I had hoped I'd never have to say this, but I'm about to bridge the gap between Hitler and child pornographers.
Ottawa has gone a tad loopy in recent weeks, with a few of our elected officials saying things that they probably never should have said sober. In a debate on the ending of the gun registry Conservative MP Larry Miller compared the registry and its proponents to Hitler, then took it back, then took it back that he took it back.
Shortly after, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said opposition members who attacked the government's new electronic surveillance are standing with child pornographers. He later tip-toed away from that one after pretty much the whole country decided the bill was kind of dictatorial and creepy.
Now, I'm no rocket surgeon but I could have told Miller and Toews that quoting Hitler or likening your political opponents to child molesters is probably going to backfire. If nothing else, it opens you up to equally cheap shots in retaliation.
Speaking of...
My colleague from the Hot Room (the old parliamentary press gallery room on Parliament Hill, so named because everyone who works there is ridiculously good looking) Kaven Baker-Voakes of Empire News initially came across this uncannily germane Hitler quote. He decided it would be in poor taste to use it, but I have no such reservations. Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to take smear politics meta with Hitler on the internet surveillance bill:
"The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people. As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation," - Adolph Hitler, Mein Kampf.
Showing posts with label Canadian politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canadian politics. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Thursday, November 17, 2011
NDP Numbers Don't Add Up
[Quick note off the top: this mostly abandoned blog is not at all associated with my work life and shouldn't be taken as such, but I've got no other quick outlet so I'm going to post this here for now.]
So the federal NDP released their new membership numbers today and it was widely reported that they received a solid 13% boost in membership, from 83,800 members in October to 95,000 members in November.
This bump is exaggerated for a few reasons. In reality it's probably about half that amount.
First off, the NDP previously had a separate category for 'federal' members that weren't tied to any province, which totaled just over 3,000 people.
This category was dissolved when they decided to allocate each federal member to their respective province. Fair enough. But when the chart was released today there was no mention of this. Instead it just showed the October breakdown by province and the November breakdown, and let reporters do the math. Reporters weren't told that a separate category of 3,000 members had been quietly re-allocated.
So that alone brings "new" memberships down from around 11,000 people to around 8,000, or 9%.
But there's more. The new numbers show NDP memberships doubled in Nova Scotia from 1,300 to 2,600. That's a pretty impressive leap, considering the provincial party is coming off of years of minority government that concluded in a sweeping NDP majority (memberships are shared amongst the provincial and federal parties).
When I checked on the numbers back in September I was given the 1,300 figure federally and then a number of around 2,500 provincially. After asking about the discrepancy I was told provincial staff keep closer track and the gap was likely due to the federal ranks not being updated yet.
So now we're in the midst of an NDP leadership race and all eyes are on the membership numbers because we all want to see how big the Quebec surge turns out to be (Quebec has no provincial wing so it's starting from damn near scratch). Lo and behold, there's a healthy boost across the country!
But is there really? Did Newfoundland's ranks really jump from just 200 to 1,184 last month? Did they not get the memo that the populist uprising was six months ago? Maybe it's a time zone thing. My guess is that, like Nova Scotia, the numbers hadn't been updated in a while and many months of growth were only now being factored in.
Add the Newfoundland discrepancy to Nova Scotia to the federal book cooking and your 13% growth is already close to cut in half before we even get to the big provinces. So were the numbers today really an accurate reflection of the party's growth? I report. You decide.
...Ok, I'll decide too. It's kind of bullshit. Look I get that the NDP has had a tough few months. They have an interim leader who isn't exactly setting the world on kindle, let alone fire. They no more look like a government in waiting today than they did the day after the election. They'd really like some momentum and a strong membership turnout in the midst of a leadership campaign would certainly help.
And to be fair, they didn't capital-L Lie at any point. The NDP never claimed to have 13% growth, they just put the stats out and let journalists do the math. Also when I asked questions I was given a prompt and honest response.
But this isn't quite good enough. News stories didn't report "The NDP claim to have 13% growth," they reported it as fact. There is a certain element of trust when we report what a federal party tells us is going on internally, if just because we don't see the numbers first-hand.
I think the chart released today was a breach of that trust. Maybe it was all an accident. Maybe the news organizations that reported the 13% figure have been privately corrected. But when we take a party at its word there's an expectation that 3,000 members (at least) aren't being coyly added in.
