Looking at 388 has for all the ridings, it looks like the election may come down to as little as 4 Calgary ridings, showing as toss up, but leaning toward UCP.
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I can see some undecided voters deciding to go UCP if they think the NDP isn't going to be tough on crime. Safety has been a real issue lately.This was also posted in the transit thread, but it also relates to politics to some degree. The issue of transit safety has become very high profile issue in Calgary and it looks like Danielle Smith is jumping into the mix. I'm not sure if this is a quick vote grab move on Smith's part, but I suspect it will grab some attention and grab some votes. I really hope the NDP can chime in on this as well.
‘Whatever it takes’: Smith pledges 100 new police officers for Edmonton, Calgary
Premier Danielle Smith will be in Calgary on Tuesday to make an announcement addressing violent crime and transit safety.calgaryherald.com
Conventional wisdom would say anyone swayed by crime issues are inaccessible voters to the NDP. The best they can hope is inoculation—ensure that the issue as a whole transitions to a non-issue.The NDP would be the best bet at helping control these homeless/crime issues over the long term, but tough talk and the perception of action will get some quick votes for the UCP - even though it’s going to solve anything long term.
I’m happy to see more effort going into transit safety.
Toews would have been a far better Premier.....boring and austere.I really don't get how anyone would consider voting for Smith, she hasn't got a clue what she is doing and is governing based solely on idealism. This didn't work for Kenny, so now we have an even crazier person doing the same thing and people are expecting different results?
This is just simply not true. The idea that conservative (PC/UCP) provincial governments spend less and get more is something that is spun and eaten up. That is because it's what is expected from conservatives (good for the economy, good for my bank account); while you expect the opposite from the NDP (bad for the economy, bad for my bank account). Unfortunately, most people don't look or think past this perception.Toews would have been a far better Premier.....boring and austere.
The window to pay down the provincial debt is short as this is likely the last oil boom. With $18B+ in non-renewable resource revenue, the NDP is likely to shovel billions into already over-funded (realtive to other provinves) public services with no menaingful impact on service levels. As bad as Smith has been, allowing the likes of the ATA, UNA and AUPE to have any impact whatsoever on government decision making would be even worse. An NDP government would spend more, meaning more dependence on resource revenues and therefore lessened ability to move past dependence on non-recurring revenues.
Well, the UCP are the ones throwing a crazy amount of money around to buy votes, seemingly without a plan for how this gets spent. Also, did our public service become massively inflated when Notely was premier?Toews would have been a far better Premier.....boring and austere.
The window to pay down the provincial debt is short as this is likely the last oil boom. With $18B+ in non-renewable resource revenue, the NDP is likely to shovel billions into already over-funded (realtive to other provinves) public services with no menaingful impact on service levels. As bad as Smith has been, allowing the likes of the ATA, UNA and AUPE to have any impact whatsoever on government decision making would be even worse. An NDP government would spend more, meaning more dependence on resource revenues and therefore lessened ability to move past dependence on non-recurring revenues.