NDP Blames the Victims

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Another NDP loss, and another chorus of whines about how that loss is the fault of every living person except the NDP themselves.

  • “Only 44% of the people of this province voted. What the hell is wrong with you people. Its not only your right but your duty and responsibility to vote. It s our only real opportunity to have a say. I am so disgusted with that number.”
  • “It could also be incumbent government propaganda and collaboration with corporate media combined with idealistic unwitting Green party pawn candidates to steer the electorate just enough to re-elect the Thieves, Cons and Liars.”

That’s right – it all comes down to lazy voters; corporate media, and the Greens “stealing” NDP votes.

I’m going to go out on a limb and blame a new culprit; The New Democratic Party of BC.

In order:

1) The NDP has no platform, no soul, and really no reason for being any more.  They don’t like Unions any longer, or at least Union money. They spend far too much time hanging out with Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade.  The environment? The Greens do it better. Poverty? The Greens do it better. Having photos taken with union leaders and activists? Hmmm… don’t see much of that.

Next time you meet a card carrying NDPer, ask him or her to tell you exactly what the party stands for. What are the things that are so important that they are untouchable.

They’ll stammer a lot, and eventually come back to “We’re not the Liberals.”  What they won’t be able to do is express anything like a coherent philosophy.

The Liberals don’t have that problem. They exist to further unfettered capitalism, to make rich people richer, and to reduce government to as little as possible.  They know it, business knows it, and the message is an easy sell.

Until the NDP manages to actually have an ideology, they will continue to lose.  You can’t sell “We’re mainly not the same as those guys.”

2) The NDP lives in a My Little Pony environment.  Obvious to everyone except the NDP was the inevitability of Liberal attack ads, their willingness to lie and deceive to reach their ends, and the role of the big media in undermining and attacking the NDP during the last weeks of the campaign.

These things work, and will continue to work. Playing Mr Nice Guy against the Liberals will be exactly as effective as it was against that third grade bully at school.  Unless the NDP is prepared to fight back, and hard, against all of this, they don’t stand a chance.

The problem is that the NDP believes that they deserve to win because they’re not as nasty as the opposition.  Like it or not, that means that they’ll lose.

3) The NDP believes that Greens “steal” votes from them.  In the first place, the Greens takes votes from both major parties, more or less evenly. In the second place, if the NDP had as good an environmental policy as the Greens, lots of those votes might come over.

How’s this for an analysis: Lots of voters are moving to the Greens because they’re unsatisfied with the NDP.

4) The NDP believes that they lost because lazy voters didn’t vote. Guess what NDP: those people aren’t voting because you’re not giving them a reason to do so.

Let me repeat that, in BIG RED LETTERS:

Those people aren’t voting because
you’re not giving them a reason to do so.

One heck of a lot of people fully understand the Liberal party and what they represent, and would never vote for them.  They might vote NDP, except that it’s pretty much impossible to see how they’re different from the Liberals.

Adrian: You cannot spend half of the campaign sucking up to Big Business, and then have us believe that you’re not the same as the Liberals. If photo-ops with corporate leaders outnumber ones with Union leaders, you’ve blown it.

If the NDP hope to ever form another government in BC they have to actually become a party that stands for something.

Since the Liberals and Conservatives pretty much have a lock on the right wing of the spectrum, the NDP will need to – oh heresy! – learn once again how to be Left Wing. Maybe even Socialist.

They’ll need to give up on trying be the slightly more progressive Free Enterprise party, and return to their roots, embracing poor people, working people, unionised people, activists, environmentalists - all of the groups that seem to be seen as an embarrassment instead of the grass roots of the party.

Addendum: Seems the folks at rabble.ca see things the same way that I do.

 

The Aftermath of NDP Failure

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Quote of the day, from a commenter elsewhere,

We’ve NEVER been a progressive people. We just had a few progressive leaders for a while, and as long as there was enough cake to go around we didn’t mind “the poors” getting a few crumbs. But we’ll kick them to the kerb the moment we might have to share now that the cake is smaller. It’s easier than seriously questioning why the cake is so small.

Take time now to check out the excellent assessment that led to that comment.

