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I love how Topp points out the following!
"A party apparatchik, who spent most of his career toiling in obscurity, building his party. A tool of the labour movement and other suspect players who, some argue, must not be allowed near the public purse. A not-entirely-successful dieter and exerciser, as of yet. An instinctive consensus-builder and team-leader, who drew criticism for being too quick to compromise to keep his party united in its darkest moments. A relative unknown who sounds like his predecessor, who he served as a senior adviser. All of these things have been said about French Socialist Party presidential candidate François Hollande. Which makes him my kind of guy."
T'anks RevPlz
Some of these talking points have been making the rounds, from staffers of other parties. They may still be true, but for now, I don't put a lot of faith in them. Could they be retaliation for Mulcair's comments about the Liberals' leadership troubles (i.e. Rae vs. Trudeau, Rae vs. the party)?
CBC Breaking News saying Bruce Hyer has quit the party to sit as an independent...
Yep.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/04/23/pol-ndp-bruce-hyer.htmlLong gun registry and discipline over his vote.
There is no link.
It's on the main website: http://www.cbc.ca/news/ in the "ticker" or whatever that's called. No article yet.
Now there's a link:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/04/23/pol-ndp-bruce-hyer.html
Sounds like sour grapes over being dropped from the shadow cabinet. He was first elected in 2008 so he needs to stay until 2014 to get his pension. This way he can stop doing any work since Independent MPs are not responsible to anyone and just coast until Oct. 2014 and then pocket his pendion and retire.
Nice personal attack, worthy of a Tom Flanagan clone. The scent of power is bringing out the best in the partisans. Is character assassination going to be part of the NDP media campaign in the lead up to the election? I can hardly wait to hear the stuff on the Conservatives if this is what he is getting from the party faithful.
Its all a bit weird and I wonder if Hyer has a history of being erratic. Mulcair had already removed any sanctions againt Hyer and Rafferty for breaking ranks on the gun registry vote and Rafferty got into the shadow cabinet. It seems odd for Hyer to suddenly decide that he needs to quit the party because IF the NDP wins the 2015 election and IF the new NDP government brings in some form of gun registration - he would have to vote for it...
Of course Hyer has to be Independent - he has no where to go - the Liberals won't touch him with a ten foot pole since they were so "holier than thou" about the LGR and having a whipped vote. Hyer would never go Tory since he is such an environmentalist etc... I suppose he could try to team up with Elizabeth May - but I don't know that May wants to have a caucus that is 50% pro-gun either.
Yikes. Mulcair walked right into the trap that Harper set for the NDP over the gun registry vote. I hope he can be persuaded as to the error of his approach.
I'm not certain myself why Mulcair feels requiring party discipline over the gun registry is so important. But then I'm not someone who's convinced that it's such a great idea to bring it back as policy.
It might help keep the seats in Quebec and I think that all NDP policy decisions will now be driven by that objective. Hopefully the new NDP King from Quebec won't alienate too many red neck rubes outside of the "La Belle" Province. Otherwise by the election after the next one the NDP federally might be looking more like the Creditistes than a government in waiting.
Except that Mulcair had already REMOVED any sanctions against Hyer and Rafferty and Rafferty is now a member in good standing of the shadow cabinet. All Mulcair said was that IF in 2015 the NDP runs on a platform to have registration of firearms - not bringing back the discredited Liberal policy, but a new NDP version - and that anyone running on the NDP line has to be willing to support the policy. There has to be some other issue here. Hyer could easily have waited until 2015 and quit if he felt at that time that the party policy was not something he could support. Why NOW?
Surely the fact that he was dropped from the shadown cabinet (I assume because he is not all that capable) was just a coincidence.
Yeah, seriously.
And Stockholm, can you link to a source that confirms Hyer was no longer sanctioned under Mulcair? 'Cause that's not what was initially being reported when the news broke.
The issue is a new leader drawing lines in the sand around hypothetical scenarios that haven't even been discussed at convention and voted on by the membership. Maybe he just doesn't like that new style. He probably expected a honeymoon period instead of essentially being given an ultimatum. Maybe he even expected the party to be democratic in more than name and that of course would have been quite naive.
