I've increasingly seen this sort of resignation of incompetence as an excuse for their actions, I even saw some theory being promoted on Twitter the incompetence of the CEC may be deliberate. I doubt it. There is an intrinsic undertone in the series of Tweets I was responding to that makes the assumption that the UCP doesn't know that they are targeting the base with their messaging, that the goal of such messaging should be targeted at building support. That it's not, is written off as incompetence rather than entertaining the potential it's deliberate.Its a response geared for the base. Your suggestion assumes thats not the intent. It is the intent. Its the base's support they need to keep and war the base expects them to promote. #ableg https://t.co/TuHQZN8XU2— Richard Fantin (@RichardFantin) January 8, 2020
Let's look at the recent propaganda centre logo fiasco. Of course the UCP wants you to write this off with incompetence. Of course they "didn't know", but more interestingly, didn't care to find out either. And then to rip off a second logo and change it just enough, it might be able to go unchalleneged, but who is this new ripped off logo with a Maple Leaf targeted at? The international multi-billion dollar corporations, banks, and investors, that put more thought into the animations on their internal powerpoints than the UCP's propaganda centre could put into their logo? Or is it a logo that was just good enough to satisfy the UCP and propaganda centre supporters?
Even if it is incompetence, how does this "incompetence" fit with their mission statement to basically whoo the world's investors? If their mission was legitimate, would that "incompetence" exist? Or does the incompetence exist because it meets the 'minimal viable product' benchmark for the actual mission and focus, targeting Albertans and those that are already converted true believers? Could it be possible ripping off the logo wasn't considered a big deal because international recognition of this propaganda centre - in which it's stolen logos would certainly be noticed - has never been the intent? Things to ponder.
So would I say I believe the incompetence is "deliberate", only in the sense that it is the absolute minimal effort they need to expend to target the audience they intend to target, Albertans that already support such a propaganda centre.
There is a pattern of behaviour from the UCP that lends itself to be confused with incompetence but if examined from a perspective outside of "they want to be the bestest politicians EVAAAAHH!' can be seen to be carefully calculated. When you look at how expertly the UCP was able to organize propaganda for their campaign can you honestly believe their disastrous performance has simply been incompetence? Or is it possible they know full well what they're doing and the responses are designed to eliminate effective opposition from forming?
When Kenney accused Moody's of being involved in the "European agenda" - which anyone who has been paying attention to the types of messaging coming from all of the various circling mouthpieces as we discussed in Alberta's Great Panderer may as well have just said "globalist agenda" to his base - was that 'incompetence'? Or a carefully calculated message for his base to maintain a war footing against the great green foreign funded conspiracy?
The UCP hasn't made a single attempt to bridge the gap, to listen to anyone who isn't in full support of their exploitation, has used intimidation and calling out private citizens, and folks - through the belief in incompetence - still think that if they just keep suggesting to them how to govern for the people they actually will start to do that. No, they won't, you're on the other side of the ear plugs. When the news of Kenney's popularity decline came out the UCP basically said "oh well", referred back to the era of Klein, and has continued to behave the exact same way.
Is this incompetence, or deliberate?
The usage of "incompetence" to describe UCP actions actually helps them. Because incompetence is far better than malicious intent. Incompetence hands them the benefit of the doubt, it gives you this idea that "maybe tomorrow it will be better", despite the fact they know full well what they're doing, what effect it will have, and how you feel about it. If they gave a fuck how you felt about it they wouldn't be employing Matt Wolf to tell you how wrong you are. They wouldn't each have a comms person equally skilled in lying. They wouldn't be using carefully crafted legislation to remove investigations into themselves. If they're incompetent, they are the luckiest richest incompetents I've ever seen. How many incompetent people do you know that just happen to, through their incompetence, do and get exactly what they want while raking in a ton of personal profit? Some incompetence.
Nothing the UCP has done demonstrates to me either incompetence, or that they are working for Albertans. The latest pointless war footing against the UN isn't going to help anything either, a war footing which was of course dutifully regurgitated by the propaganda centre. It sits there now, on their boilerplate website, being read by no one but Albertans. The target audience.
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Richard Fantin is a self-taught software developer who has mostly throughout his career focused on financial applications and high frequency trading. He currently works for CenturyLink
Nazayh Zanidean is a Project Coordinator for a mid-sized construction contractor in Calgary, Alberta. He enjoys writing as a hobby on topics that include foreign policy, international human rights, security and systemic media bias.
.. you may be looking too deeply. Perhaps better to contemplate just how simple the reality is. Choose an analogy. Here is one for you.
ReplyDeleteDrivers who speed while cutting through other folks neighborhood side streets, talking on their cel phones and roll stop signs and/or run orange/red lights
I observe this as a pedestrian, a cyclist and as a driver. Its shocking to see. Now I can think or do many things.. aside from wonder at the callous rudeness, the temerity, the lack of respect - recklessness, the lawbreaking. And of course the lack of immediate consequence.. ie not being caught and/or punished.
