The United Conservative Party – somehow fresh-faced and old at the same time – has chosen its first leader.
Jason Kenney, a career politician who has spent his entire life has been devoted to right-
wing politics and causes, is the first leader of the shotgun marriage party. He defeated the much more likeable and quite inoffensive Brian Jean, to assume the leadership of the UCP. As you can see from the picture here, he was absolutely delighted with the result.
Kenney is one of those increasingly common people whose only career is “public service”, as they call it. Checking out his bio on his website, Kenney seems to have never held down a job other than leading the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, which he founded. He was a Conservative MP and cabinet minister under Stephen Harper, having been elected as an MP for the Reform Party at age 29. He is unmarried and has no children, a bit of a disadvantage in the photo-op department.
A lot of conservatives see Kenney as their saviour, the man who can deliver Alberta from the reign of error of Rachael Notley, leader of the Peoples’ Republic of Alberta (For Now). While there is no doubt that a single conservative party will have a much better chance of relegating the NDP government to the one-hit wonder status, it’s far from a sure bet. Kenney is very conservative, to a degree that may make ‘progressive’ Albertans uncomfortable. On the economic front, Kenney and the UCP will appeal to many Albertans who are disgusted by the ‘let’s worry about this tomorrow’ spending of the NDP, and who are angry about the whole carbon tax thing. (I’m not; I’ve actually made money thanks to the program, although I’m still waiting for the free lightbulbs the province has promised.) But hot button social issues are likely to cause the UCP trouble, and the NDP knows it. One of the first bills the NDP will present in the fall session of the legislature concerns tightening up the rules surrounding gay-straight alliances in schools, ensuring the privacy of students in a gay-straight alliance. It’s no coincidence that the government has decided that this ludicrously overwrought issue – one of those culture wars things parties like the Wildrose/PCs often get tripped up on – will be one of the first to face Kenney and his new party.
A bigger problem facing the UCP is that it is a party without policy. The UCP website doesn’t have a menu for policy; I couldn’t even find the word policy on its website. Right now, it appears the party’s only policy is the defeat of the NDP. That’s OK for now, but come election time the party will have to show voters something much more than just one policy. In any event, this should be interesting.
The Catalonia crisis explained … sort of
Spain was plunged into a literally existential crisis this week.
The Catalan region of the country, following a controversial referendum, declared its independence this week. The Spanish government immediately said “Not so fast,” or whatever the equivalent is in Spanish, and took over the Catalan government, firing the government and its police force. (While this seems rather ham-fisted for a democracy, it’s worth remembering that Spain was a dictatorship under Francisco Franco until 1975 when Franco died, and its transition to democracy has been fraught with challenges.)
Before Madrid took over the Catalan government, the region had one of the greatest levels of self-government in Spain. It has its own parliament, police force and public broadcaster, as well as a government and president. Catalans had a range of powers in many policy areas from culture and environment to communications, transportation, commerce and public safety. And Catalonia is rich. With just 16% of the population, it produces 19% of its Gross Domestic Product and more than a quarter of Spain’s foreign exports. And it has Barcelona, which is a tourist magnet; Catalonia is easily the most visited area in Spain. And it is home to Barcelona FC, one of the world’s premiere soccer teams (which is probably the biggest reason Spain wants to hold on to Catalonia.)
We faced – and on a simmering level, still face – the same threat in Canada. However, we did it right.
Quebec held two referenda on separation, and both times the public voted to stay in Canada (although not in the kind of numbers that anyone would call a ringing endorsement). We have reached a kind of détente between Quebec and the Rest of Canada that works for us. But then, we’re level-headed, pragmatic Canadians. We may not be entirely happy, but why rock the boat, eh? Something tells me that Spaniards are not quite so inclined towards calm discussion about shared values.
The last word (almost) on JFK
Thousands of pages of documents on the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 were released this week. Media and assassination fans poured over the documents, hoping to find a smoking gun that pointed away from Lee Harvey Oswald and pointed towards the Russians/CIA/Cubans/Mafia, pick your conspirator. Turns out, the information didn’t point towards anything other than confusion and a certain amount of ass-covering by the FBI. The Russians, in particular, appeared worried that they would take the blame, precipitating a nuclear war. While they showed that Oswald was certainly on the radar of the FBI, there is still nothing that points to anything other than one lone crackpot. But there is hope for conspiracy theorists – there are still some documents to be released. Hope springs eternal.
RIP
Juliette, 91, at one time one of Canada’s most popular singers as star of her own long-running TV series which ran from the 1950s to the 1970s. She was known as ‘Our Pet Juliette’. Different times, different times … Fats Domino, 89, rock and roll pioneer, famous for hits like Blueberry Hill, Ain’t That A Shame, and I’m Walkin‘. Fats joins an all-star roster of music stars this year who are now singing in the heavenly choir, including Tom Petty, Chuck Berry, Gord Downie, Walter Becker of Steely Dan, Glen Campbell, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, and Greg Allman … Robert Guillaume, 89, star of the 1970s sitcom Benson.
In This Corner 
UCP not UPC
________________________________