Dear members and supporters of the Green Party:
Re: Upcoming nomination meeting in Saanich - Gulf Islands
We, concerned British Columbians, also need to put our country and our planet first. Too often issues that matter - the future of nuclear power, oil tankers in British Columbia's inside passage, coastal drilling for oil and gas - get captured by a partisan political process that puts sound bites and partisan attacks over solutions.
We need to fix that. Extraordinary times demand extraordinary actions.
This is why we are jointly writing to you to make an unusual request: We are asking you personally to go to the nomination meeting for the Green Party in Saanich-Gulf Islands which may take place this Saturday afternoon (July 14th) in Sidney, and vote for "None of the Above." We don't make this request lightly, and here's why we're making such an extraordinary request. Make no mistake, we do understand that this IS extraordinary: we are deep believers in the process of democracy, and do not take lightly such a request."
The letter points out both the NDP and Liberal candidates:
With two environmentalists running for the other parties, the Green Party is unlikely to replicate its previous vote totals, but these votes could cause the election of Gary Lunn, a key player in Stephen Harper's anti-environmental government.
I like the spirit:
Vote for "None of the Above" at the nomination meeting and become part of a historic effort to turn this country away from the destructive path Harper's conservatives have set us all on.
The impact is obvious:
In 2006 the voting was: Conservatives (37%); Liberal (26%); NDP (26%); Green (10%).
There is a certain unselfish appeal, that is both refreshing and also demonstrates a very mature read of the situation. What a breath of fresh "salt" air :)
19 comments:
Steve,
That is so selfless.
For the Green's to indicate their distate (hatred? revulsion?) for the CPC is so great that they are willing to locally suspend their party for the good of the planet.
I'm touched. Or their touched. Certainly, there is no question that SOMEBODY is touched.
So what exactly has made Harper and Lunn such an incarnate "evil"?
Oh I suppose the entire G8 leadership are also on this little hit list.
How about Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong Il, or Hu Jintao?
Tomm
Considering that Green's don't think they are left, and well the liberals, well I would not say they are left, so they are not uniting, as much as, the Green candidate turned left, so why would they run another green candidate against their own?
So where is Dion on Deep intergration? SILENT
Steve,
This might work if they get media play. It depends on whether they can capture that "hate Emerson" factor in the newspaper and on TV.
You said Lunn got 10% more than the Liberal and there was a dead heat with the NDP.
It may also depend on the quality of the LPC and NDP candidates relative to last itme.
Tomm
Lun is out and about standing on his tippy toes and talking about nuclear. Nuclear in Alberta, nuclear in BC. There is no real focus on innovation and other more ecologically sound practices, nevermind conservation. Of course, when they read polls on the public's opinion on 'nuclear' there has been a sudden silent treatment from Harpor and his mini-ster. But because they flop like the wind in minority doesn't mean they won't turn ideologically rigid in a majority.
But that's what you're salivating for, right Tomm?
"well I would not say they are left"
Do you know who the Liberal candidate is in this riding? She makes the NDP candidate Muclair in Outremont look like a winger. I take your highly partisan swipe as further proof that this is a great idea.
Obviously a great idea or the likes of Tomm wouldn't be reacting like they are. Hmmm...
If there's a decision about going nuclear - Gary Lunn is the last person I'd trust with it.
Unfortunately, Jan is another example of NDP'ers willing to take swipes at the Liberals and Greens, and forgetting the Conservatives are the regressive ones in power.
I'm beginning to think that the NDP is no longer the party of principle.. and is primarily concerned with hanging onto or gaining seats at the expense of the other non-COnservative parties.
Whether the Conservatives still govern at the end of the day is of secondary concern apparently.
I ain't seen a lotta reaction to this letter , yet, but what i've seen from NDP supporters has been a bit disturbing. Rather than graciously accept a gift that is being offered -- the letter did not suggest reciprocity -- the Dippers are smuggly insulting their would-be supporters.
Seeing that sort of reaction and reading Jan's comment will not bring those GPC voters into the fold. The Greens at least recognize who they are fighting. The NDP wants to keep fighting the Greens and Liberals -- even when Greens try to do them some good.
I gotta name fer that sorta crappola -- paleo-partisanship.
JB
The letter makes mention of both the Liberal and NDP candidates, so I'm not sure why there is the hostility, or hyper-partisanship.
If the Greens in Saanich is willing to not run a candidate against the Dippers and the Grits, can we Liberals ask them for one more favour?
Will the Greens please help Briony Penn's efforts by contributing to the Liberal kitty of the Saanich Liberal Association.
Given our fundraising efforts are far behind the Cons, every little bit helps.
"So where is Dion on Deep intergration? SILENT"
This is a good example of moving the goal post. The Liberals are running a prominent environmentalist-academic to enhance Dion's three pillars. The response is for the NDP to run on a new political issue.
