Alberta voters need to turn their backs on Danielle Smith’s bid to lead the UCP
By Lethbridge Herald on July 22, 2022.
Editor:
It pays sometimes to take note of natural processes when considering Alberta politics. And here I’m thinking of the digestive tract as being most emblematic. In one end goes reams and gobs of general social and economic data, and out the other squirts a sometimes quite nasty and bilious effluent of dogma, invective and outright gobbledygook. This is especially true of certain alarming splinter elements of the United Conservative Party.
This is an outfit which is not content to merely chase its own tail. It rather chooses to devour its own head from time to time. Who’s even bothered to keep count of how many would-be monarchs have followed in the boozy footsteps of King Ralph? A bunch. And now Jason Kenney has been lanced like a pernicious boil atop the noggin of the UCP to reveal the swirling pus-bucket beneath that passes for the party’s brains. Look – the putschists are lining up, and the deeply reactionary storm-clouds are brewing.
Perhaps the most entertaining contender in this line-up is the former leader of the Wildrose Party, Danielle Smith. Not content to rest on her laurels as a Machiavellian conniver and turncoat to her former base, she now seems to have had a stirring vision for the future which pivotally involves her becoming the next Grand Poobah of our fair province. Well, this is plucky stuff. Lazarus taking up his bed and walking is mere nursery-rhyming compared with this epic bid for miraculous resurrection. Yep – get tossed off your pony and climb right back up, only on a rutting T-Rex this time.
It is clearly the case that Ms. Smith plans to carry on the important work undertaken by the dislodged Premier Kenney, which broadly involves undermining the social safety net, diverting tax revenues to corporate interests, starving and/or perverting public education, opening the natural world to the despoilers, pandering to cheap nationalism, touting ‘free speech’ as a façade for sexism and xenophobia, trashing expertise and objective journalism, debasing reasoned discourse, coddling religious zealotry, and just generally shoving our society down an antediluvian rabbit-hole of revisionism and stupefaction. Yes, look, dear voter – sometimes the aforementioned bowel bloats. Take Smith for the passing wind she is, therefore, and return her to the vaporous oblivion she so richly deserves.
Phil Burpee
Pincher Creek
8-7
OMG Phil for the years that I have been a small part of this forum I have never heard the bibble-babble and verbal-drivel that consumes your letter.
As I have followed Danielle over the years I have concluded that she is a bright-articulate and well spoken woman! She is the front runner in the race and would make a great Premier. She has vowed not to let Ottawa screw us over any more and stand up to the authoritarian-Trudeau government on issues of provincial jurisdiction. For this I applaud her! Ottawa has tightened the noose on our natural resources and ability to develop them. A strong pro-Alberta leader is necessary now in Edmonton and in my opinion Danielle fits the bill perfectly! She will and should be the one that will give us a loud and clear voice in Ottawa “The time for screwing-over Alberta is over!” If this is not to your liking Phil then I suggest you move back to Toronto where I am sure you are from. You are not a good fit out West here. If you need help packing I could offer my services cheap!
Well done, J57, helping Phil make his point.
“HIGH HITLER” to your authoritarian-leader Trudeau!
It was ‘Heil’, idiot.
My German is not as good as yours you TWIT!
So happy you cleared that up. Since forever I thought it was “Hi, Hitler.” johnny57’s post really confused me.
yup, dress up a slobbering dog in alberta so as to call it a conservative, and alberta will vote it in. a big tin of alpo to you on this one.
What’s the alternative? Letting the economy wrecking, enviro-terrorist, job-killing, Alberta-hating, city wrecking NDP back in? What’s your plan A or even B?
Your alternative is to let Danielle Smith roll back the clock to 1882?
Using hatred as a word to describe Parties other than the UCP is also laughable.
Their platform is literally built on sewing division in order to prop up their mis-informed, conspiracy-laden base.
It’s UCP bungling that has put Alberta in such a poor economic position.
Instead of banking for the future, they have blown what could have been a legacy.
There’s nothing they have touched that isn’t wrecked (or will be wrecked) in some way: From the Medical System, Education, and lastly (But most importantly) the Environment.
While lining their Corporate Overlord’s pockets with Alberta’s tax dollars.
To let it continue is to saddle future generations with a nightmare.
Boy you certainly have it right. I wonder how many guys like Johnny would be able to pay $800.to $1,000. Per month each like my American relatives are forced to do, while he watches them continue to help the rich steal our oil and tax wealth like they have been doing since the Ralph Klein days. People in Norway and Alaska weren’t that stupid.
well, i am on record so very many times in noting that the i think the entire political party is corrupted, unrepresentative, and undemocratic. that said, i more in favour of the ndp than the ucp. that said, i will not vote for either, and will continue to register protest votes by destroying my ballot.
