Tuesday, August 16, 2011

On direct clash

One of the most interesting questions following the NDP's ascent to Official Opposition status was that of how the Cons would seek to attack a party which didn't carry the Libs' baggage. Now, it looks like we're seeing the answer - and it's worth quickly considering the effects on Canada's broader political discussion.

In just the last couple of days, the Cons have tried to win headlines by attacking the NDP as too close to workers and too interested in human rights compared to their own business-first philosophy. And the NDP is mostly responding with a strong statement of its own values (though I'd prefer to see a full defence of the interests of workers in the former case rather than a hypocrisy charge based on the Cons' own increase in public-sector positions).

Of course, it remains to be seen how the battle will play out - particularly given that there's effectively no recent North American precedent for an unabashedly progressive party pushing its values on a national level from the NDP's current position of strength. But there's every reason to look forward to the direction of Canada's political debate as a result. And it shouldn't come as much surprise if the NDP's message resonates better than the Cons might think.

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