Peggy Nash: After Spectacular Failure, NDP Needs A Leader Who Can Inspire

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Tue, 2016-04-05 19:34

Debater

Peggy Nash

Former NDP MP

04/05/2016

Excerpt:

[quote]But our national NDP campaign let us down in spectacular fashion. That it was so tone deaf to the mood of the nation and ultimately so incompetent in its campaign offer to Canadians, was simply heartbreaking. At the historic moment when Canadians overwhelmingly wanted change, our national campaign appeared to want to match the tone and approach of the Conservatives. Many have commented on the failure of the Leader to answer questions on the opening day of the campaign, the failure to debate unless the PM was present, and generally the failure to inspire Canadians. I agree.

Clearly the federal NDP campaign failed to communicate with Canadians. There was no coherent message, no optimism, no passion. The NDP had a progressive platform that the national campaign neglected to advertise. Campaign ads were often insipid, and sometimes, there were no ads at all. Where were the voices of young families struggling to find and pay for childcare? Where were ads with low wage federal workers, like at Pearson Airport, struggling at poverty level wages to make ends in the Canada's largest city? Why didn't we defend our plan to raise corporate taxes to pay for social programs?'

The national NDP campaign failed to promote the progressive issues that set us apart from the other parties, and then allowed the Liberals to define the NDP as regressive on balanced budgets. Why was the decision made during the 2015 election concerning deficits, just as the resource sector was nosediving?

. . .

Which brings me to the leadership question. The Leader too has to share the blame and Tom Mulcair has acknowledged this. Some delegates tell me they will support him anyway because he's good in Question Period. Others say they'll support him because there's no other candidate, because someone else could be worse, because we can always bring in a new leader in two years, or because this is the NDP and he deserves another try. Not all are good reasons. Some delegates have already decided to vote for a leadership review.

I will be a delegate in Edmonton next weekend. Frankly I haven't yet decided how I'm going to vote. I want to hear what Tom Mulcair offers us at the convention. He's had six months to reflect on the events of the 2015 campaign. I hope he throws away talking points and speaks from the heart. I hope he shows us the passion that was so lacking in the federal campaign, and that he inspires us with a vision of a better Canada and a plan to rebuild.

Canada needs the NDP to build a truly progressive, sustainable, inclusive and fair Canada. The NDP urgently needs the leader who can get us there.[quote]

---

Full piece:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/peggy-nash/ndp-needs-leader-who-can-inspire...

Tue, 2016-04-05 23:30

Unionist

Debater wrote:

Canada needs the NDP to build a truly progressive, sustainable, inclusive and fair Canada. The NDP urgently needs the leader who can get us there.

I dearly love Peggy Nash. But if she actually spoke the words I highlighted above? On that point, she would be full of shit. Hero fucking worship.

Wed, 2016-04-06 10:53

R.E.Wood

That's a pretty scathing indightment of Mulcair, and it seems although she's saying she hasn't yet decided how she'll vote on the leadership review, Mulcair will have do do a damn good sell job on himself, and miraculously come up with an inspiring way forward for the party, in order to have her vote in favour of his continued leadership.

Good job, Peggy Nash - standing up and saying harsh words where they are due!

Wed, 2016-04-06 11:24

R.E.Wood

A few more words from Peggy's article:

The most important thing is for the NDP to not limp along and slip into irrelevance, but to boldly rebuild. Canada needs the NDP. But it needs an NDP that is both inspiring and competent, visionary and responsible, principled and practical.

"Bold"... "inspiring"... "Visionary"... All things that the NDP and Mulcair were not in the last election. It's time for change, and I'm now becoming more optimistic that Mulcair will fall short of 70%, resign, and alllow the process to begin of finding a new leader who can inspire and reflect the values of the party & membership, which will also hopefully be re-shaped by a dramatic shift to the left during this convention.

Wed, 2016-04-06 12:46

swallow

Makes me wonder what a Nash-led NDP might have looked like.....

Wed, 2016-04-06 12:58

josh

Ahead of the convention, the youth wing of the NDP is urging all young New Democrats to support "a new direction, and a new style of leadership."

http://ipolitics.ca/2016/04/06/ndp-youth-wing-issues-pre-convention-anti...

Wed, 2016-04-06 13:18

Debater

I'm waiting for Chantal Hébert's new column on the NDP Leadership this week.

Hébert took the past week off after the death of Jean Lapierre, but she says she is backing writing now.

