Betting for How Long Itll Take Before Back in Jail Again
Graham Thomson: Brian Jean narrowly averted a mutiny, according to Wildrose party president
In what was the worst kept secret in Alberta politics, Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt has permit it be known he will toss his chapeau into the ring for leadership of the new United Conservative Party – provided, of course, the United Bourgeois Party really becomes a matter.
In this, Fildebrandt becomes the quaternary almost-declared candidate for leadership of a yethoped-for formed party.
The others are Wildrose Leader Brian Jean, Progressive Bourgeois Leader Jason Kenney and Calgary lawyer Doug Schweitzer — with more than hat-tossers probable to come.
The leadership race can't officially kickoff until members of both the Wildrose and PCs vote in favour of a merger bargain July 22.
Another worst kept secret is that in that location are members of both parties who despise each other and volition vote for a merger with ane mitt while holding their nose with the other.
And here'south another badly kept secret — at that place are members within each party who don't particularly like other members of their own party.
For the PC party, there are "progressive" members who are however smarting from "bourgeois" members helping Kenney take over the leadership of their party last March.
But that grumbling is relatively tame compared to a mini revolt inside the Wildrose that refuses to die.
Last week, Wildrose president Jeff Callaway complained publicly that Jean was gaming the arrangement to give himself an border in the upcoming leadership race.
Callaway said Jean was insisting that only he would appoint the Wildrose members of four joint panels to, among other things, set up the rules for the race.
"We are more than only the Brian Jean party," Callaway said in a public slap confronting the leader.
Jean bristled at the complaint but, to demonstrate he had the support of the party, he had the Wildrose executive committee review his list of appointees last Wednesday. Party officials said the executive members — including Callaway — agreed with every ane.
Issue closed.
Except that it'southward not.
In an interview Monday, Callaway insisted the executive did not but safety stamp Jean'due south list.
"There was really a debate about a number of the names and a number of the names were changed," said Callaway. He said Jean had to back down in the confront of internal opposition and allow the political party'south executive committee to elect the members of the four panels.
Withal, Jean's officials reject that interpretation of events and insist the political party'due south executive unanimously supported every ane of the names Jean put forward.
This is very odd. How could we be getting such a vast deviation of opinion over the same event?
It'southward a case of he-said/they-said — except that in this dispute, simply Callaway has agreed to speak on the record.
This is a fascinating peek backside the Wildrose curtain.
Hither nosotros take the party's president accusing the political party'south leader of trying to run savage over the political party's grassroots principles.
Callaway says Wildrose members sincerely believe in the party equally a grassroots motion. And a sizeable number of them were so dismayed by what they saw as Jean's dictatorial intentions they were thinking of voting against the unification bargain in protest.
That would take been a potential disaster for Jean.
He would take been blamed for a failed bargain — and that would take led to a leadership review at the political party's annual general coming together this fall. Aroused party members would have had the opportunity to vote him out every bit leader.
That won't happen now, says Callaway. He expects Wildrose members volition support the merger thanks in role to Jean backing downwards in the confront of a potential mutiny.
In fact, Callaway is now praising Jean for doing the right affair.
But members of Jean's inner circle absolutely deny he was in the incorrect — or that he e'er faced a possible revolt.
They point to polls indicating Jean is the most popular political leader in the province and say even if the unification deal were to neglect, he would easily win an internal leadership review this fall.
They're hoping it doesn't come to that, of course.
They're hoping Wildrose members ratify the unification deal and Jean goes on to win the leadership of the new party.
Only he'll accept to defeat Kenney, Fildebrandt, Schweitzer and what promises to be a growing list of contenders.
gthomson@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/graham_journal
Source: https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/graham-thomson-brian-jean-narrowly-averted-a-mutiny-according-to-wildrose-party-president
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