Woo! Hoo! Welcome to the Democratic Party of Canada

Doug wrote:

I'd prefer Progressive Party myself, but I do think it's time for a new name and organizational makeover.

The Progressive Conciliatory Party of Canada

Any political critique has merit in its own right, irrespective of style.  You might follow up on your own advice though.

Stockholm wrote:

NoDifferencePartyPooper wrote:

just the sound of shuffling deckchairs..

 

Ever heard the old saying "if you have nothing good to say, why say anything at all...."?

That's actually a lot better than the pithy one-liner that I had floating around (pun!) in my head:  "A turd by any other name..."

Quote:

Masse and other proponents of the change reject the idea the NDP seeks a shortcut association with the more popular Democratic Party in the United States.

ZOMG! Where would anybody get [url=http://www.rabble.ca/babble/canadian-politics/inviting-obamas-spin-docto... idea[/url]??

.

[url=http://www.rabble.ca/babble/canadian-politics/proposed-ndp-name-change]R... thread[/url]

What happened?  Sans-culottes was taken or something?

There is no news here.  Delegates have yet to decide anything AND we don't even know if the resolution(s) will get to the floor. 

Much ado about nuthin at this point.

And the two stale old line parties will ponder merging on the right and possibly rebranding themselves more simply, "Whigs 'n Tories and vice versa"

If they go to "Democrat" theyve lost my support too, very probably forever.  Window dressing maybe but may just indicate the kind of clientel they'd prefer.  Besides, the only abbreviation remaining would be DP, why keep only the "Dipper" part? 

Someone should start a Facebook site against the idea, organize some resistence, propose something else perhaps, invite Jack and Olivia to join.  Progressive something (Canadian?) anything would be better and more inclusive on either wing, if that is they truly want a "bigger tent" thats truly inviting to anyone but confused and/or conniving conservatives.

"Democrats" is so yesterday. We need to look to tomorrow, and work the "change" meme. I haven't worked out the bugs yet, but something like:

Champions of Change for the Future.

Oh, a name change?  From the fundraising emails that have come out recently, I thought it was a merger.

June 2nd:

"And so I’m asking you now to make a special donation to Jack Layton and your New Democrats.  Let’s send Jack to Washington knowing he has the full support of Canadians back home.

Together, we can build a movement for change right here in Canada.  Together we can build a real alternative to Harper’s Conservatives.  And Obama’s inner circle will help.  This summer, his top campaign leadership will join us in Halifax to share with us how they built their movement for change.

Daniel,

We've had Warshington style lobbying since Mulroney, and what's our's is pretty much their's since NAFTA. Ottawa is just a formality now and transformed into a colonial outpost for the Yanks. Our two old line parties thought for sure Canada would become a 51st state. But what's really happened since those traitorous trade deals has been the Porto Ricanization of Canada. Just being realistic is all, and I imagine so are the NDP totally realistic about it. The charade that Canada is a standalone G8 is coming to an end. It's time to wakey-wakey.

Buenos tardes

F

Erik Redburn wrote:

If they go to "Democrat" theyve lost my support too, very probably forever.  Window dressing maybe but may just indicate the kind of clientel they'd prefer.  Besides, the only abbreviation remaining would be DP, why keep only the "Dipper" part? 

It certainly speaks volumes about you that you would decide to support or not support a party for no other reason that its proper name. Like "oh as long as its the NEW Democratic Party - I'll festoon my house in orange and vote for them everytime, but GOD FORBID that they get rid of the word "NEW" and become just the Democratic Party - I'm dropping them like a hot potato!"

Who needs an abbreviation? I never hear the Liberals referred to as the LP and the Democrats in the US are never called the DP. I assume that if the NDP became the Democratic Party, we would soon be nicknamed the "dems" or the "dippers" or simply "the democrats".

Talk about a slow burn, Kropotkin. Canada became a colony, a repository of natural resource wealth and cornucopia of energy and fossil fuels for corporate America to raid at will some time ago. I'm not happy about it either as of 1989 or so. Too late now, the milk's already been spilled. Just wrap us in old confederate glory, cuz' we're all Dixiecrats now! So who's for starting up an independence movement, like that one in Puerto Rico?

What have we got to lose?

Ralph Nader is American (remember), I guess we should stop being colonials and stop ever inviting him to speak in Canada or building any bridges to him - works for me!

kropotkin1951 wrote:

True but at least we had one party that sometimes talked about NAFTA and its detrimental effects.  We are losing the last party in the House that even spoke against that imperial control.  All hail the new emperor and the NDP's special relationship with him.

Kropotkin, theres a movement out here to get that party back; it's getting late in the day but I'm not willing to give up without at least a fight.  Still at the initial talking stage but can always use more balanced but fwd looking minds like yours taking part.  If youd like to know more just PM me or I can you, whichever.

