Wouldn’t take questions from mainstream media outlets, then complained about biased coverage. Alienated centrist Conservative leaders, then accused them of sabotage. Spent two years arguing for an election and then had no real budget platform to campaign on.
This party is running on fumes of outrage and nothing else.
isn't the answer to "why isn't anyone on the right producing new intellectual ideas" just simply that the vacuum has been occupied by grifters that are profiting massively on low hanging rage bait, barely trying to cover it up as populism and capturing much larger audiences as a result?
The Jenni Byrne situation is similar to the NDP keeping on Lucy Watson as federal director after their loss (imagine the Titanic sinks, and the White Star Line fires every surviving crew member except for the officers). Change starts at the top, but the people responsible for the calamity get to keep their paycheques? In what universe does that make any sense?
I’d say a crucial difference is that a leadership change is coming to the NDP. Whoever wins is going to be installing their own people at all levels of the party, so replacing them now just means someone temporarily holds down the seat while the leadership race plays out.
I really hope you're right and that a new leader can bring about the change the party so desperately needs. Unfortunately the leader has no say over the party executive and has little hiring or firing power - that power mostly rests with the National Director (see a job posting for the National Director here: https://www.ndp.ca/job/national-director - I don't think they'd do a public job posting if this position was appointed by the leader, I could be wrong). I think a leader change without swapping out the National Director and executive would be like slapping a new coat of paint on a car while smoke keeps pouring out of the hood.
Officially? No the leader doesn’t have any direct say over party executive. Functionally they always do, at least if they have any meaningful authority within the party at all. The executive is selected by the exact same party members that select the leader. It’s a rare situation where someone can put together the votes to win the leadership, but can’t convince those votes to support the people they endorse within the party administration
The leader absolutely has influence, you're right. I remember Jagmeet being responsible for getting a lot of people in after he won which necessitated a major shakeup about 18 months after he took the job. I think some of the difficulty has to do with how the election for leader vs. executive works - as long as the party doesn't get a mind to disqualify a candidate they don't like, as long as you can fundraise enough to run a campaign you've got a fair enough shot. Electing executive members at convention's always tough, as many of the union delegates' votes (union delegates are about 25% of the total IIRC) are whipped to support the executive's preferred candidates, and non-establishment candidates are disadvantaged in other ways (not receiving the rules for campaigning until the last minute, etc.). To try and cobble together 50%+1/75% of available votes in a 24 hour span is almost impossible - almost being the operative word. I hope enough delegates are fed up at the next convention that they give competing voices a shot.
I was talking about Watson, not Singh, and there was no way Singh could have gotten away with asking for a paycheque given the circumstances. I'd also point out that in his election night speech, Singh only stated that he was sorry more people didn't get elected and did not take responsibility at any point.
Harper lost his majority and since then there has been a parade of “Harper certified and approved” CPC leaders, who have all lost. Scheer, strike one. O’Toole strike two (although O'Toole attempted to move the CPC into the middle oh so carefully on climate, and for this sin he was taken out). Poilievre, the least qualified of the lot but popular with the base, strike 3.
As long as the CPC is locked in on Harper’s agenda (pro fossil fuels, pro guns, anti-federal government direction of social programs) there really isn’t hope for the CPC as far as winning government save for a Liberal collapse.
“How are these new Conservative MPs going to zealously represent their constituents interests when the needs of many of those seats is more money for decaying infrastructure?”
To a certain extent the answer is that they won’t have to. Part of the current triumph of Conservative social messaging is that huge swaths of the country simply aren’t voting based on things like lack of services. They’ll complain about them, but they’re not casting their vote based on it. Many of them don’t actually associate their services with specific party policies in a cause-and-effect sense.
It’s not something that scales into other, mostly more urban, areas, but for the socially conservative areas they’re now winning it’s proving very effective
The brain drain and intellectual atrophy of the party is completely by design. There isn't much to understand concerning a lack of rebuild or redirection of the Conservative Party because they are exactly where they want to be.
