Jack Layton seems to be between a rock and a hard place right now. The active roots of his party are pushing him to the hard-left and trying to get positions adopted that are arguable unelectable. Further, Elizabeth May has planted her flag where the NDP roots are trying to go. In my opinion this is the exact wrong direction for the NDP to be going if they want to be a party that can form power and star candidates like Paul Somerville agree.
...Mr. Summerville says that if the NDP is to be taken seriously it has to accept the market economy is "a necessary evil but an indispensible part of the engine of properity and by implication, justice. In addition, the party must accept the fact that Canada does not, and never will have the capacity to rewrite the rules of engagement in the global economy. ...Consequently, saddling the party with anti-trade, anti-corporation rhetoric just perpetuates its marginal status at federal level.
A marginal level that they will split with the Green Party. Tough couple of weeks.
Comments (7)
My objection: the market economy is not a “necessary evil” — it is a wonderful and essential part of the system of governance that has led our country and ones like it to be among the most prosperous in the world.
Posted by Ben (The Tiger in Exile) | September 8, 2006 8:10 AM
Posted on September 8, 2006 08:10
I am with you on that one but I let it go. I was reminded of the Churchill quote about Democracy being the worst from of government except for all others and kept it with that in mind.
Posted by Greg Staples | September 8, 2006 8:41 AM
Posted on September 8, 2006 08:41
I think that Summervile may have been misquoted. Put “not” in at the start of the sentence and it sounds much more like something a person would actually say: “we must remember that a is not b but c”, rather than “we must remamber that a is b but c”
Posted by MarkCh | September 8, 2006 9:14 AM
Posted on September 8, 2006 09:14
I never understood what kind of pretzel logic took a Bay St economist like Paul into the NDP.
“He also called for the NDP to distance itself from the anti-Israel stance of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario branch and its leader, Sid Ryan.”
If the NDP were to adopt what Paul suggests then - what would they be offering that differs from the 2 major parties? Social liberalism? Both parties already have social liberals in their ranks. The environment? Conservatives should own that file – only wealth will clean up the environment and Harper wants his kids to breath clean air.
So I think Jack “Taliban” Layton is finally leading the Dippers into the dustbin of history. Unfortunately Liberals will gain more than Conservatives will in the short run. But in the long run Canada will be a better country without this utopian fictional-thinking party around. That will allow the Liberal-Conservative goal posts to shift to the right.
Posted by nomdenet | September 8, 2006 9:16 AM
Posted on September 8, 2006 09:16
Just another case of a poltical party taking itself too serious to the point that it became irrelevant.
The CCF, Social Credit, Credites in Quebec are examples. Now Smilin’ Jacko has led his party to the abyss. I hope they jump. I’m sure the Green Party will make a better replacement.
Posted by fiumara | September 8, 2006 9:56 AM
Posted on September 8, 2006 09:56
The crappy thing is that I can’t be happy with the NDP’s idiocy for two reasons:
1) there are still a lot of people who think like this
2) even if they lose a lot of support, this will likely get more liberals elected which clearly harms the CPC
Posted by Warwick | September 8, 2006 10:00 AM
Posted on September 8, 2006 10:00
MarkCh -
True enough. That’s more natural-sounding.
Posted by Ben (The Tiger in Exile) | September 8, 2006 11:53 AM
Posted on September 8, 2006 11:53