Disquiet on the Left

[Back now from the Great White North - no internet hooked up so my posts will still be slow in coming]

From my new home high above downtown Hamilton, I have a particularly compelling view of the Great New Democratic self-destruction. Here in Hamilton Centre campaign season never ends for the NDP. The Christopherson/Layton mustache is worn proudly at every street festival, etc. This is distincly less irritating this year, as their orange and green is almost overpowered by the bright red in their cheeks.

I loitered beside an NDP display table at a street festival today, and observed the bloodletting. The workers explained with less than their usual aplomb how the they're still interested in results for people - just Canadian people and no one else. Or how they don't think that Canadian soldiers want to be terrorists, but are manipulated by their American counterparts. Or how we oughtn't concern ourselves with recent cuts to social spending because there are 10 more New Democrats in parliament...so we should sit tight.

Here in what is lately an NDP bastion, they are on the defensive in a way that I have never seen before. Is it dawning on Canadians just how unprincipled and thoroughly political Jack's gang have become? Is it because the party is steadily advancing an isolationist foreign policy that has no precedence in 80 years? Either way it may make for the most interesting election dynamic next go-around.

- Mike (SCG)