Wildrose Alliance snags Tory insider for president

[CHIMO]

Longtime Progressive Conservative fundraiser and Ralph Klein insider, Hal Walker, is turning his back on the Tories to take over as president of the Wildrose Alliance Party.

The Calgary-based real estate entrepreneur announced Thursday he is resigning from the board of directors of the Calgary-Elbow PC Association to become the interim head of the small-c conservative Alliance.

Walker was a Tory for 35 years, playing a central role in former premier Ralph Klein's inner circle of advisers. But he said Thursday that Premier Ed Stelmach's misguided policies are out of line with conservative values and have left the long-governing party "unsalvageable."

"We have all witnessed the many well known public policy disasters by this government, from the botched royalty review, to the health-care mess, to the uncontrolled spending that is wiping out our savings and plunging us back into debt," said Walker.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/04/29/calgary-wildrose-alliance-president-walker-hal-smith-conservatives.html
Thursday, April 29, 2010 | 4:24 PM MT

Now if the NDP and the Liberals could come together they would win the next election.
It might show the federal politicians what can happen when you can come to a common consensus.

[ZeitgeistObserver]

1. Rob Anders joined Wildrose as well.

Stelmach appears to be the last of his kind.

[CHIMO]

2. Well

There are a lot of different things going on. In the last election it was initially thought that it would be a close race. Calgary and area shifting towards the opposition and Edmonton and area going for for the little guy of Ukrainian origin. Honest Ed was capturing the Northern parts with a feeling that the oil should be developed by Albertans with the value added here. Calgary, big oil country, felt otherwise.

His efforts shifted very quickly, with Calgary and area becoming the center of his efforts.

So now he has diminished his Edmonton base, with all the raw oil going south, and cutting the royalties. And the big guys in Calgary are still taking over.

[daleo]

3. There are hardly any campaign contribution limits in Alberta

Big oil can buy and sell politicians, and create new parties at their convenience.

[CHIMO]

4. Yep

Big energy. Oil. Electricity. Coal. Water.

And people think we are an advanced society.

We should require people to live in Bolivia for a year. Then we perhaps would acquire an identity.