I dont think its going to be openly aired. Its not in anyone's interest- at least not to tell all sides of it.
It is not necessarily as cut and dry as "competence". It could be a cluster of irritants, most of which may not even be policy/issues.
But I'm inclined to agree that probably its not just the LGR. I dont like the fact that the NDP I think needlessly stirred the pot again [before Mulcair became leader]. And it looks like Mulcair did what he could given that situation [ETA: looks like maybe that isnt true. Dont know enough to say.] He contributed to the situation as it is, but that still doesnt make him sole owner of it not being fixed.
Even if Hyer quietly does not re-offer to run as an independent, it isnt going to be easy to win that seat, and it isnt going to help the NDP in a number of other seats. We'll be seen as completely responsible, not Hyer.
Hyer is clear that being left out of shadow cabinet is the reason. The final vote on the gun registry was a while ago and Hyer got to vote as he pleased without sanction.
From http://www.brucehyer.ca
"First elected in 2008, Hyer was left out the NDP shadow cabinet announcement last week. "One of the jobs of any new Leader is to unite their party, and there are different ways to do that. Being excluded from any position was a clear message that my constituents will be muzzled."
What are you assuming here? That he's incapable; or that's the reason he was dropped?
"Mulcair said he found out about Hyer's decision right before question period. He said it is not an ideal situation but that Hyer had made it clear to him that he felt he should not be bound by party lines.
"Bruce simply feels that he's allowed to come up with his own decisions," Mulcair told reporters.
The NDP leader said he couldn't name someone to the shadow cabinet who is not willing to follow the party's policy decisions.
"Bruce is not able to work within that system, the result is his departure today," Mulcair said. He also said he had lifted the punishments on Hyer and Rafferty in an effort to show they had "turned the page.""
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/04/23/pol-ndp-bruce-hyer.html
The NDP needs to figure out fast that running on an LGR policy plank will be the end of any desire for government. There are ways to talk about gun control in Canada that could have lots of buy-in from all but the American wannabe extremists, but talking about a registry is not it, not even close. It is like waving a red flag in front of a bull and then standing behind the flag and expecting to not be run down.
The accession of Mr. Rafferty to a critic portfolio shows that this is not about the LGR. This is about issues that Mr. Hyer has with the party system, and that Mulcair felt uncomfortable entrusting someone with a portfolio who does not feel they have to work within party policy.
Running AWAY from any form of gun registration would also be a gigantic gift to the Liberals and the Bloc Quebecois who would exploit any NDP ambivanlence on the issue mercilessly. Unfortunately, there is a price to pay on this issue no matter what stance you take. Ultimately, you have to "dance with the ones that brung you" and the NDP being the party that dominates Quebec and urban Canada really has no choice. The tail cannot wag the dog.
MP and leader fall out and MP quits the caucus. Not the first time this has happened.
That he was left out of the shadow cabinet is a flashpoint since I can see that this could be hurtful to a person who believed his role should be much greater. I am not saying it was right or wrong to leave him out but it is easy to see that this would create great disappointment. That might be no big deal but if it is coming on top of other issues then it could be insurmountable.
The full story is not clear. I'd really hope we could not get into assumptions here. Let's give both the NDP leadership and this MP the benefit of the doubt and see how they behave going forward. Leaving the party to sit as an independent is not a crime and I am not prepared to attack him for doing so. Clearly there is a lot more to this story and I am happy to wait for it.
For now, this is someone who ran for the NDP and therefore may have a lot in common with us. Let's not treat him as the enemy even if he is out of caucus. Hopefully with time there will be a better understanding whether he comes back in to caucus or remains out of it.
The people who were in the shadow cabinet probably ought to have been found some kind of role if not in the new shadow cabinet, somehow in the party. Something to think about.
Hyer once stiffed me for a very expensive cab ride, on purpose. I am not really surprised that he would stiff the party that invested all kinds of resources into getting him elected and re-elected.
C'mon, folks, maybe Bruce Hyer just wanted to step back a bit so he could have more time to run his company. Guy's gotta make a living, you know.