Albertans are aware not only of the crises in our health service and our economy but also of the wider crises that is engulfing the world.
The effect on our province is mirrored in our political parties, starting with the turmoil inside the ruling Tory party that, as demonstrated by recent suspensions and expulsions, is beginning to split under the strain.
The Wild Rose Party represents the extreme right of the Tories who seek to revive the economy by directly cutting the living standards of working people, while the Stelmach Tories represent the moderates who want to do the same thing by stealth.
Health service is essential to the well being of all Albertans but while paying lip service to this fact, the Tories are planning nothing less than the maximum possible privatization that they can get away with.
Their reasoning is simple: it would seem it is to make sure that their wealthy friends get the best pickings wherever possible whether this is in the oilfields or the health service.
If this is not the case, then why did the Tories drop their extremely mild reforms to the oil royalties that would have made a huge difference to the pockets of ordinary Albertans?
The Tories are in steep decline and the Liberals are stagnant. This is a great opportunity for the growth of support for the NDP.
Historically, in all countries, working class people, in times of serious economic crises, move to the left, in concrete terms they turn to their own organizations, that is to say the trade unions and the socialist party.
A socialist party must always tell the truth to working people. It must also explain what is happening in clear terms and give a socialist alternative.
The old formulas for stemming economic decline no longer work; interest rates are at an all time low, economists forecast inflation, then deflation, all directions lead to decline and instability.
The Tories are manoeuvering in a vain attempt to maintain their 40-year rule; the only real alternative is the NDP.
Keith Norman Wyatt
Innisfail NDP (personal capacity)