Well aren't we having a full-on field day with this one. It's like a participatory soap opera. Harper could cut someone's head off and he wouldn't face as much criticism as Dion is over this.
I'm not completely defending this decision. I think it was rude for Dion to leave this to the eleventh hour after Orchard campaigned for months. But let's keep it in context: Dion promised to personally ensure that women will be running in one-third of federal ridings.
Is the commitment to equality half-hearted among grassroots Liberals? Is equality is simply out-of-vogue? Should Dion instead risk later being criticized for failing to ensure enough women are running?
History has proven that this promise would be impossible to keep without hand-picking candidates.
Furthermore, according to the Edmonton Journal, "Dion and Orchard had spoken prior to the announcement," so it wasn't done blindly as if to stab Orchard in the back.
Orchard will get a nomination. Let's have some patience.
I'm not completely defending this decision. I think it was rude for Dion to leave this to the eleventh hour after Orchard campaigned for months. But let's keep it in context: Dion promised to personally ensure that women will be running in one-third of federal ridings.
Is the commitment to equality half-hearted among grassroots Liberals? Is equality is simply out-of-vogue? Should Dion instead risk later being criticized for failing to ensure enough women are running?
History has proven that this promise would be impossible to keep without hand-picking candidates.
Furthermore, according to the Edmonton Journal, "Dion and Orchard had spoken prior to the announcement," so it wasn't done blindly as if to stab Orchard in the back.
Orchard will get a nomination. Let's have some patience.
Labels: David Orchard, mountains out of molehills, Stephane Dion
5 Comments:
Agreed.....Dion has made a promise. I can understand the disappointment though for the supporters.
"I think it was rude for Dion to leave this to the eleventh hour after Orchard campaigned for months."
Has any of you asked how long ago Dion's Saskatchewan Liberals started courting Ms. Beatty?
Evidently it's been going on since the last provincial election, but I still think any intention on Dion's behalf to plunk her into this position should have been made clearer to Orchard long before this flap.
Well we had no problem NOT appointing Meredith Cartwright in Toronto Centre. We had no problem "making" Bob Rae have to fight a nomination over her.
In fact, Mr. Dion made the decision prior to calling David personally.
We sat in Montreal in '06 and said we weren't going to be the party of politics as usual and appointments.
Not letting democracy take its course in DMCR will not only lose us that riding, but alienate thousands (yes he's that big) of Orchard supporters.
All this for a woman that has never voted Liberal in her life, has never so much as attended a Liberal function, has never signed up a single member. The NDP finished third by 6500 votes in this riding. We didn't need the support of Dippers. We needed to steal Conservative votes...something David is well suited for.
It's not a sex thing. It's a democracy thing. David had the support of 10 aboriginal chiefs in that riding.
Point well-taken on the subject of TO centre; perhaps it was wrongly assumed that Rae's profile was exponentially larger than Mr. Orchard's.
I didn't realize that Mr. Dion made the decision prior to calling David personally - like I said before, that's clearly in poor judgement.
We did say in MTL that we wouldn't be the party of politics as usual, but Dion also said that he would use his power of making appointments to guarantee the inclusion of women. I would imagine that as time goes by, it becomes harder to keep that promise without hand-picking.
I suppose all we can do now is:
1) pressure Beatty to prove she can be a Liberal, by attending the functions and signing up members; and
2) Urgently find Orchard a seat to run in...
Post a Comment
<< Home