There's nothing in Ashton's "new politics" so far that I haven't heard before. Just a new face is all.
NDP Leadership Thread - Part 34
Wed, 2011-11-09 12:46
#52
Boom Boom
Wed, 2011-11-09 13:13
#53
I think, Malcolm, that if you investigate the political CONCERNS of the two mentioned, the content of their message, you will find a distinct difference. Niki Ashton's focus on the economy parallels Mulcair's, and that is what gets her elected in Churchill, much more than her appeal to the youth of that Hudson Bay port town and the 22 of 28 municipalities she has to fly into. quote:"New politics says it does matter who owns our economy and we must protect our public services and that we must control our economic destiny as Canadians," she said. I have no idea what OO does not understand about "new politics" given that explanation.And arguably to the way Topp and Mulcair do politics.
How it differs from what any other NDPer or Canadian social democrat has said since CB Macpherson.
C B Macpherson shot the shit about agrarian socialism and got his tenure at the U of T in a weak moment, but his thesis did not hold water for long. Like his Real World of Democracy pamphlet.
People commenting on the "Lewis' effect" in leadership races studiously avoid the David Lewis/ unions' expulsion of the Waffle. Now THERE was an attempt at Canadian economic nationalism, shot down by New Democrats. And I don't recall it being central to party platforms since then.
And the people who say that economic nationalism is "old hat" can never be seen discussing that nationalism - or Canadian economic policy, period, for that matter. Perpetually old hat? Or something off in that uncertain gray area, best left to finance ministers? That's what CAnada's workers see, anyway. Diddly squat from that long line of New Democrats - Waffle excepted - since C.B.Macpherson.
Wed, 2011-11-09 13:23
#54
Here is something I knew the NDP will be hearing more of, regardless of who becomes the new Leader. This quote happens to come from Bob Rae- no significance at all that it comes from him.
"An ideological government is pushing a program of jails and jets that threatens our fiscal stability going forward," he adds, while "the NDP wants to raise taxes, and then throws in a ‘tax the rich' message for good measure."
When Brian Topp put that out, I figured we would wear it from now until the next election, whether or not Brian became Leader, or was a public figure in the NDP at all.
Personaly, I think that is a good thing.
We don't need to be defensive about this any more.... and I think this will force the hand of the NDP: Pandora's Box having been opened, even if it is not a plank you would choose to have given a choice, better to fully own it than run away from it.
Now the Liberals need to stay away from raising taxes, but they also have to sound like they are doing the good progressive thing, so Bobby also said this:
Mr. Rae would also dispense with "boutique tax credits" for things like sports equipment for children or for serving as a volunteer fire fighter, while also closing what he says are corporate tax loopholes.
"Creating a simpler, clearer tax code should be our objective, rooted in the twin principles of progressivity...." blah, blah, etcetera
If that sounds familiar, and recently familiar, it is because Paul Dewar took exactly the same tack: criticize Topp's move, 'better to close loopholes' etc.
I pointed out when he said it that it is the classic deflection from being obligated to address a polcy of needing to raising taxes. Sounds good, but compared to the scale we NEED, there is really piss all revenue in 'closing loopholes' when you actually get down to it. Bob Rae using it confirms the dodge it is.
I'm not picking on Paul Dewar. He's on my list of seriously looking at, and he is only any kind of target because he has specified policy and program more than any one else. Good for him.
I throw that out as a challenge. I really do think that not only is it time for the NDP to overtly propose raising taxes, but now we will have to anyway.... or be on the defensive.
For the candidates it is an opportunity as well as a challenge.
As well as some candidates having reservations [at least] about making such a commitment- there is the competitive problem of sounding like 'me too'.
Once Brian Topp puts out a specific policy plank, it WILL be 'me too' for those who follow.
But not before he does.
