...isn't it time to finally recognize that Niki Ashton, by comparison, deserved essentially none of the venom and derision directed towards her during the leadership contest?
That she never deserved to be treated as though she had no business even seeking the leadership?
That, compared to sexual harassment and worse, an allegedly "stiff" speaking style and the use of words liken "intersectionality" are trivial shortcomings-assuming the mention of intersectionality, one of the easiest-to-explain political concepts ever devised, is a shortcoming at all-and never merited the scorched-earth campaign that was run to make sure she didn't even get close to victory?
That, maybe at this time, she is exactly the sort of person, even if she isn't going to be leader yet(or ever) whose ideas should be listened to and given an influential role in the direction the party takes from here?
Jagmeet has great potential as leader, and the best way he can realize that potential is to listen to people with the most cogent ideas. If the intent of the scorched-earth campaign against Niki was to make sure that he never listened to anything she had to say, I'd argue that that really needs to be rethought.
The NDP isn't going to grow its vote at all from 2019 if it's path is the path of "safety"-it can only do that if the party can truly present itself as the party of a different vision of Canada. The ideas Niki presented are some of the keys to that.