As mentioned here, I’ll be adding over the next little while to an already-substantial set of views on the NDP’s choices which led to last week’s federal election results. But I’ll start by expanding on a point which I made briefly earlier in the campaign (at a time when it
Continue readingTag: thomas mulcair
Pushed to the Left and Loving It: Thomas Mulcair is Only a Symptom of a Much Bigger Problem for the NDP
“The party got off to a bad start with its election promise to balance the budget without raising taxes. That promise, difficult to honour during a period of general economic turmoil, would seriously limit its policy options.” That quote, though fitting, was not about the last federal election, but was
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: Thomas Mulcair is Only a Symptom of a Much Bigger Problem for the NDP
“The party got off to a bad start with its election promise to balance the budget without raising taxes. That promise, difficult to honour during a period of general economic turmoil, would seriously limit its policy options.” That quote, though fitting, was not about the last federal election, but was
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: Thomas Mulcair is Only a Symptom of a Much Bigger Problem for the NDP
“The party got off to a bad start with its election promise to balance the budget without raising taxes. That promise, difficult to honour during a period of general economic turmoil, would seriously limit its policy options.”
That quote, though fitting, was not about the last federal election, but was written about the Nova Scotia NDP, that got trounced after just one mandate. The author, Howard Epstein, was a long serving NDP MLA who wrote the book: Hope betrayed? The Nova Scotia NDP’s rocky fall from power.
Epstein asks: “If the NDP can’t differentiate itself from other parties, should it exist?”
That is a very good question. Federally, they are now back to third party status, in a Liberal majority, with a progressive platform; what will their role be? How can they possibly hope to rebuild when they have nothing to rebuild on?
Their appointment of the right-wing Thomas Mulcair as leader, and their disastrous election campaign, has left them rudderless.
Social activist Michael Laxer, on his The Left Chapter blog, also puts much of the blame on the NDP themselves, but sees their refusal to take responsibility as a major hindrance. They can’t accept that they did anything wrong, but instead call for blind devotion and solidarity.
Solidarity that will be hard to achieve, when the true believers; the activists who coalesced around the NDP, have, as Laxer points out; already left. Or truthfully, were banished.
Covering the NDP leadership convention, John Ibbitson wrote:
Make no mistake about the importance of what happened in Toronto last weekend: Tens of thousands of New Democrats rebelled against the party establishment – a cabal of union leaders, academics, journalists and party apparatchiks – to elect an outsider.
They did it, in the words of one NDP supporter who was at the convention, because they no longer wanted to be led by “a comfy sweater.” Mr. Mulcair and Brian Topp, who finished second, were both seen as bare-knuckle politicians who could take on the Conservatives and win.
They forgot that it was the “cabal of union leaders, academics, journalists and party apparatchiks” who helped to build the NDP.
Another social activist and NDP team builder, Murray Dobbin, wrote of Mulcair’s leadership victory:
“Facing a ruthless tough guy? Get your own ruthless tough guy. And possibly create a monster you can’t control. It is as if policy, philosophy, and vision for the country have simply been devalued to the point where they are an afterthought or some vaguely interesting historical relic.”
They are no longer facing a “ruthless tough guy” so do they really need Mulcair now? Not that it really matters, because without their activist base, who are they?
Those activists can now work with Justin Trudeau, to build the kind of Canada that we want to live in, since the NDP are no longer in a position to do much of anything.
And as CTV points out, there is still the matter of the 2.7 million dollars owed by current and defeated MPs, and with no money to fight the decision in court, this could very well spell the end of the NDP.
Even a petition to demand the resignation of Mulcair, is getting very little traction. It’s like they no longer care. Why should they?
The emphasis will be on the Liberals and Justin Trudeau as they work to repair the damage done by the Harper government.
