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Alberta Politics

Alberta Liberals set to rebrand as Liberalberta, sources say.

Liberalberta Alberta Liberal Party
A screenshot of the Liberal Party website.

The Alberta Liberal Party is rebranding its image with plans to relaunch its website, adopt a new logo, change its official colours, and, according to Liberal sources, rename itself Liberalberta.

Last forming government following the 1917 election, Liberals are the constant underdogs of Alberta politics and being severely hampered by connections to unpopular Liberal governments in Ottawa.

Raj Sherman Liberal Party leader Election 2012
Raj Sherman

After three years of internal turmoil following left-leaning leader Kevin Taft‘s resignation in 2008, the Liberals selected former Tory MLA Raj Sherman as their leader in 2011. During those intervening years, the Liberals lost their position as the default opposition to the Tories and were replaced by a reinvigorated Wildrose Party led by lobbyist and former newspaper columnist Danielle Smith.

The Liberals dropped to 9% province-wide support in the 2012 election, electing only 5 MLA’s and losing Official Opposition status for the first time since the party’s high-watermark in the 1993 election.

In August 2012, the Liberals hired a new executive directorGerald McEachern, a New Brunswick-based writer and consultant. The major rebranding, an idea that in the past has been rejected by the more orthodox Liberal crowd, is likely an attempt for the party to gain back the ground it lost – which just may require a drastic move (and perhaps they drew some inspiration from the name of a popular political blog).

As well as rebranding, the Liberal Party’s board of directors is said to have rescinded its offer to cooperate with other “progressive” political parties – namely the New Democratic Party and the Alberta Party – to prevent vote splitting.

Unfortunately for all three of these parties, the shifted political narrative in the 2012 election led many progressive and moderate Albertans to support Premier Alison Redford‘s Progressive Conservatives in order to block Ms. Smith’s Wildrose Party from forming government.

Update (October 19, 2012): I posted a question on Twitter to Liberal Party strategist Alex Macdonald asking whether the new “Liberalberta” wordmark logo had been focus group tested. Mr. Macdonald’s response was that the “Liberalberta” wordmark had been approved by the Liberal Party executive and executive board, and not a impartial focus group.

https://twitter.com/amacdona/status/259069611939594240

Meanwhile, Calgary Liberal Party activist Gwyneth Midgley raised concerns on Twitter that Liberal Party members were not consulted in the rebrand.

95 replies on “Alberta Liberals set to rebrand as Liberalberta, sources say.”

the rebranding gained some inspiration from this blog…really?…the two are only close in the overhyped ego of your small mind…

I to not want to get too much into how ironic a blogger who calls his blog DAVEBERTA is ticked at Libealberta.

The New in Alberta New Democrats is also ironic too.

Plus, the “Left Leaning Kevin Taft” you can call Kevin many things, but Left Leaning is not one of them. Redford is Left of Taft. I just shows Dave how little you know.

Wade

Thanks for the comment, Wade. Where are you reading that I am “ticked?” I have expressed no opinion about “Liberalberta” and am reserving any opinions until the actual rebranding is launched (new logo, colours, and website included).

Also, “left-leaning” is not meant as an insult, it is meant as a contrast to the current leader, who is a former member of the PC Party. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Kevin Taft and his leadership is a key reason why I was so involved with the Liberal Party from 2004 to 2008. He is an intelligent and principled man who I believe would have made an excellent Premier. After he stepped down as leader, my involvement with the Liberal Party ended.

– Dave

Perhaps sometimes I can get the mood of a blog wrong.

The Alberta Liberal Party is trying something new. Unlike the other parties in Alberta it is open to change and ideas. Reaching out to voters is how you win.

I won’t be clicking the ‘Like’ button on this one. I won’t have my Liberal Party friends thinking, even at a cursory glance, that I think this is a good idea.

“Daveberta” has a nice flow to it, but “Liberalberta”? Sounds choppier than the waters of #ABPoli.