Wed, 2011-11-09 13:57
#55
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/romeo-saganash/canadian-veterans_b_1081908.html
Romeo Saganash's newest column from Huffington Post is out - check it out
Wed, 2011-11-09 14:03
#56
(Rick Mercer) The number of NDP leadership candidates reaches 7 Billion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCI9MeQFYDc&feature=share
(22 Minutes) Mark Critch toys with the candidates: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCI9MeQFYDc&feature=share
Wed, 2011-11-09 14:22
#57
Mr. Rae would also dispense with "boutique tax credits" for things like sports equipment for children or for serving as a volunteer fire fighter, while also closing what he says are corporate tax loopholes.
"Creating a simpler, clearer tax code should be our objective, rooted in the twin principles of progressivity...." blah, blah, etcetera
This is quite amusing - hearing Bob Rae rail against popualism...didn't his leader in the recent election campaign wave his fist in the air chanting "Rise Up! Rise Up!" and didn't he also go on about the vils of corporate tax cuts usiing even stronger language than Jack layton was using? (not that anyone took iggy seriously). As for "boutique tax credits" the godfather of such things is rae's Ontario boss dalton McGuinty - who also in a fit of populism shut down a powerplant in Mississauga despite hundreds of millions ion cancellation costs - just to save a seat!
As for Rae making fun of the NDP for wanting to "tax the rich" - i wonder if that means he also has such contempt for people like Obama and various mainstream Democrats in the US who want to raise taxes of those making over $200k.
That being said - I'm glad that Rae is being very frank about where the future of the Liberal party lies - they will be the "intellectual snob" party that looks down on the common folk who are members of yucky (sic.) things like unions or who are small town Tory types. he wants to reinvent the Liberals as a 'boutique" party for upper class professional twits who want to sip chardonnay at the yacht club while clicking their tongues about "the poor". Good for you Bob - with that positioning the Liberal Party will win the following seats in 2015: St. Paul, Don Valley West, Toronto Centre (maybe depending on redistribution), Ottawa South, Vancouver Quadra, maybe North Vancouver with some luck, Westmount...and that's about it!
Wed, 2011-11-09 14:30
#58
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/romeo-saganash/canadian-veterans_b_1081908.html
Romeo Saganash's newest column from Huffington Post is out - check it out
A masterpiece of meaningless rhetoric. Doesn't even say we shouldn't automatically line up with Washington. Doesn't even mention getting out of Afghanistan. Doesn't suggest we think twice before spending billions on arms. Panders to veterans of course. Very disappointing.
Wed, 2011-11-09 15:26
#59
Wilf, don't make me say it: she has a good resume, but not the life experience to run the Prime Minister's Office. I'm not sure how many actual chairing sessions she got in on the SOW committee either. Don't get me wrong, she had a great resume for a woman her age, and I admire all three of her runs in Churchill (though a part of me wishes that seat had gone to Ovide Mercredi, but that's for another day). But I don't think the experience question is an unfair one.
This is different than Saganash, who has a lot of life experience, but is gaining political experience as we go. Niki actually has a good amount of political experience. But, as charming as the comparison is to Ed Schreyer, running the federal government nowadays is a much much bigger venture than running the Manitoba government back then, never mind running a modern election campaign.
I want to see her do well, and I want to see what she's made of and what she has to say, but frankly her campaign is not speaking to me yet in a way that would shore up any of those concerns and put her in my group of contenders. But it's very early days yet, I recognize that. I could be completely wrong. But the "new politics" language is just not helping making that case with me.
Wed, 2011-11-09 15:37
#60
M. Spector
(22 Minutes) Mark Critch toys with the candidates: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCI9MeQFYDc&feature=share[/quote]
Here's the correct link: [url=http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/22%20Minutes/Clips/ID=2165734903]22 Minutes[/url]
Wed, 2011-11-09 15:55
#61
Niki actually has a good amount of political experience. But, as charming as the comparison is to Ed Schreyer, running the federal government nowadays is a much much bigger venture than running the Manitoba government back then, never mind running a modern election campaign.
No doubt. That's why she's a long-shot.
