Over at ipolitics, Andrew Mitrovica asks,"Is Mulcair just another Harper with a beard?" It's an important question, given the evolution -- some would say devolution -- of the New Democratic Party. There is a nomination battle unfolding in British Columbia. Officials at party headquarters have banned Paul Manly from seeking the party nomination in Nanaimo-Ladysmith:
This fracas is instructive for a number of reasons. The prickly issue, however, at the core of the dispute – that is fraying so-called party unity and triggering hard questions about Mulcair’s leadership – are the vague, carefully coded reasons NDP brass have proffered to Manly, his parents and supporters for why the accomplished environmentalist, filmmaker and musician has been barred from the party’s nomination in traditionally NDP-friendly British Columbia.
NDP headquarters, Mitrovica writes, is beginning to look and sound like Harper's PMO. Not only that, Mulcair's stand on Gaza is alienating traditional NDP constituencies:
Just read this pointed letter of protest written and signed by nine long-standing Jewish NDP supporters in Toronto to Mulcair in which they demand that he not only finally speak out against “the repression of Palestinians,” but also “rescind” Manly’s ban.
They’re not alone. Among the many other disenchanted party members is a “deeply dismayed” Vancouver rabbi and a “long-time and dedicated NDP member” who has also recently written Muclair, urging him to “reverse [The federal NDP leadership’s] action preventing Mr. Manly from standing to be the candidate from Nanaimo-Ladysmith and its attempt to distance the party from meaningful and forthright action regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict.”
All three party leaders have recently assumed a presidential style of leadership, which asserts that MP's serve at the leader's pleasure.Their constituents have no say in the matter.
That may be Stephen Harper's real legacy -- sabotaging the parliamentary form of responsible government
2 comments:
As much as I crave a 'real' alternative to the harpercons, and dream about the reincoronation(new word) of the prodigal son, I really wanted the 'orange wave' to be that beacon of hope for Canada, but they do now, at least as being reported in the media, still seem so unable to shift their transmission into a higher gear, whether through blindered(sp?) ideology or fear of actually moving forward and winning the hearts and minds of all the people, but they seem to have the wrong fuel mixture to get the job done.
Hopefully the harpercons will just crash and burn in the ensuing months and a new phoenix will arise from the ashes.
I can imagine what Tommy Douglas would say, Ron.
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