Sunday, October 18, 2009

DEAR ED: MAYBE ITS TIME TO THINK OF WHAT THE JAPANESE DO AT A TIME LIKE THIS



Dear Ed,

Since you became leader of the Tories in Alberta I’ve always liked you. I know, I know, I was rough on you often, calling you names like ‘Special Ed’ and all, but I want you to know that what I did was always in your interests. It was my way of spurring you on to do great things. I knew the mess you were left by Ralph’s dumb and dumber crowd. In fact, I’m sure you knew it too given that you took such a major part in it. See: http://darrylraymaker.blogspot.com/2007/01/fast-eddie-ralphs-big-stick.html
And I knew it was going to take brains and ability to clean it up. So my motive was to inspire you to do great things. After all Ed, I live here. If you succeeded so would I.

I think part of your initial problem was that you and your pals like Danyluk and Snelgrove thought governing was easy. You knew that your mentor Ralph for the most part had an easy time of it, didn’t he? Almost until the end he had all of the usual Tory political, business, and media establishment kissing his ample backside – the big daily newspapers, the fawning columnists (two of which are now working for you), neocon media barons and think tanks like Conrad Black and the Fraser Institute, etc. It seemed to me that all you guys thought about when you knocked off Dinning was that it was now your turn to divide the spoils – Calgary had its turn and now it was Northern Alberta’s turn. Governing is far more complicated than that Ed, as I’m sure you have come to realize.

And so the first thing you did was screw Southern Alberta by tossing out most of its ministers. It was your first big mistake. Oh, I know, you tried to make amends. You put Ron Stevens in as your deputy premier, and added a couple of people in junior portfolios, but it wasn’t enough. You know the Calgary Tory establishment. They think they’re pretty good. They don’t like getting pushed around. This initial action, Ed, poisoned the well for you down here for sure.

Then there was the small matter of a lot of things going to pot in the province. I mean, we had deteriorating health care, education, infrastructure, and most everything else the provincial government is supposed to be taking care of. The problem was that people began to figure out that the Alberta Advantage that Ralph talked so often about was really no advantage at all. Oh sure, the oil companies were making big bucks. Developers, too. But the sick were being treated in hospital corridors. Some had to be flown to Saskatoon or Great Falls, Montana for treatment, for God’s sakes. Seniors’ care was understaffed, overcrowded, and generally a joke. Roads were an insult to the vaunted money generating capacity of big oil. There weren’t enough places or money available for our big universities to provide for all of the young people who wished to attend.*
[*On the matter of education perhaps when you are retired you will find time to read the following piece published on October 15 by the Herald’s premier columnist Deborah Yedlin: http://www.chtv.com/ch/chcanews/story.html?id=2104358]

Geez Ed, did you know that Alberta had the highest high school drop out rate in the country? Or that Alberta had the lowest participation rate in the crucial 18 to 25 age category in post secondary education in the country? Did you? How about Snelgrove? Danyluk, even? No? I didn’t think so.

As if all of that wasn’t bad enough you then goofed up on royalty policy. First of all, by ordering the task force study and then putting the study out for public debate just gave your opponents one big fat target to shoot at. Then when you decided on royalties you failed to provide for that dark day when oil and gas prices collapse (Did you know that it is an historical fact that they always do, sooner or later? Did you know that?). The whole royalty issue has won you legions of enemies and no friends whatsoever. Look at what oil companies put into the coffers of your party in the last year and a half. Hardly anything. Small gas producers are under the gun. It’s a helluva a mess.

I’m sure you will say that you couldn’t have been that bad because you won an election in the interim. Eddie – can I call you Eddie? – Eddie you won that election for two reasons. First of all, as Muhammed Ali used to say, the other guy didn’t ‘whup’ you, and secondly because the people wanted to give you a chance. It was not because the people thought you were competent, believe me.

While all of this is brewing, then we are hit by a financial crisis. That was something you and the Tories should have been prepared for. North America had been riding high for some time. There is a thing called the business cycle and it is more than a theory. Bubbles burst. Good governments prepare for that. The financial collapse forced your government to rocket into major deficit territory at a time when people were just figuring out that the Alberta Advantage for Martha and Henry was a crock. Bad timing for you, Ed. The result of all of that was the loss of Calgary Glenmore to the Wild Rose Alliance – even though you had a high profile candidate who ran a helluva good campaign.

Okay, okay, you might say much of this is bad luck. And you might be right in saying so. But Geez Ed, you have to try to help yourself. That statement you made the other day about reducing your pay by 15% makes you look like a weasel - even more than usual. You cut it by only 5.7% and everybody figured it out in about five minutes. And many are convinced you said it was 15% to mislead the people. See: http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Braid+Premier+falls+short+mere/2109526/story.html
And you still haven’t learned how to give a decent speech where you do not look like a dweeb, for God's sakes!

And now on top of all of this, you’re confronted by the loquacious babe who just won the Wild Rose Alliance leadership. I hear old Tory stalwarts and ministers like Doug Main and Ernie Isley joined the party and voted for her. The story is that all kinds of old Tories are signing up for her. They’ve had it with you and the old Tory party. See: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2009/10/17/edmonton-wildrose-alliance-leader.html

Well, Ed, when I started this piece I thought I could still give you some constructive advice that might pull it out of the fire for you before your moment of truth coming up in Red Deer in three weeks. But after giving due consideration to everything, I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do or say to help.

