babble is rabble.ca's discussion board but it's much more than that: it's an online community for folks who just won't shut up. It's a place to tell each other — and the world — what's up with our work and campaigns.
Support rabble | Advertise with us | Contact our staff | About rabble | Log-in or Register for a new account | Corrections | Privacy policy | Newsfeeds | Mailing lists
rabble: Features | Columnists | In Cahoots | Blogs | Books | Photos | What's Up | Polls
babble: Forum Topics | Active Topics
The rpn: About the RPN | Become a podcaster
rabbleTV: Program Guide | Features | Indie Inside | Best of the net
Copyright © 2001-2013 the authors
Syndicate
On a serious note, Wilf would never vote on a preferential ballot. He's waiting for MMP.
This is my favourite thread in the whole world.
Mulcair's victory speech was underwhelming, I'd rate it a C-, his interview with CBC Newsworld, however, was very interesting. He:
- Talked rather openly and candidly about his campaign tactics
- Stated that Libby Davies was going to remain Deputy Leader and said he needed to move the centre towards the NDP (rather than the other way around).
- Catagorically rejected the idea of ever wanting to work with the Liberals again, citing how they went back on thier word after the coalition deal of 2009 fell through "and then look what happened to them"
- Talked about politics in Quebec and how there wasn't much of a left vs. right, but rather a split on the national question, and how the Quebec Liberals did things like pass universal childcare, with the ultimate support of the most right wing federalists
- Then talked about the importance of messaging, about how their platform and ideology can remain consistent but there messaging needs to be adapted for different parts of the country. For example the NDP couldn't win in Quebec for the longest time because their message wasn't right for the province, and how over the last 4 elections the NDP hasn't won a seat in Saskatchewan, so the messaging has to change there too.
I'm glad we left some room in this thread. Was worried we'd use it up before we really needed it.
It actually was very interesting, what I saw of it. I assume it's on their website, so we can check it out later.
It had Ed saying how he did his best to win seats in Quebec in 1988, even downplaying opposition to free trade to do so (we in the ROC never paid attention to the lack of agreement from Quebec on this point), and this was the main reason for his resignation in 1989, to let a more bilingual leader take over. (Hmm, who did he have in mind??)
And the groundwork for the 2011 Quebec sweep was laid in 2008. As we can see from the fact that 16 of those elected last year ran in 2008: Mulcair and 15 others. In 2008 we got "only" 12.2% in Quebec, but that was up from 7.5% in 2006.
Françoise Boivin 26.1%
Alexandre Boulerice 16.3%
Hoang Mai 12.7%
Raymond Côté 13.2%
Anne-Marie Day 13.1%
Alain Giguère 12.5%
Anne Minh Thu Quach 11.6%
Jean Rousseau 11.3%
Alexandrine Latendresse 10.5%
Francine Raynault 10.4%
Guy Caron 10.3%
François Pilon 10.1%
Christine Moore 9.5%
He also talked about how his #1 priority as party leader is to build strong riding associations in all 338 ridings.
I agree with everyone that he smoked the interview with Mansbridge.
And I agree that the victory speech was every bit as underwhelming as everyone else thought.
The NDP invited everyone for a drink at the Sheraton Centre to celebrate choosing a new leader. So we went. However, when we got there, we found that there was a $10 cover charge, and the beers cost over $10 each (and it wasn't even good beer, just crappy tasteless lager).
So I guess you're not a fan of...
(puts sunglasses on)
...a move to the Centre?
Reports that less than 50% of NDP'ers voted....
Is this true? Because I feel embarrassed. brb hiding under a rock.
How can it not be true?
There were 131,152 eligible party members. The largest vote turnout was on the first ballot: 65,108.
I believe the 66,044 missing votes were actually cast for Martin Singh, and covered up by the anti-business old-line party hacks.
Pass it on.
That pretty well metaphorically sums up my history with the NDP as well.
Have to raise money somehow.
Not actually that unusual a turnout rate for a party leadership, it seems. Not that the DOS attack helped either.
Who ever said moving to the Centre wouldn't come with a price tag?
Oy veh, you think the march to socialism comes without a price, Unionist?
.... 6 minutes??
fact: there were many many (many) debates about everything ...
No doubt many gave up after trying a number of times to vote. But one factor that hasn't been mentioned is that on the final ballot there would have been quite a few exhausted ballots from the preferential vote.
By exhausted ballots you mean ballots on which neither Topp nor Mulcair appeared? Why would anyone be so idiotic as to submit a preferential ballot that would take them out of the picture in the likely event that the two front-runners met on the final ballot?
Maybe the "idiotic" ones are those whose microscopes detected a meaningful difference between the two top-rated thoroughbreds?
One person's idiot is another person's genius.
Maybe some folks using preferential ballots didn't want either Topp or Mulcair as their next leader, MS.
Lol, too true. But how much longer, O Lord, are we going to wait for a deep-discount sale?
Tons of people "plumped" their ballot and made only a #1 choice. The socialist caucus was actively promoting for people to do that for Ashton as nobody else was "worthy of even slight consideration".
That is especially true of cullen, as evidenced by the fact that after his elimination, the total of votes cast went down by a whopping 3500!
Yes that was me.
Thanks Unionist, but I prefer the term "gifted".
BTW, for those who think the turnout was bad... in 2003, the race that elected Jack, the turnout was 58%, just a bit more, when the party was smaller and thus had a larger proportion of active members.
In 2004, in the Conservative leadership race, the turnout was... 37%*. So yeah, who are they to talk?
We don't know for the Liberals, they used delegates, so we don't know how many of their members bothered to vote to select these delegates.
*Contemporary source, in French. http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/canada/50400/nouveau-chef-du-parti-con...
We saw how well that worked out. I think we can conclude an endorsement by the Socialist Caucus is the kiss of death.
Hi everyone - I was at the leadership convention and it was very exciting. I've been going over the threads and saw some interesting comments.
This wasn't a left/right vote. Mulcair had many senior figures from the party's left and labour in his camp, just as Topp had many establishment centrists and Blairites. I'm on the left and self-identify as a socialist, and I supported Mulcair. Topp decided that he could win by pandering to the left he'd sought to marginalize as a strategist, and he was right; that was his only path to victory. And he succeeded in saddling Mulcair with wanting to move the party to the right, which is what Topp had himself accomplished under Layton.
I read this above in some thread and I just couldn't let that go by. I was a Topp supporter and never felt pandered to - either during this campaign and nor when Topp was Jack's strategist since 2003. Topp is made out to be some manipulative right wing person with "Topp had himself accomplished under Layton". Really, that is what one wants to perpetuate?That Topp was some grand schemer and Jack was a weak kneed easily led leader who was putty in evil Topp's hands!
Geez
I am calling that pure bull. At least with Topp,
I could read what he thought and reflected in actually writings and positions in his books - with Mulcair I could not.
What I know is that as of today, 2 key people in our federal office are leaving - interesting that considering there was a rumour before the election outcome that staff were scared for their jobs and yet posters here for the Mulcair camp were certian and repeated nobody would lose their jobs!
The MSM is reporting our party is now moving to the centre - assured once again that Mulcair was not saying that - interesting that.
That now we can prove how we will be great managers!!! What, that's the main thing - to be managerial - we sure have descended into boring and uninspiring. Let's hope it gets better because I sure didn't work my butt for this party to "achievement management sainthood"!
Jack Layton sent people packing too. Look up your history. There is always a transistion when a new leader comes in for every single political party in the world. Both McGrath and Levine made their decisions before the ballots even started being counted. Your contention is ridiculous on the face of it.
Just thought I'd jump in and say, WOW - that must be a record number of threads. It's time to move forward. New leader. Glad to have had the opportunity to vote for Peggy and Nathan but overall, I'm satisfied with the results. Mulcair deserves a honeymoon and a chance to show his stuff.