Sheila vs. Buzz or How To Do Liberal Politics

A lesson on how to do politics, and how to recognize the precepts of liberalism.

Shelia Copps on Paul Martin and the Liberals, during the 2006 election (this is one lazy selection from potential thousands):
“But if Paul Martin is to be forgiven for changing his mind on three major issues in the space of less than three years, why do Liberals think can they score political points by dredging up Conservative Leader Stephen Harper's statements of eight years ago?
And why do certain media outlets think it is relevant to cover Harper's eight-year-old flip-flops but blank out when it comes to Martin's about-face on Kyoto, Iraq and gay marriage? Double standard, anyone?"

The Liberal Party's response to Sheila, when all is said and done? A major tribute, attended by most important actors.
Dennis Mills:
"I believe until we pull ourselves together, we can't really have an honest rebuild... I would say let he who is without sin cast the first stone. I mean, there's been a lot of us who have been hurt by actions over the last few years and there are lots of us who have thrown grenades into the kitchen. And so we've got to put all that behind us."

Where does it all leave the Liberals? Read the blogs, read the news. There is more positivity surrounding the party today then there has been in a long time - internally and externally.

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Buzz Hargrove on Jack Layton and the NDP during the 2006 election:
"Whether you elect a Liberal or an NDP, the overall numbers don't change in terms of the ability to form a coalition government," he said. "We're out to stop the Tories... We're saying to people don't waste your vote. Make sure we don't send any more Tories to Ottawa. We don't need them."

The NDP response to Buzz, when all is said and done? The Ontario party revokes his membership.
Scott Piatkowski, NDP columnist from NDP-friendly Rabble.ca (hurray for the subversiveness and fearless deviance of alternative media!):
"When people join the New Democratic Party, they sign a statement acknowledging that they are 'not a member or a supporter of any other political party...'
But, Hargrove clearly couldn't (or wouldn't) adhere to that fairly simple condition and, in doing so, he effectively renounced his party membership.
There's no question that Buzz Hargrove abandoned any claim to NDP membership during the election campaign, just as David Emerson left the Liberals after the election campaign. The only difference is that no one is arguing that David Emerson still has a future in the Liberal Party. "

Where does this all leave the NDP?
From the Globe and Mail:
"The leadership of the Canadian Auto Workers union is urging members to withdraw their support of an old ally.
The CAW's National Executive Board has unanimously adopted a resolution that calls for members, local unions and staff across Canada to withdraw support for the New Democratic Party.
The union says it is partly due to the expulsion of the CAW president from the Ontario wing of the NDP."

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If you want to remain an irrelevant footnote in the political history of this country - be exclusive, be vindictive, allow hurt pride to guide party policy, ignore the basic precepts of liberalism (respect for a diversity of opinion, for one) in favour of elite-dominated unilateralism.

I'm genuinely pround of what Dennis Mills et al put together, and I hope the model is followed again before we reach the leadership convention.