Tuesday, September 8, 2009

A Little Too Late... if you ask me...

Well if you ask me and they never do... I would have thought the spring would be better than the fall as it would give someone a much better opportunity to raise some money and at least put forward a 'game face" campaign as opposed to a fall "caretaker" approach... it’s a daunting task to expect someone to mount a competitive campaign with only a year to put a team together... if you look at the polls I don't think Olive has any traction especially with the party brass.... and I can't even imagine that Jim Bagnall would be serious about taking a run at it or any others from the former Binn's Team as the voters just wouldn't buy it... even as Party Leader Ballem couldn't knock Vessey out of his seat but this certainly could be an opportunity for the Tories to "engineer" a loss in order to have a caretaker in place that would step down after Ghiz wins his second term... it's my belief that the Tories need someone new who is "true blue" to unite the Party and the latter would rule David MacKenzie out as most see him as a red team player... the name I continue to hear is Mark Ledwell and it wouldn't surprise me if we see him appear out of nowhere next fall... I doubt if he could beat Ghiz the first time out but he's a capable guy and I expect the second time up he'd give the Liberals a big run for their money...
P.E.I. Tories set to pick leader in fall 2010
Thursday, September 3, 2009
CBC News
P.E.I.'s Tories are one step closer to picking a new permanent leader.
The Progressive Conservative party executive has decided the leadership convention will be held the third weekend in September 2010, CBC has been told by several sources.
Since last fall's annual meeting, Tories have been debating when to call a leadership convention — spring or fall of next year.
Some members argued it should be held as quickly as possible. Others wanted to wait until the fall, which would give the new leader a year to prepare for the next provincial election, set for October 2011.
The party is expected to formally announce the convention date in the next week or two.
Possible candidates
Interim leader Olive Crane is expected throw her hat in the ring when the leadership convention takes place.
Crane is said to have spent much of the summer travelling the Island, meeting with grassroots Tories and trying to form a power base there.
Montague MLA and Opposition house leader Jim Bagnall is said to be interested as is Jamie Ballem, a businessman who served as minister of both health and energy in the Progressive Conservative government of Pat Binns.
David MacKenzie, executive director of the Confederation Centre, has also been approached by the party to run as a candidate. He has a record of tight fiscal management and ability to leverage money from the federal government.
The party is also seeking a strong Prince County candidate. The name mentioned most often is Summerside lawyer Derek Key, whose father was Conservative leader in the mid-1970s.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Olive Crane is just what that PC Party needs. Once they actually start using her name in the polls (they currently don't use her name, they just say next leader of the PC Party) things will start taking off.

It is time PEI gets a hard working Leader who is looking to the future.

Anonymous said...

I agree it would have been more logical (in real world political terms) to have gone for the spring. For a society so obsessed with partisan politics, it is remarkable how the parties pretty much go dormant between elections.

I disagree about District 9. The Tories can pretty much rely on picking it up, even in the doubtful case of Jamie Ballem offering. A few others are probably also done as long as the Tories remember to nominate a candidate. Of course in some cases the Party may try to buy them out next year and run someone with a chance of winning, but difficult as pension rights haven't vested yet.

Anonymous said...

Olive Crane, you can not be serious. Maybe you are right, with Olive in as the leader, the liberals will have a slam dunk come the next election.

Northsider said...

After reading Paul MacNeill's editorial in the September 16th issue of the Eastern Graphic, or should I say “personal attack”, on Olive Crane, Leader of the Opposition, I find it disheartening to see a so called journalist, not provide the complete story. Ms. Crane has proven herself to be a competent leader. She has criss-crossed the province meeting with the fishers, farmers, business owners, seniors and newcomers listening to their concerns. Ms. Crane is rebuilding the party from the ground up, focusing on people......ALL PEOPLE, not just a select few in places of power or just in the Charlottetown area. Ms. Crane wants to and can connect with the people. We have seen, just recently in N.S., the leaders of the 2 parties could not connect with the public. Our current provincial government lacks the ability to relate to rural PEI and to a certain point, all Islanders. Ms Crane cares about the Island and its people.

Ms. Crane does not duck from the public eye as some Ministers have in the past. For example, where was Minister Campbell when 200 farmers from rural PEI were outside the legislature, in May 2008, demanding to speak to him as the Minister of Rural Development? Setting lobster gear! During the recent closures of 8 schools in the Eastern School District, where was the Minister Greenan?!?!

Ms. Crane has proven herself to be an honest person with a very high degree of integrity. An honest politician..........what a concept!!! We have gotten so used to our elected officials being out for themselves that when an honest one comes along, some feel threatened. This compounded with the fact that she is female is too hard for the Old Boys Club to swallow. I believe MacNeill once wrote in his column that the leader of the PCs should be a grey or white haired male. Why not have a female as leader of the party and the province?

Ms. Crane is not afraid to hold Premier Ghiz and his gang accountable for their actions concerning PEI. Case in point, the PNP fiasco, which is far from over. Ms. Crane is not intimidated by the scope of this mess and it has to be cleaned up, not swept under the rug. As for remarks that she has fallen off the radar............the sign of a competent leader is to possess the confidence in both oneself and those around you. Over the summer Ms. Crane has let Jim Bagnall and Mike Currie address issues which they were actively involved in.

Ms. Crane is not a media hound. Her focus is, and will always be, Islanders.....not entertaining a handful of journalists and their narrow, biased opinions with photo ops.

Anonymous said...

It would be nice to see bloggers and journalists use less sexist language and more honesty in describing Olive Crane. "Care-taker" is one way of drawing a caricature of Olive Crane as a mere woman.

Lets get the record straight. If care taking means cleaning up corruption and standing up to the elite 'old boys club' members in all parties, then Olive is an excellent 'care-taker'. I would choose to describe her more as an active, responsive, issues-driven, hard working, for-the-people, leader that Islanders need at this time more than ever.

This is an important opportunity for Islanders and members of the Conservative party alike to rid corruption, back room deals, and kick-backs from both their party and the government in general. Olive Crane has so obviously proven her worth one who can connect with the grassroots population and one who is not afraid to stand up to corrupt power.