What's in a name anyways? In Russia, Zhirinovsky's neo-fascist xenophobic party is called "Liberal Democrats" - I wonder what that has to do with the Liberal Democrats in the UK who are now seen to be to the left of the Labour Party. 

Then again, there was once a party with a lovely name - The National Socialist German Workers Party!

kropotkin1951 wrote:

You could sign up to go to a warmer climate in the the middle east I hear many countries are looking for recruits to help the new emperor in his quest to liberate the people in Afghanistan and Iran. 

Aha! Ta but no ta. If they brought back the draft in the US while I happened to be there, I'd be rummaging through the drawers for my British passport pdq. Besides, I'm in my 40's now.  There must be an age limit for obligatory imperial duty. I could always eat a lot of Taco Bell and get myself tagged unfit for combat duty.  

I'm a perpetually disappointed and fiercely loyal partisan, but if this happens it may be one disappointment too many for me. Layton's fawning over Obama has been a desperate embarrassment for a year already. A measure like this would cast that in stone and make the party a deserved laughing stock.

NDP is a brand acronym that evokes a set of values. It doesn't matter what the "N" stands for; "NDP" stands for something. "Democratic Party" is not my party. It's not even my country.

NoDifferencePartyPooper wrote:

Fidel wrote:

Daniel,

We've had Warshington style lobbying since Mulroney, and what's our's is pretty much their's since NAFTA. Ottawa is just a formality now and transformed into a colonial outpost for the Yanks. Our two old line parties thought for sure Canada would become a 51st state. But what's really happened since those traitorous trade deals has been the Porto Ricanization of Canada. Just being realistic is all, and I imagine so are the NDP totally realistic about it. The charade that Canada is a standalone G8 is coming to an end. It's time to wakey-wakey.

Buenos tardes

F

NDPP

Obviously someone didn't stand on guard for thee well enough. As for imagining the NDP  "totally realistic about it", that one gives me the willies..

Oh, and younger Canadians should think about goin' south at some point, too,  when the oil and gas run out. That is unless youre independently wealthy and can afford skyrocketing light and heating bills coming soon enough. Liberal and Tory guvmints fixed us up real good.

Stockholm: "It certainly speaks volumes about you that you would decide to support or not support a party for no other reason that its proper name. Like "oh as long as its the NEW Democratic Party - I'll festoon my house in orange and vote for them everytime, but GOD FORBID that they get rid of the word "NEW" and become just the Democratic Party - I'm dropping them like a hot potato!"

Who needs an abbreviation? I never hear the Liberals referred to as the LP and the Democrats in the US are never called the DP. I assume that if the NDP became the Democratic Party, we would soon be nicknamed the "dems" or the "dippers" or simply "the democrats"."

The abbreviation is an integral part of the identity -witness the long term success of the "CCRAP" coalition-- but none moreso than the NDP "party", and changing it to "Democrat" may indeed indicate a deep sea change in direction, even if it in itself signifies nothing of substance.  The very vaccuity of it, in absense of any other practical or original suggestions (they don't have to be mutually exclusive if we look back one whole generation) may also indicate something about the party's present state.  

Personally I'm getting a little weary myself of how little thought is given by one segment of the party, usually the far right or far left of the party IME, to how their usually half baked concoctions and demands might effect others, but then its hardly top secret that the far left and far right of the party spend more time going at each than they do others now and either would be quite happy to be rid of the other, regardless of the damage done to the whole.  

I also get weary of how the usual partisans, usually centrists nowadays sadly, seem to think guys like me owe them something without ever giving any tangeable reason as to why I should even vote for them.  I'm a democratic reformer, not a revolutionary, but even reform demands some sort of progressive action taken or plan of action to somewhere worth fighting for.  I offered a practical suggestion in response, just in case it does reach the convention floor and has an organised campaign supporting it who may not have read rabble.ca everyday, its up to someone else to pick it up or leave it to fate.  I'll be quite happy to be proven wrong here.

Or maybe Cueball has been right about Layton all along, satisfied?

Where's the balance, Kropotokin? The two old line parties have walked all over Canadians since Mulroney. Theyve walked all over us and stomped on us a few times for good measure. It's time to fight dirty. It's still time to fight our weight in wildcats. But most of all, it's time to roll up our sleeves and fight the good fight! This isnt a gentlemens bare knuckler with Marquis of Queensbury rules anymore. This is a street fight now. Are you a street fighting man?

kropotkin1951 wrote:

Fawning over Obama is street fighting?  LMAOROF

It's one bit of kow-towing the Liberals havent thought of doing since transforming themselves into lap poodles for crazy, crazy-crazy George II and the military machine at start of the 2000's.