I noted a couple of days ago that Stephane Dion’s Lib leadership campaign offered some cautionary tales for the NDP’s contenders. But one of his more effective strategic choices has been embraced wholeheartedly. At the Libs’ convention, Dion’s green theme set his camp apart in a sea of red. But
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Accidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Dan Gardner writes about the Cons’ backup plan of answering their own wrongdoing with criticism of anybody who dares to investigate it – and points out the dangers of that approach: (W)hat happens if Elections Canada delivers a report even a fraction as
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Leadership 2012 Questionnaire Response – Niki Ashton
Finally, Niki Ashton had this to offer in response to my party organization questionnaire: 1. As leader, what changes (if any) would you seek to make to the NDP’s:(a) caucus management and discipline? Caucus members are elected as New Democrats, and I believe that, where there is a clearly established
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Leadership 2012 Questionnaire Response – Paul Dewar
While noting the resources involved in responding to a request for information delivered late in the NDP’s leadership campaign, I have to be impressed when a candidate who could easily enough have pointed to a well-publicized platform plank instead deal directly with the specific issues raised in a questionnaire. And
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Leadership 2012 Questionnaire Response – Thomas Mulcair
Here’s Thomas Mulcair’s response to my leadership questionnaire on the NDP’s party organization: 1. As leader, what changes (if any) would you seek to make to the NDP’s:(a) caucus management and discipline?(b) membership engagement and organizational structure?(c) policy development process?(d) candidate recruitment and nomination process?(e) relationship to other political parties?(f)
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Leadership 2012 Questionnaire Response – Peggy Nash
Last week, I crowdsourced some questions to the NDP’s leadership candidates about their plans for party organization. (Unfortunately the comments have disappeared, and I’m still working on getting them to reappear – but as you’ll see I incorporated changes into my draft version.) Obviously it’s been a busy time for
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Mark Kennedy reports that once again, Canadians are largely opposed to the Cons’ plans to attack social supports: The poll found that 49 per cent of Canadians are preparing for a “bad news” budget from federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and that 57
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Leadership 2012 Roundup
Assorted news and notes from the NDP’s leadership campaign as we approach today’s final debate… – Niki Ashton pointed out how the NDP should be able to tap into the desire for democratic decision-making that once motivated the Reform Party before it was turned into a top-down organization under the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On risky business
Michael Den Tandt suggests that the Cons’ budget later this month will be “revolutionary” – which fits the conventional wisdom that a majority government will try to get its most controversial moves out of the way at the earliest opportunity in order to seem less dangerous by the time the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how Robocon may damage the Harper Cons’ reputation for years to come – so long as the opposition parties seek out better ways to reach voters in the meantime. For further reading…– Again, the focus on the “least informed, least engaged voters” comes from Susan Delacourt.– Annick Papillon
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On battlegrounds
Paul Wells has a theory about the political playing field developing for Canada’s 2015 federal election. And his laments that a new NDP leader won’t get to take a three-year sabbatical aside, I can only hope that he’s right. Yes, it’s true that the Cons will enjoy a few more
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on the open questions as to whether Nathan Cullen’s plan for pre-electoral cooperation would serve any useful purpose. For further reading expanding on the points in the column:– I’ve previously posted on some of the practical considerations involved in Cullen’s proposal, while also questioning whether we should write off
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On limited choices
Daniel Leblanc’s report on a possible detente between Thomas Mulcair and Brian Topp certainly makes for some interesting scenario-building. So let’s follow up on what Paul Wells has already written. Obviously, we wouldn’t expect locked-in supporters of any candidate to be swayed by the appeal. So the obvious first target
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: A cooperative forecast
Nathan Cullen’s plan for a pre-election accord between the NDP, Libs and Greens is certainly receiving loads of attention. Leadnow and Avaaz are encouraging members to join the NDP to support it (raising for me the question of how a large number of instant NDP members would allocate their down-ballot
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Thomas Walkom highlights the lesson we should draw from the economic devastation caused by the shutdown of an Electro-Motive plant which was supposed to serve as a poster child for corporate giveaways: Using tax breaks to encourage domestic production is a standard prescription.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On rush jobs
I’ll avoid making too much of the Cons’ machinations around the Toronto-Danforth by-election. But it does seem worth noting that the announcement comes in advance of the six-month deadline to call the by-election by roughly the two-week gap between the by-election and the NDP leadership convention. And that’s a change
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Evening Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Andrew Jackson notes that the IMF is telling countries in Canada’s position to hold off on gratuitous austerity. And Trish Hennessy wonders why so many Canadians seem to have forgotten what happened last time budget-slashing was in vogue. – Meanwhile, Erin documents
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Leadership 2012 Roundup
A quick look at just a couple more days of developments in the NDP’s leadership race… – Niki Ashton proposed an increase in immigration, particularly when it comes to family reunification. – Paul Dewar challenged Thomas Mulcair to take a position on bulk water exports, provoking at least somewhat of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Repetition for effect
Since Aaron Wherry has rightly connected the NDP’s response to Lise St-Denis’ floor-crossing to its efforts to engage constituents on other issues, I may as well offer a similar bit of reiteration. So here’s what I had to say last time it was noted that the NDP was working on
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Leadership 2012 Roundup
No, I won’t claim to have entirely comprehensive coverage of the NDP’s leadership race. But I do try to catch the developments that strike me as significant for each candidate and the race as a whole…so let’s take a look at what’s new over the past few days. To start
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