The Brian Topp/Thomas Mulcair Coronation Race.
Well, the NDP race is all but sewn up.
He, the front-runner that the mages hath prophesied of, has/will picked/pick up a large number of high profile endorsements from MPs and prominent New Democracts all across Canada/in Quebec. It’s all but a sure thing now; that the next leader of the NDP will be Brian Topp/Thomas Mulcair.
That’s right - it’s a fait accompli. Or, as one of the dirty angolophone New Democrats would say - a done accomplishment.
Some would accuse me of merely putting down both names as a way to avoid being wrong. I resent that
I mean, sure, Topp has the endorsements of MPs Françoise Boivin, Libby Davies, Alexandre Boulerice, Yvon Godin, Alain Giguère, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, in addition to party stalwarts Ed Broadbent, Roy Romanow, Dawn Black John Horgan, Joy MacPhail, Michelle Mungall and Pat Atkinson. So what?
Mulcair has Robert Aubin (who?), Claude Patry (who?), François Lapointe (who?), Pierre Nantel (who?), Marc-André Morin (oh, I know him), Tarik Brahmi (who?), Alexandrine Latendresse (who?) and Jamie Nicholls (isn’t he on CBC? No? Who?) If that list looks scrawny and obscure, it’s only because Mulcair hasn’t actually entered the race (despite being in the race) and NDP-pundit Ian Capstick tells us 25-35 MPs will be lining up to endorse the bearded wonder when he announces his decision (within the next 15 days, we’re told.)
Between the two of them (Tocair? Mulopp?) They’ll soon be fighting for the allegiance of the neighborhood depanneur on the streets of Trois-Pistoles, as the collective obsessing over what Quebec thinks over a race that they don’t really care about reaches a fever pitch.
And the other candidates? Pfft. I think we’d all much rather discuss the fortunes of two men who have yet to actually make any sort of policy or platform announcement and neither of whom actually have much public profile on anything.
I mean, if Canada needs anything right now, it’s to watch two middle-aged straight white dudes go after each other to capture the imagination of a country, only to turn around and face a thousand-strong hoard of leftists at a nomination convention where they call everyone “brother/sister” and they’ll probably end up picking a woman to be leader (eugh.)
So nevermind that this race marks the first time in Canadian political history that there’s a First Nations and a Sikh candidate running to lead a major political party. Forget that Nikki Ashton, if she runs, will have a shot at being the youngest-ever leader of a major political party. And, ignore that if Paul Dewar wins, he’ll finally break the glass ceiling for curly-haired politicians.
Nope. This one is in the bag for Topp/Mulcair and none of the other candidates have a shot.
