Thursday, August 14, 2014

She sure is ballsy!

"Well little Johnny and Mary that's a portrait of Alison Redford who took mommy and daddy's hard earned tax dollars and ....ed them away with her lavish lifestyle so we couldn't afford to buy you any new toys!"

Good Day Readers:

Alison Redford is a truly amazing woman. It's as though she still doesn't get it - she has totally ....ed-up. Now instead of deferring on her taxpayer financed portrait to take up limited wall space at the Alberta Legislature so it can be occupied by a much more worthy future Premier, she's going ahead.

Most fitting would be a painting of an Alberta government airplane painted as Air Redford or Ghost Air.

What should the dedication plaque say?

Alison Redford was the province's 14th Premier who managed the impossible by virtually single-handedly bringing down the ruling Conservative government of 43 years - no mean feat. Her spending of public money on personal entitlements was legendary second only to David "15 Cent Pack of Gum" Dingwald adding to the taxpayer lexicon, "I've been Redforded."

Favourite expression? "Fellow Albertans, your government and you must tighten your belts so we can balance the budget!"

And to this day she still doesn't get it - why she's out on her ass.

Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk

P.S. Check out that forced smile. From the eyes and the mouth?

P. P. S. Suppose the RCMP investigates her file, lays criminal charges and she's eventually convicted, what happens to the portrait?
Redford to be immortalized in legislature portrait

By Mariam Ibrahim
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Former Premier Alison Redford. (Photograph by: EDW Bruce Edwards/Edmonton Journal)

EDMONTON - Former premier Alison Redford has chosen an artist to immortalize her in a painting destined for the halls of the Alberta legislature.

The premier’s office confirmed Tuesday negotiations are ongoing with the artist chosen to depict Redford in her official portrait.

No further details can be released until that contract is finalized, said spokeswoman Kathleen Range.

Former premiers can choose any artist they’d like for their portrait.

Once completed, Redford’s will likely hang in the premiers’ portrait gallery on the third floor of the legislature, where it will be gawked at and scrutinized by groups of schoolchildren and other visitors who tour the building.

The gallery hall has just two empty spaces left — enough room to hang Redford’s portrait and another for the province’s current premier, Dave Hancock.

Range said planning hasn’t begun for Hancock’s portrait. She couldn’t say whether a portrait of Redford’s husband, Glen Jermyn, will be included in the portrait gallery on the legislature’s fifth floor devoted to the partners of past premiers.

Redford’s portrait could raise the ire of some critics given the former premier resigned as premier in March after a series of scandals sent her leadership in a tailspin. And in a damning report released last week, Alberta’s auditor general said Redford used public resources for personal and partisan gain, citing an “aura of power” in her office. Redford resigned as MLA for Calgary-Elbow last week.

Speaker Gene Zwozdesky said the tradition to honour past premiers with a portrait has been extended to “every premier in the history of the province.”

It’s not yet clear if Redford, who served as Alberta’s 14th premier for just under two-and-a-half years, will sit for her portrait in person or have it painted from a photo.

Don Getty was the last premier to sit for his painting, completed by artist Tag Kim and coming at a cost of roughly $21,000 (including a portrait of former speaker David Carter).

Ralph Klein stirred controversy when his portrait, done by artist Xin Yu Zheng, showed the Alberta Rockies through his legislature office in Edmonton, which in reality offers no view of the mountains.

Ed Stelmach’s portrait, which hangs next to Klein’s, is unusual in that it features the former premier with a wide smile and includes a portrait of his wife, Marie.

It’s not clear how much both Klein and Stelmach’s portraits cost. The premier’s office is responsible for all of the negotiations, logistics and costs associated with the painting.

mibrahim@edmontonjournal.com
Twitter.com/mariamdena

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