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Alberta 2020: Novel Pitch (a thread)
An ideologically-driven private school principal's rich kid who dropped out of his second university after unsuccessfully petitioning against free speech and a woman's right to choose is the premier. 1/17
An ideologically-driven private school principal's rich kid who dropped out of his second university after unsuccessfully petitioning against free speech and a woman's right to choose is the premier. 1/17
The health minister is played by an in-out-of-his-depth lawyer with a penchant for angry outbursts and who cofounded with his wife a private healthcare insurance company (she still owns it). 2/17
Now throw in some lawsuits, corruption, a global health crisis, and a kickass former premier and current amazing woman as leader of the opposition. The province has never been more divided politically, but also ideologically and it's quickly spinning out of control. 3/17
The only thing that can bring everyone together is a mutual understanding that life as we knew it is over and that they need to buckle up and accept what it looks like now or risk death. Many people refuse, many people die. 4/17
Rich Kid, Lawyer, and their political party lose focus and confuse everyone in the warm summer months and abandon the daily updates in favour of focusing on economic recovery. 5/17
But when the cold, fall air comes in, the virus hits its second wave. They must abandon their ideologies in order for the province to survive this time and they fight against it for far too long. They point their fingers at the very citizens they are supposed to be leading. 6/17
They don't give the education system the supports they need to return safely. They ignore the pleas of HCWs on the frontlines to shut down. They try to pander to their voting base over listening to economic/health experts. They wait too long to really act. 7/17
People are already marching through the streets, scared and hiding it with delusions of grandeur, spreading the deadly virus and hundreds have died.
The healthcare system has been overwhelmed. 8/17
The healthcare system has been overwhelmed. 8/17
Hospitals will soon have patients spilling out of their ICU doors and into tents in the parking lot. The military is stepping in. The politicians pop up here and there on social media/TV/radio, but they largely try to stay hidden these days. 9/17
Only a select few people's questions are answered while many are ignored. They do not want to be called out on their failures. They protect their egos more ferociously than their citizens, snapping back at reporters 10/17
with questions like "do you think you made a mistake?" Of course they did, but they refuse to admit it.
Meanwhile, the Fearless Opposition Leader is always one step ahead - in plans and in polls. 11/17
Meanwhile, the Fearless Opposition Leader is always one step ahead - in plans and in polls. 11/17
She overtakes Rich Kid and his caucus of business owners and board presidents and lawyers in approval ratings. She tirelessly advocates for and listens the citizens of the province with her team of awesome people with backgrounds in education, economic policy analysis, 12/17
political science, social work, and more. The acting government doesn't take kindly to losing the popular vote to FOL and focuses more energy on trying to discredit her and her team despite the fact that more Albertans support her party than his amidst a global pandemic. 13/17
It doesn't work. The lawyer is seen yelling in a doctor's driveway at some point. Another minister does a bad hand sanitizing mime. An MLA falsely claims that "the worst is behind us" as the number of infections swell larger each day, overtaking bigger provinces. 14/17
The Chief Medical Officer of Health is often silenced to protect ideological choices by the government behind closed doors. People die for these choices and the government outright refuses to take responsibility. The Rich Kid points fingers in the legislature and 15/17
whines about socialism instead. He has convinced himself wholly that they've been doing the right thing.
Will they ever accept their part in this? Or will the truth come out later when they inevitably lose the 2023 election to the opposition? 16/17
Will they ever accept their part in this? Or will the truth come out later when they inevitably lose the 2023 election to the opposition? 16/17
Will people continue to protest what they don't understand and die for their cause? Will the province ever really recover? And, if it does, what will it even look like after all this?
Is this a dystopian political thriller novel?
Nope, it's Alberta in 2020.
17/17
Is this a dystopian political thriller novel?
Nope, it's Alberta in 2020.
17/17
