Public Eye can think of a number of New Democrats who would love to be turning the spit at this event: on February 18 the Steelworkers will be roasting former Industrial Wood and Allied Workers of Canada president David Haggard to raise funds for the United Way. Mr. Haggard became persona non grata to some New Democrats when he ran for the federal Liberals in New Westminster-Coqutilam during the last election. According to a flyer advertising the event, designated roasters will include Industry Minister David Emerson, former premier Dan Miller, wood workers legal counsel Sandy Banister and former first vice-president Harvey Arcand, Canadian Union of Public Employees British Columbia president Barry O'Neill, Steelworkers president Leo Gerard and Canadian Labour Congress president Ken Georgetti.
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Charred or broiled?
February 7, 2005
Many New Democrats would sympathize with Dave. Many who vote NDP provincially just can't bring themselves to vote for the federal party, its extreme leader, and its crazy policies.
People are leaving the federal NDP in droves, and the Federal party has nobody to blame but itself.
not a freak, where do you get your info that ppl are leaving in droves? It's news to me. Any no NDP'er I know would be caught dead sympathizing with Haggard after his despicable behavior with the HEU and his attempts to turn the IWA into their rat union. Are you sure you wouldn't be happier in the Liberal party yourself?
Federal NDP is up 4 points nationally since the last election. But you must be right: people are leaving in droves.
The Federal NDP is up 4 points since the last election because people aren't faced with the prospect of actually having to vote for these nuts. When it comes time to actually vote, support mysteriously goes down. Could it be their wacky leader and extreme left-wing crazy policies. Nah... couldn't be.
I continue to be angered by Haggard and Miller's betrayal of their own national party, along with Dosanjh Double Cross, of course. However, the thing that really bites is the unwillingness of Carole James and the provincial party to effectively retaliate when a former provincial leader decides to publicly stab the outfit in the back.
That nothing is done, nothing at all, sends a truly deadly message to potential activists and donors, that this is an organization (?) that lacks even a minimal instinct for self-preservation and self-defence, ... so how much does one wish to contribute to its next, noble, Charge of the Light Brigade?
That the BC NDP simply could not/would not deal with the Defector Crisis in last June's federal election will come back to haunt the party in this Spring's provincial election. Nothing visible, of course, but back to those critical potential activists and donors again, trying to decide what their level of willingness is to support the party. Because the party failed to deal with the Defector Crisis in the federal election its performance was dismal, just 19 seats, and only five in BC. It should have been a minimum of 30 nationally and 10 in BC, and it would have been had the party had dealt with the problem in an assertive, adult manner. That failure to deliver on otherwise realistic expectations is going to be the source of nagging doubt at the back of people's minds as they decide whether to support the Carole James effort or not, and if so, to what degree.
The Gerry Scott "silence is golden"/"ignore it and hope it goes away" approach didn't fool anybody last June, ... any more than it fooled anybody in 1986 when Gerry advised the late Bob Skelly to remain completely silent throughout the Socred Leadership Race, ... until Bill Vander Zalm had been coronated and the '86 election had already been completely blown from wall to wall and back again.
Sorry, I have to disagree with Budd,
The Public perception is that the Federal NDP makes their provincial counterparts seem like moderates.
The public thinks that the fed NDP is way more left and out of step with the public. The FED NDP was never going to win 30 seats, let alone 10 in BC.
However, I think the BC NDP is just as left as the Fed NDP (just look how they push out moderates like Nils Jensen).
In fact during the fed election, Carol James was pushing the BC NDP far left, by agreeing with everything Jack Layton had to say (i.e. death taxes!!!!)
It is funny how James is trying to move the BC NDP more in the centre, when I think that she is more in step with JAck Layton and has an agenda to move the BC NDP towards the left.
This would be very bad for BC if James and her NDP are ever elected government.
Cheers
Newman
Say Newman, I am wondering if we can subtract one of your statements from the other:
"In fact during the fed election, Carol James was pushing the BC NDP far left, ... ".
"It is funny how James is trying to move the BC NDP more in the centre, ... ".
The reason I ask is that I am sure the sum of these two thoughts is zero. You claim that the public perceives the Federal NDP to be to the left of the BC NDP, but what do you base that on? Some poll or another? Ten seats was definitely a possibility for the NDP in BC, as was 30 across the country, and indeed Layton was talking of over 40, which could have been possible at the upper end of the range, with every break going his way.
It's time the Federal NDP give up death taxes for the death penalty. That's the new revitalized NDP!
dagmar? dagmar from www.rabble.ca/babble? If so, how are the Liberals, Communists, and McDworkinites on babble treating you? Has audra terminated you yet?
I agree that death taxes were deadly to the NDP, at least as presented. Capital punishment, however, is not the answer, though it's beginning to look as if, while the Americans undoubtedly imprison far too many, Canada incarcerates too few.
Hey Budd! Audra banned me in December. I followed your banning as well -- my condolences. Rabble is nothing if not an exclusive left-wing freakshow.