www.ChrisLaBossiere.com

My whole life, Chrysler has struggled under a mediocre brand, constant quality issues and a failure to innovate meaningfully. GM, not much better, has suffered under it's own bureacratic weight, lack of productivity, and perhaps even worse innovation.

No surprise, both these companies required major government bailouts, and are still trying to sell the same vehicles to the public. Now imagine this.

General Motors and Chrysler decide to "co-operate" in an effort to steal more market share from other competitors. But instead of a merger, they are simply going to agree not to compete with each other in strategic markets, or perhaps they would co-operate in speaking out against their combined competitors.

So keeping this anology in perspective, ask yourself how the customer receives greater value from either of these companies? Do the cars get better for the customer? Will they be able to change the perceived needs and wants of the customer, by offering LESS CHOICE? Of course not. Frankly, they would be conspiring to SCREW the customer, or at very least the SYSTEM, by playing games with the market instead of innovating, and adding more desired products for their customers.

Of course in the world of industry, there is no way in the world this would work. Firstly it would be against the law, secondly it would not grow the market share for either company, as customers will just laugh in the face of the conspirators, step around them and buy what they want.

Now, imagine we were talking about political parties, in a first-past-the-post election. You could argue that then things are different. That vote-splitting would be reduced and the conspirators could come out ahead.

Do the electorate get a better product? Or is it simply the best way to keep your failing brand from really innovating? We know the obvious answers to these questions, and yet the old-school win at all costs mentality of people losing grip on power, makes the self-serving option seem to make sense. But at what long-term cost?

To be clear, I am not talking abour a merger of the parties, which in my opinion would have some benefits. But that would require coming from two completely different locations on the political spectrum and trying to appease the grassroots of each. So a merger MIGHT create a better product (assuming moderate policies) for the customer, but the special influencers of the NDP (Union friendly and anti-business left wingers), and the smarter-than-the-average-Albertan egos of the Liberal Leadership, would never get this done.

So, in my personal opinion, it's simply old-school politics and a bailout of those who have failed to inspire Albertans. Me, I'll look for a new mode of transportation, built to function in a 2010 political economy.

I am not going to comment on today's announcement by Dave Taylor to leave the Liberal Party, other than to key on something that he said which resonates with me. On Taylor's website today, in part of his announcement to the public he says this:

"The other two parties both come at it from the far ends of the political spectrum. The majority of Albertans don't want that. They want sensible, moderate, pragmatic solutions that are fiscally responsible, socially progressive, and that put Albertans first."

This is where I think the story is. All of the speculation aside about Mr. Taylor's future, I would support him today as an independent, because he seems to understand that many Albertans are sitting in the middle of the current political debate, and are either not being heard, or have left the discussion altogether.

Polarization of those who still actually care about our current state of politics hasn't helped.

No party will ever win government in Alberta by being anti-business, loose spenders, and nanny-state supporters. But for some reason or another, the "right-wing" of our political spectrum has paired economic good-governance with a retreat on the social side of the agenda, and they have ignored other important issues to Albertans. Poverty, education, helthcare, the environment, people with disabilities, equality and social tolerance for every individual; these are also important to Albertans. Our current conservative alrtenatives stake their argument on the virtues of a libertarian society where the government gets the hell out of the way, and let's every man/woman make their own claim in the World. For matters of money, that is nearly believable, but in matters of protecting others and our environment, that position loses credibility when there are those who simply can not help themselves, and time and again we have seen unregulated business do harm.

The Liberals and the NDP's have done a similiar disservice to the left side of the spectrum, by being anti-everything the current government does, and in the ND's case, they extend their 100% opposition to everything business.

We have to stop buying this all or nothing mentality. We must start to de-polarize politics and find some common-ground between the haves and have-nots, between unadulterated financial progress at the expense of our future and environment, and we must accept embrace the differences of a modern culture.

I have faith in Albertans to expect this from our politicians, and it starts by applauding dissent and debate within our existing political parties. The fact that the Liberal Party has stood today and told us that they are doing great and it's leader is strong, is ignoring the reality. They have continuously failed to inspire Albertans, and they are paying the price. The head-in-the-sand response by the PC Party to it's own recent woes, has been an even greater example of how not to inspire.

Our current parties are suffering from target fixation, and talking to the smaller and smaller polar ends of the politically engaged. This can't survive forever, and it is up to us to find new leaders, new ideas, and give them our support. Otherwise, as I like to say, "out of the room, out of the deal".

If that includes a fracturing of the existing political parties to coalesce to a more moderate middle ground, then it can't happen soon enough.

