Quote:
Originally Posted by Xelebes
Many of us are not fans of Klein. To us, Klein is an embarassment. Stelmach was an improvement but Redford signalled that the part had been around too long and needed to reform. The decision to reform under someone who modelled himself after Klein. . . yeah, we're definitely not impressed. Some of us do feel a bit threatened.
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Oh man I've heard stories about Ralph. Back in his days at the Leg my partner was deeply entrenched in the inner workings of the legislature and was one of Klein's informal handlers. He'd make problems go away for him, cover up his indiscretions, Make sure he got back to his apartment after getting so drunk in his office he couldn't walk. Every once in a while a carton of cigs or a bottle of scotch would show up at my S.O.'s door. The Klein days were a carnival, and it didn't just stop with him.
One of the best things was Klein & Decore going at it in the house like they were about to jump across the floor and kill each other. Then behind closed doors they'd be best friends. All the politicians were like that. They're probably still like that.
Klein was not a social conservative. He wasn’t even really a conservative, he was a populist. He resonated with Martha & Henry, and Alberta is still mostly Martha & Henry’s. There were however quite a few social conservatives who had very secret lives. The ones who were some of the most religious fundamental social conservatives with really ugly skeletons in the closet were apparently the worst to deal with *cough*StockwellDay*cough* Klein was everyone's best friend, but remember, Ralph Klein was never in charge. Rod Love pulled all the strings and made things happen. All the cuts and privatizations were at his hands, not Kleins.
One thing I couldn't get over was how bad the infrastructure in this province was when I moved here, and it's still garbage. For such a rich province the place is a dump. I spent years putting band aids on hospitals that were so far gone it was amazing they were still standing. The conservatives let this place go to shit, and it's still shit, even after 15 years of trying to fix it. That to me is totally irresponsible and not the proper way to manage assets.
Jason Kenney on the other hand has done some really horrid things. Yes that was a long time ago, but he's proven just how much he's willing to ignore to get into power. I don't see how principled conservatives are going to be able to stand with him in the long term, that could be the UCP's downfall.