This NDP MP believes ‘unapologetic socialism’ can revive the party (breachmedia.ca)

submitted 8 hours ago by yogthos@lemmy.ml to c/canada@lemmy.ca

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[-] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 14 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

Yes baby. Socialist policies are very popular even with people allergic to the word when presented on their own merit. That's not surprising because these policies have always arisen out of material need created by life under capitalism. So whenever the system creates the need, people rediscover the need for these solutions.

[-] Godort@lemmy.ca 21 points 8 hours ago

She's probably right, as long as they don't call it what it is.

There is still a large enough contingent of people that get their news from down south that believe the red scare.

[-] yogthos@lemmy.ml 15 points 8 hours ago

One thing we can learn by watching the right grow is that you don't need to be apologetic even if you're in minority. What ultimately matters is having a strong and motivated core of people who are willing to be there for the long haul. That means having a vision people can get behind, and that just can't be the lowest common denominator.

[-] GrindingGears@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 hours ago

The right are barely in the minority though. And shouting from the rooftops that you are for unabashed socialism, is a dangerous move. You have entire generations of people still voting in this country, with decades of fear about socialism and the Soviet Union, from a generation long cold war.

You cling onto this strategy, you are riding pine all the way to near zero. This is why I still doubt the NDPs capability to lead. They can't even seem to get their own ships sailing in the same direction internally, how can we realistically expect them to navigate the treacherous geopolitical landscape of current times? This is a serious question.

It's going to be us picking between giant douche and turd sandwich for another generation I fear. Because the fringe just cannot quit being fringe.

[-] pulsewidth@lemmy.world 7 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Absolutely. Never show weakness in your conviction. Don't back down on your ideas because they may offend.

Seems to work on voters "looking for change" for the politicians selling hate, racism and fascism - don't see why it couldn't work for politicians selling inclusivity, positivity and socialism.

[-] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 3 points 7 hours ago

A vision that offers tangible, achievable improvements to people's lives. For example everyone and their dog has promised market solutions to the housing crisis and nothing has worked. The best we got was a pause on the escalation via interest rate hikes and population growth reduction. Solutions that may not be sustainable in changing economic environment. If someone shows up with an easy to understand, tangible non-market solution to the problem, I bet people will go for it in droves. Like getting the government into hiring people to build housing. A tried and true solution.

[-] GrindingGears@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 hours ago

It's almost like governments can't control market based solutions!?!

Also the real answer to moving the needle on this problem, I think, is the elimination of the PRTE. You just better buckle up for the thermonuclear boomer outrage that's going to result from that, and I'm not sure there's a politician in this land that's ready to do that.

[-] SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world 3 points 7 hours ago

Carney has been one of the most popular prime ministers in Canada simply by being a slightly right-of-center liberal which is what the voters want right now.

[-] GrindingGears@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 hours ago

If everyone sets down reddit and Facebook for a minute, and quiets the screaming chaos that are those things, you'd quickly realize that the vast majority of Canadians are smack dab in the mushy middle that such a leader slots nicely into. Not the one screaming one-liner insults and plays on people's names, and certainly not the one that only really cares about Quebec.

[-] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 7 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

I think this interpretation of the reasons for Carney's popularity might be incorrect. One reason is that a large part of the Carney vote came from left-of-LPC voters that tend to vote NDP. People like myself and some friends and family. We didn't vote for him because he's right-of-centre. We voted for him despite that. What you're seeing can be correlarion, not causation. As for his current approval, I can say that people like us approve of his overall performance but we do NOT approve of his handling of certain important files like labour rights. For this reaaon I believe that if a better option appears on the table that can keep PP at bay, the ground could shift under Carney as fast as it shifted to get him elected.

[-] SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world 1 points 7 hours ago

When was the last time the NDP leader was a quarter as charismatic as Jack Layton.

[-] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 5 points 6 hours ago

I think we're past the time of electing people on charisma. That works when people aren't struggling as much as they are today.

We'll see how things move with the new NDP leader, depending on who it is. We'll talk again. Maybe I'll turn out wrong.

[-] SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world 5 points 6 hours ago

I think you’re underestimating the rizz.

[-] GrindingGears@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 hours ago

I think you are underestimating the foreign interference that is our press. Ask the next 20 people random strangers who walk past you tomorrow who the leader of the NDP is. You may know the answer to that, but I doubt the other 19 do.

[-] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 5 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Could be. I'm also betting the economic situation is not gonna improve for most people over the libs mandate and Trump would become less of a threat over that time which is why I'm further discounting the charisma factor. Not that I wouldn't want a charisnaric NDP leader but I prefer being able to get support on the merits of meaningful policy, because that's sustainable beyond the next leader, and it makes campaigning more scalable because every face of the party can sell the policy without needing dear leader's portrait on the wall behind them.

E: I can sell public non-profit grocery stores to most of my family and friends. It's much more difficult to sell them a competition policy adjustment that may or may not result in anything they see.