I had a particularly frustrating debate via email tonight with a friend who asked a very good question, knowing full well however that I could not answer it. The question:

"what on earth IS a progressive? I'm just not sure, at all.  I know exactly where my ideology is, but I have no idea if it is progressive or not. And all the Rethinks, Renews, Reboots haven't really articulated it in a succinct way at all."

We debated and debated, and I realized that we were talking on different topics. I THINK my friend wanted to nail-down what a government would look like to a Progressive, and that is a VERY good question. I am very much looking forward to how an existing party, or a new party, can some how embrace many of the philosophies of the very motivated and active members of the latest Progressive movement in Alberta, Reboot Alberta. But there is no party that seems to be providing that solution to at least these Albertans today, which is why they have created a movement in the first place.

So I need to turn this around and ask my friend, what of the current parties would really capture the imagination and interest of these dissatisfied Albertan's in the existing parties? It's ridiculous to suggest that they are all Liberals, or they would simply join the Liberal party. But again, why are they also not supporting the Progressive Conservatives or Wildrose Alliance?

And that brings me back to the title of this post. I think these engaged citizens are looking for Progress and not necesarrily a Progressive party. Sure, many have expressed an interest in a new party, that embraces progress, but not all of them. Many are simply casting off partisanship altogether as the reason we continue to get worse and worse governance.

So in my continuous soul-searching, I was reading this very interesting Washington Post article on Conservatism, and why it seems to have lost it's intellectual founding. I tend to agree with much of it in our current context (I don't agree that applies with a broad brush, so there, you smarty-pants). However to me it seems the Alberta Conservative movement seems to be harkening for something that USED to exist, instead of accepting that "times they are a changing". My best example is the way that the right-wing social conservative movement and the libertarian movement, very different animals, have come together to fight "Liberalism". That's not presenting solutions, that's trying to win a political fight, even if it means aligning with your ideological opposites. I don't belong to the Liberal Party just because I consider myself a Progressive, anymore than I belong to the Conservative Party because I am a Capitalist.

Until I see REAL and substantive policies from the Wildrose Alliance or the Progressive Conservative party on things that are important to other Progressives like me, I will ignore both of them as parties only interested in holding onto, or fighting for power (or I will go away and find a new interest). I was close to buying some of the Wildrose argument until they lost me on the political opportunism they deployed on accepting floor-crossers, instead of using the chance to change the way politics could be done in representing the constituent. That was exacebated when they suggest that supporting recall legislation is important to them, just not in this case (in the form of a by-election) because of course it would not serve their need for party status and a voice in the Legislature. A decision that I actually UNDERSTAND, but I have to file under POLITICAL REALITY and not idealism and desire to invoke real change in the way they would govern.

Frankly, it is intellectual dissonance to try and label the Reboot Alberta movement as anything partisan. When a new party emerges from it, then all bets are off, and that party will be under the same scrutiny as any other. Not just by me, but by Liberals, Progressives, Conservatives, Communists and the like.

I look forward to more policies developing from all of the parties, and I really look forward to the outcome of the Manning Center for Democracy event being held her in Edmonton in a few weeks. THAT is something that I can get excited about. Smart people talking about what a Conservative government looks like in the modern era. That said, I also look forward to the next Reboot Alberta event, and for some of the same reasons.

Until then though. I actually believe that this quote from that Post article is really indicative of the lack of solutions coming from the conservative parties of Alberta.

The single largest defect of modern conservatism, in my mind, is its insufficient ability to challenge liberalism at the intellectual level, in particular over the meaning and nature of progress. In response to the left's belief in political solutions for everything, the right must do better than merely invoking "markets" and "liberty.

~ Steven F. Hayward - Washington Post

I for one would welcome a true intellectual debate, and maybe we will see it from the Manning event, but I haven't seen it yet from the other "Conservatives" involved in existing political parties. My good friend's included.

Tonight may well have been a watershed moment for the Alberta PC Party. One of their strongest constituencies, and without a doubt one of their strongest MLA's, came under attack. Dave Hancock had the guts to stand in front of hundreds of unhappy constituents on the topic of healthcare.

This was not his event, and nor is healthcare his portfolio, but they are his constituents. Like he always has, he chose to take his lumps and be there to answer to many of those who voted for him. Something tells me that he does so out of obligation to the constituency and not necasarily out of obligation to his party. As you can tell, I have a lot of respect for Dave Hancock, but in politics that may not matter.

But, from what I can see, the people of Edmonton Whitemud are probably not looking even further right for the answers. Edmonton Whitemud has always been about as close to the political center as you can envision. So then what's next for Edmonton Whitemud, and Alberta for that matter?

This is where I think the answer is not yet in front of us. There are two very interesting things happening in Alberta that are non-partisan in nature. They deserve our attention. Both of them are very telling of the dissatisfaction many Albertans have with existing parties.