I think she'll have some interesting insights into the NDP Convention this weekend.

Wed, 2016-04-06 13:50

nicky

Tell us Debater, do you scour the internet 23 hours every day searching for anything negative about Tom Mulcair so you can be the first to submit it to Babble and get some kind of thrill out of it?

Is there any other purpose you have in life?

Wed, 2016-04-06 13:59

R.E.Wood

Actually Nicky, Josh was the one who posted the article on the youth wing, not Debater...

It includes this:

Ahead of the convention, the youth wing of the NDP is urging all young New Democrats to support “a new direction, and a new style of leadership.”

and this:

The organization asserts that it’s time for the NDP to “boldly and unapologetically stake our ground as the party of the left.”

Nicky, you've been a champion of Mulcair's since before he became leader - we know what you think of him, but there's a lot of groundswell from within the party that it's time for him to go. You can't blame Debater for what the NDP Youth Wing are saying, or for what Peggy Nash is saying, or anyone else.

Wed, 2016-04-06 14:05

#10

Debater

nicky wrote:

Tell us Debater, do you scour the internet 23 hours every day searching for anything negative about Tom Mulcair so you can be the first to submit it to Babble and get some kind of thrill out of it?

Is there any other purpose you have in life?

Grow up, Nicky.

You have a history of attacking other posters, as Terry Towel has said. Don't start picking fights with me, too.

Everyone is talking about Peggy Nash's article today. It's big news in the political world.

Rather than lashing out every time someone criticizes your idol Tom Mulcair, why not engage in some constructive and intelligent discussion?

Nash is getting a lot of positive tweets from NDPers who are glad she wrote this article.

Wed, 2016-04-06 14:15

#11

quizzical

didn't she lose the leadership to Mulcair?

Wed, 2016-04-06 14:16

#12

R.E.Wood

And as a life-long NDP supporter (with only a couple of voting exceptions), I am thrilled by this late-moment movement against Mulcair's ongoing leadership. I was afraid it wasn't going to happen, and we'd be stuck with him through an even worse election in 2019. What's happening now I hope is exactly what we need to get rid of a man who is so utterly tone-deaf that he can't see when it's time to exit, stage left (or in his case, is it stage right?) He has done a terrible job in every sense, except when he successfully worked as prosecutor-in-chief to Harper, but that role is gone now and his tactics won't work against Trudeau.

We need the dramatic swing back to the left, to stake out policy boldly different than the Liberals. The only way to do that is to go left, to go with (at least parts of) the Leap Manifesto, and so many other policies that are being proposed. But that can't happen with Mulcair as leader. He's a lame duck, and people know it. He's the embodiment of the boring, mushy-middle establishment, and we know it, and that's not what we need the NDP to be.

Wed, 2016-04-06 14:23

#13

R.E.Wood

quizzical wrote:

didn't she lose the leadership to Mulcair?

So? You mean to imply that her opinion isn't valid, or isn't worthy of consideration?

Wed, 2016-04-06 14:39

#14

quizzical

i definitely weight it less. much less.

Wed, 2016-04-06 14:48

#15

R.E.Wood

Okay, that's your right, but I think it's an odd perspective to have.

My opinion of Peggy Nash is not diminished in the least by her having lost to Mulcair. Just as I don't think any less of Nathan Cullen, or any of the others who ran principled campaigns for the leadership.

Wed, 2016-04-06 15:12

#16

JKR

quizzical wrote:

didn't she lose the leadership to Mulcair?

Didn't Mulcair lose the election to Trudeau?

Wed, 2016-04-06 15:27

#17

quizzical

R.E.Wood wrote:
Okay, that's your right, but I think it's an odd perspective to have.

My opinion of Peggy Nash is not diminished in the least by her having lost to Mulcair. Just as I don't think any less of Nathan Cullen, or any of the others who ran principled campaigns for the leadership.

why odd? you don't understand human nature or something?

i don't hear Nathan Cullen trashing talking, publically anyway.

now she's done this i would never want her as a NDP leader ffs. shows how much of a leader she isn't.

Wed, 2016-04-06 16:07

#18

scott16

As a member of the NDP since 2006, I want a leadership election by the end of the year.

I also want Mulcair removed from the party entirely. Am I the only one?

Wed, 2016-04-06 16:32

#19

Policywonk

scott16 wrote:

As a member of the NDP since 2006, I want a leadership election by the end of the year.

