Saskatchewan New Democrats Win Two By-Elections

Merci, remind!

SRB wrote:

Oh well, I'm pleased that Danielle Chartier will be taking a seat in the Legislature.  And the Liberal Party in Saskatchewan now seems defunct.

 

I presume you mean the party using the Liberal name is defunct but the Sask NDP is alive and very much a "liberal" party. 

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Soothsayers had a better record of prediction than economists

No I said the NDP is a liberal party. The Sask. party is a bunch of neo-con reformers therefore not liberal.  What is missing in Sask. is a social democratic alternative to the con/lib duo. Maybe the NDP should be called the Nuclear Disaster Party. 

             Prov. politics in Sask. is a different beast nowadays and some of Lingenfelter's positions on enviromental and occupation in Afghanistan rather neo-liberal.But Ryan Meili wasn't ready to lead Prov. NDP because he didn't reach out to labour movement and other factions of the Party.I don't mind co-operatives but they are some times at odds with Unions.In fact I live in co-operative housing but in the past talked with some workers involved and didn't have a clue what Unions are fighting for in regards to Grievance procedure,collective bargaining rights,wages and benefits (pensions etc.).

           Whether Lingenfelter can hold the line in Sask. politics remains to be seen.But Link has experience and credibility without requiring much " off the ground maintenance ",that said he needs to reach out and re-dedicate himself to the NDP again.He's an opportunist and lacking in social justice principles and there's room for more democratic socialist values.We'll be working on him to adopt more progressive view of the world and sustainable development not " rape,pillage and plunder".

           Still we have won our seats back and the political slide has stopped in respect to the Prov. NDP.On the Federal level that's another matter with the right-wing backlash firmly in place.Obviously we have supporters who vote for NDP provincially but not Federally and also support the so called  "war of error " ( which has cost at least 30 billion).So,we have quite an interesting political economy and it isn't politically correct by any means.Actually, rather confusing but that's politics in Sask..

           But we have socialist caucus in Sask. now so we are keeping a close eye on the political scene.

"Does this imply that Sask politics is going to be more like BC? NDP vs anybody but NDP?"

That is more or less the way Sask. politics have been for the last 60 years! Back in the 40s, 50s, 60s and early 70s, the Liberals were essentially the only opposition to the CCF-NDP and Tories were virtually non-existent at the provincial level. There was a genuine three way race in 1975, but then the NDP won in 1979 with 48% of the vote despite the Sask. Liberals almost vanishing. When the NDP won all through the 90s and in 2003 - it was in a two way race as well. The Liberals are only slightest more moribind in Saskatchewan than they have always been.

    Ze : wrote " ...there's no serious left or centre alternative to the NDP,which has pretty much become the anti-Sask. Party party."

    Actually there is " socialist caucus " within Sask. NDP and building momentum due to polarization from the right-wingers.Members who don't care about the enviroment,poverty,social justice issuses or war in Afghanistan.Who view NDP as a machine and nothing else,the dinosaurs if you will.There's certainly some rebuilding from within the party not resting "on our laurels".But offering progressive choices in regards to Prov. issues and not " business as usual".

   We can see it's time to address enviromental problems and become province within Canada which is a leader not one of the worst in respect to reducing " green house gases",setting serious meaningful hard-based targets,not intensity based as the neocons. propose (Sask. Party).So there is a serious " left-wing within the Sask. NDP" and growing.

    Some one also pointed out that the Liberals didn't run anyone in Regina againsl Lingenfelter, the sask. party were drooling over increase in percentage of the vote but is rather meaningless when you consider there was no real serious political issues which devloped throughout the campaign other then the way the Sask. Party is spending on patronage development and construction.Which is where they get there electorial support in the privite sector.Their budget estimates are way off and looking like Devine Gov't in the making.They'll leave this prov. in the same mess as D. and then we'll have to clean up the debt.

    At least we NDP are maintaining and increasing our presence,so rather then look from the outside in get involved and build a movement from within the Party.Pull hard to the Left.

It all depends on what kind of Sask. Liberal party there. I would love to see a resurrectuion of the old Ross Thatcher rightwing Liberals that would take votes from the Sask. Party. I would be less enthusiastic if there was a revitalized Liberal party that took dead aim at the urban progressive vote and split the anti-Sask party vote.

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I would love to see a resurrectuion of the old Ross Thatcher rightwing Liberals...

Yeah, you would.

People still remember the last Liberal government here, which is why they have so little support. The same was true for a long time about the Conservative party. They were nowhere from the 30s to the 80s, because too many voters remembered the Anderson government.

Memories of the Devine junta were blurred by the Tory Protection Program, in which the party of thieves and murderers changed its name to the "Saskatchewan Party." Even this was their second choice for a name, as many of its founding members favoured calling their Frankenstein monster "The Alberta Party."

Stockholm wrote:

"There is no anti-SP vote"

Sure there is. The SP is the government and anyone who is dissatisfied with the current government is "anti-SP party".

Those are NDP voters.