What I'm saying is, to the surprise of many (including many in Quebec), Ashton is a credible candidate.
Incidentally, "Niki" is charming, but she needs to have an "I'm nobody's baby" moment. This is not easy, when "Ashton" means, in Manitoba, Steve Ashton. One test of her maturity and gravitas will be, when "Ashton" starts to mean Niki Ashton. Not yet.
Wed, 2011-11-09 17:34
#62
Had a chance to meet both Mulcair and Saganash today. Only spoke with Saganash for a moment. Nice guy.
Spent more time with Mulcair. Personal observation... take it for what it's worth... but the guy is not what the media or others have characterized. He's funny, warm, and not a hint of a big ego. Great guy.
One thing he said and said clearly... "I don't want to move the NDP to the centre. I want to move the centre to the NDP".
I doubt we'll hear that from the media interviews though. Be interesting to see what comes out tomorrow.
He said we need to engage all Canadians beyond our base with the NDP message. He said specifically we need to be trusted by Canadians to manage the country's finances while maintaining our social democratic principles. And yes, he referred to himself as a social democrat.
Nice to get all this instead of what the media dishes out.
Wed, 2011-11-09 18:58
#63
Thanks, HM. We need to get more up close observations like this, because it's not just the media that's dishing it out.
Wed, 2011-11-09 19:24
#64
dacckon
Brian Topp wrote the foreword of a colouring book (lol)
Is the race too long?
Ex-staffers back Dewar
Edit: Nathan Cullen gets BC MLA endorsements
Wed, 2011-11-09 20:36
#65
Niki actually has a good amount of political experience. But, as charming as the comparison is to Ed Schreyer, running the federal government nowadays is a much much bigger venture than running the Manitoba government back then, never mind running a modern election campaign.
No doubt. That's why she's a long-shot.
What I'm saying is, to the surprise of many (including many in Quebec), Ashton is a credible candidate.
Incidentally, "Niki" is charming, but she needs to have an "I'm nobody's baby" moment. This is not easy, when "Ashton" means, in Manitoba, Steve Ashton. One test of her maturity and gravitas will be, when "Ashton" starts to mean Niki Ashton. Not yet.
Many of us outside Manitoba are more familiar with her than her father.
Wed, 2011-11-09 20:38
#66
Malcolm
I have a question to throw out to everyone in this thread. We know from what happened in Saskatchewan what a BAD leader looks like. Its true that maybe no one could have defeated Brad Wall - but the fact remains that Lingenfelter had sky-high negatives and clearly ran way behnd the party.
We have nine people running for the federal NDP leadership. Which of them is the most similar to Dwayne Lingenfelter so that I know who NOT to vote for.
Topp's campaign (all high profile endorsements and not much else yet) most closely resembles the Lingenfelter leadership campaign. Which isn't to say that Topp most resembles Lingenfelter. It is, after all, a classic front-runner strategy.
Wed, 2011-11-09 20:39
#67
Personal observation... take it for what it's worth... but the guy is not what the media or others have characterized. He's funny, warm, and not a hint of a big ego. Great guy. One thing he said and said clearly... "I don't want to move the NDP to the centre. I want to move the centre to the NDP".
He said that on Salt Spring too and it was well received. However, it begs the question of where he sees the NDP or where he thinks the NDP should be.
Wed, 2011-11-09 20:43
#68
Malcolm
I'm not claiming any "Lewis effect." I am merely observing that the candidate with the support of the Lewis circle has won every single leadership race since the CCF was rebooted as the NDP. That's simply a fact. Why they can't seem to do the same in Ontario is a curious question.
I ALSO noted that I thought the Lewis choice would be of less import in the pure OMOV we have now.
Wed, 2011-11-09 20:49
#69
Brian Topp wrote the foreword of a colouring book (lol)
Is the race too long?