1. Reboot Alberta, a Progressive think-tank that has inspired many moderate Albertans, is gathering much momentum and hosting their second event in Kananaskis. This non-partisan community has quickly come together online and offline. The first Reboot had four groups within it, and one of them were many who think we could use a new moderate party. All of Alberta, urban, rural, young and old, the business person and the everyman, were in attendance at the first Reboot. 
2. Also of interest, and a first for the acclaimed Manning Center for Democracy, is a weekend long conference on Alberta's Future. The Manning Center has not yet been involved in Provincial politics, and something tells me that its namesake, a trusted conservative statesman, is unhappy with where things are heading in Alberta as well. Manning as of late has shifted his position to a "Green Conservatism".

I continue to feel that we need something NEW. Someone said this to me last weekend, about the existing party choices, and I tend to agree:

The Wildrose Alliance are unhappy with government and seem to want to go back to the days of the parochial Social Credit Party of the 50's.

The Liberal Party has been unable to inspire Alberta on a platform with solutions. they have not been able to get past the distrust of the NEP, and seem to have responded with only criticisms, and are light on solutions. Even more light on leadership.

Sadly, and I say sadly because they own the political spectrum that most of us resonate with, the PC Party has stopped innovating democracy, and seem only interested in holding onto power

So, and again this is my opinion, it just FEELS like the solution for the next government of this Province is not yet in front of us. I am ok with that, and I am starting to see the value in the discussion that is happening amongst us.

I plan to attend both the Manning event and the next version of Reboot Alberta. I suspect that even after these events, I will not see a mainstream party today that can satisfy me. But I am becoming more and more confident that I will be surrounded by Albertans who are starting to ask what that might look like.

As many of you are very well aware, I have increased much of my blogging around Provincial political discussion. It probably takes up well over half of my posts, and obviously that is because I am impassioned on the future of this province, and my city.

But, I am not a politician, I am not a paid journalist, nor am I even 100% convicted in my opinions. I am a regular family man, business owner and citizen. The more I look inward to my own thoughts, beliefs and opinions, the more complicated I find the discussion around what makes for good government. Don't even get me started about politics, which clearly has very little to do with government.

What I do know however is that the far end of the political spectrums are the playgrounds of the ideologue. Because free speech is something that cements our very societal foundation, it would be ridiculous to criticize their right to say what they do. Because also, you can't influence the opinion of a close-minded ideologue, it would be a waste of energy to even try. Trust me on this one, I have wasted a lot of my energy falling for the trap of debating them, only to find that the joke was on me.

But what we can do and we should do, at least when it comes to politics, is to shift our glance to whom the ideologues' are supporting politically. We should ask why that party accepts them, even if they have to plug their noses doing so, to gain the votes of their followers.

Next to Grassroots, I think the term Big-Tent is one of the worst metaphors used in politics. If you are a party, or a party leader who professes to be a "Big-Tent" party, then that should mean you want people with all types of beliefs to be a member of your party, AND be able to express them freely in your party. In my opinion, a true big tent party would actually have policies and tools which create an environment that fosters this type of open-thinking. Not only that, and perhaps more importantly, the party would have leadership that actually disapproves of ideological close-mindedness, speaking out against it, to help the discussion along. As a business owner, and leader, I do know that it is my responsibility to foster an environment that is healthy and respectful for all of my employees. A parties leader should do the same for all of the residents of their "big-tent".

I have always thought this would actually be good politics. Don't even get me started on how this would be great for good governance.

Today's politics, which are based on gaining power then sharing it back to the interests that help you get elected, are perpetuating the problem. In my opinion however, and many of my good friends believe I am being naive, I think that the world is changing. I think that transparency of information, the ability for nearly anybody to publish their opinions, and the highly increased ability for people to come together (first on electronic social networks, but then together in person), makes it more and more difficult for politicians to maintain exclusivity on the distribution of power. We have more power today, and it's time we started using it.

The party that finds a new way to govern within this new reality, will be the one that wins the votes of the masses. In my opinion, no party in Alberta today does this. I'm not prepared to accept that it's not possible to blend good government and good politics. But right now, as I see it, that will take a new party, using new techniques.

p.s. If you visit the link above, you will see that Reboot Alberta is rapidly becoming the place where like-minded Alberta citizens can challenge a new way of thinking for democracy in Alberta. I was at the first event and it was attended by a perfect balance of rural, urban, young and old. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the the home for anyone who would subscribe to old terms like Liberal or Conservative. That's why I love it, and you should spend some time on the site reading about the movement. I have no doubts that the next political party that I support in this Province will get it's start from this movement. Their next event is at the end of February in Kananaskis, and if you would like to discuss how democracy can be practiced in the 21st century, then I would suggest you come along.