They use puppets like Jordan Peterson to undermine education and institutions. They undermine and discredit all media except their approved "sources".
All newly elected Conservative MP's were happy to go on TV once their muzzles were removed and project a message that they were happy with the election result, disappointed they didn't get their leader elected and form government this round but also excited for the progress they made.
They know their disinformation campaign is working. They know they are following the same timeline as it played out in the U.S.
Their 2025 advisers are guiding them all the way and in true Canadian fashion, always a few years behind our southern neighbours, project 2028 is in full swing.
This is a really good piece IMO. I recall when Conservatism had some thinkers instead of just pissed off .... (I dont know what to call them). You have explained this really well. Trouble is, the pissed off whatevers can do a lot of damage without an outlet or a voice. Maybe they need a hobby or more exercise. I cant figure out what their core issues are and how they can be recognized. I dont think simply hating liberals is something that can be addressed. Apparently I'm not alone.
Poilievre alienated all the intellectuals and red tories have been shown the door. Another election loss is the only way they'll change.
As Spkaser said, though, maybe they're happy just grifting money and rage-baiting. They certainly seem happy with second place, which is the fsrthest thing from the Harper era.
Pierre Poilievre and the CPC’s lack of intellectualism makes stupid/uneducated/uninformed people FEEL smart. It’s no coincidence that younger, lower educated males are the strongest base. Their egos and self esteem get a big hit from the current Party approach. Who’s going to mess with that?
Curious about something you don’t mention which is that PP appears to be off shoring a lot of the message and policy development to the organization chaired by our last conservative, Stephen Harper’s IDU. So for everyone who thinks Carney gets his ideas from WEF in Davos, which is kind of true, CPC is equally or more dominated by the globalist IDU…. And was that a pro or con or some of both in this last election?
- haven’t even read the whole thing.. but feels to me like yer feelin better .. will say ‘mood’ 4 good reason too !
It’s my belief - ‘you’re missing the boat re Ben Woodfinden - & anyone else even close in Rank / PayGrade / Access
& the current Potential.. to Pre-Sell an Automatic BestSeller Book.. IN ADVANCE .. even the Local Fringe Tech Support - Site after Site after Rally Site per the travelling Victorious by Polling Acclamation .. had to see & see again .. the bare naked truth of it.. the Malignant Narcissism & Pitifully Perfect Repeat Performing.. Victory Rally after Victory Rally.. after .. & the Wardrobe & Makeup Departments..
Evan .. have you seen adequate footage of the warm up act before Dear Anaida took the stage .. subsequently Pierre Himself.. chaste & loving kissy kissy - the Main Act.. But it’s the en francaise Show .. a young French MC .. comedian or ? Local Candidate for MP interplays with a tall white MP .. to warn of Carney.. blah blah.. Big crowd - huge Staging Event - but CPC Host Feed Video only..
Now just imagine - being in the truck, inside or outside the Convention Space or a Control & Client Room if it has one .. with camera & audio feeds.. with Ben Woodfinden.. as super bright a lad as Ray Novak or Stephen Lecce .. off in the distance is Jenni Byrne & the Andrew Scheers or Stephen Harper’s .. or Tom Flanagan’s or Arthur Hamilton.. & Tony Clement is just a VIP bagman ..
I cringe watching him watch the Show go off Perfectly .. but .. he’s the One To Watch now .. does he ‘walk away - stone cold’ ?
Just like Benjamin Perrin ?
.. will finish reading thanks.. & likely enlighten you on a few ‘details .. 🦎🏴☠️💋
Wouldn’t take questions from mainstream media outlets, then complained about biased coverage. Alienated centrist Conservative leaders, then accused them of sabotage. Spent two years arguing for an election and then had no real budget platform to campaign on.
