Hargrove Exiled to Centre Land
It seems today's NDP are even more ideologically schizophrenic now than they have been at anytime in the past. The image of Hargrove hugging Martin during the election will forever be burned in my memory banks, in the C:Comedy/confused folder.
However, I think Hargrove's exile from the NDP says alot about the state of trade unions in Canada, especially the CAW. They are no longer fringe workers, but rather well- (over?) paid workers with excellent benefits and consumer spending power. They are becoming much more of a conservative institution in our society, while the NDP are still clinging to old-world idealistic tenets about impoverished workers uniting. That's why they are losing part of their traditional constituency, as unions become richer and have more to lose by supporting minority political views. The NDP needs to do some serious soul searching in terms of their stance on many issues. During the election, pretty much all Layton did was recite top level, broad messaging about being there for working families and being "a different choice". There was hardly a fired, tested policy statement to be found anywhere in his dialogue.
Unfortunately, instead of using Hargrove's dissent as an opportunity to re-visit the ideological direction of the party, the decision to exile him will no doubt push their traditional supporters further away from the dipper camp.canada, politics, k-dough, canada, political, liberal, conservative, Harper, Canada, politics, k-dough
posted by K-Dough at 1:46 PM
6 Comments:
Perhaps in your lead paragraph, you meant to say that "Buzz Hargrove is even more ideologically schizophrenic..." because really, he's the one playing hopscotch along the ideological map of the country!
Hargrove's exile from the party says something about the patience the party has exihibited for years as Hargrove danced with the neo-cons while maintaining his silver spoon socialist ties. To me, it says that the NDP has been largely lacking in the political ruthlessness perfected in the other two parties.
You're quite correct in your observations about the ascendance of many (but not all) workers to the middle class, but with the important disclaimer that union members in CUPE, UNITE-HERE, UFCW, etc. aren't in nearly as lucrative positions as some CAW workers.
Those CAW members, newly classified middle class citizens, may buy into misconceptions suggesting the Liberals or Conservatives are most likely to fit their nouveau desire to hoard their money. But that doesn't mean the institutions of unions themselves are moving right, as evidenced by the abundance of other unions that whole-heartedly endorsed the NDP in the last election.
If anything, the NDP need to learn to counter the well-managed spin from the other parties, especially messages that the NDP aren't fiscally prudent, the Liberals are a progressive alternative to the NDP, and that democracy is now about voting against a candidate, rather for a candidate.
Oh yeah, and the NDP should drop the silly messaging about "working families." Almost all families are working families, in some sense of the word, and no one wants to identify as working class these days -- we're all aspiring to be upwardly mobile.
Diku- you said "silver spoon socialist ties"- but isn't he really just representing his constituency? If he appears that way, isn't that because the people he has a responsiblity to speak for now have at least silver-plated spoons in their mouths?
Some would say the banishing of Hargrove will benefit the NDP in the long run, because people will begin to think that perhaps the NDP isnt as beholden to labour unions as everyone thinks.
Canadians in the moderate middle are distrustful of coporations and unions... so I think this may turn out to be a long term blessing in disguise for the NDP
Either way Scott- it looks like labour is moving into a new idelogical sphere. Such are the natural tectonics of political affiliation. I am no dipper (not that there's anything wrong with that...), but I think it would be much better for the party if labour and the political core grew together. They are forged from the same fires.
I've often wondered if this is not symbollic of a greater shift within the "labour" movement.
Most of Buzz's members voted for Mike Harris in one if not two elections in Ontario. There seems to me a growing divide within labour circles between the idealism of the public sector unions vs. the practicalism of the trade and industry unions.
Any thoughts?
I have to agree. However, there seems to be a certain feeling of entitlement that is common to both sectors...
To me that trend is a symptom of living the good life- i.e. constantly bloating wages accompanied by decreasing job demands. But that feeling of entitlement maybe also simply be reflective of our broader society.
Post a Comment
<< Home