I too have watched and listened to Danielle for many years and agree with you on her being an very intelligent woman. That’s what makes me question what she’s trying to achieve with this sovereignty act scam. On another point I’m no fan of Trudeau but to equate your perceived ideas of his authoritarian acts to a certain person of German heritage is totally out of line.
Keep sticking that foot down your throat and choking on it.
Can you bring something else to the table you IDIOT!
GO DANIELLE GO!!!!!
I could not agree more. I’m hoping that when we get our own police force the RCMP will stop harassing me with those pesky arrest warrants!
Here is another reason to support Danielle. I heard yesterday — down the pub — that she plans to ban the teaching of poems that don’t rime. Now thats a dog that need to hunt!!!
Brilliant letter Phil. Of course what she is promising will cost Alberta seniors their old age security payments, Canada pension plan payments, and public health care benefits , why wouldn’t it? Why would Ottawa support Albertans , if Albertans are going to ignore them? But guys like Johnny 57 being so easy to fool will be willingly buy into it. Getting elected is all she cares about and who gets hurt in the process is no concern of hers. This the same woman who was fired by the conservative government as a school board trustee for wanting to privatize our education system and told us a leader of the Wildrose Party that Klein should have privatized our education and health care systems , not to mention she was defeated three times as a conservative. People weren’t interested in the stupidity she promised, but in all fairness to Johnny I’m betting he doesn’t have any retired lawyer friends to straighten him out.
I wonder where Johnny gets the idea that Ottawa is screwing us when in fact they have saved Albertans by giving us an extra $30 billion to save our young people during COVID and our oil industry by buying them a $4.5 billion pipeline. It obvious that he has bought into these reform party lies like many other seniors have.
I agree FC.
Thanks Jim . It was recently announced that Ottawa is providing our Edmonton airport with another $100 million , yet these reformers keep feeding their supporters the lie that Ottawa is stealing all our money. It just isn’t true.
agreed, fed up
Apt words to describe the putrescent UCP shenanigens….This:
“Deadline Day speculation: Could Rebecca Schulz emerge as the UCP leadership candidate to defeat Danielle Smith?”
http://www.albertapolitics.ca
It appears, that the UCP caucus is displaying the jitters re: Danielle Smith and prefer the anemic Travis Toews, but their second choice appears to be Ms. Schulz. Time will tell……
I think David might be wrong. She would certainly get my vote but was only able to attract 30 people to her rally in her Medicine Hat riding. The truth is people are so fed up with these fake conservatives they can’t wait to get Rachael Notley back in power. They have finally learned that she was on the right track of wanting to increase corporate taxes and royalties back up to the Lougheed levels. It’s the only way we will get out of this horrific mess, as Lougheed called it.
Good one Mr Burpee.
At a time when the majority of Canadians across this vast country are asking for more centrist, less divisive political leaders , the likes of DS and her counterpart in Ottawa PP, are intent on dividing the population even more so .
Politically speaking , we are becoming as a nation, more and more like the divisive , muck throwing , ignoramuses down south.
Time was when both major parties here, were somewhat left and somewhat right of each other and although disagreements were common , the good of the people trumped the name calling, caterwauling and divisive slandering from both major players which we are currently witnessing .
If there is a God (which I seriously doubt), perhaps he or she could have a word or two to say at the respective party conventions. Either that, or simply give all the leaders a collective head shake?
Boy have you got that right, and we can blame it on these damn reformers trying to copy Donald Trump. There is certainly nothing conservative about them. Pierre Poilievre has proven it. Why else would he praise his pal Jason Kenney for creating the COVID mess in Alberta by refusing to listen to our doctors, praises the truckers for the mess in Ottawa and Coutts, and bashes Trudeau for doing the right thing in banning assault rifles and handguns. Apparently he doesn’t care who died from COVID or the shootings in the U.S. and Nova Scotia and doesn’t care what it has cost taxpayers. Like the rest of these reformers Preston Manning, Stephen Harper, Brian Jean, Danielle smith, Jim Prentice, Paul Hinman, Andrew Scheer and Erin O’Toole and Jason Kenney he will get defeated, sooner or later, as the former MLAs I got to know pointed out. They had no use for any of them.
quite true, jpn. it has been said we are often only 10-20 years behind the usa. however, that observation was made long before social media and its accelerating effect on many things hit the stride it has today. let us hope a person’s right to their body, in particular with regard to accessing an abortion, is not to be further compromised somewhere around the corner.
