Well as you all know, Tom Mulcair is perched precariously on a narrow plank, over the deep blue sea.
With the big question being, will he be standing or swimming on Monday?
But even as he marches or limps towards his destiny, some of the old guard are hobbling out to defend him.
And this has to be the most ridiculous reason I've ever heard for not firing Mulcair.
Ken Georgetti's outrageous claim that Mulcair wasn't defeated by his own rotten campaign.
Or by his boring conservative-lite platform. Or by the fact that he spent more time attacking Justin Trudeau than he did Stephen Harper.
He was defeated by flaky strategic voters.
Like a broken record, the usual suspects have come out of the woodwork, demanding Tom Mulcair resign as leader of the New Democratic Party. Those on the left who spent the entire 2015 federal election campaign promoting strategic voting are simply trying to shift any responsibility away from their own culpability.
And the Stop Harper movement...
Too many prominent New Democrats and affiliated organizations in the election, through their actions and words, told voters "this time it's OK to vote Liberal." I saw as many if not more "Stop Harper" signs as I did "Vote NDP" signs.
Which is so wrong, so absurd, so out of it, and so outrageous, I'm glad Jerry Dias has decided to set him straight.
The union I lead, Unifor, was a supporter of strategic voting, and so, in response to Georgetti I say, if we are going to start pointing fingers, let's be clear on a few facts.
Defeating a government that imposed an austerity agenda, trampled on our rights, had complete disregard for First Nations people, and attacked the labour movement is unquestionably the right thing to do. It's called having a vision to stop the madness.
Remind him that the Stop Harper movement was a movement of Canadians from coast to coast to coast born of the necessity to stop a madman...
Seventy per cent of Canadians voted to get rid of Harper, and 70 per cent of them voted for the candidate they thought was best suited to defeat a conservative in the riding. We cannot, as a movement, criticize Canadians for reclaiming their country by concentrating on the defeat of Harper. We must embrace it.
And that rather than criticizing it he should be celebrating it.
For it did give Canadians a great symbol to express what they thought about the monster who was destroying their country.
It did help motivate progressives, and keep their spirits up. It did help boost voter turnout, which was in the end what brought down the dictator...
Justin Trudeau won the election because he ran a better campaign than Mulcair. Was judged to have a more progressive platform, and to better embody the change that so many Canadians so desperately wanted.
If Mulcair had been ahead in the polls at the end of the campaign, instead of sinking like a stone, the Stop Harper movement would have supported him. For it was about putting country before party to stop a maniac.
And all those who supported that movement should be proud of themselves.
For in the perilous fall of 2015 it was a symbol of hope and resistance...
And now it's a symbol of victory.
For we did stop the madness.
We did take our Canada back.
And if Georgetti doesn't get, it he must be as out of it as Mulcair.
He needs to be reminded that it's 2016, and that this country needs to go left not right.
And for failing to recognize that, and for having supporters like Georgetti who would call good Canadians "flaky".
Mulcair should be reminded that his time is over...
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Many Canadian union leaders and members have fallen over themselves to support Mulcair, mostly out of the very simple mistaken belief that the NDP as it now exists represents meaningful reform of the capitalist order. It is fine to talk of a few policies that might do small amounts to help working-class and middle-class people. But I have never heard Mulcair once mention the structural inequality of Canadian Capitalism let alone talk about meaningfully changing the situation. It is a purely instrumental question why the NDP lost the last election. Those who continually ask this question are asking the wrong question. The real issue is why are the NDP towing the mainstream capitalist line? It is time that Canada had a real social democratic party that wants to talk about the real issues rather than simply continually reacting to the narrative established by the capitalist forces in this country and across the world.
ReplyDeletehi Kirby...I have known Mulcair in many roles, since I used to watch him perform in the National Assembly. And he has his strong points. But he once praised Margaret Thatcher which to me is almost unforgivable, and when he cheerfully presided over the elimination of the word "socialism" from the NDP I knew for sure that he is no progressive. Or at least not my kind of progressive. I guess the reason I stuck with him for so long is because of the way he grilled Harper in the Commons, which during those dark days was something I greatly enjoyed. But a man who thinks that democratic socialism is something to be ashamed of, at a time when capitalism is collapsing all around us, is not a man who can lead the NDP into the future...
DeleteOne can only hope that some good comes out of the weekend convention. I tried listening to an interview with Mulcair last night, and couldn't get over his plastic words and tone regarding the election and his leadership. I am a life time Liberal, but please NDP people, put him out of his misery. It's not his age, it's him. He's either wrapped up in winning at any cost, or what appears to be wallowing in his loss.
ReplyDeleteMaybe yoga poses would help.
TS
hi TS...well I'm always hopeful. If the debate over Mulcair's leadership leads the party to genuinely recognize its mistakes, and stop being so boring and conservative, then some good will come out of the convention. As I've said before I take no pleasure in criticizing a progressive party, and I feel bad for Mulcair. But he has had a long run in politics, he can still contribute in other ways, and the stakes are so high for all of us, one has to be a bit ruthless....
DeleteI voted liberal but after this CRA issue and the government doing nothing to curve the tax fraud, NDP may have been the better ABC choice. these liberals are about as transparent as cement!!!!! Be nice to see them accomplish just one thing they promised during the election to get our vote. The rich criminal tax fraudsters are still getting sweat heart deals from CRA. Drug dealers still living their tax free lifestyle of the rich and famous...... Seems once again it is once again only the overburdened middle class taxpayers are paying the fair share of taxes........ And sometimes more, once the CRA Mafia are done with us wee little middle class. One corrupt government out........another corrupt government in. AP
ReplyDeleteHi anon...well I would write Justin Trudeau off so soon. He is taking our country in a much better direction. And voting for the NDP in the last election wouldn't have done anything because in so many places they had no chance of winning. Which it also turns out was in this case fortunate. Because as we now know the Cons were counting on the NDP to split the vote, and when that didn't happen they had no plan B and they got whacked...
DeleteSimon if you had to deal with the CRA department of this current government you would probably be singing a different tune. I have been dealing with them since November 2015 for a mere 600 bucks they owe my client. When the CRA Ombudsman, which we pay for, sends me a letter advising me they are doing nothing to help me, and when I call the Minister of National Revenue and they tell me that "it is Friday and they to not have time to deal with my shit" ya I feel there is little hope that CRA will do anything to curb their rich criminal tax dodger friends. To add insult to injury, instead of correcting their mistake CRA helped themselves to yet another 600 bucks from my clients 2015 tax return. I have emailed, telephoned, faxed my local MP, CRA Ombudsman, the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Revenue with the facts and get no assistance, there is little hope that any real tax evader will be caught. CRA cannot even correct their own 600 buck mistake. CRA is betting on harassing small business and the middle class with their self serving bullying techniques to help their deficit. I see letter after letter from CRA using bullying to collect from small business and the middle class. I see auditors interrupting small business from earning a living by useless audits etc...... Auditors showing up unannounced and literally putting their foot in the door so you cannot close it demanding to see the books, but you can bet your bottom dollar no correspondence of this kind is ever sent to the unethical lawyers and accountants of the rich tax dodgers. They can just call CRA and make a deal which includes no penalties and interest. CRA does not have the balls to treat big business like that. Any reduction in our deficit will be on the backs of small business and the middle class whilst the real criminals get off once again!!!!!! This current government cannot even get information from CRA let alone deal with the real fraudsters!!!!!!! The only time my local MP has responded to my many emails was when I questioned him about the promise of more help for mental health issues as promised during the election, and I was advised that if anyone required help with mental issues they could go to their "local not for profit charity" in my neighbourhood who gets NO support from the federal government!!!!!!!!!! What happened to all that healthcare tax dollars they collect?????? Yep I voted for that!!!!!!!! Does not look like much change...... But lots more of the same. And yes this current government had since October 2015 to show us some hope of change but I keep seeing the same self serving agenda. Like Jody and her fund raising with a bunch of lawyers at a law firm........... Yep that's really above board Simon!!!!!!!! Ever try and email any government department. All you get is an auto response saying "thanks for your comments", never a real response. Transparency is just a word. Talk is cheap...... They certainly are not walking the walk. I am still very thankful for my tax free pot and the ever increasing underground economy due to CRA"s two faced approach depending on whether you are rich or just a lowly small business or middle class taxpayer!!!!!!! I shall continue to contribute to the underground economy so small business and the middle class can feel some sense of getting a little break from the unethical CRA, but unfortunately not a big break that the rich tax fraudster friends of the government get. It should be against the law to use the word ethical when speaking about CRA, Lawyers and accountants!!!!!!!!!
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