...and while I'm at it, offer advice to the oldest political party in Canada. [1]
I am not a Canadian Liberal, although I probably would be if there were not other parties somewhat further to the left. However, because they are the oldest extant Canadian political party, because they are generally comfortable drifting to the left when it doesn't cost them too much politically, and finally and most importantly because of the sober intelligence and hard work of their current leader, Stephane Dion, I'm inclined to give them advice, or at least to hope that they take the good advice and prepare a bear trap for Mr. Harper the next time they clash in the polls.
If I were advising the Liberals, here is what I would like to see them do, much of it behind the scenes:
1. For now, keep Stephane Dion as leader as long as possible. There's a simple reason for this -- the Conservatives have spent the past two years attacking Stephane, there is no advantage in quickly putting forward a new
2. Get together the most wise and cunning members of the party, not more than a dozen people are so, and decide upon a single person to put forward as the next leader. This person should be incisive, well spoken, tough and aggressive, but not necessarily the sharpest knife in the drawer. This past couple of years the leader has been the sharpest knife in the drawer, and it has become obvious that intelligence, wisdom and an honorable approach to politics is simply the wrong tool for the job.
3. Gather together a team of people who will have two functions -- first, to provide a tightknit advisory core to back up their leader, and second to be cultivated as understudies -- and to be able to speak clearly and forcefully when approached, just as the leader is expected to do. This group need not be the same as the group in the example above, but I'm sure they will probably overlap. These people will also function like multiple targets for the conservatives to spend their money attacking.
4. Decide as a group, and then stick to this decision fiercely, that no one inside the Liberal party is an enemy more worthy of combat than the conservative party. Set aside whatever intramural squabbles may exist and anyone who raises those quarrels should be hit on the nose with a rolled up newspaper until they behave.
5. Now the party has a pointy bit, and a solid arrowhead behind the point. Money at present is a serious problem, so save every drop of liquidity for purposes were nothing else will do. Meanwhile, recruit among the membership and put together a sort of simmering campaign readiness strategy, much of which would be mediated by extremely cheap means, such as a very active presence on the Internet. I have been very impressed with what the Obama campaign has done by means of the Internet -- the Liberals could do a lot worse than to look at what they've done and see what can be adapted for Canadian purposes.
6. Pick an election timeline of their own, preferably in early one, in the vicinity of a year, keep that completely secret but keep it as an aim, and work towards that.
7. Try to hold an election fairly quickly after the public selection of a new leader. Have everyone else primed and ready for a coordinated, clear and ruthless campaign.
Anyone reading this prescription undoubtedly can see that my experience in politics, especially the running of a very large political organization, is limited. Nothing I can do about that.
It would be interesting some time to count up all the effort and money that the political process spends simply on attacks between parties, and among the candidates within a single party. I find it difficult to believe that this is the best way to arrive at the best leader -- but that is a topic for another day.
Noni
[1] Yep, the Libs are the oldest, therefore the most "conservative"? The ages of the five main parties of this last election (Wiki):
Liberal, 112
NDP, 47
Green, 25
Bloc Québécois, 17
Conservative, 5.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment