Maybe I am just angry because a progressive budget was dismissed by an allegedly progressive party.
Maybe I am fearful that an NDP-induced Ontario election could see the ascension to power of young Tim Hudak ('I've got a plan to create one million jobs!'), who clearly will never be ready for prime-time politics, fixated as he is on recreating the disastrous Harris era that he played a key role in.
Or maybe I am a bit contemptuous that even though she is the one responsible for this election, Andrea Horwath is still indulging in a meteorological assessment (aka testing the political winds) before she takes a stand on issues.
Maybe it is all three, but what set me off this morning was an article Richard Benzie, Rob Ferguson and Richard J. Brennan wrote for this morning's Star. Entitled Ontario election campaign shows lack of readiness, it makes sport of the fact that young Tim chose the wrong venue for his first official appearance, MetalWorks sound studio, where the owner, Gil Moore, avowed his support for a Liberal $45-million funding initiative introduced last year to help the music industry. It is an initiative that Tim, opposed to any such government support for industry ('Lower taxes and they will come!' avers the toothy-grinned young man), voted against.
But from my perspective, the most telling aspects of unreadiness that may or may not reflect on the leadership of Ms. Horwath, are the following:
- the New Democrats still have to appoint candidates in 39 ridings,
- they don’t have a bus for reporters covering them, as is standard
- they don’t yet have a fully formed campaign platform.
It is the latter, however, that I find most vexing and also most emblematic of the party's troubled leadership.
While visiting a Brampton convenience store, Horwath was asked the following:
Will she match the Liberals’ pledge to give $4 hourly raises to personal support workers?
Will her party set up a pension plan for the roughly 65 per cent of workers who don’t have one in the workplace?
Her non-answer essentially amounted to, "I'll have to get back to you on those issues." Refusing to answer, she promised that a full list of NDP campaign promises will emerge as the election unfolds.
Ms Horwath is adamant that the Wynne Liberals cannot be trusted with their promises; by refusing to answer direct questions, I guess the NDP leader is making sure the same cannot be said about her.
Horvath is enacting a version of the "ask me no questions and I will tell you no lies". In her case, it is "I will give you no answers so clearly I am not telling you any lies".
ReplyDeleteI also was astonished to see her pull the plug on what I had thought was a good budget given the fiscal constraints that Ontario faces. Why would she bring down the Liberals over a plan to create a pension plan for those in need of one?
I suspect we could be in for something similar to what had happened in Alberta where Liberal votes had collapsed and gone to the PCs to block Wildrose. If non Conservative voters see Hudak as leading in the polls, there might be a collapse in NDP votes as they run to the Liberals to block Hudak.
I do think that the support Horwath is looking for will likely not materialize, Anon. Her vagueness on policy does not inspire confidence.
DeletePutting together a progressive budget is easy when you have no intention of keeping it. A progressive budget that doesn't get implimented is a fruad, and Andrea was right to give Wynn the boot.
ReplyDeleteI guess the question is, Ryan, will Horwath offer something to replace it? So far, she is giving little indication of where she stands on anything other than no new taxes on the middle class. Where she stands on the 'working class' is anyone's guess.
DeleteSounds like the Ontario NDP is about as competent as British Columbia's NDP. Of course the only damage the BC Dippers could inflict was on themselves. Your Dippers are positioned to do what their federal colleagues have done since Layton first appeared - give the Tories a leg up in one election after another.
ReplyDeleteI do hope that doesn't come to pass here with young Tim Hudak, Mound, but it is a fear that I and many others have. If that happens, the NDP is going to have to do a lot of soul-searching and get a new leader who isn't afraid to stand up for progressive values.
DeleteThe NDP doesn't do "soul-searching" Lorne. As we've seen at the federal level, when they throw an election to the Conservatives they immediately blame the Liberals for it. Their dog in the manger act is growing mighty thin.
DeleteI guess, Mound, that the progressive delegates to the next convention had better speak loudly, or forever hold their peace as their party drifts into irrelevance/oblivion.
DeleteThe Dippers could use another Ed Broadbent, Lorne.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Owen. Principled leadership has no 'best before' date.
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