Friday, August 7, 2009

634...Olden NDP Disses Jack Layton

Reading the letters to the editor in this morning's Vancouver Sun, I came across this piece by old warrior Harry Greenwood from the worker's paradise of West Vancouver.

He is a wee bit cranky it seems. With good cause I may add.

Mr. Greenwood points out that he was at the original convention back in 1961 when the CCF, Canadian Commonwealth Federation, decided to change its name to the New Party under Hazen Argue or perhaps something with a socialist twang. As is wont to happen, during the convention the supporters of Mr. Argue moved to The Greatest Canadian Tommy Douglas and inserted Democratic into the New Party.

Their national vision was clear though, Tommy Douglas' "...proclaimed that when the economy was being debated, we should focus on health care and make sure it never strayed far from the table." Mr. Greenwood remarks that Jack Layton has lost that vision and that to debate a name change is merely an academic exercise. He rightfully says that "...the passion is gone..." I say "...a spent force..."

The passion is gone in the CCF/New Party/NDP. They have, on the national level, become the party of the chattering classes insulated in their West Vancouver, Glebe, Outremont bubbles.

A rose by any other name.

WFDS

3 comments:

  1. you know, a riding suggests a name change, and somehow this has to do with Jack? Duh, anyways, I don't have a problem with a name change, although it depends on the selection of it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "you know, a riding suggests a name change, and somehow this has to do with Jack?"

    Yeah, I don't get that. Resolutions don't come from the party leadership; they come from riding associations.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well another election coming up shortly and I have a very strong feeling that the NDP is going to become meaningless. 4 seats

    ReplyDelete