Renewal? Ralph's Tories?!

The Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta will hold its "AGM" convention this weekend.

In theory, one of the topics of discussion will be 'renewing' the party in the aftermath of last fall's election.

Somehow, I suspect that the most effective renewal of the Alberta PC's would be finding a leader with the vision and capability of Peter Lougheed. So far, we have had too many leaders (premiers) who have been mere politicians.

Replacing Ralph is the first step, but it is important that whoever replaces Ralph not be too closely associated with Ralph's regime. Why do I say this? Because I suspect strongly that once the current bunch are swept out from power, that we will find a nest of political corruption in Edmonton that will make the $200 Million dollar idiocy of the Sponsorship program look like a walk in the park.

I am deeply suspicious of how long the Alberta PCs have been in power without someone at the helm who is able to reign in the more extreme desires of those that seek power and wealth within the political system. With 30 years of straight majorities under their belt, the party infrastructure has become a self-fulfilling bureaucracy in its own right. If a decade of power results in the Gomery Inquiry, one can only imagine what three times that long has given rise to.