(this one won't make a lot of sense to non-Canucks, sorry).
In the election last Spring the NDP surged, gaining far more seats than ever before, took the majority of seats in Quebec (where they'd barely ever one one or two in the past), and became the official opposition. At the time the question was asked: was this a long term trend, or simply a rejection of all the other options combined with people liking the NDP leader, Jack Layton? Could Jack take all those rookie MPs and weld them into an effective caucus? Could he get the party beyond his own personal popularity?
Yesterday he was taken by cancer.
Out of everything, I'm sure one of his regrets was that he didn't have the time to try and lead those permanent changes.
So, anyone have opinions? Will this go down as a blib, a high water point for the Dippers and a tribute to a charismatic leader, then we go back to the usual Lib-Tory duopoly? Or did he manage to truly transform the NDP into a party that could honestly run to be government? Or did he simply make it strong enough to keep the Liberals from government, guaranteeing a long run of Tory majorities?
Personally speaking, I've never particularly been a Dipper (although I've voted that way occasionally, usually because of a strong local candidate), but I did like Jack Layton. He was the only one of the federal leaders that I found remotely easy to connect with, and whether or not I agreed with him, his passion and commitment were clear.
In the election last Spring the NDP surged, gaining far more seats than ever before, took the majority of seats in Quebec (where they'd barely ever one one or two in the past), and became the official opposition. At the time the question was asked: was this a long term trend, or simply a rejection of all the other options combined with people liking the NDP leader, Jack Layton? Could Jack take all those rookie MPs and weld them into an effective caucus? Could he get the party beyond his own personal popularity?
Yesterday he was taken by cancer.
Out of everything, I'm sure one of his regrets was that he didn't have the time to try and lead those permanent changes.
So, anyone have opinions? Will this go down as a blib, a high water point for the Dippers and a tribute to a charismatic leader, then we go back to the usual Lib-Tory duopoly? Or did he manage to truly transform the NDP into a party that could honestly run to be government? Or did he simply make it strong enough to keep the Liberals from government, guaranteeing a long run of Tory majorities?
Personally speaking, I've never particularly been a Dipper (although I've voted that way occasionally, usually because of a strong local candidate), but I did like Jack Layton. He was the only one of the federal leaders that I found remotely easy to connect with, and whether or not I agreed with him, his passion and commitment were clear.