Ex-staffers back Dewar
Edit: Nathan Cullen gets BC MLA endorsements
I have to say that I was more impressed with Cullen today in Nanaimo, than Mulcair on Salt Spring a few weeks ago. He is extremely thoughtful and articulate, at least in English. I did have the advantage of more questions and was able to ask him follow-up questions I would have asked Mulcair had there been the opportunity.
Wed, 2011-11-09 22:04
#70
Nathan Cullen gets BC MLA endorsements
His three local MLAs, plus Norm Macdonald, MLA for Columbia River – Revelstoke. Not much to brag about. Cullen is able and impressive, but is he getting much traction so far?
Wed, 2011-11-09 22:27
#71
. . . her one weakness (which is not her age, but her inexperience for the job she's applying for).
Interesting. Let's compare her experience at 33 with Ed Schreyer's.
Schreyer: first ran while still a university student, at age 22. Elected MLA on first try. Got a Bachelor's degree a year later. Got an MA in International Relations during his term in office at age 26. Taught part-time at St. Paul's College from age 25 to 28. Did not marry until after he was elected Premier.
Ashton: educated in French Immersion in Thompson, Manitoba. When Ashton was 16, earned a scholarship to one of the prestigious United World Colleges and attended the Li Po Chun college in Hong Kong. At age 21, coordinator and promoter of volunteering at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, assisting Chinese team. BA from University of Manitoba. At age 23, defeated incumbent Bev Desjarlais for the NDP nomination, and ran in 2006 general election, not elected when Desjarlais ran as an independent. Got M.A. in international affairs from Carleton. At age 25, taught full-time at University College of the North, chaired the Thompson Crisis Centre Board, and volunteered at the 2007 Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games in Thompson. Was a PhD candidate at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manitoba when first elected to Parliament at age 26. Chaired House Standing Committee on the Status of Women at age 28 after winning second term. Married at age 28.
Wed, 2011-11-09 22:39
#72
Never heard of Niki Ashton's father- whatever his name is- until she had circulated some.
Personal observation... take it for what it's worth... but the guy is not what the media or others have characterized. He's funny, warm, and not a hint of a big ego. Great guy. One thing he said and said clearly... "I don't want to move the NDP to the centre. I want to move the centre to the NDP".
He said that on Salt Spring too and it was well received. However, it begs the question of where he sees the NDP or where he thinks the NDP should be.
I assumed that Mulcair would be a warm and charming guy. Even people who at least somewhat think he might be 'abrasive' probably would not expect him to be that in person.
"I want to bring the centre to the NDP" means very little even on the face of it. Bring them to us with what?
It is most definitely not an answer to the cant he is putting out there publicly. Its easy to put out some soothing words to little audiences where no one is asking follow-up questions.
Wed, 2011-11-09 22:45
#73
She is spelling it out for you, Boomer: "New politics says it does matter who owns our economy and we must protect our public services and that we must control our economic destiny as Canadians," she said."New politics" to me is some form of PR. Everything else can wait until this happens.
All of which is nonsense until some form of PR is mandated. Otherwise it's business as usual.
In August 2010 Niki Ashton said:
http://www.cupwire.ca/articles/24313
Ashton considers herself to be one of the few voices actively shedding light on youth issues in Parliament.“In the House of Commons, I find that the experience of young people in general is never heard,” she explained. “The voices of young people aren’t represented the way they should be.”
Voter turnout rates have been historically low among young Canadians. According to a March 2008 report released by Elections Canada, only 43.8 per cent of eligible voters aged 18 to 24 made it out to the polls. Some claim that while many Canadians may suffer from it – as voter turnout among Canadians have been on a steady decline over the last few years – youth are the biggest victims of voter apathy.
“I always challenge the idea that young people are apathetic, because all you need to do is go on your Facebook home page and realize that young people feel very strongly about a lot of issues. Maybe not all the status updates are that,” she jokingly added.
However, she said, “we do know what’s important to us – but there’s a disconnect that takes place (between when) we’ve said what’s important to us, and representation.”