This party is running on fumes of outrage and nothing else.
isn't the answer to "why isn't anyone on the right producing new intellectual ideas" just simply that the vacuum has been occupied by grifters that are profiting massively on low hanging rage bait, barely trying to cover it up as populism and capturing much larger audiences as a result?
The Jenni Byrne situation is similar to the NDP keeping on Lucy Watson as federal director after their loss (imagine the Titanic sinks, and the White Star Line fires every surviving crew member except for the officers). Change starts at the top, but the people responsible for the calamity get to keep their paycheques? In what universe does that make any sense?
I’d say a crucial difference is that a leadership change is coming to the NDP. Whoever wins is going to be installing their own people at all levels of the party, so replacing them now just means someone temporarily holds down the seat while the leadership race plays out.
I really hope you're right and that a new leader can bring about the change the party so desperately needs. Unfortunately the leader has no say over the party executive and has little hiring or firing power - that power mostly rests with the National Director (see a job posting for the National Director here: https://www.ndp.ca/job/national-director - I don't think they'd do a public job posting if this position was appointed by the leader, I could be wrong). I think a leader change without swapping out the National Director and executive would be like slapping a new coat of paint on a car while smoke keeps pouring out of the hood.
Officially? No the leader doesn’t have any direct say over party executive. Functionally they always do, at least if they have any meaningful authority within the party at all. The executive is selected by the exact same party members that select the leader. It’s a rare situation where someone can put together the votes to win the leadership, but can’t convince those votes to support the people they endorse within the party administration
The leader absolutely has influence, you're right. I remember Jagmeet being responsible for getting a lot of people in after he won which necessitated a major shakeup about 18 months after he took the job. I think some of the difficulty has to do with how the election for leader vs. executive works - as long as the party doesn't get a mind to disqualify a candidate they don't like, as long as you can fundraise enough to run a campaign you've got a fair enough shot. Electing executive members at convention's always tough, as many of the union delegates' votes (union delegates are about 25% of the total IIRC) are whipped to support the executive's preferred candidates, and non-establishment candidates are disadvantaged in other ways (not receiving the rules for campaigning until the last minute, etc.). To try and cobble together 50%+1/75% of available votes in a 24 hour span is almost impossible - almost being the operative word. I hope enough delegates are fed up at the next convention that they give competing voices a shot.
Singh isn’t collecting a paycheque. He had the grace to take responsibility.
I was talking about Watson, not Singh, and there was no way Singh could have gotten away with asking for a paycheque given the circumstances. I'd also point out that in his election night speech, Singh only stated that he was sorry more people didn't get elected and did not take responsibility at any point.
Harper lost his majority and since then there has been a parade of “Harper certified and approved” CPC leaders, who have all lost. Scheer, strike one. O’Toole strike two (although O'Toole attempted to move the CPC into the middle oh so carefully on climate, and for this sin he was taken out). Poilievre, the least qualified of the lot but popular with the base, strike 3.
As long as the CPC is locked in on Harper’s agenda (pro fossil fuels, pro guns, anti-federal government direction of social programs) there really isn’t hope for the CPC as far as winning government save for a Liberal collapse.
“How are these new Conservative MPs going to zealously represent their constituents interests when the needs of many of those seats is more money for decaying infrastructure?”
To a certain extent the answer is that they won’t have to. Part of the current triumph of Conservative social messaging is that huge swaths of the country simply aren’t voting based on things like lack of services. They’ll complain about them, but they’re not casting their vote based on it. Many of them don’t actually associate their services with specific party policies in a cause-and-effect sense.
It’s not something that scales into other, mostly more urban, areas, but for the socially conservative areas they’re now winning it’s proving very effective
The brain drain and intellectual atrophy of the party is completely by design. There isn't much to understand concerning a lack of rebuild or redirection of the Conservative Party because they are exactly where they want to be.
They use puppets like Jordan Peterson to undermine education and institutions. They undermine and discredit all media except their approved "sources".