You must have a hard time sleeping nights living in such fear of the evil UCP. Smith will win this leadership election, the UCP will again beat the NDP in the general election and you will be compelled to cower in your root cellar worrying about the next boogy man who may wander by with the intent of stealing your “book of cliches”.
These reformers must be extremely proud of you for believing all their lies. The conservatives in my world aren’t prepared to be their village idiots so why are you? Apparently you haven’t been talking to the intelligent Albertans like lawyers, accountants, oilmen , bankers or former MLAs from the Lougheed era like some of have, right? Supporting a loser like Danielle Smith is just plain stupid, have you forgotten how many times she was defeated in elections?
Well FC and Biff, reality bites does it not? I know some reformers- I also know some people who profess themselves to be old school Cons – I also know some Liberals – and a few NDP. They come from all walks of life and experiences , not just a bunch of old farts sitting around the coffee table at Timmy’s. Despite the WIDE gap in world view amongst them the one thing they do agree on is that Ottawa is not our friend and we need someone who is willing to do more than write another form letter of complaint or promise to get really really mad next time. Smith is the only one who projects a willingness to even try to stand up to the looters from the east. She will win her parties leadership race on a first ballot if things hold. Thereafter, she will have to prove herself capable to Albertans who will grant her a lot of slack given the historic disaster that is the NDP alternative.
THAT, my friends, is reality.
You will note I have NOT said I like it, or dislike it. But I recognize it is unfolding
FC, as to your ” village idiots” comment, I’m disappointed you can’t marshall a better referfence group than Lougheed era PC’s as your arbiters of ” idiocy”. That group set the standard for corruption and self interest and I’d wear dismissal by that band as a badge of honour any day.
I had known Ralph Klein personally since I was in my late teens and I certainly knew what a jerk he was. How do you explain why members of his own family including his father Phil and daughter Angie tried to help us vote him out? For the record Lougheed’s energy minister Bill Dickie was a brother in-law of one of my uncles, and I got to know several of our conservative heroes under the Lougheed government so why wouldn’t I be proud of what they did for Albertans. I know what they thought of these damn reformers and the ignorant people supporting them and I certainly know what we should have had if Lougheed’s royalties and taxes been followed and Alaska and Norway have proven it.
well, if you enjoyed klein, redford, prentice, kenney…i’m sure you will love smith, whose ego and cunning is likely only short of klein’s. a great list are these premiers, as they oversaw the incredible mismanagement and desecration of alberta’s natural resources and natural spaces. i am thnking maybe albertans are no longer so stupid as to be fooled not once, twice, thrice, 4 times, 5 times….
I really doubt many of these senior fools who want to support Smith would be able to afford what she would do to them and my friends say we can’t afford anymore food banks and they don’t want to end up being a financial burden to their children. Collecting proper taxes and royalties like Lougheed did and running this province properly like he did and Norway and Alaska are doing makes perfect since. That’s what Notley promised she would do and that’s why Albertans want her back. Road workers tell us that they think repairing our roads will cost taxpayers at least $20 billion thanks to how these reformers ignored them, and mayors did the best they could without tripling our property taxes. We already have the highest property taxes in Canada we are told, and I believe it my taxes are a lot higher than my B. C. relatives.
Quite simply your full of it. Notley took nine months to review the royalty process and changed nothing. Can the BS.
that is an issue to be sure. they governed more like a redford con party than an ndp. then again, there is no longer a real ndp as it was back in the days of tommy douglas, when the masses and health and safety and fairness and decency and human rights were bottom line priorities.
The conservatives that I knew from the Lougheed era were very impressed with Notley . This is what former Lougheed MLA Allan Warrack said “Rachael Notley Led Like Lougheed.”Every conservative I know agrees.
You need to get your head out of your ass and get into the real world. Didn’t you bother read what I told you in the past. The oil industry agreed with Notley that we need to get back to the Lougheed levels and agree to let her do it on a gradual basis. Because they were in an industry crash when she took office they agreed to a 2% increase in corporate taxes and she was planning to start increasing royalties in 2021, yet look what you fools did to her. The truth is why did you let Klein destroy us in the first place? Norway and Alaska weren’t that stupid.
Once again you prove yourself a slobbery Timmies fool. Norway and Alaska are red herrings and you know it. You would think that every morning Klein crapped in your corn flakes. Grow up.
Once again you offer no facts yet some how you think that makes you a lot smarter. You should hear what the true conservatives are saying about guys like you, especially the oilmen. While the people in Norway and Alaska are enjoying their oil wealth and building up their savings accounts fools like you help these fake conservatives steal ours and you aren’t smart enough to understand it. Have you noticed that you have no friends and can’t get any support on your stupid comments?