A vote for the NDP in Saanich is a vote against SPP between Canada, Mexico, and the US. Lowering greenhouse gas emissions are secondary, the most important thing is to roll back NAFTA!!!
What is it with dippers, especially female dippers.
Snide, petty and for some reason they hate a genuinely nice lady by the name of E May
It's like feminists who hate non feminists more than misogynists.
They can't seem to decide who their enemy is so they snarl at everyone like they are rabid.
Jan is an especially acerbic little troll who constantly accuses Greens of of being righties, why should she fucking care if they are righties, she should be encouraging them to split the right vote.
The fact is she does not hate Greens because of a perception they are right(she knows better) but rather she is scared that they will give people a real alternative without having to listen to endless socialist dogma, so she snipes, lies , misrepresents and claims poor mismanaged Sask is a Shangra-fuking-la NDP utopia.
Jan spouts the same 4-5 snipes everywhere she posts and shows her lack of ability and free thought by the fact she has 3 posts of about 55 words total all year.
I for one would spoil, my vote or go Natural Law party before I'd give my support to people who'd accept your aid then spit in your face.
Layton has quite the bunch of followers, so do you they those weasels suits retail or in bulk?
I wonder why there is a Green party at all, to be honest. I mean, May seems to want every riding in the country to go LPC except for Central Nova. And now it seems that Saanich-Gulf Island Greens would equally be content with a Liberal majority plus 1 Opposition Green MP.
Which brings me to question the Green's leadership and their of the past. The problem is that the Liberals do NOT have a positive track record on the environment. They do NOT have a positive track record on Afghanistan nor our military. They do NOT have a positive track record for accountability.
So why are the GPC brass so willing to believe that with Dion at the helm of the country and May has his lap-dog that real change will happen on climate change, on Afghanistan, on fiscal conservatism, on accountability? The LPC will play the CPC game of vote-buying by any political means. Which the CPC is merely borrowing from the LPC while they're in power.
For these reasons I did not join the GPC and stuck with my lowly third party PC membership.
"I'm beginning to think that the NDP is no longer the party of principle.. and is primarily concerned with hanging onto or gaining seats at the expense of the other non-COnservative parties."
You're a smart man Scott, I thought you would have come to this conclusion sooner. :)
Enough of the arguments over principle - especially from Liberals chastising the NDP for not having any. You know the old saying: pot, kettle, black, etc.
And I HATE it when Greens use their co-operation with the Liberals as evidence of "principle" - yes, because riding the coattails of the most mainstream party in the country while indirectly nerfing your own party's message is sooo "principled."
Another thing that grinds my gears is the attitude that all third parties should bow to the Liberals for the sake of defeating Harper. Surely one realizes that the Liberals will discard any affiliation with the Greens once they win a majority, and that the NDP is further from the Liberals than the Liberals are from the Tories.
"NDP is further from the Liberals than the Liberals are from the Tories."
If that is true, why then do NDP strategists want to usurp the Liberals. Simple logic would suggest, if such a wide philosophical gap does exist, as you posite, that there is no common ground to exploit. Why doesn't the NDP go after disgruntled Tories? Should be fair game, if your bullshit is correct.
Daniel, I guess you should take a look at the candidates in said riding. Clearly, Penn is quite attractive to environmentalists, given her credible credentials. The fact they see no need to compete is a big picture response. Don't get pissy because people are comfortable with the choices, and don't want to muddy the waters, to the benefit of the Tories. If people want to argue that candidates like Penn aren't "progressive" enough for their pure sensibilities, allow me a hearty chuckle. It's nonsense quite frankly, and if you want to take that tone, I suggest you VILIFY Layton for putting a centerist at best as his Quebec pointman. Can we expect a post?
There isn't a political party or a politician of any stripe in this country that gives a flying fig for the citizens or for the well being of the federation.
Not one.
Their sole interest is spinning their way to more votes and more seats and they will do or say whatever it takes to get there.
It's all just so much codified managerial seminar bullshit now.
dana
How uplifting my friend :)
Why doesn't the NDP go after disgruntled Tories?
Ever been to Saskatchewan or BC?
Damn, I wish I had been quicker on the draw to respond to this...now only about 4 people will read it :p
I wasn't suggesting that the NDP and Tories are interchangeable, or that there's some irreconcilable gulf between the Liberals and NDP. I was, however, suggesting that the NDP and Liberals are by no means brothers-in-arms, nor are the Liberals and Tories yin and yang - and that, based on recent political history, the Liberals and Tories tend to be much more similar than either would ever publicly admit.
"Ever been to Saskatchewan or BC?"
I've lived in BC on two occasions, does that count?
I wish you had responded earlier, because I visited another blog on the sameday, wherein a Conservatives was criticizing the Liberals for moving too far left, out of the mainstream. It was interesting, because you are arguing that they are close to the Tories in many ways. I'm curious how people can have such competing perspectives.
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