I also want Mulcair removed from the party entirely. Am I the only one?

I don't think there will be a leadership election this year even if Mulcair got less than 50% support let alone 70%. I suspect Mulcair would remove himself from the party if we went too far left for him. The fact is that the strategy to replace the Liberals that begain under Layton is essentially toast. We need to define where we stand, and we need to redefine ourselves. I think that might be best done initially under an interim Leader.

Wed, 2016-04-06 16:44

#20

Rev Pesky

Here is some info on the woman quizzical doesn't give any credence to:

Peggy Nash

Quote:
...She has been involved with many organizations advancing women's equality. She was a founding member of Equal Voice, an all-party organization which advocates for the election of more women in Canada, and was a recipient of a Certificate of Honour from the City of Toronto for her contribution to women’s equality.

In 2006, Now named Nash the Best MP in Toronto. Before she served in the House of Commons, she was active in foreign-affairs matters including being a Canadian election monitor in the first post-apartheid elections in South Africa in 1994; and, an election monitor in both the 2004 and 2007 Ukrainian elections. She was the recipient of two environmental awards from the Sierra Club of Canada and she helped create the NDP Green Car Strategy with Greenpeace and the Canadian Auto Workers.

In February 2009, in recognition for her work as a trailblazer who opened doors for women in the labour movement, and making childcare issues a public priority, Nash became the recipient of the 2009 YWCA Toronto Woman of Distinction award, in the Labour category. The YWCA also recognized her contributions for advancing the women's causes in politics, through her involvement with the founding of Equal Voice and becoming an elected member of the House of Commons. She was presented with the award at the 29th Annual YWCA Women of Distinction Awards Dinner, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on May 13, 2009.

Peggy Nash has been a member of the NDP longer than Mulcair has, and has a lot more seriously progressive credentials than he does. But in this NDP, at least according to quizzical, that doesn't carry much weight...

Wed, 2016-04-06 16:45

#21

bekayne

quizzical wrote:

i don't hear Nathan Cullen trashing talking, publically anyway.

He's in the parliamentary caucus

Wed, 2016-04-06 17:09

#22

Debater

Mulcair not worried about MPs rebelling against his leadership

Watch Peter Mansbridge's full interview with Tom Mulcair on CBC’s The National tonight

Apr 06, 2016

Quote:
The NDP's Tom Mulcair says that while there are yet to be any signs of open revolt against his leadership, he's not afraid of the possibility as he prepares for a leadership review at his party's national convention this week.

"I have yet to hear anyone in caucus openly challenge my leadership, but you know what? It wouldn't be the end of the world if there was, because we're the New Democratic Party. We are the NDP," Mulcair told Peter Mansbridge in an interview with CBC's The National.

"I would prefer to have every single person in the party on side, but you know, and I know, that wouldn't be real. So I'm going continue to meet with people," he said.

Mulcair said he has a lot of support in caucus and that he was "heartened" when all the Quebec MPs signed on to a letter of support for the leader.

Video Clip:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tom-mulcair-ndp-leadership-convention-1....

Wed, 2016-04-06 17:18

#23

quizzical

Rev Pesky wrote:
Here is some info on the woman quizzical doesn't give any credence to:

ms rev plz don't put words in my mouth. i never once said i don't give her any.

so you are much less credible yourself now too!!!!!

sick to death of people putting words read lies forward about others words.

Wed, 2016-04-06 17:46

#24

josh

quizzical wrote:

R.E.Wood wrote:
Okay, that's your right, but I think it's an odd perspective to have.

My opinion of Peggy Nash is not diminished in the least by her having lost to Mulcair. Just as I don't think any less of Nathan Cullen, or any of the others who ran principled campaigns for the leadership.

why odd? you don't understand human nature or something?

i don't hear Nathan Cullen trashing talking, publically anyway.

now she's done this i would never want her as a NDP leader ffs. shows how much of a leader she isn't.

Why would he? He's Mulcair's ideological soulmate.

Wed, 2016-04-06 17:59

#25

R.E.Wood

As Rev Pesky pointed out, Peggy Nash has excellent credentials, and I see no reason to question her integrity. The fact she is speaking up strongly gives her MORE credibility in my eyes!