Now try to conceive a suitable solution to the problem of such drivers' behaviour
In my view its indicative that society is breaking down at the level of individuals. Its complicated.. but simplistically put, such drivers have other issues as well. At home or at work.. or hard-wired now in their brains - their behaviour..
I will think on this.. I do like how your posts stimulate a reread and my thinking process.. Keep up the good work.. its needed !
"you may be looking too deeply. Perhaps better to contemplate just how simple the reality is."
DeleteI don't think so, based on their actions, and the likely direction Alberta is heading, this is the simplest explanation.
I find there is a .. belief.. in the political system amongst Canadians that distorts what they see as likely. The person I was debating with I mention for instance could not fathom the concept of the people in power putting their corruption before the political party.
Remove this mystic, and remember it's about money, and what is the simplest explanation?
The majority of Kenney's messaging is aimed at the base, and this is very important to understand in having any sort of effective counter strategy towards his actions.
George Bush was "incompetent"
Donald Trump is "incompetent"
and now Jason Kenney is "incompetent".
It's incredibly convenient, and the public calling them incompetent - so long as they don't get in the way - doesn't hurt their wallet's feelings.
.. fair enough.. but if 'its just about the money' .. what money exactly ?
ReplyDeleteAside from the fact that Kenney is now a multi millionaire, as is Harper, Ray Novak, Joe Oliver, Pierre Poilievre, Denise Batters, Nigel Wright, John Baird, Peter van Loan, Tony Clement, Peter Kent.. among many others.. that is personal wealth, of course wealth = money. And of course greed is a motivating factor in corruption.
But money is one of the primary pillars of Power.. indeed a key lever of governmental influence and enforcing personal ideology. So of course Kenney wants to control the money.
To me that reeks of distorted ideology and some vague archaic religious basis.. But primarily, I see a repeat of Harper's 'smartest guy in the room' syndrome. That is Vanity plain and simple, loaded up with a compulsive driving recklessness. That gets back to my automobile driver speeding in residential and school zones. There is a smugness in ignoring all the superior rights of society & neighborhoods.. residents, school children, pedestrians. A belief that they the speeding driver are somehow 'special'.
One friend of mine was recently nailed cutting between two distinct neighborhoods. He rolled the stop sign, wore no seat belt, sped away and was holding his cel phone. That threatened his driver's licence plus hit him where it also hurts.. his wallet. An in-law of mine got a 325 $ ticket in the mail for pushing the envelope at a red light. He too was stunned, believing it was unfair and had to be a mistake. Yes, financial penalty if his insurance rate goes up too, plus the 325 $This thinking is Jadon Kenney writ large. It why he persistantly defrauded Albertand and Canadians by claiming the condo he bought in Ottawa (where he lived - resided) as his 'secondary residence' - his claimed 'primary residence' in Alberta was what allowed him to have an Alberta driver's licence and an Alberta health card.. and to run as an Alberta MP candidate in federal election. In other words, he is a fraud.. a vanity ridden fraud, a rule breaker.
Note how he disposed of the slowly enveloping fraudulent Leadership campaign. It was not enough that he was certain to win the so called 'leadership' campaign.. it was that he could do so by any means. Whatever it took.
After all, Jason Kenney is 'the smartest guy in the room' is he not ? Or at least one of the most senior charter members of the club. People love a 'winner' .. especially ones who can throw around money such as Kenney can do now. He knows he can use the levers of budgetary power (other peoples' money) to do so.
In particular I'm talking about the banks' money.
DeleteKenney's personal pay off will come after he's done his job handing over Alberta's public wealth. This can be most easily seen with his continued insistence of getting federal money to clean up oil wells, which will of course provide the banks direct access to the bankrupt assets of the oil companies.
The pension transfers, privatized healthcare, the continued consolidation of school boards, the increases to private schools while public gets a decrease, the corporate tax handout which the companies took and ran.
All of this is the money I'm talking about, payoffs for the rich, which provide no benefit to the base. The lack of benefit requires an alternative for the base to cheer for: war.
I agree with your analysis, Richard. The UCP are not bumbling around. That is cover for what they are actually doing. They are funneling wealth out of the province. They are opening the doors to their friends in the for-profit health care, insurance, and education industries. Many of whom have been aggrieved for many years by our universal health care and public education system.
ReplyDeleteFor all we know, this Alberta Parole Board may be a nod to the for-profit prison industry. Time will tell.
They are not here for Albertans. They are here for their obscenely wealthy friends and for a bit of mutual back-scratching.
Pretending to be clumsy at managing the province does, as you say, allow people to give them the benefit of the doubt. There is no doubt, but a lot of people want to believe. They have been told their whole lives the only good government is a conservative government. Anything else will lead to bread lines and shared apartments and tyranny.
Well, we are on the brink of tyranny. Bill 1 effectively makes any protest the UCP doesn't like illegal. They are going to seize our pensions, if they can get away with it. Eventually, by the time most people wake up, there will be nothing we can do to stop them. We will all be too poor and sick to take a stand. Too desperate to turn down poorly paid jobs with reduced worker rights.
It's all part of the plan.
And Alberta is the testing ground. So I hope the rest of Canada is paying attention.