David Swann and the Alberta Grits big plan for this sitting of the Alberta Legislature is to “play nice.”
Seriously.
If it were up to David Swann, there would be no yelling when politicians get back to debating and questioning the government this week.
No more desk-pounding, no more heckling.
He suggested he and fellow MLAs replace question period heckling with rueful smiles. Or rolled eyes. Or dramatic shrugs.
I can see the headlines in a few days: “Tories unveil budget to shrugs of opposition, Stelmach’s feelings later hurt”
Or maybe not.
I think Swann is likely one of the kids who got picked on in elementary school by the bullies, and now that he’s grown up he feels everyone should behave like adults.
Unfortunately for him, that’s not how politics work.
So rather than attack anything the Stelmach government has done over the past few months – budget surplus to technical deficit, Klein-era cuts to none, health care delisting to none, ridiculous expenditure reports on government MLA travels, etc – Swann and the Liberals have been continue to focus on self-reflection and lofty dreams of a kinder-gentler politics.
Don’t get me wrong – Swann’s ideas look good on paper. I just think that at a time when the government (which has 61 more seats than the combined opposition) is flopping on every issue, you need to attack them, not your own party.
So for the next few months to years it looks like Alberta has a 72-2 legislature, with 9 MLAs that are about to ponder life’s bigger questions (like life after politics).
Here’s to Brian Mason and Rachel Notley the two hardest working MLAs who still have the galls to stand up for Albertans.
How does choosing not to heckle equal not ‘standing up for Albertans?’
A good heckle can be a work of art. It can knock someone off their stride, and make their point look ridiculous.
A bit of desk thumping can give someone on your side a confidence boost. It can amplyfy your point, so you look stronger and show support. It also makes for good visuals and makes it more likely to get your exchange on the TV news.
The Liberals are engaging in unilateral disarmarment. Given the few tools availble to the opposition in the Alberta Legislature – it seems crazy to me.
“I think Swann is likely one of the kids who got picked on in elementary school by the bullies, and now that he’s grown up he feels everyone should behave like adults.”
That’s a really bizarre and disturbing statement coming from you. Can you give me a little more insight into what you were trying to get across?
Let me reword it for you:
1. “I think gays are likely the ones who got picked on in elementary school by the bullies, and now that they’re grown up they feel everyone should behave like adults.
2. “I think atheists are likely the ones who got picked on in elementary school by the bullies, and now that they’re grown up they feel everyone should behave like adults.
Shall I assume you were not bullied in school? Great, you’ll make a great politician
“A good heckle can be a work of art” And having spent a decent amount of time watching QP, I would argue that 95% of the heckles are not good heckles, but unwitty reactions.
I have heard of a number of school teachers who now refuse to bring their elementary-level classes to visit Question Period because they don’t want their students to think the kind of behavior they’ll see in the Legislature is acceptable. If this is indicative of other Albertans who have tuned out from QP, maybe a little decorum could actually make the institution more relevant to people living outside the Dome (which probably equals around 99.9999% of Albertans).