Democracy Denied...
My apologies... this is a bit of a frustrated, dejected rant on the sorry state of democracy in Alberta.
Seriously... what the fuck????
I know the the PC's are going to claim some sort of massive support from the people and support for their mandate from last night's results but seriously....
Only 2 in 5 Albertans actually voted.
Only 1 in 5 Albertans, of voting age, actually voted for the PCs
Yet they "represent" 87% of Albertans including those not of voting age.
I don't really expect the returning PC's to seriously look at last night's results and wonder how they can fix the democratic deficit. They will bask in their "glory" and the "leadership" of Ed Stelmach instead of addressing why most of the province didn't turn out to vote at all. As someone involved with the political process, I would be worried when the voting public refuses to participate in the system.
Alberta really needs a Citizens' Assembly on democratic reform in this province. Some sort of proportional representation in needed as well as a major overhaul of the Elections Act. At this point, anything will help.... bring in STV or MMP, end corporate donations, set fixed election dates, institute mandatory voting. JUST DO SOMETHING!!!!
As I see it, there are two breakdowns of how last night went.
The first - How Alberta voted
PC (53%) - 44 seats of 83 total
Liberal (26%) - 22 seats
NDP (9%) - 7 seats
Wildrose Alliance (7%) - 6 seats
Greens (5%) - 4 seats
I can tell you that the Alberta Legislature would be better served with this kind of breakdown. From knowing the Greens, you would likely see George Read, Joe Anglin, Edwin Erickson and Sean Maw as the 4 and they would bring a wealth of energy and ideas to the process. The PCs still retain a majority but only the one they truly earned.
The second - How Alberta truly feels
PCs (22%) - 18 of 83 seats
Liberals (11%) - 9 seats
NDP (4%) - 3 seats
Wildrose Alliance (3%) - 2 seats
Greens (2%) - 1 seat
None of the Above (58%) - 50 seats
I think that this "majority" is much more an indication of what Albertans think about democracy and the politicians they have to choose from....
Seriously... what the fuck????
I know the the PC's are going to claim some sort of massive support from the people and support for their mandate from last night's results but seriously....
Only 2 in 5 Albertans actually voted.
Only 1 in 5 Albertans, of voting age, actually voted for the PCs
Yet they "represent" 87% of Albertans including those not of voting age.
I don't really expect the returning PC's to seriously look at last night's results and wonder how they can fix the democratic deficit. They will bask in their "glory" and the "leadership" of Ed Stelmach instead of addressing why most of the province didn't turn out to vote at all. As someone involved with the political process, I would be worried when the voting public refuses to participate in the system.
Alberta really needs a Citizens' Assembly on democratic reform in this province. Some sort of proportional representation in needed as well as a major overhaul of the Elections Act. At this point, anything will help.... bring in STV or MMP, end corporate donations, set fixed election dates, institute mandatory voting. JUST DO SOMETHING!!!!
As I see it, there are two breakdowns of how last night went.
The first - How Alberta voted
PC (53%) - 44 seats of 83 total
Liberal (26%) - 22 seats
NDP (9%) - 7 seats
Wildrose Alliance (7%) - 6 seats
Greens (5%) - 4 seats
I can tell you that the Alberta Legislature would be better served with this kind of breakdown. From knowing the Greens, you would likely see George Read, Joe Anglin, Edwin Erickson and Sean Maw as the 4 and they would bring a wealth of energy and ideas to the process. The PCs still retain a majority but only the one they truly earned.
The second - How Alberta truly feels
PCs (22%) - 18 of 83 seats
Liberals (11%) - 9 seats
NDP (4%) - 3 seats
Wildrose Alliance (3%) - 2 seats
Greens (2%) - 1 seat
None of the Above (58%) - 50 seats
I think that this "majority" is much more an indication of what Albertans think about democracy and the politicians they have to choose from....
posted by Lex Luthor @ 6:24 AM
Recommend this Post at Progressive Bloggers
2 Comments:
At 9:35 AM ,
David Grant said...
Good commentary. I think that the state is so dismal, that I think it is time for the Liberals and NDP to disband from the federal parties and form a new coalition called the Alberta Party which could form a centre to centre-left alternative to the right-wing parties that exist in abundance. Despite the good results of the Greens, the chances of them winning anytime soon is grim. With a new party in, that might help to at least bring in a stronger opposition in Edmonton. It worked in Saskatchewan. The Greens can still play a role in educating the public in the importance of public participation and democracy(something there really shouldn't a need for)and to get people energized to change the system so that the Greens can make a difference. I think these ideas are worth thinking about as we all ponder the future of this province. It may just be that there are enough people who are very comfortable and don't see the reasons to change. It may just take a REAL catastrophe like the polar ice caps melting enough to put Alberta under water for people to change. But then again, can we really afford to wait for that to happen?
At 6:38 PM ,
Herbinator said...
What you are describing is Simple Proportional Representation. Not STV or MMP. And I think that is the way to go.
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