An impressive contest. An exciting convention. Quite the finish. Link is in. Lingenfelter won with 55% on the second ballot, defeating Ryan Meili by 45%. The two represented very different routes. Link ran on pragmatic appeal, promising a return to power and a steady as she goes policy of waffling to business and waffling to the government interests as the period may call. Meili ran on renewal. Through youthful vigour he sought to reconnect with people.
Yens Pedersen also played the youth card and surprisingly, at least to me, triumphed over Deb Higgins. Higgins, who has been an effective cabinet minister and a community MLA, ran an ineffective campaign. Slightly slow to get the campaign going, she never seem to gain the traction needed to mount a serious challenge.
An ovation for all candidates. The race went from a near coronation to a serious debate on diverging ideas.
The fact that a youthful leader like Ryan Meili can rise to the occasion and claim 45% of the vote shows both the division in the party and the talent that lies within. The fact that some MLAs went, particularly the younger ones, went to Meili on the second demonstrates that Lingenfelter must reach out and listen to this call for renewal. Moving forward the party must reconnect with its electoral base, listen to rural Saskatchewan, heed the warnings of environmentalists.
Power will come. But the party is only as strong as those that support it.
4 comments:
My sister-in-laws entire family was disappointed in the outcome being the young doctors' supporters. I said, yes, but he is there and it looks good for down the road.
The only note I'd add is that there were MLAs of all vintages that went to Meili on the second ballot - Warren McCall being the more prominent younger one, but Higgins, Pat Atkinson and Frank Quennell all threw their support to Meili as well. So the question wasn't even one of youth vs. experience, but one of all kinds of party stalwarts coalescing behind Meili (if only after it was likely too late to change the outcome).
Somehow I don't think Link would have chosen the picture with Calgary's Banker's Hall in the background. Very subtle, Sheaf.
Thanks Jurist - you are bang on with your comments that this was not a youth movement. Initially I was thinking of newer MLAs (as opposed to the likes of Ron Harper), but I was forgetting about Atkinson. Looking at the MLAs who went with Meili, my main thesis that the divide came down to principles vs. a desire for power.
Anon - thanks... heh, heh
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