And with Trudeau, all comfy sweaters are welcome.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – I’ll start in on my own review of the NDP’s election campaign over the next few days, focusing on what I see as being the crucial decisions as the campaign played out. But for those looking for some of what’s been written already,
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Guest Post by Mimi Williams: When the NDP abandoned its socialist principles, it abandoned its chance of winning
PHOTOS: Federal NDP leader Thomas Mulcair – whatever was he thinking? Below: Guest Post author Mimi Williams; Jeremy Corbyn, new leader of Britain’s Labour Party. Many New Democrats were shocked and dismayed at the outcome of Monday’s federal election, despite their relief that Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party government
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On historical context
Twice before, the federal NDP has been in roughly the same position it holds now, emerging from an election with a relatively high historical seat count that was nonetheless disappointing due to the expectation that a seasoned and respected leader could have done better. After the 1988 election, Ed Broadbent
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On clean slates
Needless to say, last night’s election results represented something close to the NDP’s worst-case scenario on a lot of fronts: both in terms of seat counts, and losing the seats held by some of the most impressive MPs and candidates in Canadian politics. And I’ll comment in future posts on
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Jack Layton: “Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done”
With opinion polls and the corporate media already declaring Justin Trudeau the winner of the 2015 federal election, the late Jack Layton would tell Thomas Mulcair and the New Democrats: “Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.” The post Jack Layton: “Don’t let them tell you it can’t be
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: #elxn42 Campaign Closer: NDP
I’ve previously pointed out that others were far too quick to write off the NDP in Canada’s federal election. But it’s safe to say by now that it will be a surprise for the NDP to reach the heights it achieved earlier – even if that leaves plenty of room
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Whatever happens next, Justin Trudeau has brought the Liberals back from the brink
PHOTOS: Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau addresses his supporters in Edmonton this morning. Below: Mr. Trudeau’s supporters line up in the pale morning light to get into his rally; Mr. Trudeau greets supporters as he bounded to the stage. Charisma matters. I don’t know if Justin Trudeau’s Liberals will win the
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Eleven grinding weeks and this federal election comes down to a science question: momentum, or inertia?
PHOTOS: Federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair on stage in Edmonton Friday night (photo by Olav Rokne). The red signs say “Stop Harper.” Perhaps at this hour they should say “Stop Trudeau!” Below: Well-known Alberta pollster Janet Brown, Calgary Centre Liberal candidate Kent Hehr, former Mississauga, Ont., mayor Hazel McCallion, and
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, making the case that Canadians should vote less based on perceptions of momentum (in terms of both policy and political positioning), and more based on where our parties and leaders actually stand. For further reading…– The platform comparisons referenced in the column include Keith Stewart’s on climate change, the
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: 8 Ridings Where Voters Can Defeat Harper by Strategically Voting NDP
A Vancouver-based data scientist recently identified 8 riding where voters can move a step closer to defeating Stephen Harper – and installing Thomas Mulcair as Canada’s next prime minister – by strategically voting NDP on Oct. 19. The post 8 Ridings Where Voters Can Defeat Harper by Strategically Voting NDP
Continue readingwRanter.com: Munk Debate glosses over Israel – is that a good thing?
Is that all there was? Given how much praise – and criticism – the Harper government’s strong support for Israel has attracted, it’s somewhat surprising that so little was said about the Jewish state in the Sept. 28 Munk Debate on foreign policy in Toronto. The night’s only exchange on
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Welcome to the Orwellian world of Wildrose, where keeping your promises makes you a liar
PHOTOS: Possibly the Globe and Mail’s best headline of the decade. Below: NDP Premier Rachel Notley, Wildrose Finance Critic Derek Fildebrandt, the sailboat known as French Kiss, shown just to prove I didn’t make that part up, the full Globe headline, shown for the same reason. Is Alberta ready for
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: #elxn42 Platform Review – NDP
I’ve pointed out before that Tom Mulcair’s practice – both in pursuing the NDP’s leadership and in leading the party – has been to continue largely with the party’s existing policy base. In keeping with that principle, the NDP’s platform doesn’t contain many surprises for anybody who’s kept a reasonably
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: If Not Harper, Then Who?
“I’ve seen issues come up before that get a lot of press attention, and sometimes a photograph or sometimes a side issue can move votes, but I always believe that the big votes are moved on the big issues. I don’t believe that most people are attracted by the rabbit
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On continuing leadership
Others have responded to Chantal Hebert’s latest by pointing out her past track record of telling the NDP when to change leaders. But even leaving that history aside, it’s worth seriously questioning her assumptions. To start with, I’m rather less certain than Hebert that even Stephen Harper will be out
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Fortune favours the brave? Trudeau risks advocating sane gun laws and ripping PM’s dog-whistle bigotry
PHOTOS: Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau during a visit to Edmonton last year. Below: NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. It should have been natural for the leader of the NDP to finally be the one who clearly called out Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his unprincipled
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