So the federal NDP released their new membership numbers today and it was widely reported that they received a solid 13% boost in membership, from 83,800 members in October to 95,000 members in November.
This bump is exaggerated for a few reasons. In reality it's probably about half that amount.
First off, the NDP previously had a separate category for 'federal' members that weren't tied to any province, which totaled just over 3,000 people.
This category was dissolved when they decided to allocate each federal member to their respective province. Fair enough. But when the chart was released today there was no mention of this. Instead it just showed the October breakdown by province and the November breakdown, and let reporters do the math. Reporters weren't told that a separate category of 3,000 members had been quietly re-allocated.
So that alone brings "new" memberships down from around 11,000 people to around 8,000, or 9%.
But there's more. The new numbers show NDP memberships doubled in Nova Scotia from 1,300 to 2,600. That's a pretty impressive leap, considering the provincial party is coming off of years of minority government that concluded in a sweeping NDP majority (memberships are shared amongst the provincial and federal parties).
When I checked on the numbers back in September I was given the 1,300 figure federally and then a number of around 2,500 provincially. After asking about the discrepancy I was told provincial staff keep closer track and the gap was likely due to the federal ranks not being updated yet.
So now we're in the midst of an NDP leadership race and all eyes are on the membership numbers because we all want to see how big the Quebec surge turns out to be (Quebec has no provincial wing so it's starting from damn near scratch). Lo and behold, there's a healthy boost across the country!
But is there really? Did Newfoundland's ranks really jump from just 200 to 1,184 last month? Did they not get the memo that the populist uprising was six months ago? Maybe it's a time zone thing. My guess is that, like Nova Scotia, the numbers hadn't been updated in a while and many months of growth were only now being factored in.
Add the Newfoundland discrepancy to Nova Scotia to the federal book cooking and your 13% growth is already close to cut in half before we even get to the big provinces. So were the numbers today really an accurate reflection of the party's growth? I report. You decide.
...Ok, I'll decide too. It's kind of bullshit. Look I get that the NDP has had a tough few months. They have an interim leader who isn't exactly setting the world on kindle, let alone fire. They no more look like a government in waiting today than they did the day after the election. They'd really like some momentum and a strong membership turnout in the midst of a leadership campaign would certainly help.
And to be fair, they didn't capital-L Lie at any point. The NDP never claimed to have 13% growth, they just put the stats out and let journalists do the math. Also when I asked questions I was given a prompt and honest response.
But this isn't quite good enough. News stories didn't report "The NDP claim to have 13% growth," they reported it as fact. There is a certain element of trust when we report what a federal party tells us is going on internally, if just because we don't see the numbers first-hand.
I think the chart released today was a breach of that trust. Maybe it was all an accident. Maybe the news organizations that reported the 13% figure have been privately corrected. But when we take a party at its word there's an expectation that 3,000 members (at least) aren't being coyly added in.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Canadians: I'm Your Man
Can you smell it? That strange scent in the air? That's the smell of excitement. Normally excitement isn't something that can be detected by your olfactory system, but today is different.
Today all the rules are broken.
When I say "Canadian politics" what do you think of? If you're like most Canadians, you think of killing yourself. But what if there was a way to genuinely enjoy politics without having to be one of those douchebags you see on Newsworld?
Well now there's a way to damn the status quo. What do we need? One word: Metamorphosis! ("Change" was taken.)
Ladies and gentlemen, I come here today to offer you this metamorphosis.
We currently suffer the choice between a Russian-sounding guy trying to act Canadian, a Canadian-sounding guy trying to act Russian, and a bald guy trying to act like he can win.
But now you have a real option. Today I present to you the newest political party to enter the scene:
MC Loud's All-Night Dance Party
MC Loud's All Night Dance Party is brimming with new ideas, while also harkening back to the old-school days when Conservatives were conservative, Liberals were liberal and New Democrats were new.
My opponents, when they're not too busy littering or torturing cats, will tell you that that there are only two choices in this election. But we here at MC Loud's All-Night Dance Party think you'll spit on anyone who tells you that after you get a load of our platform.
On National Unity
We believe that Quebec should have the power to decide its own destiny and form a distinct country if its people so choose. That said, Canada also has a right to maintain its cool province to uncool province ratio.
If elected, we will reform the constitution so that in the event of separation Quebec will have to take one of the lame provinces, like New Brunswick, with it. MC Loud's All-Night Dance Party realizes that while this may seem kind of tempting, it is on the whole undesirable. Thus we will undertake a series of unity-building exercises. Birch trees will be bulldozed and replaced with maples. Molson Canadian will be forced to taste better or change its name.