In my lifetime, I have not witnessed the creation of a single truly significant social program of any kind. I almost share a birthday with the Constitution, which I revere, but it’s pretty much downhill from there: the erosion and now open elimination of universal healthcare; the rise of free trade and the consequent devaluation of Canadian citizenship; the selling off of most of the profitable elements of the public sector at both the federal and provincial levels; the beginning of the end of Employment Insurance, public pensions and Old Age Security; the rise of a political culture of naked deceit and overt criminality of a sort not normally tolerated in democratic countries with the rule of law and not seen in Canada for a century; the slashing and burning of public education…

How I Voted for Daniel Smith, Green, in North Vancouver-Seymour

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Today was an Advanced Polling day in BC, and I popped into the local polling place to make my vote.

I had intended to vote for the NDP, as usual, but when I walked out of the voting booth I had marked my ballot for our local Green candidate Daniel Smith.  Here’s the primary reason why:

In very simple terms, Jane Sterk is the only leader who has actually stepped up the plate and promised to help, really help, the poor people in this province.  Neither Dix nor Clark seem to be willing to commit anything beyond lip service to addressing poverty, and increasingly I can’t see any difference between the two.

Despite my usually cynical outlook on politics, and despite my usual very strategic voting habits, at the end of the day I felt that I had to support the leader who actually stood for something I believed in, and who did so in an unambiguous fashion.

Yes, in this day and age it is still possible that one impassioned speech can change a voter’s mind.

BC Liberals are Keeping Calm

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keepcalm_christyToday I was reading “The Art of the Impossible” Dave Barrett and the NDP in Power, 1972-1975 by Geoff Meggs and Rod Mickleburgh.

Truly a great read, a good reminder that there was a time when BC politicians actually had principles and stood up for socialist values; when even right wing capitalists would nationalize services.  (How do you think we got BC Hydro and BC Ferries? WAC Bennett took them over!)

Anyhow, I was struck how little has changed in BC election campaigning in the last few decades.  Wacky may be gone, but the anti-socialist fearmongering carries on.

So I decided to help out Christy and her rapidly declining band of Liberals with a new slogan, and a new campaign poster. Circulate it freely.

Why I am voting for Jim Hansen in North Vancouver – Seymour

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(This was originally posted at the BC Iconoclast blog.

I moved back to BC in 2007 after a couple of decades in Ontario and the US – I left BC after Bill Vanderzalm became Premier. This year marks the first time that I’m really informed enough to discuss how I’ll vote, and why: for Jim Hansen, the NDP Candidate in our riding of North Vancouver-Seymour.

Jim is pretty well respected in this riding, and the incumbent Liberal candidate has been pretty much ineffectual. That’s common on the North Shore it seems – most of the MLAs and MPs seem to be the sort who are along for the ride, and spend their time doing photo-ops, parroting press releases, and little else.  I’m hoping that Jim will actually work for the Constituency instead of just being a cheerleader for the party leader.

And of course, I’m a long time NDP supporter, sometime campaign worker, and sometime contributor.  I wouldn’t have voted for the BC Liberals in any case.

But, and it’s a big but, my vote for Jim winds up being less than enthusiastic.

I’ll only vote for a candidate who’s party has a likelihood of forming the government.  That’s how a Parliamentary democracy works: whoever wins the most seats has the power.

Yes, I think that voting Green, or Communist, or Independent is a waste of a vote unless you see it as a statement of protest.  Over the years I’ve become pretty hard-nosed about this: provincially it is the NDP that can unseat the Liberal government, and voting for anyone else just splits the vote and increases the probability of another Campbell/Clark regime.  Federally I’ll vote Liberal for the same reason – they can form a government and force out the Conservatives – the NDP can’t do that.

My real problem is that I’m really very unhappy with what the NDP has become in BC.  I don’t like all of the time spent courting Chambers of Commerce and the Boards of Trade. I don’t like an NDP that wants to refuse Union donations.  I don’t like it that two-thirds of what I’m hearing from the NDP doesn’t sound all that much different from what I would hear from the Liberal camp.

I am terribly frustrated that I’ve yet to hear a strong statement from the NDP that they will restore all of the worker rights and protections that have been lost over the last couple of decades; that they’ll step in and actively support doctors and nurses and hospitals instead of looking for ways to spend less despite the damage it does; that they’ll restore the education system to something run by educators instead of political hacks; that they’ll actually spend serious money on poverty, and housing, and BC Ferries; that they’ll stop or reverse the privatization of essential government services.

The kind of things that the NDP would have done thirty years ago.

So I’ll support Jim Hansen, and even think he’ll do a pretty good job in government, but, as I think is the case for many people, it won’t be wholehearted support.

Breaking It Down In North Vancouver-Seymour

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Below are the statements from the NDP and Liberal candidates in our riding.

