Phendrana Drifts

It's a busy week for me, as I go to Vancouver next week and have a lot to do before I head off. It also seems to be an oddly busy week in the world - I am so used to May and June being an early start to the summer in terms of news and political happenings, but the world is failing me. Of course, especially internationally, there is a fair amount of activity all 12 months, but this seems especially off. Maybe it is because the Legislature and House of Commons continue to sit (once they stop, lots of activity will drop off). Maybe too the by-elections in Drumheller-Stettler and Calgary help fuel the activity.

No prediction yet on the Calgary-Elbow race, which by media accounts is quite close. Also for those in the capital region, I keep hearing lots of talk about who is going to run for the Progressive Conservatives and the Liberals, and it makes me pretty excited in terms of who could be sitting in the Legislature in a year's time. High quality Edmontonians are looking to make the jump, and I can't imagine a better time to get involved.

Still, I love a warm and to some degree lazy summer. In my world, summer is all about planning rather than activity, and I can't wait. Especially for the warm - I for one am sick of +20 being considered hot - I want that to be the norm with +28 being hot.

Labels: inane

I'm still ignoring the blog. And without a very good reason - just not sure what to write about.

Labels: inane

I've been far too busy to blog of late, and I don't think that's going to change until possibly the weekend. Go Senators! Go Brian Heninger! Go Jack Hayden! Go Canmore! Go Banff! Go students! Obviously there is a lot to cheer about.

Labels: inane

I try and pay attention to polls, given my political nature, and I did indeed read about the April 15 approval rating poll of Alberta political leaders, and was impressed with Ed Stelmach's 66% approval rating. But I didn't notice something until a friend of mine pointed it out this weekend, and that was an unlikely age category where the Premier is doing very well - 18-35 year olds. 61% of that demographic approve of Stelmach's performance. That's amazing.

Speaking of younger Albertans' involvement in the governing party, that was something else I noticed this weekend. Now being a young-ish person in the PC party, I'm fairly used to being the youngest in a room, just edging out my wife and with a 54 year old serving as the third place finisher in that contest. But this weekend I saw dozens, ranging from a 15 year old from Calgary Buffalo to groups of university and college students to young families and professionals. To call me enthused is an understatement.

The fact that younger people in Canada don't get involved is one of my top pet peeves, and one of my professional "challenges". I can't stand it - in my most cynical I suggest that our democracy may lose an entire generation of people who don't vote, certainly don't influence policy and don't have themselves heard by those who govern us. But today I'm not cynical, I feel better about the likelihood that we can engage more younger people - and if 61% choose to spend that engagement with the PC Party, well that certainly works for me.

Labels: alberta politics

Dan Backs, MLA - but not a Tory MLA... Obviously he's sniffing the waters, looking for a new political home after Kevin Taft fired him. While I do often subscribe to the view that the enemy of my enemy could be my friend, that isn't a hard and fast rule.

Labels: alberta politics

It was a neat experience watching the ordinary grassroots of the party make their voice heard. Forcefully even.

Labels: alberta politics

Standing room doesn't begin to cover it, as around 1,400 of Alberta's best get together at the PC Alberta AGM. Lots of fun.

Labels: alberta politics

I spent a bit of time in Canmore this past weekend, and I picked up the local paper. Along with a cat story and an affordable housing story was the quick snippit about how happy their mayor and council were with the recent provincial budget. At no point was it suggested that the budget was "one of the most significant broken promises ever perpetrated on Albertans."

If you are following the fight between Mayor Bronconnier and Premier Stelmach, I'm sure you're familiar with Bronco assertion that applying strings to municipal funding was somehow the most heinous thing the provincial government has ever done (and our government has done some wild things in its time, from essentially counterfeiting money to sterilizing people). Bull - it isn't what Bronco may have wanted, but Bronco's approval or disapproval shouldn't be what constitutes the sniff test on a budget.

What really shocks me in all this is the failure to ask Bronco the most basic question about his complaint - if it is a question of priorities, why does affordable housing rank below his wishes? I agree that a west extension to the C-Train is a good idea, but is it really a better idea than helping put roofs over people's heads?

Labels: alberta politics

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