Finance Minister Ted Morton launched his new website this past week. A quick glance of the new website will reveal some prominently placed photos of Minister Morton with notable Canadian politicians such as Prime Minister Stephen Harper, former Premier Ralph Klein, and even some of his cabinet colleagues, but conspicuously missing the website are any photos (or even any mention) of current Premier Ed Stelmach.
With a provincial general election expected in early 2012, this could be a sign that the former leadership candidate from Calgary is beginning to quietly distance himself from the leader of his party. Will other MLAs from southern Alberta follow his direction?
20 replies on “tedmorton.ca minus ed stelmach.”
A smart guy I know really well tweeted this same observation…
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Well aren’t we smart cookies. š
Hah. So what’s Morton’s game plan here? Does he see himself as the next PC leader? In what scenario does that actually happen? So long as Stelmach retains a majority government of any size, that has to be considered a win in light of the Wild Rose threat. Does Morton really want to lead the PC opposition to Danielle Smith’s government? I don’t see an end game for him here, unless he’s planning to jump to the Wild Rose in advance of the general election. Actually, that feels like the most likely scenario. Perhaps he’ll go turncoat on Ed at the last possible second. That’d make for grand theatre, if nothing else.
Morton was supposedly one of the architects of the sections in the recent bills that gave ministers total control and blocked compensation and judicial recourse.
Given that WRA has stated that they will be working to repeal these legislative bills because of these sections, Morton would be an tarred, but feathered albatross.
He can try to distance himself from Special Ed, but he will have a hard time tryingto run away from his bungled handling of the province’s economy. He cqan bring little new to the table in an election since his right-of-fascist position is already widely held by Wild Hair supporters. Talk about a race to the bottom. Can’t with to see it unfold. Pity there’s no credible progressive choice – yet.
Yes. What a shame that there are no progressive candidates who represent the well-reasoned and reasonably presented position that Ted Morton is Hitler.
As far as the “architect of the Bills-which-will-eat-our-children” comment…do you mean Bills like the Land Stewardship Act, which Rob Anderson spoke in favour of? Curious as to what sort of avian analogy covers that inconvenient little factoid.
Neither Alison Redford nor Jonathan Dennis have anything about the Premier on their sites. Really, what is going on here.
I firmly believe that Stephen Harper should never wear a cowboy hat… never ever!
There is wrong… and then there is really, really wrong.
@Neal,
No! Morton wants to take half of the PC party and defect it to the wildrose. There are rumours of a coming caucus revolt and perhaps Danielle Smith will step aside and Morton will takeover the wildrose party.
Morton and Smith are both Calgary School family. I suspect they are working in cohoots with one another.
Sounds wild?! This may happen!
I just can’t see it happening. Morton is a snake and that fact is coming to the surface faster than you think. Bill 36 should be his abd the PC parties downfall but people are too busy watching TV to bother paying attention to a bill that basically extinguishes our rights of land ownership at their discretion. Save me the BS about it not working that way, it says “no person has the right to compensation” in those words. Now I’m no expert but that’s pretty clear to me what that means.
@Amecer, that is the problem. Ruralites are falling for Morton’s cowboy hat and tough-talking attitude, he fling a few words like God and pro-life, lo and behold, all the churches come out in droves to vote right wing, not fully contemplating that T.M. is a corporate oil guy and these people feel landownership and democracy and sovereingty are minor hurdles to get at energy and they don’t want to compensate people at all. This feels just a little unfair, don’t you think? But ruralites keep voting right wing dung into office, what the heck are we supposed to do?
Blind allegiance to right wing ideals is going to strip our wealth and land, ruralites need to start thinking a little and quit being fooled so easily by the cheap cowboy hat.
Ted has my vote, as long as he repeals his human rights amendment, bill 36 and public states that he will not privatize anything further in Alberta. If he can do that, I will wash his car for an entire year.
I know what you mean about the rural mentality because I live in rural Alberta but things are changing. I have heard the talk lately all over central Alberta, people are tired, people are sick of the corruption that they know is going on. The main reason we have this garbage government is because only 40% of the people even bothered to show up last time around. That to is changing. The surprsie will be the rural ridings next election, not sure which way they turn but it won’t be PC country like it always has been, those days are gone. Bill 36 is basically the death warrant for the tories.