As for rescinding the offer to cooperate with other parties. Watching David Swann get taken out at the knees by his own party for a good, worthwhile idea was hard. But do those of us who share a similar ideology have to continue to be our own, uncooperative worst enemies? And this isn’t necessarily about merging parties or what happens at election time. It’s about putting many eyes on public policy for a single purpose, and jointly holding the government to account & analysing/advocating for improved legislation. Those of us who lean left don’t have a great deal of representation in the Leg, let’s not be completely divisive with what we’ve got.

Wow. It’s not April 1st, is it? You can put lipstick on a pig, but you can’t change its essential piggishness. Did they do any testing on this, like most organizations would before they changed their brand? Or did it spring from the fertile, yet woefully uncreative “mind” of the Great Leader? You know, I used to think doctors were smart, before I met, and spent time with, him.

What a strange action. To rescind your offer to cooperate with other parties. Isn’t that exactly what statesman-like legislators do?

It also seems to be the exact opposite of what the Liberal membership and at least some of their MLA’s want.

I despair that the leadership of the entire “left” or “progressives” (or whatever label we put on the group of socially moderate and fiscally responsible)does not posess an ounce of the common sense that their membership and the voters have. It seems clear and self evident to me that more of the same will not work. There is such a unique opportunity for progressives to unite, and actually form government (with a split conservative movement). The question is whether anyone will have the courage to cease it.

To the Libs, NDP, Greens, PC’s and ABPartiers. Be bold. Reach out to each other. Build a real and functional coalition.

I wish the Alberta Liberals well. But fear the worst. Those that will pay the price for the lack of vision? Progressive voters.

Brian Thiessen

Dave B., some of you centrist knuckle heads, its hard to figure out whether you guys are ND or PC helper outers, while professing to be centrists. One thing is for sure, you guys are vote splitters. Which only serves to help the Pee Sees, unless that is the objective. Either way, some of you disenfranchised, negative so called centrists need to either become a part of something useful to bring change or risk becomeing old, marginalized, cranky has beens. You prime is being wasted on vote splitting experiments. You really need to ask your self, what useful change have you brought forward to actually advancing democracy. Please don’t confuse vote spltting with helping democracy. Some of you so called centrists need to reconsider your purpose and how useful you are to anybody. Change is positive. Some of you guys are neither. Enjoy irrelevancy.

Doesn’t a change in the name of the party require a change in the party’s constitution? And assuming it does, isn’t it normal for party constitutions to stipulate that changes can only be made to them at party conventions? Does someone have a copy of their constitution to see what it says about these things?

What’s the point of changing the name if “Liberal” is still in it. Now it just sounds like a cellphone company.

To think I used to vote for these clowns.

Sounds like a tinpot dictatorship from central Africa- the Democratic Republic of Equatorial Liberalberta, led by President Colonel Raj Sherman.

I know on good authority that Edmonton Centre liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman OPPOSED rescinding this policy of cooperation with other “progressive” political parties! In fact she voted AGAINST that motion. Ms. Blakeman remains a consistent left leaning liberal that strongly believes in cooperatinon and building coalitions as she has successfully done in the past.

Oh man. I would LOVE to see the focus group results from this one.

Awkward name? Check. Logo that looks like a project that received a C-at-best in Grade 8 design? Check. Color already associated with an existing political movement? Check.

I really didn’t think it would be possible to make the Liberal brand more damaged but gotta love that we found a way.

Hi I just wanted to clarify a few things here.
-This was not a name change. It was a branding decision. We are still the Alberta Liberal Party. This is a logo.
-The (democratically elected) Board of Directors was unanimous in voting for the branding change.
-The co-operation policy that was rescinded referred merely to formal co-operation during elections. It does not preclude legislative co-operation.
-David Swann voted and spoke in favor of the motion to rescind the Policy 15 (co-operation policy).
As a side not the tounge and cheek comparison with the blog made me laugh Dave. I quite appreciated it.

