Say what you will about the Wildrose, they were always grassroots party…that is until Jason Kenney blew them out of the water. Last week Jason Kenney and Brian Jean unveiled the terms under which the Wildrose and Progressive Conservatives will roll up into the United Conservative Party (UCP). The Agreement
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Dead Wild Roses: The Jackson Plan – Fomenting Change in Stale Democracies
One of the criticisms of the progressive politics is that the Left has no plan to replace the current maldistribution of power with anything better, or even worse, a sickly mirror image the creates oppression with a different face. People are organizing on the ground and this is what part
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Last week, I wrote that the NDP should be careful about assuming that changes in leadership would necessarily help in a needed process of party renewal.Obviously, both elected to seek out new leadership. And so in this week’s column, I point out that l…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On evaluations
I’ve written previously about my view as to how NDP members should approach the review of Thomas Mulcair’s leadership at the upcoming federal convention. And in the face of a blizzard of commentary which does little but to echo knee-jerk election post-…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, with my take on the factors NDP members should take into account in evaluating Tom Mulcair’s leadership.For further reading…- I’ve written numerous previous posts on the future of Mulcair and the NDP which expand on the points made in the colum…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On organization
Given some of the odd twists and turns in Paul Wells’ latest piece on Tom Mulcair’s future, I’m hesitant to give too much credence to his unnamed sources. But to the extent it’s accurate, Wells’ take on the lack of much organization on any side of a le…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On open questions
I’ve previously criticized the attempts of outside commentators to push Thomas Mulcair out the door as NDP leader. By the same token, though, I’ll note that it’s equally inappropriate to try to immediately declare that there won’t be any review of Mulcair’s leadership before the next federal election – which
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On statements of values
It’s true that a party’s policy book is not the same as its election platform. But it’s also true that there is more to a party than a single campaign or platform. And considering that the difference between a policy book and a platform can be pointed out in a
Continue readingMichal Rozworski » Political Eh-conomy: Podcast: A labor journalism resurgence?
http://rozworski.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Podcast150803-Labour-reporting.mp3 As unions and workers suffered defeats over the past few decades, so has labor journalism dwindled from a mainstay of major media outlets across Canada and the US to a relatively niche reporting interest. The past few years, however, have seen a still small but noticeable resurgence of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Trampled
Elizabeth May tells us that her idea of a grassroots movement is a finely manicured lawn carefully maintained to suit the aesthetic preferences of its owners: May said she didn’t want to thwart local efforts towards co-operation with other parties, but that she thinks she, Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: CLC Convention 2014
This week’s convention of the Canadian Labour Congress was more eventful than it has been in some time. There was a change of leadership and an energy palpable even from afar via social media. Of course, four days of convention does not a labour movement make and so today I’ve gathered
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Andrew Coyne sees the powerful impact of local forces on nomination contests as evidence that grassroots democracy is still alive and well in Canada – no matter how much the Cons and Libs may wish otherwise: What’s common to both of these stories
Continue readingMelissa Fong: #Urbanarium2014: How to build a truly “Engaged City”?
“Engaged City” was unanimously passed yesterday, and it seems like the pundits are all out criticizing the process. … Democratization of the planning process is a fundamental problem with bureaucratic institutions; government is fundamentally hierarchical. Do we target Vision Vancouver? NPA? Nah*- There is a problem with the plumbing and
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On lasting influence
Murray Dobbin continues his quest to push for more big ideas from the federal NDP here. But it’s worth dividing his take into one theory well worth applying, and one which would be entirely counterproductive. At the outset, I’ll agree with Dobbin’s take that a number of the NDP’s current
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how Michael Chong’s Reform Act privileges members of Parliament over party members and supporters – and how there’s far more reason for concern about a lack of genuine grassroots input as matters stand now than about the influence of MPs. For further reading…– I’ll point to Andrew Coyne
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: #mtlqc13 – Day 2 Review
Aaron Wherry has been documenting the resolutions passed at the NDP’s convention in Montreal – and so I haven’t seen much need to comment on them in detail. But the most noteworthy development in today’s policy debates came from a resolution which wasn’t passed – but which nonetheless signalled the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: #mtlqc13 – Day 1 Review
Based on my posts leading up to the NDP’s federal convention, it shouldn’t come as much surprise that my main focus is on the substantive policy debates. And the first day saw some positive developments on that front. Rather than sticking to the party’s chosen list of topics for discussion,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: #mtlqc13 – Preamble Ramble
Over the past few days, I’ve highlighted a few policy resolutions I’d like to see promoted and discussed at the NDP’s federal convention this weekend in Montreal. But I’ll take a few minutes to discuss the topic that’s receiving the most media attention in advance of the convention – even
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: #mtlqc13 Priority Resolution – Human Rights
The final panel on policy resolutions at the NDP’s Montreal convention will deal with human rights issues. And the Young New Democrats of Quebec have proposed a resolution which covers a number of issues worth including in that discussion: 6-26-13Resolution on Rights in the Digital AgeSubmitted by the Young New
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: #mtlqc13 Priority Resolution – Governance
One of the most obvious sources of cynicism in politics – which the NDP should be seeking to combat at every turn – is the presence of issues where opposition promises turn into government inaction or even abuse. And the Cons have sadly offered a case in point when it
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