Perhaps you might think of going into your den, taking out your beretta, wrapping yourself in the Alberta flag, putting on maybe some of your favorite Hank Williams or Wilf Carter records, having a couple of slugs of chokecherry wine, locking the door and then do the honorable thing. Or perhaps do what the Japanese do when things are hopeless and they have run out of options. But, Ed, I think its over for you, and it’s probably over for the Tories.

10 comments:

penlan said...

Excellent post!!!

John Prince said...

I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do or say to help.

Yup!

Darryl Raymaker said...

PENLAN - THANKS FOR THAT.

AND JOHN - STELMACH HAS TO GO. HE HAS BEEN A DISASTER RIGHT FROM THE START. HE FOLLOWED UPON A DISASTER AS WELL, SO THE PEOPLE OF ALBERTA HAVE REALLY GOT IT IN THE EAR FROM THE TORIES!

Unknown said...

Good analysis of the dynamics of what has happened over the past years with the Tories. But I don't think Stelmach wears this all by himself, there are a lot of players, past and present, who should stand up and take a bow for where their "leadership" has taken us. And what about all the people that were more than happy to ride the Tory gravy train without asking any questions. Karma is a bitch.

seismicdeath said...

Darryl - come on don't hold anything back! So what happens when Eddie is ousted by his own party in a few weeks? Is Morton available or has he jumped ship to the WRA yet? I can't think of any other leader for the PCs. Maybe it is time for a wholesale change in government.

Excellent post.

Darryl Raymaker said...

AlbertaGirl46 - Thanks for the comment. You are dead on. I think the dumb and dumber crowd of the Klein years is primarily to blame. Particularly when they attacked the debt as a piority above all others. That is where everything went to pot and by the time Eddie took over there was just too much to do in the time remaining before the next election. Also Klein's effort to bludgeon Albertans into accepting private medicine was also a factor. But remember, Ed was part of that. He was one of Ralph's good ol' boys and Ralph rewarded him handsomely.

Seismic - my best guess is that there will be a leadership campaign and Dinning will be crowned. Not everybody will be happy - particularly farmers and fellow slavs in northern Alberta. Dinning will have his work cut out for him to unite the party. As far as Morton is concerned, I do not think he is leadership material. Not only has he not stood out in cabinet, he has been largely invisible - which is a surprise.

And is it time for the Tories to bite the dust? You bet! They have been in power for more than 38 years and in the last 16 or so have richly screwed things up.

Unknown said...

FRAN IRWIN FROM MEDICINE HAT SAYS: "...my best guess is that there will be a leadership campaign and Dinning will be crowned. Not everybody will be happy - particularly farmers and fellow slavs in northern Alberta. Dinning will have his work cut out for him to unite the party." Darryl - during the last Leadership electio, the one thing that struck me as that a lot of the DIRT on Dinning wasn't raised by Morton (perhaps even Lyle Oberg, Mr. "I know where all the skeletons are..") Oberg now seems to be flirting with Danielle - all in all I think Dinning has some more than questionable skeletons (surrounding his time as CEO of Calgary Health and his plethora of board appointments.) What is you take on how DIRTY the infighting could become if Stelmach steps down and there is a Leadership Race? How dirty will the WAP get in the next general election?

Darryl Raymaker said...

Fran - Dinning has been around politics for a long time and so I'm sure there is a lot of baggage. The situation on the Calgary Health Region has been a mess for several years, including those in which he headed it.

Morton it seems to me is a rather meek player in politics. given his reputation as a right wing blowhard, he has been remarkably quiet and tentative. I don't think he has it to be leader - either the talent or the desire.

I think if Stelmach is turfed there will be a lot of unhappy people. I mean, the Tories eat their young when there is trouble and there is big trouble now. My guess is that Oberg - like Morton - will not be part of the drama. The dirt will be thrown around by the Stelmach guys who believe they have a right to rule because it is still their turn.

I still look to Dinning to be the guy the party will turn to - although in an interview yesterday he said everybody should back the leader. However, one can attribute the motive for that as being that if they turf Stelmach and turn to him he can say he was a loyal trooper.

That's how I see it.

Unknown said...

It is obvious to me that Dinning and the boys want ed to fall on his own sword and not be accused of staging the castle revolt - Jim was arrogant and ingenuous during the leadership and he is the same now - just another tory looking to stay fed at the public trough. You also have to wonder how much graft and gift giving took place -without scrutiny or accountability?? considering the self preservation demands of the so-called rightous keeper of the public good??? They should all be cut and quartered when we find out the amount of money that went to their family and friends - tell it the way it is Darryl - signed, the viewers from the north - Denny and the drastics..

Darryl Raymaker said...

Dennis - As you know, I agree that those are crocodile tears of Dinning being shed at Eddie's misfortune.

I also believe that he still wants to be Premier more than anything else. Dinning of course, is not without sin because he was an instrument of the Klein dumb and dumber crowd in allowing the province to go to pot while they paid off the deficit, all of the debt, and their pals. They did all of this when there was no scrutiny. The opposition, try as it might, had no voice given the partisanship of both the Sun organization of the time and the Hollinger press.

Drawn and quartered? That sounds harsh. Perhaps the guillotine or perhaps the gallows. Less messy and still efficient.