As far as voting for Ted goes, never, not witha gun to my head would I vote for that snake.
Amecer,
I voted right wing 3x, but now, after this last year and the WRA, its quite clear that the right wing parties are out of touch with Albertans and what families really want. Families don’t sit over the dinner table contemplating royalties, private providers and transfering more of our hard earned tax dollars to the rich. We DO talk about the crappy infrastructure, our health and eduction.
I hope Ruralites show up in mass numbers this time and make a style statement, if they want to keep their land and be free. They need to vote centrist, for balance and fairness. We need to maintain balance, one-sided wealth transfer to free markets is pissing people off and families, I mean the voters, don’t want that.
God bless Alberta, our hard working farmers, oilsands workers and all of those in the cities that get up everyday to provide for their families.
We bust our chops for our families, we want better value for our tax dollars, as the money is not being used wisely to build stablity and value into Alberta for future generations.
You guys all crack me up, your all whoring for the Alberta Party like they have a chance of winning anything. The Alberta party will be like the Liberal party some fringe weirdos will no doubt vote for you and then it will shiuvel and die like the watse of time it truly is. I know Dave’s pimping for it as well which is even funnier because frankly nobodies really taking that party seriously. Just the way I see it.
@D-day,
What’s funnier is that guys like you, with a blind love for PC or right wing parties have gone beyond whoring yourself, your allegiance to extreme ideals, you have given yourself for free, for almost nothing in return, guys like you keep voting like a braindead robot drone, keep doing the same thing.
Its funny how braindead voters start to wake up and label voices of sanity and reason as something “weird or fringe”. Since when did thinking, balance, fairness and truth become synonymous with being “fringe”. Somebody please tell me, why have we AB’s become so accustomed to setting the bar so low, for what we should get in return for working so hard and paying tax dollars?
Don’t get me wrong, we need fiscal governance, but if there is fiscality, there must be a carrot for the people, their money needs to be spent wisely. Even right wing Governments in UK are being fiscal, BUT, but the only thing they have not slashed is healthcare.
Is is freaky or, fringe or weirdo to have healthcare?
First off I see the posts by the AP people all over the place and they are attack posts at best because rather than tell anyone what your plans are all you can manage is to tell people what others are doing or not doing. At first I was interested in the AP but the mentality I see here and all I read and hear has turned me right off. The impression I am left with is that it is nothing but a party for those that have no intention of listening to anyone.
Secondly to even suggest that the PC government we have here is right wing is right out of touch. You make assumptions that I even vote that way and you also make assumptions that I do vote blindly, how little you know. I do apologize for the “fringe weirdo” comment that was out of line, disrespect is never ok. The attack method I see by the AP is just such a turn off and it reminds me of the U.S. type of campaigning that I can tell you will never fly in this country.
@D-Day,
I am a 3x PC voter. The PC’s have done a few lefty things just to keep the vote, but on the fringes of the right, there has been quiet discontent with Ed.
AP is too new to criticize. I am not AP, I am a fiscal conservative, that feels governance from the center is best for Alberta. There is no attack post here, just the truth, some long time right voters start to convulse the moment that truth is spoken. The fact is, we have billions of energy revenue, the most productive people, yet we still have dificits, why? Its not b/c we continue to maintain basic human rights like health and education, its b/c we need to better manage the remaining cash flows, but there is too much secrecy regarding all that to talk about.
Sorry if you think the truth, clarity and people questioning things is out of character. You should not mischaracterize those that question things. All Albertans listen, but they also want to be listened to, as well.
I am a right winger at heart, but I still think hardworking Albertan families should never lose value for their hard work and tax dollars they pay. By far, the largest voters are the families, sorry if that is too lefty or AP for you.
@D-day
Just forget about parties for a second, why can’t ALL albertans want the same basic fundamental things like Rule of Law, democracy, a multi-party ethics and privacy commission, healthcare, education, transparent and fair governance and good infrastructure.
These are the things I want to see, sorry if my “lefty” comments seem like “AP attacks” to you. What AB’s want to see, is their sovereignty re-affired, and democracy re-affirmed. I am not advocated any parties here.
I am only campaigning for balance and fairness for the people here. Again, I think those ideals are common to any party here. Unfortunately, we are seeing less and less of them as time goes.