Hey Keegan,

What percentage of that (democratically elected) Board of Directors do you estimate was acclaimed?

This is as bad as any bad rebrand I’ve ever seen. If the Liberals are smart they’ll chicken out.

“He is an intelligent and principled man who I believe would have made an excellent Premier. After he stepped down as leader, my involvement with the Liberal Party ended.

– Dave”

While you whine about a progressive vote split, you have got some nerve, being one of the originators of the very vote splitting you call out. Pot calling the kettle black. What happened to be so horrible that it made you want to leave after Taft quit? Maybe a hug and a kiss can make things better, or maybe people like y_u beed to take a look in the mirror. While you do command a respectful blogosphere persona, you can bet your bottom dollar, you are wasting your time and energy on frivolous, negative endeavors which keep perpetuating the status quo vote splitting. The very bane existence of the blog is proof of active vote splitters, creating the negative divisive atmosphere and whining about the very same vote splitting, that they continually weave. There has been little to no little leadership to build consensus with any centrist leader. Some partyless centrists need to take a hard look into the mirror.

FWG, maybe this IS smart. After all, when was the last time 18 people (by my count) paid any attention to these clowns?

@ Keegan Wynychuk Thanks for the comment, Keegan. Does the Liberal Party board of directors have the authority to rescind policy positions that were approved by Liberal Party members at a convention vote?

Thanks,

Dave

Hey “U are A center Splitter” you should be nicer to Dave. He could teach you: how to spell; how to write a simple English sentence; the difference between respectful and respectable; etc. Sorry, I had to get that off my chest. Seriously though, maybe leaders of centrist parties, and not “partyless centrists” should take a look in the mirror. It’s not the Liberal brand that sucks (though it does), it’s the Liberal value proposition. That’s the fault of the leader, the caucus and the Board.

Most centrists aren’t splitting the vote with the tony insignificant Liberals, they are voting for the PC party.

Ohh, I’m so glad Keegan wrote that this is not a name change since I was beginning to think like Joel French–Liberal membership decides name change because Liberalberta appears to be made on a url shortener. Logo I can accept.

Besides, Alberta Liberal Party is a solid party with colaborative policies and a passionate leader… what needs changing is the messaging and media access to Albertans.

and I like red and RED!

@Brandon Murray
Voting for the Progressive Conservative party is an oxymoron initself. Moving forward while remaining traditional. Sheesh, Alberta voters are so darned confused.

Ah, there’s the Liberal mantra we all know and love. People who vote PC (or who don’t vote Liberal) are stupid. How’s that workin’ for ya?

@Bob, fine, I can apologize if I was mean to Dave. The fact remains, partyless centrists have done Zilch to further democratic turnover and renewal, the last election results are irrefutable proof of that. Politically involved people need to turn their backs away stop wasting their brain power on disenfranchised partyless centrists. Fed. Libs have not been given ANY welcoming by the AB cousins. While I think Taft was a great guy, but where was he, where was his leadership, when there should have been some Federal collaberation? Brian did it. That is exactly what needs to be done now. Folks need to realize that any partyless centrist detractors are in fact not even warm to the idea of creating something lasting here. Its playing perfectly to perpetuate the stale AB Tories. Thus, the Liberals are still a chosen brand for left of PC progressives over the AP and ND’s. That may not much in light of the last election, but the fact remains, is the Liberals have shown their resilience as a party, despite detractors and naysayers and Lakes of Fire. Next election will be interesting because the WR is a thousand miles wide and one inch deep, while the Tories have won again on borrowed votes. There is a huge potential for a regeneration of the AB progressives in the centre.

NO, were NOT talking ND’s or Alberta Party folks.

@Daveberta Glad to comment, I’ve been reading for a while. To answer your question: yes the board of directors can repeal policy based on Sections 30 and 33 of Article 10 in our by-laws.