All newly elected Conservative MP's were happy to go on TV once their muzzles were removed and project a message that they were happy with the election result, disappointed they didn't get their leader elected and form government this round but also excited for the progress they made.
They know their disinformation campaign is working. They know they are following the same timeline as it played out in the U.S.
Their 2025 advisers are guiding them all the way and in true Canadian fashion, always a few years behind our southern neighbours, project 2028 is in full swing.
This is a really good piece IMO. I recall when Conservatism had some thinkers instead of just pissed off .... (I dont know what to call them). You have explained this really well. Trouble is, the pissed off whatevers can do a lot of damage without an outlet or a voice. Maybe they need a hobby or more exercise. I cant figure out what their core issues are and how they can be recognized. I dont think simply hating liberals is something that can be addressed. Apparently I'm not alone.
The Canadian TaxPayer Federation 🤣 An endless parade of self-important nobodies on fringe right-wing AM radio broadcasts.
Good article, just to quibble isn’t the purpose of the Hub and Sean Spear and co to remedy this issue. What are your thoughts on their attempt?
“…intellectuals of the calibre of the Calgary School…” is a low bar indeed.
Great column Evan.
Poilievre alienated all the intellectuals and red tories have been shown the door. Another election loss is the only way they'll change.
As Spkaser said, though, maybe they're happy just grifting money and rage-baiting. They certainly seem happy with second place, which is the fsrthest thing from the Harper era.
Pierre Poilievre and the CPC’s lack of intellectualism makes stupid/uneducated/uninformed people FEEL smart. It’s no coincidence that younger, lower educated males are the strongest base. Their egos and self esteem get a big hit from the current Party approach. Who’s going to mess with that?
Curious about something you don’t mention which is that PP appears to be off shoring a lot of the message and policy development to the organization chaired by our last conservative, Stephen Harper’s IDU. So for everyone who thinks Carney gets his ideas from WEF in Davos, which is kind of true, CPC is equally or more dominated by the globalist IDU…. And was that a pro or con or some of both in this last election?
.. bravo bravo bravo .. ‘I say it three times ..
- haven’t even read the whole thing.. but feels to me like yer feelin better .. will say ‘mood’ 4 good reason too !
It’s my belief - ‘you’re missing the boat re Ben Woodfinden - & anyone else even close in Rank / PayGrade / Access
& the current Potential.. to Pre-Sell an Automatic BestSeller Book.. IN ADVANCE .. even the Local Fringe Tech Support - Site after Site after Rally Site per the travelling Victorious by Polling Acclamation .. had to see & see again .. the bare naked truth of it.. the Malignant Narcissism & Pitifully Perfect Repeat Performing.. Victory Rally after Victory Rally.. after .. & the Wardrobe & Makeup Departments..
Evan .. have you seen adequate footage of the warm up act before Dear Anaida took the stage .. subsequently Pierre Himself.. chaste & loving kissy kissy - the Main Act.. But it’s the en francaise Show .. a young French MC .. comedian or ? Local Candidate for MP interplays with a tall white MP .. to warn of Carney.. blah blah.. Big crowd - huge Staging Event - but CPC Host Feed Video only..
Now just imagine - being in the truck, inside or outside the Convention Space or a Control & Client Room if it has one .. with camera & audio feeds.. with Ben Woodfinden.. as super bright a lad as Ray Novak or Stephen Lecce .. off in the distance is Jenni Byrne & the Andrew Scheers or Stephen Harper’s .. or Tom Flanagan’s or Arthur Hamilton.. & Tony Clement is just a VIP bagman ..
I cringe watching him watch the Show go off Perfectly .. but .. he’s the One To Watch now .. does he ‘walk away - stone cold’ ?
Just like Benjamin Perrin ?
.. will finish reading thanks.. & likely enlighten you on a few ‘details .. 🦎🏴☠️💋