About This Blog

Dare to Dissemble is my little online ranting place, where I air my thoughts about the ridiculous state of affairs at the University of Alberta--a formerly strong public institution with tons of potential being driven into the ground by inept governance and irresponsible government funding policies. Comments are welcome, but not expected. Like most blogs on the internet, this one languishes in obscurity and is read for the most part by its proprietor.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Next Premier

In Alberta, it's a foregone conclusion that the Conservative Party will control the government.  With Ed Stelmach stepping down and a 6-way leadership race, we have a number of possibilities.  Polling indicates that Gary Mar is the frontrunner, trailed by Alison Redford, Doug Horner and Ted Morton.  Conventional wisdom says a Calgary-based politician should win this time (i.e., Mar, Redford, Morton, or Rick Orman), though I am surprised that Horner is not doing better on the basis of his prominent role in the Stelmach government.  Myself, I wish Peter Lougheed was were still in the mix--there's a guy who always seemed to be able to think strategically.  Anyway, the purpose of this post is to troll for comments:  who do you think is the candidate that is most likely to be supportive of the U of A and advanced education in general?
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2 comments:

  1. The Phantom SessionalSeptember 14, 2011 at 2:28 PM

    OK, I'll bite.

    Mar has openly criticized the GoA's stupid, stupid idea to close down AHFMR. Or at least, roll it up into something that's supposed to generate commercial applications. (Stupid, stupid, stupid. Ever hear of "basic research"?)

    Anyway, it was nice to hear Mar say that he's interested in reinstating AHFMR. Dunno if that'll ever be possible, politically.

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  2. ArrikSeptember 14, 2011 at 3:12 PM

    Hey PS, I also caught that comment from Mar, and viewed it as a clear positive. The reorganization of the province's research funding apparatus stands as one of the dumbest things they have done in the last few years.

    I was not able to ascertain what Mar's overall approach to advanced education would be. Of course, a critical part of the picture is who gets appointed to AET, as these ministers have typically been given a lot of autonomy.

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