Keegan
Please mention how those decsions still need to be ratified by the next general meeting, so this should come to another voteby the membership,right? Or is King Raj suspending the constitution as well?

Meh. What’s a Liberalberta?

Hard to reconcile the dissonance of a group so willing to die on the hill as loud-and-proud Liberals, and forsake any cooperation; yet would go for this ‘re-branding’ to muddy their own identity a bit. Odd.

Perhaps Raj Sherman never really left the PC party and has been sent in to completely destroy our credibility. He’s doing an outstanding job of making Albeta Liberals a laughing stock. It seems to be one bad decision after another. How did ever he get in anyway?

Interesting that those most critical of the wordmark are afraid to use their real names. Every organization has ’em…malcontents who think they could do a better job, ‘if only’. Unions have a great name for them: two-per-centers. The other 98 per cent wouldn’t engage in an obviously-orchestrated smear campaign. They would stand up, identify themselves, and say their piece, pro or con. The ablib detractors who miraculously all appeared on the very same day (fully 5 days after the wordmark was unanimously approved to a standing ovation) likely have enough brains to cook up strategy, but they lack courage.

Alex MacDonald – your paranoia is misfounded. Many names here are regular daveberta commenters with a find tradition of pseudonyms myself included.

Putting that aside, how about all those people using their real names on twitter?

How do you explain the half dozen people on the CBC streeter who thought this was eight degrees of stupid?

Are you willing to concede you may be wrong?

I really like the new look. It’s fresh and clean. Why not change things up? We are rebuilding, re-branding. Time to Liberate Alberta!!

For all those who snipe at the “New” in the NDP’s name, it isn’t the “party” that the modifier “new” applies to, it is the “democratic”, as in a new form of democracy, going beyond just political democracy to economic, social and. cultural democracy.

As for the Liberalberta idea, ROTFLMAO.

–Jerrymacgp

The New Democrats have had the modifier New for so long the sould switch it(or just drop it)!

As funny to you as it may seem at the new Alberta Liberal Party Logo is, well new.

Let voters judge.

Wade

I appreciate what they’re trying to do I guess but the execution leaves something to be desired. It’s difficult to pronounce and the individual elements feel sloppy and untested.

I have a hard time imagining, for example, that it could be considered well thought out or good form to have an all green flag as your logo:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Socialist_People%27s_Libyan_Arab_Jamahiriya#Great_Socialist_People.27s_Libyan_Arab_Jamahiriya_.281977.E2.80.932011.29

I am disappointed for them.

Do they want a name that appeals to “Liberals”? If so, that might do it but it won’t be effective and won’t result in big increases in support.

If they want a name that will appeal to all Albertans, they will have to do better than this.

The word “Liberal” is a political boat anchor in Alberta.

It’s time to move on and come up with a name that has broader appeal.

Just to clear up some minor confusion in the blog-twit world, the new wordmark is just that.

We are still the Alberta Liberal Party, and we are Alberta Liberals, not Liberalbertans.

No one is going to have to pronounce anything. They just have to look at it.

Let me get this straight…the party name has not changed. The way in which party members identify themselves will not change. Then what, precisely, is the point of this ‘rebranding’?

Being relevant to the electorate might, in my humble opinion, do a whole lot more for you folks than waterboarding the English language.

The brand isn’t toxic in Alberta. What is dragging it down is the connection it and many members have with the federal Liberal party. What you need is a provincial organization that is capable and willing to take the Federal Liberals to task when something is said or proposed that is not in the interests of Alberta.
And the organization should review it’s policies by using focus groups where none of the participants earn a living from government revenues and where their income is middle of the road – neither poor nor wealthy, you know, the majority.

@Alex Macdonald … Then your marketing specialists need to review. Sure they got some talking going on. But if I make a burger, wrap it in food wrap, and write an M on it, a MacDonald’s burger it does not make.
A logo/color change is useless if it doesn’t have action to back it up. So what I want to know is what procedures of Alberta Liberal Party policy-making will change, or at least tell me what policies will be changed to match with the new moniker?

