Thursday, March 22, 2012

TOM MULCAIR: FOR SURE

First, with all due respect to party elders, the NDP has been moving
to the centre for decades, most rapidly over the last six or seven
years. The idea that we must come together to protect threatened NDP
values from Tom Mulcair is a bit rich. I've looked at the platforms
of all of the candidates, and while I will concede that there are
differences, all candidates share what I would call a centre-left
perspective.

If ideology isn't a major factor, then leadership and the break
through in Quebec become the overriding considerations. It is clear
from polls that Mulcair has a much better shot at hanging onto the
seats in Quebec than anyone else. Brian Topp doesn't have a seat and
who knows how long it will take for him to get one, let alone whether
Quebecois will accept him as one of their own.

Broadbent's foray into the campaign has been a disaster that inclines
me even more to support Mulcair. His line, that Mulcair had nothing
to do with last year's breakthrough and that it was all planned on
Laurier Avenue, leave me speechless.... He gives no credit to
Quebecois and their long-established progressive tradition. It
boggles the mind. As for the idea that only people born with a
picture of J.S. Woodsworth in their crib should be eligible to run for
the leadership, get real. In Quebec, most interesting political
leaders have been in more than one party. And now they're coming to
the NDP. Broadbent's line means that no one in the Quebec caucus has
been around long enough to qualify to run for the leadership.

Quebec will change the NDP as well as the NDP changing Quebec, something devoutly to be desired.

I believe that with Mulcair the party moves ahead. He has enormous
political talent, and his progressive credentials are impeccable. I’m sick and tired of the whisper campaign against him for being bad tempered. With all due respect, the distemper has been coming from those who oppose him---and I don't mean the candidates. With any of the other candidates, we open the door to the Bloc and Bob
Rae.

As a socialist and long time critic of the NDP, you can count on me to
continue to critique the party from the left as I have been doing for decades.

But this weekend, the challenge is clear. The NDP needs to embrace Quebec as Quebec has embraced the NDP by choosing Tom Mulcair.