Bob, How many years were the PCs in power in Alberta?  Stable?  What you don't seem to understand, most of the conservatives in Alberta are fiscal conservatives whether they are rural or urban.  i.e. Governments should only have deficits in extreme circumstances and not a string of deficits.  The dilemma with the conservative base is how to achieve that goal.  However, fiscal conservatism does not make for sustained headlines in the media day after day after day after day.