Off the top of my head, a few brand names/logos that have been shortened…KFC, DQ, Tims, BK, MNP. Now, name any organization that has recently adopted a longer name, let alone purposely branded itself with a 12-letter tongue twister. “Only in Liberalberta.”

Dave, I thought maybe it was Columberta lol!! In all honesty though, policy and money to tell people about the policy get party votes. I’m sure nobody will be talking about the logo in 3 years, just what ideas and promises it represents. Good post Dave!

-Ryan

What I find far more concerning, personally, is the rescission of the co-operation policy. I’ve already expressed, to one caucus member so far, my complete frustration with this. I will proudly write my name beside the following opinion: the executive and the board got this wrong. I truly believe they’re out of step with what progressive Albertans want, and they’ve closed the door on an opportunity to do something bold while there was time to do.

I actually don’t mind the new logo. If anything, it’s making people think about what it means to be a Liberal in Alberta. Any publicity is good publicity, when you’re stuck in the political hinterland…

The real question is this: where is the party going? What does the Alberta Liberal Party offer that isn’t already part of another party’s platform? A bit of this, and a bit of that = lame. Liberals have to stop trying to please everyone, stick to their guns, and stand up for a set of values that will set them apart.

Rebranding a pig, is total lunacy, we don’t even brand pigs here, nobody brands pigs, tatoos maybe, and everyone knows liberals are already tatooed for the most part, and please someone, some millie liberal, tell Justin to stay away from Alberta from now on, it’s hopeless. And yes I’m still mean..

Just a terrible idea. We have always had the Red and White colors, this is who we are. Are we running away from what we stand for??

The fact of the matter is, many of you will wine and wine and blame, regardless of what is done and not done. Damned if you do damned if you don’t. Dave Berta and many others don’t even remember, that according to the media, the Liberals were supposed to be wiped out last election. The Alberta Party did not even get ONE seat AND their leaders stepped down, yet, intelligent, thoughtful folks like Dave keep saying that the Liberals got decimated…go figure, that means the Alberta Party got annhiliated into oblivion. Dave B, still won’t even say that even after the party leader has stepped away! Unreal man. That fact of the matter is, the Liberals at the behest of the voters made a huge sacrifice for the “Lakes of fire” and the PC have borrowed 125,000 votes. Even on the day of the election, in public places you could hear young progressive voters wondering whether they should vote against the Wildrose or vote for the one party that is NOT responsible for some of the problems in AB. The Lakes of fire were enough to scare 125,000 into voting against the Wildrose, the only way to do that was for Progressive, Liberal minded votes to fall on the sword and hold their nose and vote fo the Tories. Despite that, the Liberals STILL landed on their feet, despite being outfinanced, underrepresented in the media, lack of volunteers. These Liberals fooled themselves into believing a new woman leader in the Tories was change. They were wrong. NO public judicial inquiry, NO transparency. More sham reviews and NOW..another raise the P-Sees have given themselves, with the PUBLIC 100% funding of their RRSP’s. Some of you folks and some Albertans are the thickest, densest creed on earth, with the attention span and memory of a goldfish. YOU ARE THE PROBLEM look in the mirror.

Under a leader who MacLeans describes as an “egomaniac not-really-Liberal disaster of a leader, Raj Sherman”, Liberal support in Alberta went from 29% to an embarassing 10%. Since then Sherman and his supporters have delivered countless reasons for why this is really not true, or how it’s not his fault, or how it is really a victory in some twisted alternate universe. The fact remains that the current Alberta Liberal administration has failed to offer Albertans a compelling political view. It’s time to recognize the mistake, clean house, and choose a new crop of visionary people who can engage Alberta.

… I’m convinced that their re-brand couldn’t be less inspiring than this one.

Shouldn’t it at least be LiberAlberta?

Because in my honest humble opinion as a proud Albertan is that Alberta should be capitalized or are LiberRajites ashamed of the province?

