This is why I chose to stay away from today's affordable housing rally at the Alberta Legislature:"Was it a housing rally or a commercial for the New Democratic Party?
Grandstanding, anyone?
Most of the 300 or so on hand for the protest Thursday at noon at the legislature didn’t seem to mind much, but a few weren’t cheering as the third party used the rally to introduce candidates in the next provincial election and slam the oppositon Liberals with as much vigour as the government.
“I didn’t realize the NDP was going to do a rally here, I thought it was for housing. That’s really why I actually came down,” said Dave, a young married guy who wouldn’t give his last name. Dave and his wife have been evicted twice in the last two years for condo conversion and recently saw his rent go up $450.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
a 3 dressed up as a 9.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
19 comments:
typical NDP. typical Brian Mason. Manipulating an issue so close to so many Albertans for pure political motives.
Inappropriate grandstanding has always been an NDP tactic. It's one of the reasons they'll never be more than a protest movement.
Like nastygramps used to say, "What do you expect from a pig but a grunt?"
In related news, the Edmonton offices of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Alberta Federation of Labour and the Edmonton District Labour Council were mysteriously closed Thursday ...
I'm sorry, are political parties not allowed to hold rallies in favour of issues they support?
This was clearly an NDP rally - every flyer and email I saw about it had a big NDP logo on it.
The event got a lot of good press that kept hammering the Tories on rent control. You've chosen to link to the one negative clip. So be it, but I can't recall the last time the Liberals were able to put 300 people in front of the legislature to protest the government's actions. Perhaps that's the real motivation behind the bitterness of this post. Dave - you've always been partisan - but lately you are really drinking the Liberal bathwater.
Oh, and there was only one CUPE staff person present - me, on my lunch hour. Last time I checked, both Liberals and Tories felt it was ok for trade unionists to express their political beliefs. Or should Hugh MacDonald stop going to political events?
In related news, Las Vegas bookmakers have posted even odds that the NDP will come in no better than fifth place in the Calgary-Elbow byelection, with the Green Party taking third spot...film at 11.
The NDP is well within their rights to try to boost their own profile. I don't really see this as "inappropriate", even if the NDP is beyond lame.
Let me get this straight: The NDP Opposition Caucus used its taxpayer funded budget to advertize what amounted to a partisan rally for the ND Party?
Let me count the things that are wrong/illegal with this picture.
Why hasn't the media caught on to this yet? I'm going to start writing letters.
Ha! Well, it's not like they used caucus funds for a red truck with their leader's picture on it or anything...
they also didn't use caucus funds as a forum to announce party candidates.
they also didn't use [the red truck] caucus funds as a forum to announce party candidates.
Yes and Taft NEVER drove it to party events. No, no, no, no. That would be WRONG.
The arguments on here are ridiculous. All three of Alberta's official parties are allowed, and should be expected and encouraged, to stimulate as much public debate as possible. Of course the parties will use these events to advance their own positions and people, that's the nature of politics.
This blog is becoming pure Liberal rhetoric and it's very tiresome. What used to be a frequently updated blog with interesting discourse on all three levels of government has now become a nearly unabashsed advertisement for Kevin Taft's Alberta Liberals. It's no wonder this blog is no longer winning awards from the greater blogging community.
I for one will start looking for informed discourse elsewhere...
I was at the rally, and while I'm a New Democrat, I am sensitive to things that are obnoxiously partisan, and I didn't see that here. It promoted the NDP candidates--very, very briefly--because it was the NDP that organized the rally. But the real thrust of the point was to come down hard on Stelmach's Tories. There were a lot of different kinds of people there, not just New Democrats. That was part of what made it so exciting.
My photos are here, for anyone who's curious to see what it looked like. I thought it was great.
"I for one will start looking for informed discourse elsewhere..."
you'll be back. in the meantime, grow some thicker skin.
Good advice Dave, perhaps you should take it.
This is a little disappointing Dave. I thought you knew better. Posting an Edmonton Sun article, what have you become? Also, I'm not sure when the ND's hijacked this event, before or after they organized it. Or maybe it was when some Liberal members started advertising it. In fact, I happen to recall a few Liberal MLAs being there.
Also, I still hate all this anonymous posting. Stand up for yourselves people.
Sam: My point was that I assumed it was going to be a partisan NDP event, therefor I didn't go. I'm not sure what's dissapointing about that.
Also, I agree, the anonymous posting is starting to get on my nerves.
Post a Comment