..turning our blue eyes red.
Ok.
So I'll admit it.
I attended the Lethbridge East Liberal.. err.. Progressive Conservative Nomination meeting last night.
As a favor to a volunteer who continues to toil for the PC Party, I offered to act as a Notary to take Declarations of Residency for people who did not have sufficient identification to confirm their address in the constituency.
The race was between long time County of Lethbridge Reeve, Lorne Hickey, and former Liberal MLA, turned PC convert, Bridget Pastoor.
And it was nice to see a lot of faces of people I haven't seen in a long while.
And it was disconcerting to see a massive number of tax-consumers coming out in droves to a Progressive Conservative meeting.
Just to give you a little taste..
The meeting began with Lorne's speech which was, well, workmanlike, if not really all that inspiring or moving.
Then we moved to the Bridget's speech. For someone who professed to have been shocked that candidates gave speeches before the polls opened, she had no problem filling 10 or 15 minutes essentially telling everyone who was a Progressive Conservative before last month that they were thugs and neanderthals. That while she may have been a bag lady for former Progressive Conservative and master of Machiavellian politics, Dick Johnson.. the party wasn't worthy of her until the election of Alison Redford as leader.
Now.
Following the speech, there was a shocking increase in the numbers of what I would call "tax-consumers". You know. The opposite of "tax-payers".
Seniors.
Teachers.
People who GET money from government, but, on a net basis, pay nothing.
So. No shock. We later are advised that Bridget was successful.. ho hum.. and we see the clear and obvious progression of the former small "c" conservative party to something a little left of Tommy Douglas and Jack Layton.
Which is fine, I guess... that's how democracy works. But, I think it's somewhat instructive of what we might expect in the days and months to come from the PC Party's new leader.
Continued deficits.
Continued profligate spending.
Continued "big brother" expansion in a Province that, at one time, lured me from British Columbia because I sought a place to do business in a predictable political climate.
Those days are done.