The KEY:

Boilerplate background blurb with no real content. Warm and fuzzy stuff.

Environment boilerplate. Green and warm and fuzzy.

Some boilerplate about being a “strong voice.”

Growth! Growth! Growth. Also Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!

Fiscal responsibility boilerplate.  We’re prudent! We’ll balance the budget!

Innovation, children, seniors, and any other buzz-word that fills up space without actually requiring specifics.

Jim Hanson, B.C. New Democratic Party

“I am running as the B.C. NDP candidate in North Vancouver-Seymour because I know that we can do better. We can have a more environmentally sensitive, socially conscious and economically prudent provincial government.

“I was born in Lions Gate Hospital in 1961 and raised in North Vancouver-Seymour. Ruth and I have brought up our two children in Blueridge. My spouse Ruth is a Realtor in North Vancouver. My parents live on the North Shore. I have been a self-employed lawyer for 28 years. I believe my background as a lawyer, as a businessman and as a father have equipped me to make a contribution in government.

“I believe it is imperative that we find the right balance. I remember the natural beauty of the North Shore when I was a child. I do not want anything less for our children or our grandchildren. I oppose any initiative that will transform the Port of Vancouver into a major oil sands export facility. We need to preserve our community and find environmentally sustainable means of growth and prosperity. I look forward to being a strong voice for North Vancouver-Seymour in a new and better provincial government.”

Stuff Jim wasn’t allowed to talk about: Unions; Actually undoing Liberal legislation on stuff like employee rights; anything that might rein in corporations from running roughshod over the land; other candidates’ drunk driving convictions.

Jane Thornthwaite, B.C. Liberals

“I love my job and I want to continue doing my job to help the people of North Vancouver-Seymour.

“I had a career in dietetics for 25 years and I am the proud mother of three children, one of whom is a student is at Windsor secondary. That’s the reason why I initially made my entry into politics – because I’ve always been passionate about my children’s education and I felt I could do more. In 2005, I was elected to the North Van school board. When I wanted to make a greater difference for my community, I decided to enter provincial politics and have been the MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour for the past four years.

“I want to ensure that the economy remains strong, the number of jobs available to our children continues to grow. That is best achieved when taxes remain low, the government’s finances are well-managed and economic development is a high priority. I believe that one of society’s highest responsibilities is to provide a quality education system for our children and we need to ensure they have meaningful employment right here in B.C.

“We need more innovative solutions to protecting our environment in North Vancouver and province-wide.”

Stuff Jane wasn’t allowed to talk about: Vasi/Birk; BC Rail, Gordon Campbell; Christy Clark; HST; anything to do with poor people. Drunk Driving convictions.

Read more: http://www.nsnews.com/news/Thornthwaite+riding+lose/8286616/story.html#ixzz2RX8qcIYP

NDP and the Arts

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The_MassesFurther to my last post, our local candidate tweeted (or more likely, retweeted what head office told him to) :

jimhanson_ndp: Great to see the@bcndp maintain its commitment to the arts. @northshoreartcr http://t.co/7lukURqVaf

If you follow that link you’ll see that the NDP is trying to score points by announcing a promise to increase the BC Arts Council budget to “$29 million over the next three years from $24 million.”

Well, big whoop-de-do.

Five piddling million bucks. Over three years.

As it stands now, according to Hill Strategies Research Inc., the acknowledged experts in these things, BC has the lowest per capita Arts funding of all the provinces. And would remain well entrenched at the bottom even after this drop in the bucket.

Provincial spending on culture per capita averaged $90 in 2009-10, with the highest levels in Newfoundland and Labrador ($156), Saskatchewan ($149), Prince Edward Island ($129) and Quebec ($125). Also above-average on this indicator were Manitoba ($117), New Brunswick ($107), Alberta ($102), and Nova Scotia (also $102). The only two provinces below the national average were Ontario ($63) and British Columbia ($54).

Yes, the NDP is promising to increase our per capita arts funding to an amazing $55!

I’ve worked in the cultural sector for a couple of decades, and have always been frustrated by the general lack of interest in Arts and Culture in the NDP.

Sure, they’ll always talk about loving us, but at the end of the day the classic NDP crowd just doesn’t get it, and likely never will. Despite some interesting projects like Hamilton’s Workers’ Arts and Heritage Centre, the NDP still seems to believe that their base supporters, imagined to be lunch bucket workers, although I suspect that’s not really true any longer, don’t really like or trust those artsy-fartsy types.

