A good chunk of NDP MPs and other notables have started lining up behind candidates, and it might be worthwhile to note who is supporting who:Brian Topp:Fmr NDP Leader Ed BroadbentFmr Sask. Premier Roy RomanowGatineau MP Francoise Boivin (QC)BC MLA Daw…
Continue readingTag: brian topp
Blunt Objects: Topp is Top?
At least, according to Warren Kinsella, he is.But the very Léger Marketing poll he used to defend has a conflicting report within it. I don’t have full access to the numbers (when I do, I’ll go a lot more in-depth into it), but the Montreal Gazette gi…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Taking shape
With the NDP’s leadership rules now set, let’s take a look at how the race is shaping up. As best I can tell, the Mark’s list of candidates looks to reflect the group most likely to enter the race, featuring Brian Topp, Thomas Mulcair, Niki Ashton, Pet…
Continue readingTopp is the wrong choice for NDP leader
Almost as soon as Brian Topp announced his candidacy for leader of the federal NDP, he stepped into the Conservative trap regarding electoral re-distribution.
Conservatives have been long advocates of an equal distribution of seats based on one formula…
CuriosityCat: Modernizing the NDP: Who is pinker – Brian Topp or Thomas Mulcair?
They’re off! The race for the new leader of the Official Opposition party – the NDP – is now on, with one major announced candidate (Brian Topp) and the other major candidate (Thomas Mulcair) setting up a panCanadian team before throwing his hat in…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On wedges
Greg offers up an important response to the Cons’ initial line of attack on Brian Topp. But let’s also note how the latest barrage fits into the Cons’ broader strategy in taking on the NDP.Remember what happened as part of the silly season of summer, w…
Continue readingThey Call Me "Mr. Sinister": When Corporate Lackey’s Attack
It is interesting that the Conservatives are attacking Brian Topp for being friendly to unions. It just underscores the Conservatives utter lack of concern for working people or the conditions under which they work. Unions have played the most crucial …
Continue readingCalgaryGrit: On Topp
I find the media generally tends to assign too much importance to endorsements during leadership races. After all, Christy Clark came out on top in BC earlier this year with a lone MLA backing her.But some endorsements do mater. And since Olivia Chow h…
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Mulcair and Topp – Their challenge: 90,000 new NDP members
Right now, the NDP in Quebec is punching far below its weight when it comes to the number of Quebeckers signed up as members of that party. In fact, it is punching so far below its weight that it really isn’t in the ring at all.The challenge for Topp a…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Out of the starting blocks
Needless to say, the endorsements of Ed Broadbent and Francoise Boivin have made Brian Topp’s leadership campaign launch a bit more of a splash than might have been expected. But for those looking to declare the race over before it begins, let’s rememb…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Leadership 2012: The Week In Quotes
A few quotes worth noting from both candidates and non-candidates alike – feel free to suggest more in comments.Thomas Mulcair on his considerations in deciding whether to run:There’s an old saying that before you take the plunge, you have to make sure…
Continue readingFurther to previous…
… as the Globe and Mail reports, and with the Labour Day Weekend drawing to a close, Brian Topp’s “recusal” from setting NDP leadership rules continues unabated. You’ll get tired of me saying this, but it is straight out of an Orwell novel, I swear.O…
Continue readingLabour Day Weekend
It’s the start of the Labour Day weekend, so where better to start than with the brewing battle amongst NDP leadership hopefuls about the role its “affiliate groups” will play in the upcoming vote to replace Jack Layton?
For those unfamiliar with the …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
– James Laxer points out how overreach by the wealthy and powerful inevitably leads to backlash – and how we’re just scratching the surface of what’s to come:
(R)ight-wing revolts can get out of hand and can cre…
RedBedHead: After Jack: Three Bad Ideas & One Good One For The NDP
The weeklong outpouring of mourning, love and solidarity after the passing of NDP Leader Jack Layton has now subsided. The sense of optimism that Jack insisted upon and the hunger for change that he not only represented but fanned to flame with the fun…
Continue readingCalgaryGrit: Where do they go from here?
After a week of tributes and mourning, the talk in Ottawa is sure to turn to “what now” this week, as the NDP begins the process of replacing Jack Layton.
Of course, some did not wait that long. Anonymous NDP insiders let it be known that Brian Topp w…
Continue readingBlunt Objects: Brian Topp as NDP Leader?
What?One of Jack Layton’s closest advisers is emerging as a surprise front-runner to pick up the torch from the fallen NDP leader.Party president Brian Topp is receiving a lot of encouragement to join the impending race to succeed Layton, who died on …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
– Geoffrey Stevens notes that much of the Cons’ justification for utterly senseless choices is to point to an imaginary majority:
We don’t have a “silent majority” in Canada. It appears we have instead an …
Accidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.
– Naomi Klein points out in the wake of London’s riots that there’s one kind of socially destructive looting that’s been rewarded rather than punished:
They are just about lawless kids taking advantage of a sit…
Accidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on the silliness of this week’s hullabaloo over Nycole Turmel’s past Bloc membership – and the lessons we can stand to learn about Quebec politics in response.For further reading…- Marianne White also treats this week’s news as a teachable mome…
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