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What's AAP?
Nov. 13th, 2018 10:02 amHave you heard the exciting news? There's a new political party in Alberta - the Alberta Advantage Party!
They describe themselves as right-of-center, but then you look at their policies:
At least they haven't described themselves as socially-progressive-but-fiscally-conservative. A philosophy that I think is akin to being fine with your ocean liner rescuing shipwreck victims, so long as they can swim fast enough to grab the hull, because you sure don't want to be inconvenienced with the ship slowing down and throwing some ropes.
I'm all for more conservative parties, because the more the right-wing vote is split, the more likely we'll get another New Democratic government, and they've been doing a good job. At the very least, the Alberta Advantage Party is doing a great public service for people who think Jason Kenney shouldn't be able to muzzle his MLAs when they say the quiet bits out loud; and also realize that Derek Fildebrandt is a clown.
As for next year's election, I do fear that the UCP will win. Mostly this is due to math - conservatives will take all the rural ridings, plus 1/3 of Edmonton and 2/3 of Calgary. If these splinter parties do anything, it will be to grab a handful of the rural ridings. Once in the Legislature, they'll basically vote with the UCP 90% of the time, but bitch about how it isn't right-wing enough for them.
But maybe we'll get lucky a second time and AAP will truly take the place of the Wild Rose party and split the right-wing vote. I can hope.
They describe themselves as right-of-center, but then you look at their policies:
- Voter recall (not right-wing in and of itself, but a big shibboleth of right-wing parties).
- Picking which immigrants we accept, like Quebec does. They say nothing about whom they'll accept, but I'm guessing Syrian refuges aren't going to be a high priority.
- Deregulate the agriculture industry.
- Abolishing gay-straight student alliance (GSA) legislation - you know, that thing that keeps teachers from outing the gay kids to their parents. I got nothing pithy to say about this one, it's just straight up reactionary-evil.
At least they haven't described themselves as socially-progressive-but-fiscally-conservative. A philosophy that I think is akin to being fine with your ocean liner rescuing shipwreck victims, so long as they can swim fast enough to grab the hull, because you sure don't want to be inconvenienced with the ship slowing down and throwing some ropes.
I'm all for more conservative parties, because the more the right-wing vote is split, the more likely we'll get another New Democratic government, and they've been doing a good job. At the very least, the Alberta Advantage Party is doing a great public service for people who think Jason Kenney shouldn't be able to muzzle his MLAs when they say the quiet bits out loud; and also realize that Derek Fildebrandt is a clown.
As for next year's election, I do fear that the UCP will win. Mostly this is due to math - conservatives will take all the rural ridings, plus 1/3 of Edmonton and 2/3 of Calgary. If these splinter parties do anything, it will be to grab a handful of the rural ridings. Once in the Legislature, they'll basically vote with the UCP 90% of the time, but bitch about how it isn't right-wing enough for them.
But maybe we'll get lucky a second time and AAP will truly take the place of the Wild Rose party and split the right-wing vote. I can hope.
