Recent polls done by Mainstreet Research show that the Alberta Progressive Conservative party and the Alberta Wildrose party are virtually tied for popular support.
This is extremely interesting at a time when many conservative minded people in Alberta are stating that the voters on the right side of the political spectrum need to unite before the next provincial election.
How do you decide which party folds when both parties are equally popular? Why would one of the parties agree to call it quits and join the other party when each one has an equal shot in the next election? It’s a conundrum to say the least.
This kind of negotiation could go on for years without any resolution if all current factors remain the same.
In my simple way of thinking, the easiest way to unite the right would be to follow the example that created the Conservative Party of Canada. Members of both parties could vote to create a new Conservative Party of Alberta and discontinue the existing Wildrose and Progressive Conservative brands. That is easier said than done of course but I really can’t think of another way for this to happen.
With all of the campaigning against each other in the past, I just can’t imagine that the majority of members from either party would agree to join the other and dismantle the party they have supported in the past.
No one loses if it’s a fresh start for everyone with a new political party.
The other factor in this is that I believe that this would need to be initiated by the grassroots party membership. The party leaders are fundamentally connected to the political parties that they represent. These are the least likely people to state that they want to dismantle the party they were elected to represent and join with the other side. It will be interesting to see how things evolve over the next few years. The next provincial election is scheduled to take place on or before May 31, 2019, which really isn’t that far away when considering the work to be done if conservative voters decide to unite.