Mulcair is deliberately obtuse. The reason no one in his caucus is openly coming out against him is because they have to work with him (and potentially for years if he carries on as leader). It would be foolish of them to do so. But those who are not giving a public endorsement (like Nikki Ashton) are effectively saying that he does not have their support, without actually saying those words. There are a lot of voices that have (and continue to) come out against him, most recently including Peggy Nash and the NDP Youth Wing.

Wed, 2016-04-06 18:42

#26

Debater

The drop in NDP support last October also affected Niki Ashton in her own riding.

As the results below illustrate, the Liberal candidate came within a couple of points of winning Churchill:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churchill%E2%80%94Keewatinook_Aski

Wed, 2016-04-06 20:46

#27

R.E.Wood

Mulcair says he'll bend whichever way the party wants him to...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tom-mulcair-oil-ground-manifesto-1.3523849

Wed, 2016-04-06 21:16

#28

Debater

Power Panel: Mulcair's leadership

April 6, 2016

http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2686412386

Wed, 2016-04-06 21:20

#29

terrytowel

Flashback from 2001

Peggy Nash speaks PASSIONATELY for the NDP to adopt NPI at 2001 NDP convention

http://www.cpac.ca/en/programs/cpac-special/episodes/90004009

Go 29:00 into video

I feel like she could take this old speech and just repeat it at the convention this weekend in support of the Leap Manifesto.

Wed, 2016-04-06 21:46

#30

Unionist

terrytowel wrote:

I feel like she could take this old speech and just repeat it at the convention this weekend in support of the Leap Manifesto.

Do you think Peggy Nash supports the Leap Manifesto?

Wed, 2016-04-06 21:49

#31

terrytowel

Unionist wrote:

terrytowel wrote:

I feel like she could take this old speech and just repeat it at the convention this weekend in support of the Leap Manifesto.

Do you think Peggy Nash supports the Leap Manifesto?

After watching her speech above, yes I think she supports the Leap Manifesto. In that old speech she refers to the party being at 10% in polls and having nothing to lose.

Now 15 years later, she can just repeat the same speech word for word. As the NDP is at 11% in the polls, and some feel the party has nothing to lose by adopting the Manifesto.

Wed, 2016-04-06 21:59

#32

Debater

It will be interesting to see whether Peggy Nash plans to run for the leadership again, or whether she is just interested in seeing the NDP go in a new direction.

Nash may not be planning to run for leader again -- she's without a seat right now, and she's a few years older than Mulcair.

Wed, 2016-04-06 22:14

#33

quizzical

the last push is on before delegates fly out tomorrow, lolololol

Wed, 2016-04-06 22:18

#34

Unionist

terrytowel wrote:

After watching her speech above, yes I think she supports the Leap Manifesto.

After watching a 15-year-old speech, you have figured out what she supports today?

And yet, Peggy Nash hasn't taken a moment from her busy schedule to simply sign the Leap Manifesto... you know, the way 34,738 other Canadians, including many well-known NDPers, have done?

If she supports the Leap Manifesto, she's being awfully cautious about it. Won't say so, won't sign on. Who's stopping her??

Wed, 2016-04-06 23:10

#35

off-the-radar

"Why would he? He's Mulcair's ideological soulmate."

I agree with you Josh, Nathan Cullen is Mulcair's ideological soulmate.

And I'm done with both of them. No more third-way pretenders.

Thu, 2016-04-07 01:41

#36

JKR

quizzical wrote:

R.E.Wood wrote:
Okay, that's your right, but I think it's an odd perspective to have.

My opinion of Peggy Nash is not diminished in the least by her having lost to Mulcair. Just as I don't think any less of Nathan Cullen, or any of the others who ran principled campaigns for the leadership.

why odd? you don't understand human nature or something?

i don't hear Nathan Cullen trashing talking, publically anyway.

now she's done this i would never want her as a NDP leader ffs. shows how much of a leader she isn't.

So ffs can Mulcair lead a united party after this week?

Thu, 2016-04-07 04:36

#37

wage zombie

JKR wrote:

So ffs can Mulcair lead a united party after this week?

A few more days of this and "Who should we pick for a new leader?" will seem like a simpler question to answer than the one you've posed.

Thu, 2016-04-07 09:07

#38

terrytowel

Unionist wrote:

terrytowel wrote:

After watching her speech above, yes I think she supports the Leap Manifesto.

After watching a 15-year-old speech, you have figured out what she supports today?

