Political hacks, wonks, communicators, bloggers and regular citizens took a leap of faith to come together and discuss a shared vision for a better Alberta this weekend. Reboot Alberta is the third citizen driven “meeting of the minds” I’ve attended in the last two months, (the other two being Edmonton’s ChangeCamp and Calgary’s CivicCamp) and there is a progression to something tangible forming.
I’ve been impressed by the quality and respectful tone of the discussions at all of these meetings. But at Reboot Alberta there was a remarkable undertone – something compelling the group towards action.
Maybe it was the well articulated collective sense of frustration over the complacency of a 38 year regime that most feel stopped listening a long time ago?
Maybe it was the wine?
In retrospect, it seems like the solution to our collective woes was relatively simple. Throw a disparate group of slightly nerdish strangers (who feel passionately about the need for change in our province) in room together, have them select and vote on topics / issues and let them loose to have open discussions about what changes are necessary and how to make them happen.
Microwave for 2 minutes on high, et voilà! The birth of a new progressive political movement, a proto-think tank, a newly minted social media community and even a new political party. And to think how easy it would have been for me to spend my Saturday on my couch watching the DVDs of some lame TV show.
I’m very intrigued by the Renew Alberta party – especially with its proposed vision, philosophy and the smart people leading the push for its creation – but I think it’s a bit premature to throw my hat in for any party right now. I like my non-partisan status and the flexibility it affords me. Frankly, I’m not surprised that others are publicly recognizing the same thing. But with that said, I welcome the creation of this party and I welcome anything that brings more people into political life and contributes to a healthy democracy. I will continue to make my opinions known to it and any other political entity that will listen. Oh and in case you somehow weren’t already aware, I’m coming out: I’m a progressive.
We need to start having more of these sorts of important conversations about Alberta’s future – with or without the facilitation of the existing political structures. This is particularly relevant in a time where the some of our political institutions directly benefit from (and even exacerbate) the typical cynicism and political apathy in this province. I think the moment where the public woke up was the night that Bill 44 was passed earlier this year (or should I say rammed through?) This conversation, facilitated by social media, was the rock that fell on the head of our typically sleepy provincial political scene to wake up some of the 60% of eligible voters that didn’t bother showing up at the ballot box in March of 2008. The chorus of these newly “awakened” Albertans has only grown since. Which is good because I want these important conversations to grow to the point where they cannot be ignored. Eventually political structures will be forced to recognize the value of bringing regular people that care about their province into the fold and will modify their governance structures to co-opt these important open conversations into their information, communication and decision models. We’re already seeing some small attempts.
In discussions about the Renew Alberta party, Rebooters even recognized that a party built around actually listening to people is radical enough to be a “game changer.” (It’s pretty easy to see why people are frustrated.)
For now, I’ll remain focused on the big picture, our vision for moving forward, and how the “social movement” (those not inside the new party structure) will influence the system and continue to grow the conversation. And don’t worry, I have a lot more to say about the specifics of what was discussed, but for now I”ll leave you with two comments I heard this morning:
#rebootab was a delightful opportunity to speak with sane people.
We must accept responsibility for what is. You can change it. Lets be proud of being Albertans and accept responsibility for change we want.
You can join the conversation at www.rebootalberta.org
