Paul Hinman attempted some humor this week in order to get the media to pay some attention to him. In an article published in the Edmonton Sun on April 4, the Alliance leader cast doubt on the navigational skills of the Alberta PC's by likening them to the crew of the B.C. ferry that sank off Vancouver Island last week:
Alliance Leader Paul Hinman said the Tories remind him of the B.C. ferry that crashed on the rocks and sank off the West Coast last week.
"Sure, they're going full steam ahead. The captain and crew is saying the ship is on autopilot, but the passengers are screaming, 'We're off course.' "
Ha Ha Ha.
I hope Hinman enjoyed his joke as much as I enjoyed reading the Leger Marketing public opinion poll published in the Calgary Herald today, because according to the poll, the only sinking ship in Alberta politics right now is the HMCS Alberta Alliance. The poll was primarily focussed on the effects of Preston Manning's probable entry into the Progressive Conservative leadership race. One of the questions asked of the 900 randomly selected Albertans who responded to the poll was what their voting preference would be if Manning was leading the PC's:
When asked which party they'd vote for with Manning at the Tory helm, 51 per cent of respondents said they'd back the Conservatives, compared to 17 per cent for Kevin Taft's Liberals and seven per cent for Brian Mason's NDP.The Green party, with four per cent, and Paul Hinman's Alberta Alliance, with three per cent, round out the mainstream parties.
Three percent? It appears a Premier Preston Manning would be the battleship that torpedoes the creaky Alliance vessel once and for all.
Maybe it's time for Paul Hinman and the Alberta Alliance to send out an SOS.
