Well, it has happened, the extremely rare and elusive "shake up" in Alberta Conservative politics... Infrastructure and Transportation Minister and PC leadership hopeful Lyle Oberg has been officially booted from cabinet and suspended from the PC caucus...
Alta. minister Oberg loses rank over remarks about premier(1000% Props to Duncan who beat me to the punch in posting the story!)
Click here to find out more!
The Canadian Press
Published: Thursday, March 23, 2006
EDMONTON -- Alberta Tory leadership contender Lyle Oberg was suspended indefinitely from caucus and stripped of his cabinet post Thursday over remarks he made about Premier Ralph Klein.
Deputy premier Shirley McClellan made the announcement after an emergency meeting at the legislature that lasted well into the evening.
The furore arose after Oberg told his constituency association in Brooks he wouldn't ask members to support Klein during an upcoming leadership review. Read le rest ici.
(PROPS UPDATE: Upon further examination, I've discovered that Allie beat Ducan to the punch. So, 5000% props for Allie for beating both Duncan and I to the blogging punch. And yes, Duncan can still keep his 1000% props as he still beat me to the punch).
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9 comments:
Thoughts...
You know, in retrospect, Oberg's mistake was backing off once he was
caught. If he'd stuck to his guns and been serious about forming a
right-wing opposition to Ralph, he'd at least have some options, not
to mention credibility. Now he just looks like someone who shoots his
mouth off but chickens out when the cards are down.
"He can apply to get his job back as transportation and
infrastructure minister after six months."
What is this, a roadside suspension for impaired driving? If he's
disloyal now, what makes them think six months in the penalty box will
change anything?
"A spokeswoman for Klein said Wednesday the premier was aware of
Oberg's remarks, but had no plan to fire him. ... Klein was not at the emergency meeting."
Would someome please tell me who is running this province?!
His "right wing" friends just voted him off the island.
Oberg was kicked out by caucus not Klein - no doubt. It wasn't just his disloyalty to the Premier, it was the threat to unleash "skeletons," and to set up a rogue caucus. No way his peers could let Lyle stay in caucus after that.
And don't fert over th six month suspnsion. It's just a convenient rule they found in the party bylaws to soften the blow. Speaking of which, you can blow out the candles, Lyle's party is over.
Guess you could call it end of an error. With this latest hissy fit, Dr. Lyle proves that he is too thin-skinned, too quick to hold grudges and, face it, just way too damn immature to be trusted with the mantle of leadership, even if you liked his politics, whch mostly seemed better suited to Liberal pork barrel politics.
Yep - take away Lyle's keys to the government King Air and he's not much more than a lonley MLA from Brooks, who happens to live full-time in Edmonton.
I'd say he blowed up reeeeeeeeel good.
AB/ba
The Government's pecking order (Order in Council 349/2005):
Acting Minister of Infrastructure & Transportation Honourable: E. Stelmach, Honourable T. Lund, Honourable G. Melchin
So Ty Lund is to be our infrastructure/transportation guy for a while.
This has nothing to do with party bylaws to my recollection. The timeline was a decision by caucus. Yes, caucus. Each member of the Government Caucus has a vote and tonight's decision was purely one of their own.
"Yep - take away Lyle's keys to the government King Air and he's not much more than a lonley MLA from Brooks, who happens to live full-time in Edmonton"
To be fair, he does have a "Bag Number Address" in "his riding" :-P
I think one of the biggest shocks Mr. Oberg will have as an Independent MLA will be the people he'll discover that were only hanging around him because of his perceived power.
The "good time charlie's" will be departing the "Lyle Oberg Express" at the nearest stop.
So ... what do you think? You should know that my very first thought upon hearing this (this morning--I was at the health care town hall last night) was to wonder what the Beardly One might have to say. So don't disappoint me now!
I find this all very interesting. First and fore most you must look at the "Advertisement" o .. Sorry speaking to Albertans that was on TV.. Show Boat and a PLEASE LET ME STAY cry. Then Klein states he is going to step down after finding out the TV "SHOW" did not work .. But give me a year .. Now he is taking a knife and telling all of us to SHOOT,Shovel,and SHUT UP .. Klein was a good leader, and did Alberta Proud, but now before he throughs any other documents at Pages, Telling anyone else off,Getting drunk and telling the homeless to get jobs, charging the pie guy with a crime, and now firing people that have something to say. Klien Should STEP DOWN at the AGM before he Splits the Party in TWO .. Just remember.. This is a free Country ... and Lyle stated what he stated and got the boot? How free is the Party, how free is Alberta??? Now Klein, are you happy you are going to split up the party? You could of left Goverment being on top but now your just a looser.
Oberg Smoberg,
I am more interested in the "Summer when everyone is away or busy" Ralphy will put it over on us and get his fat cheque appointment to one of the private health care Boards he has been pushing at us for so long .
If he manages to get this very expensive addition to the cost of Health care, pushed through when we are not looking, watch carefully for the appointment to some private health care board or committee that pays him well enough to Retire in the manner to which he is accustomed.
His best "Friend" owns one of those private institutions & Ralphy is stupid enough to get sucked in to believing that private health is cheaper than public care.
He can't put enough thoughts back to back to realize that he is just adding to the cost, doubling up the administration, creating a dependency on institutions that the can raise the costs out of control and then we will say, "oops?, what happened to our public system? Where all the people get adequate and almost equal care. (You can bet if Ralphy got sick they would find him a bed!)Not like the many people who have been caught in the Code Burgundy's in Calgary lately because of the lack of foresight of Ralphy and his "YES MEN".
remember the tyrany that was reaked on other populations by idiots who everyone was scared to cross.
Lyle Oberg almost broke away fron this tyrany, but chickened out at the last minute and missed his opportunity to set everyone straight on the way we definitely must not destroy the public system and become the backward nonsocial animal that does not care about its poorer citizens south of us.
Lyle needs to stand up for the principles that he grew up with , became a Dr. for , & the direction he almost took before he chickend out.
Please Lyle, look in the mirror & get it together.
You still have a chance to be a hero to the regular people of Alberta & Canada & possibly the rest of the world.
You have the education and the principles , you just need to get with it.
Reg
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