While the young MP said that modifying the electoral system to allow for proportional representation is one potential solution, she conceded that more needs to be done to engage youth in the decisions that are made on Parliament Hill in order to provoke them to head to the polls.
Using the Law Commission model, Manitoba would have nine local MPs and five "top-up" provincial MPs. No problem for the North: Churchill and the north half of Dauphin-Swan River would have a local MP, which would still have been Niki Ashton. Winnipeg would have five local ridings, one of which would have been strongly enough NDP to elect (say) Pat Martin. And on the votes cast on May 2 two of the five provincial "top-up" MPs would have been New Democrats. With voters able to vote for the party list or a candidate on it, and not knowing who would have won provincial nominations, it's hard to predict who those two would have been, but Rebecca Blaikie would likely have been one.
Wed, 2011-11-09 23:00
#74
Had a chance to meet both Mulcair and Saganash today. Only spoke with Saganash for a moment. Nice guy. Spent more time with Mulcair. Personal observation... take it for what it's worth... but the guy is not what the media or others have characterized. He's funny, warm, and not a hint of a big ego. Great guy.
Don't take this the wrong way. I welcome hearing peoples personal impressions about the candidates and I am interested in what you say about Mulcair - but i have to point out that one thing i hear over and over again about Mulcair is that he makes a fantastic first impression...but the spell often wears off pretty soon afterwards.
Wed, 2011-11-09 23:26
#75
Mulcair is doing a meet and greet tommorow night too. Maybe we could get a report on that?
I know, I know... after the reseption you got this time...
Be creative. Ask a question or set of questions where you might have something to bring back. This is a tough audience- but we voice questions and doubts that Mulcair is going to have to address. Diresctly addressing the negatives is not necessary, or advisable. But dealing with them is.
Mulcair can go a long way- sweep a good portion of the party- continuing to coast on what he has got. But that's not going to get him all the way to winning. Nor will vague pretty word answers.
Thu, 2011-11-10 00:23
#76
Nathan Cullen gets BC MLA endorsements
His three local MLAs, plus Norm Macdonald, MLA for Columbia River – Revelstoke. Not much to brag about. Cullen is able and impressive, but is he getting much traction so far?
Not my quote. Many people are still waiting to meet the candidates and hear what they have to say.
Thu, 2011-11-10 00:30
#77
Never heard of Niki Ashton's father- whatever his name is- until she had circulated some.
Personal observation... take it for what it's worth... but the guy is not what the media or others have characterized. He's funny, warm, and not a hint of a big ego. Great guy. One thing he said and said clearly... "I don't want to move the NDP to the centre. I want to move the centre to the NDP".He said that on Salt Spring too and it was well received. However, it begs the question of where he sees the NDP or where he thinks the NDP should be.
I assumed that Mulcair would be a warm and charming guy. Even people who at least somewhat think he might be 'abrasive' probably would not expect him to be that in person.
"I want to bring the centre to the NDP" means very little even on the face of it. Bring them to us with what?
It is most definitely not an answer to the cant he is putting out there publicly. Its easy to put out some soothing words to little audiences where no one is asking follow-up questions.
I agree up to the point about small audiences. The group on Salt Spring was 30+ people and actually the only question I got was a follow-up question, plus another quick question after the meeting as he was preparing to leave. The audience for Cullen in Nanaimo was less than half that size (the meeting was put together on short notice) and there was ample opportunity for multiple questions, including follow-up questions.
Thu, 2011-11-10 00:57
#78
Ex-staffers back Dewar
The statement from the ex-staffers of Rights and Democracy is on Dewar's website. Quite the list.
An interesting departure from the main message that has not been picked up in the media pieces so far (which all seem to be CP wire copy): "As Quebecers, we cherish his commitment to Quebecois values of justice, rule of law, respect for human rights and diversity, and of course his deep respect for Quebec’s unique place in Canada."
