Leadership? what Leadership?!

So, King Ralph skips out of this week's Premiers' Conference, pleading that he "will be on vacation".

He has previously stated that he wasn't going to attend any more than the first day of the First Ministers Conference with Paul Martin - the one intended to get the discussion going with the provinces over Health Care.

I may not agree with what Paul Martin wants to do any more than Ralph does - I really haven't seen enough to have a clear impression one way or the other. However, I think I'd like to see what it was for myself. Martin is making a clear, and public, attempt to open lines of discourse between Ottawa and the Provinces. I applaud that.

So - what's Ralph in a snit about? Basically, because the press will be there, and the meetings will be open sessions, it won't be Ralph's favorite playground - 'Behind Closed Doors'. This means he can't play his usual hardball cards in the meetings - it won't play well on camera, and Ralph knows it. He also knows that he wants to call a provincial election - soon.

The excuse Ralph gave for this week is such an obvious crock of steer manure it's not even funny. For a man on 'vacation', he seems to have an amazingly busy agenda galavanting around the province to speaking engagements, ceremonies and goodness knows what else. If this is Ralph's idea of a vacation, he's suddenly become a lot more "Type A" than he has been in the past.

Frankly, I see it as yet another lie from a man who has slowly lost his ability to distinguish what the public will believe from an obvious crock.

This combined with the recent "what should we do with the surplus" survey makes it pretty clear that the Alberta Conservatives don't have a clue any more. They've run out of gas - they have no vision for Alberta that extends beyond the next opinion poll to be published. A recent 'first quarter' analysis released by the Government claims that spending will be much higher, and that will eat up most of the surplus, leaving conveniently around 3 billion to wipe out the debt. Far too convenient. With oil prices staying well over $40/bbl, I just don't see that 3 billion dollar surplus staying at 3 billion - even with what the Tories have proposed to throw into the mix.

The survey about 'future' surpluses is no more than cheap electioneering - basically the Conservatives are doing an opinion poll on taxpayer coin. What's the outcome of this poll? They want to use it to decide which way the political winds are blowing in the province. No more, and no less. Don't waste your time on the survey, spend it more wisely - inform yourself about the other options in the province, and on voting day - whenever that is - go to the ballot box with a clear idea of what Alberta can be - look beyond Ralph and his Henchmen.