The NDP and the Great Leap Forward

Well I must admit I was shocked to find myself watching the NDP Convention on Sun TV. All because Sébastien taped Fox News North instead of CPAC. Claiming he didn't understand my instructions because they were written in what I thought was good French. 

Gawd...I mean CRISSE  !#!&!! Only in Canada eh?

But despite the sinking feeling that I had boosted Sun TV's ratings by at least forty percent, and had joined the very small group of Canadians who have ever watched any of their programs for more than an hour, I still liked what I saw.

Oh sure, I wish they could have put the democratic socialism/social democratic debate behind them. Because although you're judged by what you do, not by what you call yourself.

And although socialism has a proud history.

Socialist parties in Europe have often achieved more that their sisters and brothers in Canada---in some cases including free university tuition, strong job protection and termination benefits, higher minimum wages, better pensions, pharmacare, free full day early childhood education, state funded family vacations, worker participation in the management of industry, generous parental leave, a shorter work week, rent subsidies, and in a few odd cases, free firewood, and free access to municipally owned ski lifts and ski runs.

And although I'm proud to call myself a democratic SOCIALIST.

So many Canadians were raised during the Cold War, and confuse socialism and communism. Duh. So social democratic is probably better.

Because for me the ONLY thing that counts is defeating the Harper Cons, and in that regard the most significant thing that happened this weekend was this:

In earlier voting Sunday, party delegates also rejected a resolution calling on the party to reject all future mergers with the Liberals — which leaves the door open to potential future talks between the two opposition parties.

Talk about the Great Leap Forward eh?

Yes comrades... I know that right now the Liberals don't support a merger. But if the NDP can look like a government-in-waiting and still keep their options open, so can the Liberals.

And after they've healed themselves, and accepted reality, and seen what the Harper Cons have done to this country, I'm sure they will.

In fact, on this strange day when I was forced to watch the NDP on Sun TV, I think it's only fitting that I should ask a famous Liberal to sum up my view of this weekend's democratic socialist/social democratic convention.

Because he was once a socialist.

The universe Pierre Trudeau said, is unfolding as it should.

Or as I say these days, if you can't call it Ipanema eh?

How about Sugar Beach?

(Click pic to enlarge)