And yet I’d wager that your average NDP supporter is also pretty darned likely to visit his or her local library, or enroll their kids in piano and dance lessons, or go to summer music festivals.

All of these – in fact every single cultural and arts organization anywhere – depend on government funding to survive. In BC that means that they’re starving to death.

And, to bring it back to politics, the cultural community has generally supported the NDP, and the things that the NDP (traditionally) has stood for.  (although things are not always that simple – check out pianist Stephen Hough’s blog post “Do musicians tend to be socialists?“)

Ordinarily during an election the party faithful (as I tend to be) stick to the party line, and avoid asking embarrassing questions. That’s why candidate Twitter feeds are so dull and uninspiring.

This time though, the Liberals are almost certainly dead in the water, so I feel fine about holding the NDP feet to the fire and asking them to make some REAL commitments to things that I care about.

They’ve been getting a free ride from artists and creators for far too long.

Really, I Do Want To Like the NDP!

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Part of me really, really wants to volunteer time for the campaign of our local NDP candidate.

The incumbent is one of those horrid, ineffectual, BC Liberal party hacks whose primary roles are a) photo-ops and b) recycling press releases from the Premier’s office.

There’s no way I’m going to vote for the party CRIME-Premier-Charged of Gordon Campbell (Pictured), and even less likelihood that I would ever vote for the BC Conservatives.  I am, in short, the classic NDP supporter.

My problem is that the NDP keeps saying stuff that is right out of the Liberal or Conservative play books.

First, they keep bending over (Backwards? Or the other way?) to try and make the Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade love them.

Aside from being a completely ridiculous idea – I mean, really, is there any chance whatsoever of the corporate sector ever liking the NDP? –  I really don’t want to support a party that would do whatever it takes to make these guys happy.

Second – the Federal NDP boss, Mulcair, comes out as a big supporter of Free Trade.  Oh yeah, less laws to protect workers and the environment  and all of the good jobs shipped to China – that’s what I want in a party.

Third – Adrian Dix declares that the NDP doesn’t want donations from Unions.  That’s just stupid.  Is he also going to declare that they don’t want votes from Union members?  Does he think that the Liberals will see one less dollar from their corporate buddies? Trust me, they’ll find ways to funnel the cash to the Libs.

Today though, a tweet from Jim Hansen capped it for me:

“Freezing BC ferry rates for two years while conducting an audit: a practical approach to a challenging problem.”

An AUDIT??? Yet ANOTHER “review” “study” “audit” of BC Ferries????? Haven’t we been through that about fifteen times already  Are we looking for more “efficiencies?”

Surely the answer from anyone in BC who has ever used BC Ferries is pretty obvious.

Fund them properly. Increase service. Reduce fares.

You would never guess that none of the MLAs ever use ferries – they take the helicopter to work from Vancouver….

FOI: Liberals and Facebook

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Lib_FacebookEarlier this year the BC Liberals swamped Facebook with a barrage of “Sponsored Posts” (aka Facebook spam).

It proved to be a bad idea, since every one of these posts was met with hundreds of highly negative comments, about evenly divided between those who wished to challenge the far-fetched claims being made, and those who simply objected to having tax dollars used to pay for partisan election advertising.

I’ve long admired the excellent FOI work being done over at https://paroxysms.ca/, so I decided to make a Freedom of Information request to see how much tax money was being spent on this Facebook campaign. I asked for:

Contract details and detailed records of the costs of Suggested Post type advertising on Facebook.com and similar advertising on other social media web sites. Timeframe is January 1, 2013 to [March 5, 2013].

 

The response arrived today (see the PDF files below) and is notable for a couple of things.

First, it turns out that Facebook spam is really, really cheap. Despite drowning BC Facebook users for weeks with Liberal campaign ads, the government only paid Facebook a few hundred dollars – most invoices were between $30 and $50.

Of course that doesn’t include the time, labour, and design work to create the ads and the campaigns, so perhaps a follow up FOI is in order.

Second, and even more interesting?  ”Some information has been withheld pursuant to section 17 (Disclosure harmful to the financial or economic interests of a public body) of FOIPPA.”

I find it pretty hard to understand what part of “buying ads on Facebook” could cause harm if disclosed.

Here are the PDFs that they sent me:
Response – Letter
Response – Records
Response – Premier’s Office

Stuff keeps on dribbling in:

Response – BC Public Service Agency