Saturday, July 6, 2013

What Might Have Been

Commenting on my last post, PLG wrote thusly:
Well, I don't have much to say about your "unpopular essays" so I haven't. I don't disagree, but I'm damned if I see a plausible way of fixing it.
A new party? There are new parties. They get nowhere. And if they got somewhere, they'd just split the vote anyway.
A new Waffle? Maybe. But to get anywhere, and present a real alternative, it would need to be connected to a strong grassroots progressive movement of some sort.

. . . Um, yeah. Grassroots progressive movements in Canada (well, outside Quebec) are about as marginal as in the States, which is to say completely.

So it's a problem. If the people start moving maybe us wannabe-vanguards might have a chance to jump out in front. ;)

A new party?  - T'would be Quixotic vote-splitting.

A new Waffle? - A progressive thrust within the NDP is really our best chance.

A strong grassroots progressive movement? - I think we've got the ingredients for that; if only everyone wasn't being led around in circles doing the same damned useless things..

If the people start moving - I think radicals have to accept that large-scale change requires the support of a majority of the population. The trick is knowing what issues that have widespread support can be pushed to their radical logical conclusions. I thought that harper gave us the opportunity to rally the majority behind respect for democracy and the rule-of-law. Sadly, as a people, we Canadians were not capable of meeting that task.

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