The Lewis extended network seems not to have a single horse in the race. Some of the Steel folks are with Topp, but Michael Lewis hasn't made a peep. Some of Ed Broadbent's extended family are apparently working for Dewar (rumour only). So far the campaign operatives have mostly stayed out of the news, with a couple of exceptions. Joe Cressy was interviewed about working for Dewar and Topp poaching Ray Guardia made headlines. Does anybody have good intelligence on who is actively working on which campaigns? That could be more interesting than MP endorsements.
Thu, 2011-11-10 01:43
#79
@ Policywonk:
I include 30 people as a small audience.
And by follow-up question. I meant for example after Mulcair says something vague and soothing to the audience at hand like "I want to bring the centre to the NDP". Did you get anything more subtantive than that?
Thu, 2011-11-10 09:54
#80
dacckon
Alexa McDonough has just endorsed Peggy Nash
Edit: Some other ndp articles worth mentioning -> Brian Topp's origins, Thomas Mulcair article
Peggy Nash wasn't flattered by a Globe and Mail headline calling her "a Thatcher for the left".
Thu, 2011-11-10 10:37
#81
I just heard the Alexa endorsement on the local Ceeb news.
That will matter here. Cannot say exactly how much.
I cant imagine the timing is a coincidence with Mulcair being here right now.
Also notable that Alexa did not hang back like most people here about publicly endorsing someone other than Robert.
But I guess thats one of the benefits of 'stateswoman' status rather than active politician.
Thu, 2011-11-10 10:57
#82
First time I have seen the MSM call Nash 'one of the front-runners' [with Topp and Mulcair].
Thu, 2011-11-10 11:06
#83
there will be a reception for thomas mulcair in toronto on saturday. 3 pm at the duke of york, 39 prince arthur ave in yorkvile.
Thu, 2011-11-10 11:34
#84
Dont forget to put it in the thread for candidate visits. It has fallen down the list. But it wont do that if people keep posting events there. There are plenty of them to keep the thread going, and I would bet there are some people who would look there who really dont want to read or even skim everything in this endless running discussion.
I have a long time hobby of checking the number of visits for babble threads. This one looks to be no more or less than 'typical'. Mind you, the only consistent metric is visits per posts. And a fast moving [and ending] thread like these 34 and counting, tends to depress that average. IE, the average metric is not necessarily a good indicator of how many readers there are.... and much less in a thread like this, where many regular readers are going to see quite a few posts since the last time they looked in.
Thu, 2011-11-10 13:30
#85
@ Policywonk:
I include 30 people as a small audience.
And by follow-up question. I meant for example after Mulcair says something vague and soothing to the audience at hand like "I want to bring the centre to the NDP". Did you get anything more subtantive than that?
No, and that was my point earlier. Some small meetings are better than others.
Thu, 2011-11-10 13:36
#86
I'd like to hear a report of someone putting a question[s] to Mulcair of what he means by bringing the centre to the NDP.
If he wants to leave it vague like that, he'll have no problem. He might also see it as an opportunity to hang something out there.
Thu, 2011-11-10 14:39
#87
I'd like to hear a report of someone putting a question to anyone about what they mean to do about saving manufacturing jobs in the east with economic policies that "the centre" can find confidence in.
Why Mulcair would "want to leave it vague like that," and how you'd ever get to know that it's what he wanted, only the gods know.
Thu, 2011-11-10 17:13
#88
I assumed that Mulcair would be a warm and charming guy. Even people who at least somewhat think he might be 'abrasive' probably would not expect him to be that in person.
"I want to bring the centre to the NDP" means very little even on the face of it. Bring them to us with what?
It is most definitely not an answer to the cant he is putting out there publicly. Its easy to put out some soothing words to little audiences where no one is asking follow-up questions.
