Saskatchewan Provincial Election - Nov 7 / 11 Part 2

Sounds a wise tack Malcolm- where my thoughts would run if I were there.

The only caveat I would put in is that the [explicit] deliberative process might be too long.

A lot of deliberation is vital. And no leadership vote, or run-up to it, is also essential.

But how process-wise you get that good deliberation is the tricky question.

Nothing focuses people better on questions of direction of the party than a leadership race. It gives multiple groups a reason and a structure for working on that.

The downsides- for the group deliberation process- is that the leadership race also is a lot aboy personailities and leadership styles. The breaking into groups with a plurality of directions to flog is strong enough to outweigh that downside..... but you dont want to be off into all the dynamics of a full fledged race, or close off candidates who migh emerge or grow interested largely because or out of a process of explicit deliberation.

So the prior extended delibeartive process is intuitively the best. Unfortunately, it does not draw as many people in. It tends to be only the policy wonks with a smattering of organizational junkies [who are usually inclined to policy wonking too]. Its hard to give the process the punch it needs.... and there is usually no natural leader capable of breathing life into it.

Something to keep in mind is how the post 1993 debacle federal party formal renewal deliberations blended into the leadrship race- even before it was formally set. And by the latter stages of the Renewal Process, the meetings even hosted leadership candidate debates on the side.

knownothing wrote:

Wilf Day wrote:

After the 2011 election, communities in all of Saskatchewan outside Regina, Saskatoon and the two northern ridings have no voice in the opposition. They have no local voice to question any government action or inaction. Their regions face one-party rule.

If Saskatchewan had a democratic voting system . . .

http://wilfday.blogspot.com/2011/11/if-saskatchewan-had-democratic-voting.html

Cmon, if there is one thing that did work last night it was democracy. 64% voted Sask Party.

In a 2 party-system FPTP actually works.

If you are male.

And if you live in Regina, Saskatchewan, and the two northern ridings, yes. In the other 57% of Saskatchewan you are living in one-party regions. Problems with your Health Region in Prairie North, Prince Albert Parkland, Kelsey Trail, Sunrise, Sun Country, Five Hills, Cypress, or Heartland? Who're ya gonna call?

Last night Saskatchewan elected nine women and 49 men. Don't blame the voters: polls have shown 90% of Canadians want to see more women elected. If women are nominated we'll elect them. The Saskatchewan Party nominated very few women, because they nominated all candidates one at a time.

What would have happened if one-third of MLAs were elected from regions?

Quote:

when the SP members from Moose Jaw-Swift Current-Estevan-Rosetown met in a regional nominating convention, they would have not only voted to put the ten local nominees on the regional ballot, but would have added several regional candidates. With only one woman from the ten local ridings, when they nominated several additional regional candidates, they would have naturally wanted to nominate a diverse group: more women.

Not to mention that under a PR system, the Saskatchewan Party still has a super-majority that can do what it wants anyways.

bagkitty wrote:

Saskatchewan... increasingly coming to resemble Alberta, just no mountains.

Where's the party to the right of the Saskatchewan Party?

Closing for length.