October 15, 2006
An opinion from yours truly...
From: Jared Goruk
Reply-To: cyf-talk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: October 12, 2006 7:06:52 PM
To: cyf-talk@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: (cyf-talk) Alberta Alliance endorses Dr. Morton
No surprise here, Ted Morton would be a full-fledged Alberta Alliance member if only the Alliance had any hope of forming the government (or the official opposition) right now. Seriously, can anyone even name any of the other leadership candidates who ran against Paul Hinman? What Morton is essentially doing is running the Alberta Alliance platform under the Tory banner, because Morton understands that a decisive Tory victory is the only thing that will bring the Alliance to "power." I have to admit, I was a little disheartened when Morton chose to run as a Tory MLA instead of sitting in opposition for a term or two, having the guts to develop a true political challenge to the status quo rather than just aligning himself with the powers that be. But then again, conservatives fighting with Tories (the terms certainly don't have to be synonyms) often leaves us with Liberals... Liberals with power... in our legislatures... in Canada... We all know no one's making that one up.
Jared.
Alberta Alliance leader backs Morton: Hinman urges party to follow
Oct 11, 2006 Page: A4
By: Jason Markusoff
Ted Morton's Conservative leadership bid has attracted the support of a high-profile MLA - an MLA not even in Morton's party.
Paul Hinman, leader of the right-leaning Alberta Alliance, confirmed Tuesday that he's urging his party's grassroots to buy Tory memberships and help elect Morton as leader and Alberta's next premier.
"I just told him that it's critical to get you in as premier and I'll see what I can do to help," Hinman said. Hinman and Morton praised their efforts as a unite-the-right fusion of like-minded conservatives, but they drew harsh words from not only some Progressive Conservatives, but also the Alliance's founding boss.
"I think it's ridiculous," said Randy Thorsteinson, who formed and led the party from 2002 until last year, when Hinman took over.
"If Ted Morton supported what the Alberta Alliance did, he'd be a member of the Alliance. Ted Morton's a Tory, and I'm not a Tory."
But to Hinman and party president John Murdoch, Morton has won their praise because his platform mirrors several of their own views, from strident opposition to same-sex marriage and support of private health care to creating an Alberta-only police force and pension plan.
Both men have committed themselves to supporting the rookie MLA's leadership campaign. On Tuesday, Murdoch drafted a letter he'll send to every Alliance member - if party council approves - saying Alliance members should become PC members and that Morton is their man.
"We're not campaigning for Ted Morton," Murdoch insisted. "We're campaigning for the Alliance party's platform."
Hinman and Murdoch refuse to say it decisively, but suggest they may join the Tories if Morton becomes leader.
"The realism is that the Alliance party is here to move the province towards more traditionally conservative values," Murdoch said. "However we do that, as long as it's legal, we'd be more than happy to do it."
Morton, a former University of Calgary political scientist, has stressed throughout the campaign that the PCs must stop bleeding support on its right flank. He notes that 210,000 fewer voters picked the Tories in the 2004 election than in 2001. Meanwhile, Thorsteinson's upstart Alliance picked up 77,500 votes and got Hinman as its first elected MLA in the southern Cardston-Taber-Warner.
It's time to "bring them home," Morton said.
Thorsteinson, who also once ran against Klein as Social Credit leader, said the party should not abandon its mission to replace the Tories altogether.
"It's bewildering to me. I think the Progressive Conservatives are incapable of change, and the only way you can change Alberta is for a whole new party to come in and take over. I think it's faulty logic on John and Paul's part."
Copyright 2006 - The Calgary Herald
Reply-To: cyf-talk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: October 12, 2006 7:06:52 PM
To: cyf-talk@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: (cyf-talk) Alberta Alliance endorses Dr. Morton
No surprise here, Ted Morton would be a full-fledged Alberta Alliance member if only the Alliance had any hope of forming the government (or the official opposition) right now. Seriously, can anyone even name any of the other leadership candidates who ran against Paul Hinman? What Morton is essentially doing is running the Alberta Alliance platform under the Tory banner, because Morton understands that a decisive Tory victory is the only thing that will bring the Alliance to "power." I have to admit, I was a little disheartened when Morton chose to run as a Tory MLA instead of sitting in opposition for a term or two, having the guts to develop a true political challenge to the status quo rather than just aligning himself with the powers that be. But then again, conservatives fighting with Tories (the terms certainly don't have to be synonyms) often leaves us with Liberals... Liberals with power... in our legislatures... in Canada... We all know no one's making that one up.
Jared.
From: The Calgary Herald
Alberta Alliance leader backs Morton: Hinman urges party to follow
Oct 11, 2006 Page: A4
By: Jason Markusoff
Ted Morton's Conservative leadership bid has attracted the support of a high-profile MLA - an MLA not even in Morton's party.
Paul Hinman, leader of the right-leaning Alberta Alliance, confirmed Tuesday that he's urging his party's grassroots to buy Tory memberships and help elect Morton as leader and Alberta's next premier.
"I just told him that it's critical to get you in as premier and I'll see what I can do to help," Hinman said. Hinman and Morton praised their efforts as a unite-the-right fusion of like-minded conservatives, but they drew harsh words from not only some Progressive Conservatives, but also the Alliance's founding boss.
"I think it's ridiculous," said Randy Thorsteinson, who formed and led the party from 2002 until last year, when Hinman took over.
"If Ted Morton supported what the Alberta Alliance did, he'd be a member of the Alliance. Ted Morton's a Tory, and I'm not a Tory."
But to Hinman and party president John Murdoch, Morton has won their praise because his platform mirrors several of their own views, from strident opposition to same-sex marriage and support of private health care to creating an Alberta-only police force and pension plan.
Both men have committed themselves to supporting the rookie MLA's leadership campaign. On Tuesday, Murdoch drafted a letter he'll send to every Alliance member - if party council approves - saying Alliance members should become PC members and that Morton is their man.
"We're not campaigning for Ted Morton," Murdoch insisted. "We're campaigning for the Alliance party's platform."
Hinman and Murdoch refuse to say it decisively, but suggest they may join the Tories if Morton becomes leader.
"The realism is that the Alliance party is here to move the province towards more traditionally conservative values," Murdoch said. "However we do that, as long as it's legal, we'd be more than happy to do it."
Morton, a former University of Calgary political scientist, has stressed throughout the campaign that the PCs must stop bleeding support on its right flank. He notes that 210,000 fewer voters picked the Tories in the 2004 election than in 2001. Meanwhile, Thorsteinson's upstart Alliance picked up 77,500 votes and got Hinman as its first elected MLA in the southern Cardston-Taber-Warner.
It's time to "bring them home," Morton said.
Thorsteinson, who also once ran against Klein as Social Credit leader, said the party should not abandon its mission to replace the Tories altogether.
"It's bewildering to me. I think the Progressive Conservatives are incapable of change, and the only way you can change Alberta is for a whole new party to come in and take over. I think it's faulty logic on John and Paul's part."
Copyright 2006 - The Calgary Herald
