Ron Voss

2017-07-27 15:38:59 -0400

UCP

UCP

UCP

LGBTQ

UCP

UCP

The Wildrose and PC politicians like to talk a lot about being a grassroots-driven party. However, I have to question to what degree, or at all, the grassroots will determine the policies of the. Seems very little. The timing will be that the leadership race will take place first and the policy convention thereafter,that is,the cart before the horse. The recent comments of interimleader Nathan Cooper suggest the same, that is, very little.As theinterim leader, he recently expressed the view that, “UCP will be ‘open, inclusive,’ says interim leader whose views oncommunity have recently evolved”:He made reference to “We have the great opportunity to define the conservative movement”. Indeed, so is the policy of the new party to be defined by top-down pronouncements like his? Who is the “We” that defines the conservative movement. Is it to be shaped by kowtowing to the leftist media and the socialist NDP’s mouthpiece, the leftwing website Press Progress?In yesterday’s Edmonton Journal columnist Graham Thomson, who is about as “progressive’ as they come, correctly pointed out, “One of the big questions surrounding the new United Conservative Party is, what does it stand for?”. Indeed.Referencing the policy platforms being rapid-fire rolled out by Brian Jean to set himself apart from the other candidates, Thomson, again, correctly asks, “But how do you do that in a party that, at least in theory, is dedicated to grassroots democracy where the members set the direction, not the leader?… How can Jean or any other leader put forth policy unilaterally?" Indeed! Noteworthy the reference, as well, to “any other leader” putting forth policy unilaterally. Like the interim leader of theThe media will endeavor to label theas extremists trying to push (bully) the party to move to the left. Deputy Premier Sarah Hoffman, not surprisingly, questioned Cooper’s sincerity, telling reporters in Calgary that he needs to better explain how and when his “extreme opinions” altered.I will rephrase the last line in this informative article, “5 Ways Trump Shows How To Win Elections”:‘The future belongs to the framers and shapers of a United Conservative Party who care more about what their supporters think of them than what the media does’.