Thou Shalt Not Speak Ill of King Ralph

Alberta Government Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Lyle Oberg has been astroturfed from King Ralph's Court.

According to CTV News:

EDMONTON-— Alberta Tory leadership contender Lyle Oberg was suspended indefinitely from caucus and stripped of his cabinet post Thursday over remarks he made about Premier Ralph Klein.

Deputy premier Shirley McClellan made the announcement after an emergency meeting at the legislature that lasted well into the evening.

The furore arose after Oberg told his constituency association in Brooks he wouldn't ask members to support Klein during an upcoming leadership review.

He also said Klein's order that ministers wishing to succeed him leave cabinet by June 1 was "a bombshell" and could backfire.

"If I were the premier, I wouldn't want me as a backbencher," Oberg told the meeting, which was covered by the Brooks & County Chronicle newspaper. "I know where the skeletons are."

Oberg is quoted as telling the meeting that he was prepared to form an official opposition to the Klein government with the support of right-wing colleagues.

That's an interesting little tidbit. The Conservative party of Alberta is facing a possible split? That would certainly be a gift to the left.

Last week, when Klein announced that he will officially quit in October 2007, he stated that he expects cabinet ministers planning to vie for his post as Premier to resign their jobs by June 1, 2006. Earlier this week, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Ed Stelmach resigned. It's also expected that Advanced Education Minister David Hancock will quit Klein soon as well.

These resignations and Oberg's shunning will certainly affect the ability of Klein's cabinet to run smoothly as he'll be forced to do some major reshuffling once all of the resignations are in. Then again, it's not like those who already hold positions as cabinet ministers are completely competent anyway. Just witness Question Period any day of the week.