Quoted in the National Post
“Everyone knows this is a chance to select the next premier, and people want to be involved in that process — I know a lot of NDP and Liberal voters who will [buy a Tory membership so they can cast a ballot],” said Mike Bayrak, an Edmonton-based blogger who was involved in Progressive Conservative campaigns until he became disenchanted with the party’s direction.
“I used to be a Morton supporter, but I haven’t been impressed with him while he was finance minister and I disagree with his position on the Edmonton arena,” said Mr. Bayrak, who says his views today align with the Wildrose, a party he said is not quite ready for prime-time. “I like Orman’s libertarian stance, which is something he talks about often knowing it appeals to the Wildrose.”Oh, yeah, by the way, my name is Mike Bayrak--I've never mentioned that on this blog before, and will likely stay that way. I'm an Edmontonian and not involved in any provincial political party, and as you know, I describe myself as a libertarian conservative--economically slightly right of centre (I distaste private or public monopolies), and socially quite libertarian.
The Wildrose Party most closely fits with my views and will likely vote for the candidate in my riding this time as she seems connected with the community (just tried to find her info on the Wildrose.ca website but couldn't!). Sure I said they're "not fit for prime-time", and by that I mean, while there are some shining stars as candidates, some are not, and so I see them as possibly the official opposition, which will be good for them to gain more legislative experience and work out the kinks so they're fit to govern. The party is going through growing pains trying to find the balance between grassroots and pragmatism.
Do I hope they become government in 2016? You bet. Why? I don't see the PC party really changing, regardless of who leads it, which means the government won't either and after 40 years, it's about time.
Like the federal Liberals, the PC Party of Alberta needs to implode and find itself because I don't believe it has any sense of direction or vision, which is dangerous for a party that's actually governing this great province as we speak.
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3 comments:
I read the article and immediately thought "who is Mike Bayrak?" I googled it and found your blog, which I have known about for years.
Well, nice to meet you, Mike.
I tend to agree with your statement that the Wildrose "is not fit for prime-time." They do have a few decent candidates, but their pool of potential cabinet minister material is still pretty low.
This said, they still have more candidates, money, and organization on the ground than the other opposition parties, which leads me to believe they are well positioned to form official opposition after the next election.
Dave, they might have candidates, but money? Not really. Danielle can't even fund her current tour. Why? Because her support staff is bigger than the premier's! That's poor management. And it pains me because I know some of the good folks involved at that level. But right there is why they're not ready for government.
Agreed about their choice of such a large staff, but they appear to be raising more money than the other opposition parties (obviously not the Tories).
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