A group of Liberals from Calgary launched a website and manifesto-like document yesterday calling for changes that they want to see in the Alberta Liberal Party.
I've written quite a bit about this topic in the past couple months, so I'm not going to repeat a lot of what is already posted on this blog. In short, I'm not convinced that any of Alberta's current political parties have enough public credibility to "re-engage" with Albertans in any meaningful way. Vision documents like this one make things feel all warm and hopeful about the future, but until voters start to feel like politics are relevant to their lives, it's probably not going to make much of a difference. That is why I am more interested in what David Swann is doing.
For more, Calgary Grit has given his take on it.
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I think the ALP should take the time to 'shop' these proposed changes to the party around rural and urban Alberta, prior to investing a ton of money, time and energy in what could ultimately be a futile effort. Perhaps formal focus groups or town halls would demonstrate whether the 'New Liberal' party has the potential to appeal to a (much) larger swath of Albertans.
ReplyDeleteThe new Liberal movement is just that a movement.
ReplyDeleteIt is not a ALP branding excercise that involves focus grouping.
We have almost 100 people coming together so far to talk about what they want to see happen in the future, it is not about marketing, it is about doing.
In relation to what David Swann is doing that is a fools crusade. This far left guy is going to get together a bunch of other far left guys and create a new party that will appeal to Albertans so much that all the Green vote, Liberal vote and NDP vote as well as a big chunk of red tory vote is going to go over to it. While competing with the the Green, Liberals and NDP.
Sorry that is never gonna happen.
What parts of honest reflection in here are fairly decent, though it only scratches the surface, unfortunately, in order to sell it back to Liberals.
ReplyDeleteLargely however, it's pathetic (and amusing in a sadistic way) to see Liberals squirm like this, painfully trying to make principles coincide with marketing by insisting... that the marketing is really all about just getting to truer principles. Once more, the conservatives just end up leading the debate. We should be keeping our eyes on the prize: I'm not saying that the PC's house will collapse because of its own contradictions, but what is being proposed in terms of tarsands expansion is simply untenable. And if the scandals keep coming...
Well, let's put it this way: I can see how the scary future map of oilsandstruth.org might come to pass, but I can see how it could also fall apart, if concerned labour and environmental activists are savvy enough, and succeed probably despite their political parties rather than because of them.
Rather than shop it around, or marketing, which will only reinforce the Edmonton-centric existence and perception, why don't we in the alternative parties or labour organizations or grassroots organizations try to find a stronger foothold in those communities, as Conservatives did. You know, make actual connections there. Be present on a more permanent basis. There are NDP and Liberal people living in Wood Buffalo. They don't agree with what's going on, but they keep their mouths shut. Organize, be more public, bring out people's courage. That's what I think.