They’re antsy.

Some in the Wildrose. Some politicians from the party. Danielle Smith, the party’s leader.

So says Jay Hill.

Hill is a former Harper cabinet minister, a founding member of the Reform party and now a bigshot in Jim Prentice’s campaign to be provincial Tory boss and premier.

The Prentice people don’t feel like being a punching bag any longer. They’re punching back.

Hill reacts to a story Smith says was no big deal and “sort of a crazy fantasy” and “so ridiculous” and “wishful thinking on the part of the Prentice campaign” a few weeks ago.

Nothing worth spitting out a syllable over. No gathering of the newshounds. No breathing fire.

But then Smith apparently feels the pain of woe-begotten Tories like Ric McIver and Thomas Lukaszuk with reports of the PC pair allegedly being roughed up politically by unnamed Prentice bully boys so they won’t run against the saviour candidate.

On Wednesday it is now a big enough deal to call a news conference complete with a province-wide dial-in and a song and dance for the cameras.

Smith tells us someone from the Prentice inner circle asked someone from her inner circle to ask her if she’d like to talk about making the Progressive Conservatives and the Wildrose into one party.

Got all that?

The day before, Smith says it was an intermediary who contacted her directly.

What’s a detail or two between friends.

Anyway, Smith says her answer was a flat-out no.

She does not name the person from the Prentice camp but says it was a staffer from Prentice’s days in Ottawa as a federal government mover and shaker.

She says we can believe her or not. Smith says she doesn’t need to name a name. She says there’s no point in hearing another denial from Team Prentice.

Hill says there’s something else going on here.

He says Smith is “trying to shore up her own support in the party.”

“They’ve got problems of their own. This has more to do with the divisiveness within their own caucus and party.”

“They are very worried. There is a lot of interest from people and a lot of concern from people within her party and within her caucus about a Jim Prentice-led Progressive Conservative party.

“There will be some that perhaps flirted with the Wildrose that are going to come back to a Progressive Conservative party led by Jim Prentice.

“I think there is a strong likelihood some within her caucus and within her party are extremely nervous. What we’re seeing is this type of nervousness playing itself out.”

So Smith stamps out any talk of joining the enemy and pledges a brawl for it all.

As for Prentice wanting the two parties as one, Hill says without a name “we’re kind of shadow boxing here.”

“Danielle Smith should make these people’s names known so we can have some conversations with them,” says Hill, who adds the top two dozen or so on Prentice’s campaign team all say they have not talked about two parties becoming one.

“I’d like to look her in the eye and ask her who is the official from the Prentice campaign she’s been talking to.

“I am curious.

“It’s very true she could embarrass somebody. But is it better to embarrass herself because that’s what she’s doing right now. How does anybody know?”

It is day when even Premier Dave Hancock is cracking wise.

He says Smith is just “feeling left out.”

The Wildrose leader is not finished.

Prentice is “taking the notion of entitlement to a whole new level.”

Smith says the PC leadership hopeful is using “strong-arm tactics” and if he wants to be premier there sure as heck is no way the Wildrose is going to make it easier.

“If you want to be premier you will have to fight for it,” she says.

The fight begins.

“I would issue this challenge to Danielle Smith and the Wildrose,” says Hill, from the Prentice camp.

“Quit behaving like an opposition and start behaving and communicating as a legitimate government-in-waiting.”

“There’s a world of difference between the two. And if she doesn’t know the difference yet, she isn’t ready to govern.”

Game on.