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   Weakest Player
  
  
  
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   Bossiest Player
  
  
  
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   Strongest Competitor
  
  
  
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   Player that just does not fit.
  
  
  

"Bartle-Doo" indeed! 

  With all of the Government of Alberta's miscommunication about the H1N1 Flu Vaccinations, I thought that they may want to consider hiring "Mumbles" the cowboy as their new spokesperson.  I am sure that he will do a much better job at communicating the next wave of  Flu propaganda.  I for one seem to be have an easier time understanding ol'Mumbles better than our current government representatives.

 This just may work.....

Also, remember when 10 days ago when all of the blogs were on fire over Ed Stelmach's leadership review?  That all seemed to die down once the H1N1 fiasco hit.  I am not one for conspiracy theories...but you never know!   I wonder what effect this will have on his review, if any?  Times of crisis and mismanagement call for strong leadership as it helps distinguish mistakes from incompetence and unfortunately, many people that I talk to are not sure which side our government falls on.

Something has got to give.

Shane

I was going to do a post on H1N1, but to be honest....I am just getting "sick" of hearing about it.  ( Ha...Ha...ahem.) 

Anyways, I see that the nominations for the 2009 Canadian Blog Awards are now open and I hope that everyone will make a push for an Alberta blogger.   Personally, I think that there are many top notch bloggers in Alberta that likely do not get "national" attention, so I believe it is important to ensure they do not get missed.

 Bloggers like daveberta, E.S, Werner Patels and DJ Kelly actually peaked my interest and got me off the couch and into this blog, so I am nominating them for the award.  I also love the fact  that there is a "new" batch of bloggers that have joined me this year, including The Alberta Altruist and Politicalgary, each who add a fresh perspective to the local blog scene.  I would not be surprised to see any of the above on the nomination list.

 Anyways, take a minute and nominate your favorite blogs.  It literally takes 20 seconds!

The link is here

Now go wash your hands....


Shane

I was surprised to see this mass email in my inbox today, which I have posted below:

Hello Shane,

Welcome to the first Message from Premier Ed.

This is a new way to reach out to those who are curious about what our government is doing and why we are doing it.

In subsequent messages you will hear directly from me on issues that are on the minds of regular Albertans. At the bottom of these emails, including this one, there will be a link which you can click to take your name off our list. You can resubscribe or unsubscribe as many times as you wish.

Also coming out this week is a new web-based newsletter from the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta, containing interesting articles and other information about our party. Look for it soon in your email inbox.

In the past, we would communicate with the public through phone calls, advertising and direct mail. Today, the internet provides us with much faster, simpler and cheaper ways of getting our message out. We will not abandon the old ways but we are offering this and other new ones to reach as many people as possible.

Times have changed quickly. A mere decade ago, there was no Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or YouTube. Google is not much older. Yet many Albertans regularly use these sites to get information and stay in touch with their friends, relatives and colleagues. I have already set up a Facebook supporter page and a Twitter account and now I hope you will read these emails from me so we can stay in touch.

Kindest regards,

Ed Stelmach

Premier of Alberta

  Many of you know that I am a supporter of the PC party and some have picked up on my recent frustrations with my party. I am often frustrated because I feel that this government is failing at the most crucial skill set required....COMMUNICATION. The people of Alberta have historically been able to accept bad news, low oil prices and even a recession or two....but they will not accept poor communication.

  Former Premier Klein was a master of this concept.  He could spit out the worst news possible, but explain it to the public in simple terms.  The people may not like some of the things he had to say, but at least they understand what was done, why it had to be done and what the results will be.  People typically like (and vote) for people who they can identify with and that have some charisma.  If you lack charisma ( ahem.....) then you better be able to communicate your principals and priorities to the public effectively.  The government does not need to buy infomercial time to try and sell vague ideas to the people of Alberta, they just need to communicate their platform clearly and simply.  They have access to every news camera in the province, but often fail to control the message being sent out. 

 The biggest problem of this government right now does not lie in the leadership, but with their communications.  The old saying holds true "if you do not define your message, someone else will define it for you".  This is where the Wildrose Alliance has an advantage with Danielle Smith.  She is a veteran broadcaster ( just like Ralph Klein) and understands how to convey her message in nice little 30 second sound bites.  The PC MLA's are always shown on the news "scrambling" from one error to the next, doing damage control and trying to "change" the message that has been already sent out by the opposition.  When they focus all of their attention to putting out these fires, they fail in their communications to the people of Alberta.  The result?  Instead of looking like a strong, well run government, they often look inept and incompetent, which is not the case at all.

 How can the government improve their communication?  The answer lies in doing something different.  The Premiers social media strategy is a great start, provided it is done well in the future.  I hope that Premier Ed's "messages" are written by him alone not by some unknown staffer.  People are smart and will see through a canned or contrived message. 

 My advice to Ed?  Be honest, be genuine...be yourself. 


Shane
    

• 
  
   Alison Redford - Minister of Justice and Attorney General. 
  
  
  
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   Dave Rodney
  
  
  
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  W.Brett Wilson.    This was previously discussed on Daveberta's blog here.
  
  
  
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  Dave Hancock
  
  
  
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  Ron Liepert
  
  
  
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  Jim Dinning  
  
  
  
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  Ted Morton 
  
  
  
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  MP Jim Prentice     
  
  
  

•  If I was a WAP supporter, who would I vote for?
• WAP Leadership race via Social Networking Stats!
• Dyrholm closes in on the "Interweb" Gap! 
•  Who is the best (looking) candidate?  ( This is purely science folks, purely science. Correct also!)
• Do Endorsements matter in the WAP race?
• WAP Membership Sales-Part 1.  ( My favorite...lol)   

 Finally, back in May I did my first blog post ever on the WAP, I asked the question " Is the Wildrose Alliance Party the real deal"?  Looking back, less than six months ago, and I cannot believe how much has changed in the Alberta political landscape.  Are they the real deal?  Not yet...but with the new leader and a good set of policy, they will be.  Perhaps Danielle Smith said it best this weekend..." Ed Stelmach, you haven't even begun to imagine what's about to hit you"....

Hopefully my party wakes up and takes notice before its too late. 

Shane