Liberal S'Tory

Liberal throws in the towel chortels Tory Thoughts. In Alberta. I am shocked. Not. But what is interesting in this turn of events is that this particular wet behind the ears Liberal/liberal blogger has correctly spotted Jim Dinning as the Liberal/liberal running for leadership of the PC's (Party of Calgary).

I have joined the Progressive Conservative Party and will throw my support behind Jim Dinning.

Dinning is in the Lougheed school of politics. He is Calgary liberal, cosmpolitan, a CEO rather than a country bumpkin (Lyle Oberg) or a right wing ideologue (Ted Morton) who are also conteders for Kleins throne.

Dinning is the Great Liberal Hope of Calgary. The Liberals were out of power after their grand defeat in 1921 at the hands of the Farmer Labour Government which was the UFA. They remained out of power until the eighties when resurected by Nick they finally became a challenge to the Party of Calgary in the early ninties when the battle of the Mayors occurred. Ralph Klein newly elected Leader of the PCs versus Lawernce Decore newly elected Leader of the Liberals. Klein had been Mayor of Calgary, Decore Mayor of Edmonton. Klein ran on Brutal Cuts and Decore ran on Massive Cuts. Both had a deficit cutting agenda. As it was Klein won and Dinning imposed massive and brutal cuts. When the budget balanced he left office a hero of the neo-conservatives Liberal and Tory.

But for twenty years prior the Liberals were nowhere to be seen provinicially. Because Lougheed cobbled together a PC party made up of Liberals in the Calgary establishment and Conservatives. Lougheed also added the more cosmopolitan urban arm of Social Credit, thanks to a back room deal with Ernest Manning who stepped down for a position in a Calgary law Firm leaving the Socreds with a lame duck leader for Premier. And with the three way amalgamation, based on the new power of urban Alberta, swept the election of 1971.

Since that time the Tories knowing their weakness and their base is the old Socred base in rural Alberta, has shored up its seats by geremandering rural districts, and by removing seats from Redmonton, which votes against the PC's, and giving more seats to Calgary.

Today Jim Dinning is forging a Lougheed like alliance between social liberals and fiscal conservatives, and like Lougheed leaving the extreme right wing to its own fractured leadership contenders. There are several. They will split the vote. Dinning has been out of office and connection with the Klein government for a decade. He brings a 'fresh' face to PC politics, and he has the ear of the Calgary and Edmonton business establishment. Friends like former Liberal neo-con Mike Piercy at the U of A. He appeals to the youthful exuperance of up and coming Tories and business graduates.

During the recent Finning strike, he is a member of the board, he took time to meet with striking workers and their union on a couple of occassions. Unheard of in Alberta politics.

If Dinning wins, he is the front runner, he will be a liberal in a roost full of neo-con ideologues and good ol boy Tories. The party will fracture. Internal politics will be played out, and those on the right will have to chose to shut up and be part of the parties turn to the centre or join the emerging tiny right wing rump party the Alberta Alliance.

It will also mean a move by liberals/Liberals into the PC party and the final nail in the coffin of the Liberal party. A party based in Edmonton, and too far left for ebullent well off Calgary liberals. As our former Liberal blogger shows.



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