On Debates
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May must have been popular in high school as she sure is bad at being unpopular. There's nothing more pathetic than begging others to pay attention to you, so we here at MC Loud's All-Night Dance Party have rejected taking part in any leaders debate even before receiving an offer. We've got plans that day.
That said, I'd like to formally challenge my opponents to a leaders knife fight at their earliest convenience.
On the Environment
Remember the environment? Remember, like, one election ago when it was actually a big deal? Well we plan to bring it back to the forefront. Now, the last guy who did this got massacred on election day so we can't go too crazy here, but suffice to say we pledge to do something. Something that will make the environment better. It will likely involve carbon.
And while our slate of candidates may not exactly be full of doctors or scientists or people who can read, I think even our opponents would have to admit it's not going to take much to lead on this issue.
On Profiling People and then Banning Them From Your Rallies
We promise to always do the decent thing and friend you on Facebook before we creep your profile and add you to our database of enemies.
Stay tuned, voters. We'll continue to roll out our platformas we come up with it over the coming days. In the meantime, remember to vote MC Loud's All-Night Dance Party - for metamorphosis we can believe in.
Today all the rules are broken.
When I say "Canadian politics" what do you think of? If you're like most Canadians, you think of killing yourself. But what if there was a way to genuinely enjoy politics without having to be one of those douchebags you see on Newsworld?
Well now there's a way to damn the status quo. What do we need? One word: Metamorphosis! ("Change" was taken.)
Ladies and gentlemen, I come here today to offer you this metamorphosis.
We currently suffer the choice between a Russian-sounding guy trying to act Canadian, a Canadian-sounding guy trying to act Russian, and a bald guy trying to act like he can win.
But now you have a real option. Today I present to you the newest political party to enter the scene:
MC Loud's All-Night Dance Party
MC Loud's All Night Dance Party is brimming with new ideas, while also harkening back to the old-school days when Conservatives were conservative, Liberals were liberal and New Democrats were new.
My opponents, when they're not too busy littering or torturing cats, will tell you that that there are only two choices in this election. But we here at MC Loud's All-Night Dance Party think you'll spit on anyone who tells you that after you get a load of our platform.
On National Unity
We believe that Quebec should have the power to decide its own destiny and form a distinct country if its people so choose. That said, Canada also has a right to maintain its cool province to uncool province ratio.
If elected, we will reform the constitution so that in the event of separation Quebec will have to take one of the lame provinces, like New Brunswick, with it. MC Loud's All-Night Dance Party realizes that while this may seem kind of tempting, it is on the whole undesirable. Thus we will undertake a series of unity-building exercises. Birch trees will be bulldozed and replaced with maples. Molson Canadian will be forced to taste better or change its name.
On Debates
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May must have been popular in high school as she sure is bad at being unpopular. There's nothing more pathetic than begging others to pay attention to you, so we here at MC Loud's All-Night Dance Party have rejected taking part in any leaders debate even before receiving an offer. We've got plans that day.
That said, I'd like to formally challenge my opponents to a leaders knife fight at their earliest convenience.
On the Environment
Remember the environment? Remember, like, one election ago when it was actually a big deal? Well we plan to bring it back to the forefront. Now, the last guy who did this got massacred on election day so we can't go too crazy here, but suffice to say we pledge to do something. Something that will make the environment better. It will likely involve carbon.
And while our slate of candidates may not exactly be full of doctors or scientists or people who can read, I think even our opponents would have to admit it's not going to take much to lead on this issue.
On Profiling People and then Banning Them From Your Rallies
We promise to always do the decent thing and friend you on Facebook before we creep your profile and add you to our database of enemies.
Stay tuned, voters. We'll continue to roll out our platform
Sunday, August 16, 2009
The NDP Dilemma
At the end of the federal NDP convention in Halifax I got a chance to ask ("future Prime Minister") Jack Layton about what I was really wondering.
“Could it be that the best role for the NDP is a perennial opposition party that serves as an advocate for the left from the outside of government?”
The answer I got was vintage Jack - bold and eloquent while skipping over the real point.
“Some people might think that. But I think the best approach is the one that Tommy Douglas used, which was to take the ideals that we stand for and turn them into actual results for Canadians.”
