in Calgary Dave Hancock and I both joined the Stelmach campaign before the first vote was even announced. The integration of the Hancock and Stelmach campaigns for the second ballot was seamless and Dave was able to deliver most of his votes to Ed, contributing greatly to his victory.
The political and communications skills of these gentlemen have been questioned, internally and externally, Their resignations are a direct consequence of that questioning. There is no questioning of their character or their commitment to servant-leadership. The circumstances of there resignations are also, in part, a result of the organizational and communications skills of Danielle Smith. She has provided an alternative to those partisans who want to shift Alberta to more market based solutions for public policy and who see government as a problem not a solution to the challenges we face in Alberta. None of these gentlemen have captured the imagination of the public to provide a moderate progressive alternative. That is partially why the Alberta Party is seen suddenly seen as an alternative worth watching.
These leadership resignations are merely a function of the political realities settling in. Albertans are not happy enough with any of the political options they are currently offered. I have known this since last May from research we have done. Albertans are displeased with all the leadership alternatives conventional political parties have offered. When 51% of us do not believe our government is listening to us and 51% feel we have no influence on government, that says our politicians are out of touch, not just the PCs.
When asked in the same survey "Who do you trust the most to responsibly manage Alberta's growth" the responses were damning for all and disastrous for some. The Stelmach PCs only had 23% support. The Smith lead Wildrose Alliance was trusted to responsibly manage Alberta's growth by 19%. The Alberta Liberals under David Swann garnered 9% while Brian Mason and the NDP were trust in this context by only 4% of Albertans. The kicker that should have all conventional political parties worried is that 45% said they trusted NONE OF THE ABOVE to responsibly manage Alberta's growth. This discontent is what will plague and frustrate the conventional political parties and their leadership candidates in particular .
What this all says to me is the democratic system is broke when 60% can't be bothered to even vote. It is in need of repair not just maintenance when 45% say they don't trust any of the party leaders in play right now. What is behind all this is a sense of alienation of the public from politics because the political culture is more about gamesmanship than leadership.
What we have here is not just a failure to communicate. There is lots of messaging going on. What we have here is a failure to lead...from all political parties...and from citizens too. We citizens have a leadership role in changing the political culture of our times too. Most us us have abdicated that responsibility. In the new networked world of the Internet the "strong" leader framed as the charismatic disciplinarian autocrat is out of date. Leadership in a modern networked community based world is all about relationships and service, not personality based power and control.
The ritual sacrifice of Ed Stelmach and David Swann is a remnant of the old political culture. While I am saddened for them personally and am energized by these resignations because they provide a chance to focus and reflect on just how broken our political system is and how deep is the democratic deficit in Alberta. They beg the question about what will we do about these problems.
If you want to explore more on the crisis of political leadership in Alberta read this blog post by my good friend Dave King. "What does it mean "to lead?" What is leadership." If you want to explore the implications of there high profile political resignations on the political culture of Alberta then read Dave's blog post called "The Big Shift."
Nothing is safe or sacred, even 40 years of continuous rule by one political party, once the population decides there must be a change. Albertans have been poised for a change since the 2004 election when the PCs ran on the promise that Ralph Klein would leave shortly afterwards. When Klein mused about hanging on the rank and file PC membership sent him packing. That was the early warning signs that politics as usual was not on any more in Alberta.
The events of the past week have been bubbling from all the way back to 2004. By all accounts the next election will be a game changer. There is a political struggle that is about to emerge in Alberta. It is going to be about defining and delivering the new narrative for the next Alberta. That is the subject of an other blog or blogs. Albertans are waking up to the possibility that this sense of change could go really badly or quite magnificently....and the choice is all of ours - not just for some small group of nameless people who pull or aspire to pull the levers of power these days.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Ted Morton Out to Unite the Right in Alberta
Here is an excellent piece by Josh Wingrove of the Globe and Mail outlining the history of Dr. Ted Morton and the reasons for his push to Unite the Right and bring the Wildrose Alliance back to the PC fold. It looks like Dr. Morton has lost a lot of his base from the 2006 Leadership contest to the Alliance.
For Dr. Morton not all is lost. He should be a favourite of the fundamentalist social conservatives in Alberta and be able to woo them back to his leadership. They have all been very silent since they lost the Wildrose Alliance leadership. They have a new champion in Dr. Morton as this Globe piece reminds us. His has strong and strident social conservative beliefs and those who share those values seem to be lost right now. Will Dr. Morton be their man? Remember when he wins the PC leadership he automatically becomes Premier. He can do a lot of damage or a lot of good - depending on your values and point of view - before he has to face the Alberta electorate.
Just another part of the political culture war that is unfolding on the far right these days. These values only become mainstream when moderates and progressives let them by staying passive about the politics of our time.
For Dr. Morton not all is lost. He should be a favourite of the fundamentalist social conservatives in Alberta and be able to woo them back to his leadership. They have all been very silent since they lost the Wildrose Alliance leadership. They have a new champion in Dr. Morton as this Globe piece reminds us. His has strong and strident social conservative beliefs and those who share those values seem to be lost right now. Will Dr. Morton be their man? Remember when he wins the PC leadership he automatically becomes Premier. He can do a lot of damage or a lot of good - depending on your values and point of view - before he has to face the Alberta electorate.
Just another part of the political culture war that is unfolding on the far right these days. These values only become mainstream when moderates and progressives let them by staying passive about the politics of our time.
Doing Politics Differently
I just read a blog post from a fellow I have met through this social media world. I look forward to working with in the Alberta Party as we are both members. Gary and I are very different based on our political history. I have been politically active since I was 14 and he is just now taking his first partisan steps. What he says in this blog post however points out to me just how much we have in common based on our shared values.
We need a more civility and a greater public servant sense from our politicians, regardless of partisan leaning. We have too many people pursing personal political power or trying to perpetuate that power once they have it. It may be good politics but it is bad governance...and that is just not good enough anymore.
We need a more civility and a greater public servant sense from our politicians, regardless of partisan leaning. We have too many people pursing personal political power or trying to perpetuate that power once they have it. It may be good politics but it is bad governance...and that is just not good enough anymore.
Raj Sherman on BNN Squeeze Play
Raj Sherman speaks his mind and outlines his short term intentions to stay as an Independent for a while. He also give insight into what is wrong with health care policy and who is to blame. Part of the fascinating times in Alberta politics.
http://watch.bnn.ca/squeezeplay/january-2011/squeezeplay-january-28-2011/#clip409154
http://watch.bnn.ca/squeezeplay/january-2011/squeezeplay-january-28-2011/#clip409154
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