It’s Christmas Eve. What should Santa Claus leave tonight for a government that knows the price of everything and the value of nothing? The aphorism is Oscar Wilde’s, but the great wit of the 19th Century certainly could have been describing the United Conservative Party Government of Alberta in the
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Alberta Politics: Tee times and cowboys trump Pride when jittery Alberta conservative politicians join the parade
PHOTOS: Participants in last year’s Edmonton Pride Parade as it made its way through the leafy streets of Rachel Notley’s Edmonton-Strathcona riding. They don’t look very dangerous, do they? Below: The missing men – Wildrose Leader Brian Jean and Progressive Conservative Leader Jason Kenney (Photo: Wildrose Party), plus Oscar Wilde
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Former Alberta premier Dave Hancock to be the subject of a hanging Monday afternoon at the Legislature
PHOTOS: The official portrait of premier Dave Hancock, second-to-last Progressive Conservative premier of Alberta, will not likely look like this, although one could make a strong case it really should. After all, consider what Mr. Hancock was left to deal with by his predecessor, Alison Redford, whose official portrait is
Continue readingAlberta Diary: That Portrait of a Certain Lady: a bargain for Albertans at $12,000? Or not?
Is this what Alison Redford’s official portrait is going to look like? Below: Ms. Redford as she might have been seen by Pablo Picasso or Gustav Klimt. We can do better, people! VICTORIA, B.C. “Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.” — Oscar Wilde, The
Continue readingAlberta Diary: A picture of Tories gone gray: How much will Albertans spend on oil portraits of Alison Redford and Dave Hancock?
Premier pro tempore Dave Hancock’s official portrait imagined. Actual Legislative Building paintings may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Ed Stelmach as seen by Tunde Vari; Ralph Klein by Xin Yu Zheng; your blogger by Ryn Climenhaga. “I love scandals about other people, but scandals about myself don’t interest me.
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Recycling Margaret Atwood, Rob Ford, Doug Ford and the library slugfest of 2011
Margaret Atwood on our picket line at the Calgary Herald, circa 1999, shortly before severely reprimanding your blogger. Below: A reflective Ms. Atwood signing a book in Edmonton last night, part of the crowd that turned out to hear Ms. Atwood chat with singer Alanis Morissette, brothers Doug and Rob
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Alberta’s Wildrose Party strategists plan to have drained the Lake of Fire by Sunday
Explaining the new rules to the Wildrose Party’s many social conservatives. Wildrose political strategists may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Social conservative pastor and former Wildrose candidate Allan Hunsperger preaching; the late Oscar Wilde being the life of the party. To paraphrase Johnny Cash, they fell into a burning
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Stephen Harper and the Palace of Denial
When I look at some of the pictures of Great Musical Leader the Con propaganda machine regularly hands out, I must admit I sometimes can't decide what is real and what isn't eh?Does he look like the Phantom of the Opera Senate, and lie all the time, because he just can't help
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