Ladies?
It was not long ago that I was lamenting about the over-saturation of straight, white dudes competing to lead the NDP.
Yes, in those olden times, it seemed like Taxman Topp and THOMAS MULCAIR (proper syntax is to angrily yell his name) had this all sewn up.
But this is December. The times they are a changin’. The world is a different place.
Niki Ashton - New Politics
This young upstart was once considered an also-ran. Now, defying all expectations, she’s poised to be an also-ran-and-did-quite-well.
So what is this 33-year-old Thompson-native bringing to the table?
New Politics™, of course.
You may find yourself asking: what is New Politics™? I’m not entirely sure, but I know that it involves Helvetica Neue (for when Helvetica isn’t enough) and slick Wordpress themes.
New Politics™, it seems, is the NDP’s old policies, just said different. But hey - that’s not such a bad thing. Those old politics are showing up sheathed in a sleeveless American Apparel dress, thin-framed glasses and a haircut that says “I’m going to kill your Omnibus crime bill with a Hoist motion, and I’ll do it in style.”
Her campaign announcement hinted to some of the tents of New Politics™
- equality
- peace
- environment
- culture
- community
- diversity
- innovation
- destiny
I can get behind the first seven, no problem. I will not, however, endorse ‘destiny’ as a campaign plank. If I see “Niki Ashton: Vote Destiny” billboards, I may vomit.
But Niki Ashton is showing some real chutzpah. Her campaign looks good, she’s really taking ahold of the communications side of things and she’s tweeting up a storm.
Peggy Nash: THE MOST LEFT WING CANDIDATE EVER.
It’s no coincidence that Peggy shares her last name with a remarkably successful basketball player.
Okay, it is a coincidence.
But, point being, Peggy Nash is kicking ass.
She’s picked up high-profile endorsements from provincial leaders, former federal leaders, MPs, unions and Pierre Ducasse.
Just kidding, Pierre Ducasse isn’t high-profile.
And if you’re friends with (or have ever met, talked to, or touched) a Peggy Nash supporter, you’ve no doubt heard that PEGGY NASH IS THE MOST LEFT-WING CANDIDATE.
Disagree that PEGGY NASH IS THE MOST LEFT-WING CANDIDATE? Well you forget that PEGGY NASH IS THE MOST LEFT-WING CANDIDATE.
Nevermind that Peggy hasn’t actually released any policy. For all we know, she could very well be a crazy Marxist. Or, she could want to name all of Canada’s bridges after former presidents of Yugoslavia.
But Duncan Cameron over at Rabble can set us straight. He tells us all sorts of wonderful reasons to support Peggy - she’s charismatic, politically savoy, bilingual, experienced; all sorts of good stuff. He also informs us that Nash will…
lead policy development on the issue of our times: moving to a green economy from a prosperity through trickle-down growth model (has it trickled down yet? people ask at Occupy Vancouver) while all the while fighting to secure improved employment prospects, working conditions, income security, and public services.
That’s great!
Except she never said any of that.
Sure, Nash has a history in the House of Commons and as an executive for CAW. That tells us a bit about her.
Looking at her website she says some stuff. That stuff is mostly “Jobs: good. Environment: good.”
But, hey, none of the candidates have really been talking about like, stuff. Except Taxman Topp and his socialist schemes, Republican Cullen and his plan to abolish the monarchy … for some reason. Don’t forget Martin Singh and … whatever Martin Singh is doing. (He cares, remember.)
So we can let THE MOST LEFT WING CANDIDATE IN THE RACE off for now. It would be nice if she proved it, though.