Liberals, progressives, centrist, what ever you want to call them, have to make a decision to coalesce. The fact of the matter is, we have two conservative parties running this province. It works quite well for those two parties that most progressives are with the Tories and the rest are so divided and split with infighting. That is the in alienable fact. Oil prices are high, the Tories will likely enjoy it until the price comes crashing to earth. As gov’t finances run dry from the debt tsunami, if prices stay too low for too long, that is when people become inspired enough to back another horse. Until, that happens, rest is considered a dog and pony show at the carnival. Folks rebranding happens all the time. BC Liberals have branded. AB Nd’s rebranded and how many times have the Right Wing Party called the Wildrose Rebranded…at least a few. Brand refreshing is a great idea, the fact is, it does eventually work to increase political fortunes.

Rebranding or not. The other underlying issue is how do you get the avg. entrenched voter to quit associating the 1980’s Trudeau Fed. Libs with Prov. Libs who have not been in office since 1921? The real prob. that keeps Tories here, is that voters have such an entrenched, unwavering association of the two separate entities. History has show that every Liberal leader is irrelevant since Decore. Anything and everything should be tried.

The whole issue of reversing policy on “collaboration” with other “progressive” parties is irrelevant anyway. You can’t collaborate with another party that isn’t willing to collaborate with you, or to even acknowledge you are “progressive” at all. The NDP has repeatedly rejected any form of merger, collaboration, cooperation, or non-compete arrangements with the Liberals, the AP, or anyone else. New Democrats wholeheartedly reject any characterization of the pro-business, “Tory-lite” Liberal party as “progressive”. The only way Liberals can stop vote-splitting with New Democrats is to tear up their Liberal cards wholesale and join the NDP.

The question of whether the Liberal executive followed party rules in changing this policy is so unimportant it isn’t funny. The policy had no effect anyway, so who really cares how it was changed?

Dear Liberalberta,

You are looking kinda dumb with your finger and your thumb in the shape of an “L” on your forehead. Since “Liberal” has been synonymous in Alberta with “Loser” for over 90 years, drop the “Liber” already and merge with that empty shell known as the Alberta Party. If that means you and AP have to arm-wrestle over the name, so be it, because if you can’t win that contest, you have a snowball’s chance in the Lake of Fire against the incumbent and official opposition parties.

Merging with anybody a complete and utter waste of time. Nd’s, even with coddling and baby sitting from their Federal breathern got less than the Libs. So what election told us was that the ND’s have almost no appeal to most mainstream Albertans. When the Lakes of Fire comments came, progressive centrists were NOT voting against the Liberals brand, they did a fear based vote against he WR and donated their vote to the Tories because they felt this would the best way AT THIS time to preserve Progressive ideals in AB. Progressive voters did NOT choose the ND’s. Mergers only work to further entrench the Tory vote in AB,as the ND’s don’t have a hope in hxll of capturing anything, even with Federal coddling. So those half brains proposing a merger with ND’s are either wholesale sniffing paint and have NO clue, or are in fact trying to turf out the center to help the Tories. There can really be no other explanation such unreasonable, hair brained reasoning, in light of the known voting style.
For the third place Liberals to merge with a 4th or 5th place party to rejuvenate its political fortunes is far worse than having an L on its forehead. Given the vote count and the seats, it makes WAY more sense for the AP or the ND’s to rip their cards and coalesce and collaberate in the center, where MOST Albertan voters ARE. Albertans WILL NOT vote for new parties (Alberta Party) and will NOT vote for ND’s either. This just makes sense folks. For the Libs to merge with 4th and 5th place losers, it better to keep the “L” and grow from the existing position. To do anything different only serves to disenfranchise more voters to hold their nose and vote Tory. What makes the most sense is to get the Progressive voters to leave the Tory party. They will when the situation is right, just ask the Social Credit Party, it happened to them. The best hope against the Tories is to recreate their historical triumph against them.

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