I didn't say I knew for a fact she supports it. I said I THINK she supports it. I know you are a bit miffed at the Youth Wing thread, but don't twist my words.

Thu, 2016-04-07 10:35

#39

josh

56% of New Democrats polled think Mulcair should stay on:

http://poll.forumresearch.com/post/2490/just-one-third-of-canadians-thin...

Thu, 2016-04-07 11:16

#40

off-the-radar

josh wrote:

56% of New Democrats polled think Mulcair should stay on:

http://poll.forumresearch.com/post/2490/just-one-third-of-canadians-thin...

Sounds like a majority of New Democrats would also be Hillary Clinton supporters but 72% of independendents support Bernie Sanders. Party supporters often tend to support the status quo.

Thu, 2016-04-07 11:16

#41

NDPP

swallow wrote:

Makes me wonder what a Nash-led NDP might have looked like.....

One thing is clear, it would have supported Right Sector and Ukrainian fascism...

Thu, 2016-04-07 11:20

#42

josh

Horwath says party members will make up their own minds about who should lead the federal party, but adds she has told Mulcair she wants him to stay on.

http://ipolitics.ca/2016/04/07/ontarios-horwath-backing-mulcairs-bid-to-...

Thu, 2016-04-07 12:14

#43

Rev Pesky

Unionist wrote:
...And yet, Peggy Nash hasn't taken a moment from her busy schedule to simply sign the Leap Manifesto... you know, the way 34,738 other Canadians, including many well-known NDPers, have done?

If she supports the Leap Manifesto, she's being awfully cautious about it. Won't say so, won't sign on. Who's stopping her??

Using the Leap Manifesto as a criteria for anything is a mistake. The Leap Manifesto is a wonderful document full of 'sound and fury' as they say, but signifying nothing. She maybe hasn't signed it because it's a load of twaddle, and signing it is about as important as being iin favour of mom and apple pie.

Quizzical has taken me to task for putting words in her mouth. Here's what I said:

Quote:
...Here is some info on the woman quizzical doesn't give any credence to:

To which quizzical replied:

Quote:
ms rev plz don't put words in my mouth. i never once said i don't give her any.

Here is what she said in response to the question from another, "So? You mean to imply that her opinion isn't valid, or isn't worthy of consideration? "

Quote:
i definitely weight it less. much less.

I'll leave it others to decide whether I've 'put words in her mouth'.

Thu, 2016-04-07 14:10

#44

Debater

josh wrote:

56% of New Democrats polled think Mulcair should stay on:

http://poll.forumresearch.com/post/2490/just-one-third-of-canadians-thin...

That's a pretty tepid level of support.

It really needs to be around 70%, just like at the Convention.

If only slightly more than half of NDPers think Mulcair should stay, it would mean a pretty divided party.

Fri, 2016-04-08 09:25

#45

Rev Pesky

In reality, support for the party leader should be much higher than 70%. It should be upwards of 90%. If 70% is enough, that means a very large drop in the number of party members that are willing to volunteer time and labour (and money) to sustain the party until the next election.

Fri, 2016-04-08 10:14

#46

terrytowel

Layton got support in the 90s in his final leadership vote. Even Alexa McDonough in 2001 got 84% in her final leadership vote.

Fri, 2016-04-08 10:21

#47

josh

Yeah, but I get the feeling that Mulcair will try to hang on even if he's only able to get 2/3. It's not just him, seems that many insiders are deathly afraid of the party moving back to the left. And see Mulcair as blocking that move. And if worse comes to worse, have a younger version of Mulcair, Cullen, replace him in two years.

Fri, 2016-04-08 10:23

#48

terrytowel

Josh Nathan Cullen has told Tom Clark of Global he has no interest in being PM

Fri, 2016-04-08 10:28

#49

josh

terrytowel wrote:

Josh Nathan Cullen has told Tom Clark of Global he has no interest in being PM

And he could "change his mind" in two years.

Fri, 2016-04-08 11:00

#50

terrytowel

josh wrote:

terrytowel wrote:

Josh Nathan Cullen has told Tom Clark of Global he has no interest in being PM

And he could "change his mind" in two years.

And be accused of being a flip-flopper? He has been very clear when asked, he has no interest in being leader.

Fri, 2016-04-08 12:00

#51

quizzical

lololol whose going to accuse him, you tt? lmaooooooooooooooooooo

Peggy Nash: After Spectacular Failure, NDP Needs A Leader Who Can Inspire

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