Today there were two other bloggers in the media room. Alex writer of The Roundhouse and Joey aka The Enlightened Savage. I highly recommend reading their coverage of the PC 2010 AGM as well. It's due to Joey's involvement that I've been granted the freedom to report on this event. Joey, I will have to find a way to get back at you errr, thank you.
I would like to thank Don Braid, Graham Thomson and the other (real) media members welcoming me into their realm. Even though we (bloggers) are in their midst, our reporting of the events will be distinctly different. Bloggers tend to have a bias and in some cases even a partisan view. You will see evidence of this in my subsequent posts.
Tonight's reception had several tables; each had about three constituencies represented. This was a great idea; you could head to the appropriate table to meet the MLA and/or CA representatives. I was surprised by the number of people I recognized, but even more surprised by the number of people who know who I am. I chuckled to myself when I overheard one person say to another; "Isn't she with the Wildrose? Why is she here?"
One of the people I bumped into was Sean Chu. Even though we recently ran against one another, we have a great deal in common. (Including losing...) We shared post-election stories and we are both still recovering from the effects of a long campaign.
Side notes:
Food at reception was top notch.
Media room is spacious, enough plug-ins today, but think we will be short tomorrow.
Beverage service was provided to media; although it seemed to have been a last minute thing rather than planned.
Seinfeld was a successful “show about nothing”. It’s becoming clear for average Albertans the “Cabinet Tour” is the “tour about nothing”.
It was first announced April 22 and at that time the schedule only had dates and general areas of where the Ministers would be. At that point I thought; “Okay, that’s understandable. It takes time to book venues, give media advance notice, line up advertising, etc.”
Here we are nearly a week later and I am faced with the fact that the venues and times are not going to be released. How can I be so sure of this? Let’s look at a couple of clues.
There is a Facebook a group called the “The PC Discomfort Tour 2010”. Connie Jensen posted an email response she got when she inquired as to the details.
“Logistics”??? We don’t need to know how they are travelling or what hotel they are staying at!! Just simple venues and times.
Today Don Braid reports that the Highwood PC Constituency Association wasn’t even advised of their own MLA being in town with other Ministers. One could write this off as punishment for the letter they issued in March.
So I sent an inquiry to my MLA’s office this morning asking:
Do you know where I can find the locations and times for the Cabinet tour?
I have deleted the responders’ name, as I actually like the people in Kyle’s office and this situation is not their making. This was the response:
No, sorry Jane. We aren't given advance notice of where they will be. I think the idea is that it's a surprise, perhaps to avoid media attention. I'm not sure.
Regards,
XXXX XXXXXXXX
This really falls into the WT*? column.
So we have Minister’s offices that will not release the “logistics”; they are not advertising in newspapers, the government isn’t sharing the information with their own Constituency Associations and they are not even informing their own MLA offices????
For the average Albertan, there is zero chance you will get a face-to-face with one of these Ministers. Nor for the media get a chance to ask questions or see them interact with constituents. To date it looks as though they are meeting with local elected individuals and/or handpicked individuals.
All of this is quite contrary to what Stelmach touts in his YouTube video.
“…..to hear directly from Albertans.”
Well, okay they are Albertans, but these are people they can (and should) meet with anytime.
In the video he also claims;
.....because when you are in the capital city, especially in the Legislature building, you don’t get a chance to see people on their own turf.
Huh?? They have a “constituency week” every 3 to 4 weeks for just that reason; to go back to their constituencies and “see people on their own turf.” In the first four months of 2010 the Legislature was in session less barely 30 days and out over 45. (Weekends excluded)
This tour has nothing to do with meeting with average Albertans. It is smoke and mirrors. They are publicizing a façade of a tour, when in fact they doing the things these ministers and MLA’s should be doing all year long. They then post pictures after the fact as if it is something new and of value to Albertans.
There you have it; the “Stelmfeld Tour about Nothing.” There is no punch line and no one is laughing.
There is a great quote in Don Braid's "Tories easily spooked" appearing in today's Herald, from my PC counterpart, Executive Director Jim Campbell.
Regarding Ed Stelmach’s upcoming leadership review Braid comments;
These Tories point out that a negative vote would come only a year and a half after Stelmach won 72 of 83 seats in the legislature, the biggest first victory ever for a Tory premier. Many Albertans would wonder how much power Conservatives need to be satisfied.
To which Jim Campbell responds;
"I can't imagine people in the party wanting to vote against a premier with a record like that," says Jim Campbell, the party's executive director.
This is exactly the attitude I was referring to yesterday when I said…..
So in addition to Mark Norris (former MLA) and a few current MLA’s (who I won’t name); we can add their Executive Director to the list of PC proponents who think everything is rosy in Eddyville.
It's becoming clear why Stelmach had to look elsewhere to find people to "think big".
