Star: ONDP disowns its own policies - dismisses party resolutions

11 posts / 0 new

Sun, 2011-06-12 23:43

aka Mycroft

Defensive NDP disowns its own policies for Ontario

Quote:
Last Tuesday, I asked for a compendium of the NDP's past convention resolutions - typically a couple of hundred pages. At Horwath's Thursday morning photo-op I reminded her press secretary, Marion Nader, and again Friday morning. Not until that afternoon did I finally get an email - without the promised goods, but with this bit of bafflegab:

"Resolutions are passed at convention and there are a series of sunsetting provisions that render them out of date. Others are out-of-date the moment they're passed."

The implication? All resolutions are instantly invalid. Nice try.

Having given up on the stonewalling, I finally got my hands on the 183-page compendium of party resolutions that NDP officials were pretending didn't exist, weren't relevant, and wouldn't be released. I found the internal document on an obscure website, posted by dissident New Democrats. Only then did NDP officials belatedly confirm its authenticity.

Issues Pages:

Elections

Regions:

Tue, 2011-06-14 11:44

aka Mycroft

So what do people think of party officials declaring policy passed at convention to be secret and "out of date the moment they're passed"?

Tue, 2011-06-14 12:20

Aristotleded24

aka Mycroft wrote:
So what do people think of party officials declaring policy passed at convention to be secret and "out of date the moment they're passed"?

Welcome to Manitoba, that's what I think.

Tue, 2011-06-14 15:37

Life, the unive...

aka Mycroft wrote:

So what do people think of party officials declaring policy passed at convention to be secret and "out of date the moment they're passed"?

Some resolutions in all organizations are out of date the moment they are passed. They tend to be ones that are specific to a very time limited situation. Others become out of date through the fullness of time and that is why there are sunset resolutions - in all organizations- not just the NDP. There is nothing sinister or unusual about that.

What I find amazing is the clear fishing attempt to create news by finding some obscure resolution presented at a convention at some point in the past, whether passed or not- and that was what this 'reporter' was looking for- not policy- in an attempt to do a Liberal hatchet job. But instead of taking umbrage at that- attack the NDP for what is not a very big deal comment. All too typical.

Mon, 2011-06-20 06:53

NDPP

Cohn: Ontario NDP Preens For Power and Prorogues

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1011271--cohn-ontari...

"...What you won't hear is any dissenting views. Nor much talk about where the NDP is coming from. That's because regularly scheduled programming has been interrupted to bring you a series of orchestrated photo-ops. This year's scheduled biennial convention has been postponed - prorogued, dissidents say, because the party brass didn't want trouble in an election year.

Ordinary delegates say they've been kicked out to make way for a campaign kickoff - a tightly-scripted show taking place at a CNE venue - instead of the freewheeling policy debate originally planned. The party's top leadership waged an internal battle to postpone the regular event, exposing a schism within the NDP's executive and ruling body. Feeling muzzled, some dissidents walked out to form their own leftist movement, others just walked away, a couple of longtime members threatened legal action...

NDP apparatchiks are feeling chuffed after ridding themselves of perceived troublemakers and silencing left-wingers who might have embarrassed the party.."

just more 'rusty old anchors' dropped to 'move ahead' I guess...

Mon, 2011-06-20 13:40

Bookish Agrarian

I just happened to notice this when visiting to see some wrap up thoughts about the NDP convention because I have been too busy to follow it.

Anyhow- this is complete and utter nonsense. I am an ordinary council delegate and nothing is hindering my participation. In my experience there is a select group that absolutely loves to hear themselves talk and say the same things over and over- regardless of the topic- to the point I could probably give their speeches for them. They call any attempt to let anyone else speak an attack on democracy. They have become charicatures of themselves.

On top of that Cohn is a Liberal looking to make trouble whether there is a reality based reason for it or not.

Mon, 2011-06-20 14:07

Stockholm

It sounds to me like Cohn was DYING to be able to write juicy dirt about the ONDP around internal divisions and controversial policies etc... and the ONDP ruined his fun and foiled him by not giving him any ammunition - and now he's having a temper tantrum over it.

Mon, 2011-06-20 14:22

Fidel

It wouldn't be so bad for these jr. colonial administrativeship parties and their propaganda wings today if they hadn't designed provincial economies around cold war mentality for U.S. style middle class capitalism based on endless consumption. Now they are basically having trouble keeping promises that were unsustainable all the while. It's really too bad for them that their ideology is falling down around their ears as a result of bad central planning. Their dynastic rule seems to be wavering in the wind of change. Too bad so sad.

Mon, 2011-06-20 22:14

Anonymouse

Haha, so unprofessional.

Mon, 2011-06-20 22:44

#10

Unionist

aka Mycroft wrote:

So what do people think of party officials declaring policy passed at convention to be secret and "out of date the moment they're passed"?

Ummmmmmmm, there were a couple reasons I quit the NDP in the 1970s. This was one of them. Are you suggesting this revelation will come as a surprise to anyone? This is and has always been a party run by a handful of people. It's not unlike most other parties in that respect.

Mon, 2011-06-20 23:48

#11

Fidel

And here's Unionist with his I tore up my memebership card punch line again. "cymbal smash"