The front page headline recapping the Alberta provincial election in the Lethbridge Herald on April 24 read, Same Old Story.

Was it really? Was this another automatic victory for the PC's? How did the Conservatives manage to win this one? Much has been made of the failure of pollsters and pundits to grasp what was happening - how did the Wildrose manage to lose it?

Harold Jansen, associate professor of political science at the University of Lethbridge, will speak to those questions at the Thursday, May 10 Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA) event at Country Kitchen Catering. Jansen's teaching and research focus is on Canadian politics, Alberta politics and political parties and elections with a particular emphasis on political party finance and the use of social media for political communication.

What lies beneath the surface of the provincial election story? What do the various parties have to learn as they look back on this election? How has the Alberta electorate changed in the past few years and what did the outcome say about Alberta in 2012?

Jansen will explore the layers and issues that affected the provincial election outcome, and what we need to understand about it all. He will argue that underneath the surface there has been a major realignment in the party system. What does the party realignment say about Albertans and our politics? What will the next four years bring in terms of federal-provincial relationships and what must each of the parties do to attract more voters in 2016?

The event begins at noon and admission is $10 per person, light lunch included.