Liberal backlash fuelling NDP (Canada)

[Minstrel Boy]

Calgary Sun, Sunday May 23

OTTAWA -- By fending off the Greens and bleeding red Tory and Liberal support, Canada's political party of the left is gearing up to make a big breakthrough. Under the popular leadership of Jack Layton, the New Democratic Party is eyeing B.C. and urban Ontario as key spots to capitalize on the Liberal backlash that's sweeping the country.

"There are some fairly eye-popping opportunities out there," said NDP organizer Brian Topp.

"The NDP is going in to this campaign very optimistically, and it hasn't felt this way since the 1988 campaign. It's nice that we're back."

A federal election coinciding with the Ontario Liberal government's bad-news provincial budget has created a "fluid" landscape in the tough Ontario battleground that could swing seats to the NDP in Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Windsor, Northern Ontario and ridings with industrial towns.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/CalgarySun/News/2004/05/23/470058.html

Link to new campaign ad:

http://www.ndp.ca/audiovideo/NDP-ideas-en.wmv

[rumguy]

1. Is this the "Democratic party" of Canada

[Minstrel Boy]

2. No, I'd say that's the Liberals.

The NDP is socialist. If it existed in the States, I suppose it would be the party of Bernie Sanders.

[rumguy]

3. Are Canadian Greens like American Greens?

[Minstrel Boy]

4. similar, but different

The current Green leader is more of a libertarian. I'd say the Canadian Greens are - environment aside - to the right of their US cousins.

The NDP is strong on the environment, and Layton has a lot of credibility on the issue. So much so, the former Green leader and some of her senior executive have joined the NDP.

[ConcernedCanuk]

6. Don't know much about the US "greens" but here's some info

.
.
.

The Greens are rooted in the Civil Rights, Feminist and Peace movements of the 1960s and 70s, and the Nuclear Disarmament, anti-Toxics and Deep Ecology movements of the 1980s. The first Green Party in North America was formed in British Columbia in 1983. Similar parties have existed in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, since the 1970s and have elected representatives to local, regional, and national legislatures.

The emerging Green constituency caused other parties to examine the links between their environmental policies and the economy more seriously. Greens have always emphasized a multifaceted approach to social justice and ecology.

The Green vision includes a responsibility to create both a healthy environment and a healthy society, both of which are fundamentally interrelated.

Sustainability

Like the people of the First Nations, we must consider the welfare of our descendents, for seven generations, if we are to be wise stewards of the earth.



Other headings with brief descriptions at link above:

Social Justice
Grassroots Democracy
Non-violence
Decentralization
Community-based Economics
Gender Equality
Diversity
Personal and Global Responsibility
Ecological Wisdom

[Solidarity]

7. More Like The Green Party

Actually it is more like the Green Party and if we had a Labor Party even more like that.

In 1961 the Canadian labor movement broke with the Canadian Liberal Party which is much like the Democratic Party here.

The Canadian Labour Congress joined the Canadian Commonwealth Federation to form a new labor/worker based political party, the New Democratic Party.

In Canada they have a multi-party election system with four major political parties. And one of those parties, the NDP, is not funded by big corporations. They prefer their system over ours.

[MrPrax]

5. What I was Afraid of...?

With the other dubious poll on the weekend and this 'puff' piece, the corp press is pushing the 'minority' government schtick...hoping to divide the 'liberal' vote for the Alliance.

This will only result in spliting the vote in swing ridings and weak Ontario Liberal seats...

I really have to re-consider my support for the NDP with idiot statements like this:

"The NDP is going in to this campaign very optimistically, and it hasn't felt this way since the 1988 campaign. It's nice that we're back."

The 'Free Trade' Election where a MAJORITY of Canadians rejected it, but nonetheless, because of the NDP vote spliting and the corporate press's fawning coverage of Broadbent, Mulroney got elected!!

Old trick...let's hope it doesn't work again

[Minstrel Boy]

8. A big difference today, though.

In 1988, it was a Conservative government that was re-elected when the NDP soared; in 2004, it'll be the Liberals.

The Conservatives stand practically zero chance of forming the government. This is why a segment of the electorate feel free to humble the Liberals, without risking an accidental victory for the Conservatives.

[MrPrax]

9. You avoided my point...

You must be running ;-)

I was more concerned about the vote splitting that the NDP has on the Liberal vote...and I am not sure that the Conservatives DON'T have a chance of forming the government...

All it took was for Lyin' Brian to say, 'You had a choice, sir' in a debate...

Harper has a lot of ammo on the Liberals and a lot of potential 'one liners'...in addition to a few unknown variables that just could come up in the next 31 days.

[Minstrel Boy]

10. Unlikely as it may seem, I think the NDP will draw swing voters from

the Conservatives as well as from the Liberals. This is certainly happening in BC, where a lot of the populist support the NDP lost to Reform in '93 has come back. This hasn't been at the Liberals' expense, it's been at the Conservatives. Similar thing in Alberta, where the NDP's fortunes have risen apparently thanks to an influx of disaffected Red Tories.

I think there's a sizeable segment ready to vote against the Liberals, but which don't want to vote for Harper's neoConservatives. They're ripe for the NDP's picking.

Scare-mongering be damned: voting NDP does not risk electing a Conservative government. It's the best way to ensure Ottawa implements a progressive agenda.

And no, I'm not running. I live in Jack Layton's riding. After much deliberation, I chose not to contest the nomination. ;)

[arikara]

12. Maybe so

But I think (hope) that there is a large percentage of the voters in the country that are leery of Stephen Harper and his bilderberger agenda.

I really like Jack Layton and will vote for the NDP because I agree with the policies. It has nothing to do with teaching the Liberals a lesson, although they do deserve a comuppance. Especially his nibs Paul Martin, the biggest hypocrit in the country.

[Minstrel Boy]

11. "Layton urges voters to make 'positive choice'"

The New Democrats are hoping to capitalize on Layton's charisma and a handful of celebrity candidates, including former leader Ed Broadbent, who is running in the Ottawa-Centre riding.

Surrounded by hundreds of sign-waving supporters, the 53-year-old Layton promised that the NDP is going to win "a lot more seats." "We're on the move in every region in this country," he said.

...

As well as attacking the ruling Liberals, Layton also took a shot at Conservative leader Stephen Harper.

"There are many reasons to disagree with Stephen Harper," he said. "He supports private for-profit health care delivery, he supports Star Wars missile defence, he's got no Kyoto plan and he's a reckless tax-cutter -- just like Paul Martin."

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1085338624683_102/?hub=CTVNewsAt11

[TrogL]

13. Just so long as they don't split the left

and let the Conservatives in.

[Minstrel Boy]

14. "Split the left"?

I'm confused. You mean, with the Communists? :evilgrin: