Monday, November 30, 2009

Debating the future of the BC NDP on Globe and Mail online

I will be debating my friend Clay Suddaby today at noon on the Globe and Mail online about the future of the BC NDP - do tune in.

From the Globe and Mail:


Can the New Democrats of British Columbia shed their unwanted status as the perennial loser of elections, and forge a winning majority coalition?

In a four-part series last week, Globe columnist Gary Mason explored that fundamental, and pressing, question for B.C.’s opposition party, in advance of the NDP’s weekend convention. That series looked at leader Carole James’s insistence on scrutinizing the status quo, the pressure from party elders – including former premiers Mike Harcourt and Ujjal Dosanjh – for the NDP to tack to the centre, the need for Ms. James to reinvent herself – and Mr. Mason’s 10-point formula for the NDP to become the New(er) Democrats.

On Monday at noon (PT) 3 pm (ET), two NDP stalwarts tackle those same questions: Clay Suddaby, former chief of staff for opposition leader Joy MacPhail, who led the party in the wake of the 2001 electoral wipeout, and Bill Tieleman, who was communications director for premier Glen Clark during the squeaker NDP victory in 1996.

Joining them is The Globe and Mail’s B.C. Editor, Patrick Brethour.

Leave your questions in advance through the comment function on this story, or come back at the scheduled time and join the live conversation.

Clay Suddaby is a strategic communications and campaign consultant in Vancouver. He served as chief of staff to NDP Opposition Leader Joy MacPhail from 2001-2005 and then directed communications and research for the BC NDP's 2005 election campaign, which saw the party go from 3 to 33 seats. He was previously director of caucus services for the NDP government, following stints as director of communications for the British Columbia Ferry Corporation and director of media relations for the BC government's Nisga'a Treaty Implementation Project. Suddaby established A-Line Communications in 2007, and writes the Radical Pragmatist blog.

Bill Tieleman is one of B.C.'s best known communicators, political commentators and strategists. Tieleman writes a weekly column on politics in 24 Hours daily newspaper and The Tyee.ca online magazine. Tieleman has previously been communications director in the B.C. Premier's Office and at the BC Federation of Labour. For the past 12 years he has run West Star Communications, a consulting firm providing strategy and communication services for labour, business, non-profits and government agencies. Tieleman holds a masters degree in political science from UBC.


.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

No matter how you want to package or spin it, sorry Moe and Carole, you can't sell "failure" as success.

You and the rest of your weak-sisters are trapped in the cow barn and are trying to get out by spraying air freshner, but the stuff is sticking to your boots and you are going to have to get down and do some serious scrubbing.

If you don't, you end up only insulting your electorate by trying to force-feed them such transparently obvious bovine excrement.

So clean your boots before you come to "our" dinner table.

The GREAT SATAN

DPL said...

No matter how confused the folks who attended the NDP conference appear to be in keeping James in place and voting a slate to administer the party, they may or may not actually represent the rank and file members. But look across the aisle at Gordo and his gang, who represent certain interests,cerainly not the interests of the sick, old, kids,underpaid and especially union folks . Gordo will do anything to hold power. Hopefully the more progressive members in the NDP will eventually regain control of their party. And get thier house in order. Maybe then the folks who didn't bother to vote last time around, will get their collelctive voices together to get rid of the Socred Liberal alliance, and the sooner the better. When mild mannered folks like Claire Trevina stands up for her concerns at a convention it might convince others to do the same. 600 delegates or so shouldn't be the only NDP voice.