Ed Broadbent and the Progressive Suicide Club

It was so spooky on the waterfront last night, as a heavy mist rolled in, it reminded me of the movie The Fog.

You know, the one where the ghosts of the past stagger ashore, and scare the bejeesus out of everyone.

Just like Ed Broadbent.

Former NDP leader Ed Broadbent is standing by his sharp criticism of party leadership front-runner Thomas Mulcair, saying he has a “responsibility” to highlight the shortcomings of the Montreal MP before the race concludes.

Because old Ed is obviously so worried about the fate of his cabin backroom boy Brian Topp, that he is willing to say ANYTHING.

Which I suppose is his right eh? He's been around so long he's even comparing himself to Tommy Douglas.

But he really shouldn't be allowed to get away with this:

Broadbent revealed the tipping point for his decision to speak out was twofold: Mulcair’s criticism of people at party headquarters, and how he took credit for the NDP’s success in Quebec in last year’s election — in which it increased its seat count to 59 from just one in the province.

Broadbent said that Mulcair was a good candidate but that, in fact, the campaign was developed by officials at party headquarters and a team in Montreal.

“They developed a brilliant campaign, adopted language in Quebec for the campaign that was appropriate for a province with a different language and culture. But Tom had virtually nothing to do with it.”

Because that's absolute bullshit, or merde as we say in Quebec. 

If a Broadbent-led anybody-but-Mulcair movement determines the outcome of next week’s vote, owing victory to a threatened establishment won’t do much to bolster the winner’s moral authority.

That will be particularly true in Quebec, where not a single independent observer buys Broadbent’s analysis that Mulcair was the beneficiary of a 50-years-in-the-making stroke of central command genius rather than a major protagonist of the NDP’s surge in the province.

Repeating over and over again that Mulcair is not the prime NDP figure in Quebec and a central piece of its electoral future will not make it true.

By taking a political risk and capturing the Liberal bastion of Outremont,  Mulcair gave the NDP new found legitimacy, and encouraged many to take a similar risk, join the party, and create the orange wave that swept the province.

His fiery rhetoric aimed at Stephen Harper's gang is music to the ears of Quebecers, who hate the Con regime more than any others.

And he remains the NDP's only hope of recapturing the support that it is losing to the Bloc. As I explained here.

But hey, why support the only political leader who can make the bully Harper cry uncle? When you can join with the self-appointed keepers of the ghostly flame, wank yourself silly, and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

In an unusally frank conversation with the Star’s editorial board last month, Mulcair said the NDP needs to move beyond “the 1950s boilerplate” language of social democracy. Tellingly, he shared an anecdote about being lectured by an NDP activist that “If we ever form a government it will be conclusive evidence that we sold out.”

Great eh? Welcome to Stephen Harper's Thousand Year Reich.

Or the Progressive Suicide Club.

You know, ignorance about Quebec is always a bad thing.

But when it comes to politics, it can be absolutely FATAL.

Oh yeah. One more thing. How do you think Great Ugly Leader is reacting to the sight of the keepers of the flame attacking the leader he fears the most? Old old Ed doing his dirty work for him?

Aaargh.

Answer: As you might or should expect...