2012 NDP leadership convention

[Holmes]

Let's just say, if the NDP wins Charlottetown, they have majority status, and Liberals are in low double digits. It's not happening. Mulcair said he wants to target PEI when I met him. But I don't think there will be actual results.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

C-town is the most winnable riding on the island for the NDP. Remember that PEI was the best province for the PC Party from 93-03, and then was the 2nd worst province for the CPC right up until Harper proved he can win government and compete seriously - now the CPC is doing very well there and won the vote in that province.

If the NDP can win government, or even a second term in opposition, places like Charlottetown open up to them. Due to the history, even Egmont is a possible gain. I simply used PEI as an example to say that Canada is not the UK, and while people in Ontario, BC, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Quebec might be comfortable with a left wing NDP leader, and, while you could patch together a majority using these provinces alone, that if you want to win more than a few seats in Alberta, or rural Atlantic Canada, that you need to sell yourself as a moderate - weather or not you actually are matters not.

[lilTommy]

I think this is why i am favouring Mulcair... hes coming across as a moderate social democrat to me, especially the more i hear of his policies... He reads to me a social democrat but i think the NDP needs a moderate leader backed by what the party is, a mixture of socialists, SD's and progressives. This is the way to win in ridings like Charlottetown and expand into more moderate areas in the cities. Hes an intellectual and needs to work on his "every-man" appeal that we need in more rural areas... might simply start with switching up the gear and not wearing a tie one day. Sounds dumb, but look at Peter Kormos probably one of the more radical left NDP members but never wore a tie at QP. Love that guy! 

[MaxQue]

Topp said he won't run in Toronto-Danforth.

He also said than he wants to run in a Quebec riding if elected leader.

[RogueBeaver]

Topp said he won't run in Toronto-Danforth.

He also said than he wants to run in a Quebec riding if elected leader.

So who's going to vacate their seat?

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

Brosseau probably, or someone else who wants out.

[MaxQue]

He said than he will start searching after the leadership election.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

There are always people who win elections and realize "this is not for me". Look at the number of new MPs elected in 1993 that did not stand again in 1997, despite being in safe seats.

All Topp has to do is find them a party job that pays equal (IE buy them off) and pouf, he has a seat.

[RogueBeaver]

Both Topp and Mulcair were booed at last night's debate.

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/politics/2011/12/10/ndp-hopefuls-take-stage-vowing-defeat-stephen-harper-how

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

Good news for Nash

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Usual suspects, at a guess. Meaningless.

[Linus Van Pelt]

Usual suspects, at a guess. Meaningless.

More to the point, the linked article says Topp was booed only for continuing to speak after the moderator told him his time was up, and it doesn't contain any mention of Mulcair being booed at all.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

Mulcair was heckled, page 2.

[Linus Van Pelt]

Page 2, in its entirety:

[quote]That Topp and Muclair, who have been labelled as “top-tier” in the media, have already built strident factions in the race is no surprise. But neither seemed to resonate as deeply as expected with many audience members surveyed by the Vancouver Observer, most of whom were still uncertain in their choice.
 
Among some we spoke with, Topp gained admiration among many for his economic equality platform and association with Jack Layton; Mulcair, meanwhile, earned praise for his relaxed but passionate style and appeal to broaden the NDP's base. But it might come as a surprise that many in the audience chose Niki Ashton as a “surprisingly successful” speaker and second-choice candidate – much as she had been in the first official debate last week in Ottawa by other candidates.
 
Many delegates were left, as yet, undecided.
 
“What I found was it is going to be a really tough decision,” said party member Sukh Jhangri. “I can't really say there was a clear winner.

“The playing field is still too close to coming out of the gate -- it's still neck and neck. It'll take a few months to find key differences between the candidates.”

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

It was there when I read it?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It was there when I read it?

Either you dreamt it, or it was written by Lunchtime O'Booze.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

I *wish* I had booze. It referred to Mulcair starting to talk about (some plan of his that is controversial) and some members of the audience starting to "make noise" but also referred to it being unclear what they were saying because Mulcair was unfazed and just kept on going. To me that would not have had any real impact, and my thinking is that they could not source the info, so they had to remove it.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/politics/2011/12/09/new-democrat-leadership-race-hits-vancouver-live-blog


"However, Mulcair's biography, read by the moderator, seemed to attract interruptions (heckles?) from one side of the room, though it was not clear about what; he was later interrupted several times during one speech."

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/politics/2011/12/11/peggy-nash-nets-ndps-top-endorsement-laytons-finance-critic?page=0%2C0

Funny that the newspapers all think Nash is rather left wing

[RogueBeaver]

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/politics/2011/12/11/peggy-nash-nets-ndps-top-endorsement-laytons-finance-critic?page=0%2C0

Funny that the newspapers all think Nash is rather left wing

Maybe because she is very much an Old Labour-type in every sense of the word?

[DL]

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/politics/2011/12/11/peggy-nash-nets-ndps-top-endorsement-laytons-finance-critic?page=0%2C0

Funny that the newspapers all think Nash is rather left wing

Maybe because she is very much an Old Labour-type in every sense of the word?

First of all the newspapers think anyone in the NDP is "rather leftwing" since the party is left of centre. These days Blair and his "New Labour" policies have been widely discredited, so people can debate what wrong "old Labour"

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/politics/2011/12/11/peggy-nash-nets-ndps-top-endorsement-laytons-finance-critic?page=0%2C0

Funny that the newspapers all think Nash is rather left wing

Maybe because she is very much an Old Labour-type in every sense of the word?

Earlier in the thread I tried to argue Nash was too leftwing for her own good and everyone in this thread and their dog tried to tell me I was crazy.

[DL]

No one said you were "crazy", just that there is little evidence that any of the candidates for the NDP leadership differ very much from one another ideologically. They differ in style and in personal characteristics and a bit in what issues they have chosen to emphasize in their campaigns - but we had a debate on the economy last week that was essentially a love-in since everyone agreed with each other about everything!

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It's also worth pointing out, again, that Layton's platform in May was significantly less radical than the one Blair ran on in 1997, and that the same will probably be true of whoever succeeds him. The NDP is a thoroughly moderate party these days (as it always was before the 1990s) and trying to pretend otherwise flies in the face of reality, frankly. If Peggy Nash becomes Leader, she will not propose nationalising the top whatever percent of companies, as Tony Benn once did (for example), and neither will Topp if it's him.

[RogueBeaver]

I'm not just talking ideology (Topp is also running on raising taxes) but a cultural style. Not the urban prog image Layton expertly cultivated when he was leader.