To be fair, the NDP hasn't been bad at doing that. They hold more sway than ever in this era of minority governments, particularly if they hold the balance of power. During close elections other parties (Ok, the Liberals) will crib their promises to win leftist support and occasionally they can shame and shove their opponents into using some of their ideas.
But that's about it. Even under ideal circumsances they couldn't gain a full percentage point of the popular vote last election and once again finished fourth behind a party that doesn't even want to be in Canada.
It's very likely this is all the influence the NDP will ever have. That's not so bad when you look at the tons of failed parties over the years. But it looks like the dream of forming government is now hurting the NDP more than helping them.
The top ranks of the party really seem to want to move toward the centre and take a shot at contending. But at this weekend's convention there was no mistaking the lack of appetite for that amongst the party's grass roots. Even a modest centrist bill to reduce taxes for small businesses was left to the backburner, presumably because of a lack of support.
On the flip side, a motion to legalize marijuana also got scuttled away so far down the agenda it had no hope of surfacing. Legalization is an issue that makes sense in many ways, has tons of Canadians supporting it and would bring the NDP loads of publicity. It's too controversial for the Liberals or Tories to adopt but is it really too controversial for the fourth-place party? The delegates this weekend seemed to think so, which is crazy. The NDP is playing like they've got a ten-point lead when they should be throwing Hail Marys.
If I were an NDP member I'd be screaming for the party to make up its mind one way or the other - move to the centre and try to win, (still highly unlikely despite Darrell Dexter pulling it off) or be a true advocate of left wing ideas. You can't do both effectively.
So for now the NDP will continue to tread water and scrounge to pick up a few more fractions of the popular vote.
I'd like to end off on some cheesy words of wisdom quote but can't think of one at the moment. So instead I'll quote something made up by me, just now: "Not winning isn't so bad if you're able to make the most of losing."
Or even better, this election night quote by Jack Layton I just made up: "I just lost to Stephane Dion and Stephen Harper? To hell with this, I'm gonna go get drunk."
“Could it be that the best role for the NDP is a perennial opposition party that serves as an advocate for the left from the outside of government?”
The answer I got was vintage Jack - bold and eloquent while skipping over the real point.
“Some people might think that. But I think the best approach is the one that Tommy Douglas used, which was to take the ideals that we stand for and turn them into actual results for Canadians.”
To be fair, the NDP hasn't been bad at doing that. They hold more sway than ever in this era of minority governments, particularly if they hold the balance of power. During close elections other parties (Ok, the Liberals) will crib their promises to win leftist support and occasionally they can shame and shove their opponents into using some of their ideas.
But that's about it. Even under ideal circumsances they couldn't gain a full percentage point of the popular vote last election and once again finished fourth behind a party that doesn't even want to be in Canada.
It's very likely this is all the influence the NDP will ever have. That's not so bad when you look at the tons of failed parties over the years. But it looks like the dream of forming government is now hurting the NDP more than helping them.
The top ranks of the party really seem to want to move toward the centre and take a shot at contending. But at this weekend's convention there was no mistaking the lack of appetite for that amongst the party's grass roots. Even a modest centrist bill to reduce taxes for small businesses was left to the backburner, presumably because of a lack of support.
On the flip side, a motion to legalize marijuana also got scuttled away so far down the agenda it had no hope of surfacing. Legalization is an issue that makes sense in many ways, has tons of Canadians supporting it and would bring the NDP loads of publicity. It's too controversial for the Liberals or Tories to adopt but is it really too controversial for the fourth-place party? The delegates this weekend seemed to think so, which is crazy. The NDP is playing like they've got a ten-point lead when they should be throwing Hail Marys.
If I were an NDP member I'd be screaming for the party to make up its mind one way or the other - move to the centre and try to win, (still highly unlikely despite Darrell Dexter pulling it off) or be a true advocate of left wing ideas. You can't do both effectively.
Darrell Dexter: Second only to Rodney MacDonald
in leading the NDP to a majority government.
in leading the NDP to a majority government.
So for now the NDP will continue to tread water and scrounge to pick up a few more fractions of the popular vote.
I'd like to end off on some cheesy words of wisdom quote but can't think of one at the moment. So instead I'll quote something made up by me, just now: "Not winning isn't so bad if you're able to make the most of losing."
Or even better, this election night quote by Jack Layton I just made up: "I just lost to Stephane Dion and Stephen Harper? To hell with this, I'm gonna go get drunk."
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