Dear Editor,
What an upset surprise with the Alberta premiers election result. The political pundits were proven totally wrong and those who quietly read between the lines absolutely right.
Alison Redford is a highly intelligent and extremely well motivated politician, but she faces two major problems. First she has to create a capable government of able minded ministers, who have the ability and resourcefulness to make decisions — and good ones — in the best interest of Albertans. At the same time she has to literally rebuild the Progressive Conservatives, now a terminally fractured party. She has little time to do it.
Unless Alison makes real changes in the way Alberta is governed, there is a distinct possibility the PC’s will be in opposition in 2012. If she follows Ed Stelmach’s example and simply moves the existing pack of old hacks and cynical self-servers one step to the right, she is well on the road to losing, and badly. There are far too many second rate ministers who are simply not up to the job, yet still hold key government positions. This situation has to change, Alison must avoid yet another ‘musical chairs’ act. A clean sweep is required with a new hand of young and innovative ministerial appointments brought to the fore. She can do this as there is a wealth of talent available. But she has to put the old guard out to pasture, where they rightly belong.
The turnout on both first and second round ballots can only be described as embarrassing and another wake up call to the PC’s for real change in order to get their act together. Otherwise they run a serious risk in the face of the Wild Rose at the next provincial election. Danielle Smith is running a red hot campaign and looks set to do very well indeed come election time. I say good luck to her as for far too long Alberta politics have been denied a forceful and effective alternative to the PC’s.
Alberta politics is finally on the cusp of taking off and we can look forward to a very interesting few months leading up to the provincial election. We can only hope that whomever forms the next government provides the inspired leadership now so necessary in these difficult times. It will be particularly interesting to have two very capable ladies battling it out.
Nicholas Worthington
Millarville
