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February 19, 2008 21:37 +0000 | Liberals NDP Politics 6

I received an email today from the Federal NDP with a most extraordinary statement enclosed. Siting the mass failings of the Liberal party to collectively stand up to the Conservatives on crucial subjects like Afghanistan and Kyoto, (choosing instead to abstain from the vote rather than risk an election), the President of the New Democratic Party has offerend the following:

I'm making an extraordinary appeal to all New Democrat supporters to invite their Liberal friends to join our party right now -- the only national party not in favour of three more years of war and the only national party standing up to Stephen Harper's agenda.

Just like we did nearly 50 years ago when we formed the NDP, it's time to build a new political coalition in Canada -- a coalition that will stand up to Stephen Harper and put forward a vision of prosperity, fairness and peace in the world.

Could this be the beginnings of a United Left in Canada? Does the NDP smell death on backs of the Liberal party?

I have no love for the Liberals, and even less respect for them lately in their capitulation to the Conservatives out of fear. I'm not saying that the NDP have everything right, but at the very least, they're standing up for the people who elected them. To all of the Liberal supporters who voted red to keep a balance in the house: how does it feel to know that the people you elected are doing nothing to represent you?

Comments

Mike
20 Feb 2008, 12:17 a.m. |

The Grits are a shell of a party. A corpse denying its own death. A party just for power is a party worth tearing apart.

I hope the NDP's call to arms is a united left in the making. Centre-left liberals, New Democrats, socialists and 'real' Greens should form a new party. The Progressive Party of Canada, how does that sound?

Daniel
20 Feb 2008, 2:12 a.m. |

I'd love to see a United Left, but it would have to be managed better than the NDP is currently run. If Elizabeth May stepped up to the plate, I'd get behind that.

Melanie
22 Feb 2008, 2:37 a.m. |

I don't believe in change just for the sake of change. Sometimes keeping things at the status quo is a good idea.

regardless, I like the ndp, and would vote for them if I thought they stood a chance.

Lara
5 Mar 2008, 2:28 a.m. |

Melanie, do you ever think that maybe part of the reason they don't stand a chance is because no one thinks they stand a chance and votes liberal just to be safe?

Daniel
5 Mar 2008, 11:43 p.m. |

I really don't understand the whole "Liberals are bad, but at least they're better than Conservatives" argument. If you look at their past performance, both parties have been equally bad for Canada. How then is voting red any "safer" than voting blue?

Lara
7 Mar 2008, 2:39 a.m. |

My thoughts exactly. But I've heard so many people say that voting NDP is just a waste of a vote and they'd rather vote for what they consider to be the lesser of the two evils with a shot that I think if there were some way to reverse that attitude, we'd see some pretty different results.