He'll be back for a debate in Halifax so good chance to ask :)
If I can answer from what I heard from him... don't take it as gospel... ask him... this is my wording and interpretation and just touches a bit of what he talks about. He wants to engage all Canadians regardless of where they live or their socio-economic background. He doesn't like, for example, the party using language that's class based (note it's not about "class based policies"... he will still speak against tax cuts to the banks and large corporations as "stupid policy" for example) but not the "ordinary working Canadians" language. It was one change he and Jack made when it came to Quebec for example. He doesn't want to write off anyone. He says a lot of the "centre" is still scared about the NDP... they like a lot of what we stand for... but are still nervous to vote for us for various reasons such as managing the public finances.
What I also like... he wants to go into territory we write off like... get this... PEI... and to a lesser extent New Brunswick for example. He sees the Atlantic region as a huge opportunity for NDP growth.
Thu, 2011-11-10 18:15
#89
Nicky, you made some serious allegations in your early post, so I'm removing it until you can back up some of those allegations with some kind of third party confirmation.
Thu, 2011-11-10 20:50
#90
Rebecca, you do not specify which of my facts you are uneasy with. I Assume you refer to what I said about tensions between Barrett and the Lewises.
I was an organizer for Barrett at the 89 convention. It was pretty open knowledge that Stephen told Barrett he would announce his support for him after McLaughlin's speech.
As for the confrontation between Stephen and Barrett in Chinatown I got this from one of the two participants. I think Cameron's book on the Lewises also mentions that Stephen flew to Vancouver to persuade Douglas to retire.Barrret was a devotee of Douglas and was offended by this.
As for Michael Lewis pulling strings to help Tom Berger, this was the subject of open allegations at the time. In my distant youth I did a thesis on the 1969 BC leadership race and this fact is well documented.
So rest assured, everything in my deleted post is factual.
Thu, 2011-11-10 21:15
#91
It was pretty open knowledge that Stephen told Barrett he would announce his support for him after McLaughlin's speech.
I seem to recall CBC television reporting it that night, in fact.
In my distant youth I did a thesis on the 1969 BC leadership race and this fact is well documented.
That leadership race was seminal for the BC section of the party. Two decades later, you could almost predict who would support whom in the federal leadership race based on where they had sat in the earlier BC one.
Nicky, I would have loved to have read your thesis. I don't suppose it's still around?
Thu, 2011-11-10 22:15
#92
Boom Boom
Got a nice campaign email from the Topp campaign today written by Ed Broadbent explaining why he supports Topp. It's well written.
Thu, 2011-11-10 22:48
#93
Idealistic Prag...
Why have I never gotten any of the Topp campaign's emails? I'm beginning to feel snubbed! 
Feel like posting it, Boom Boom?
Thu, 2011-11-10 23:02
#94
The letter is on Brian Topp's web page.
It's a great letter explaining Ed Broadbent's reasons for endorsing Brian.
Thu, 2011-11-10 23:05
#95
Boom Boom
Okay, I'll edit my post then.
Thu, 2011-11-10 23:07
#96
Boom Boom
Link provided in next post #93.
Thu, 2011-11-10 23:35
#97
The letter is on Brian Topp's web page.
It's a great letter explaining Ed Broadbent's reasons for endorsing Brian.
Not saying that I expected anything better, but that leaves me totally blah,, like "so what?". Sorry. Nothing against Ed but that doesn't really tell me anything I need to determine who I would choose. (other than he IS fluently bilingual which certainly is an important factor).
Fri, 2011-11-11 00:29
#98
We had a discussion about the whole Mulcair says no to Neumann at length. One thing that I don't think was included in the media reports, if I recall correctly, was that labour wanted the carve out reinstated.
Fri, 2011-11-11 02:50
#99
It was definitely reported. Although just that they wanted it, and all the arguments against.
Fri, 2011-11-11 02:52
#100
It was definitely reported. Although just the fact that they wanted it, with great detail about all the arguments against, what will befall the NDP if they fo this, etc.
Fri, 2011-11-11 08:17
#101
Boom Boom
I suspect I am getting campaign emails from the candidates as a result of renewing my NDP membership. Just got one from Paul Dewar.