Nathan Cullen has officially announced that he will be running for the leadership of the federal NDP. Cullen made the announcement Friday morning in Vancouver, where he said that he wants to bring progressives together to bring in a “new kind of politics” to Ottawa by declaring war on the highly controlled way the Tories run thel government, or as Cullen see it, “to end the crass political calculations that serve Stephen Harper, not citizens.”
“I don’t just want to beat Stephen Harper. I want to beat the way he does politics,” said Cullen.
The way he backed the corporate agenda on the metered internet issue is troubling. And downright shameful.
If he was willing to turn his back on a campaign promise, on an election platform, on consumers, and his own party to back corporate interests, then I don’t think he’s much different than any other politician.
Not the kind of person you’d want leading the NDP, anyway. Certainly not principled like Jack Layton.
I completely disagree with you.
He’s the best candidate in the field so far. I don’t know if he’s bilingual, if he’s not it’s over before the starting gun.
You’re stuck on a single issue. One I don’t stand totally for or against you on. You know the CRTC reversal dealt with wholesale, right? The big guys can’t charge CityWest or me (as resellers) for bandwidth but it doesn’t stop the end provider from capping or shaping if it has to? The market can decide that. Vote with your dollar. Vote with your head on the ballot.
He made an election promise to oppose all forms of UBB. Jack Layton came right out and said that the NDP would stand up for consumers, especially in monopoly situations.
Nathan Cullen did the opposite. In a monopoly situation, he supported the monopoly. He broke his election promise.
So it may be a single issue, but I think it reflects poorly on any other election promises he makes, and on his decision-making process. If he’s willing to sell out consumers, his own party, and his election promises so easily, then he’s not to be trusted on other issues.
Would he be opposed to an oil pipeline if it was a Northern BC company behind it? Would he be opposed to asbestos mines if there were local ones?
Sure, when there is competition. I refer you to Jack Layton’s quote in my signature. The issue is even more important when there’s no choice.
Sorry, but Nathan Cullen is no Jack Layton.
Compare Nathan’s reaction to UBB to Libby Davies’s reaction. She’s the NDP I want to vote for.
He made an election promise to oppose all forms of UBB. Jack Layton came right out and said that the NDP would stand up for consumers, especially in monopoly situations.
Nathan Cullen did the opposite. In a monopoly situation, he supported the monopoly. He broke his election promise.
So it may be a single issue, but I think it reflects poorly on any other election promise he makes, on his decision-making process. If he’s willing to sell out consumers, his own party, and his election promises so easily, then he’s not to be trusted on other issues.
Would he be opposed to an oil pipeline if it was a Northern BC company behind it? Would he be opposed to asbestos mines if there were local ones?
Sure, when there is competition. I refer you to Jack Layton’s quote in my signature. The issue is even more important when there’s no choice.
Sorry, but Nathan Cullen is no Jack Layton.
Compare Nathan’s reaction to UBB to Libby Davies’s reaction. She’s the NDP I want to vote for.[/quote]
So you would support Libby Davies I see,well she said the following,Is that something you can vote for?
During an interview, Libby Davies (Vancouver East), who is also NDP house leader, suggested that Israel has been occupying Palestinian territories since 1948, the year of its independence, calling it the “longest occupation in the world.”
You go ahead and vote for Libby Davis, I will support Mr Cullen.
There is not going to be a Jack Layton for some time to come I am sure.
He made an election promise to oppose all forms of UBB. Jack Layton came right out and said that the NDP would stand up for consumers, especially in monopoly situations.
Nathan Cullen did the opposite. In a monopoly situation, he supported the monopoly. He broke his election promise.
So it may be a single issue, but I think it reflects poorly on any other election promise he makes, on his decision-making process. If he’s willing to sell out consumers, his own party, and his election promises so easily, then he’s not to be trusted on other issues.
Would he be opposed to an oil pipeline if it was a Northern BC company behind it? Would he be opposed to asbestos mines if there were local ones?
Sure, when there is competition. I refer you to Jack Layton’s quote in my signature. The issue is even more important when there’s no choice.
Sorry, but Nathan Cullen is no Jack Layton.
Compare Nathan’s reaction to UBB to Libby Davies’s reaction. She’s the NDP I want to vote for.
So you would support Libby Davies I see,well she said the following,Is that something you can vote for?
During an interview, Libby Davies (Vancouver East), who is also NDP house leader, suggested that Israel has been occupying Palestinian territories since 1948, the year of its independence, calling it the “longest occupation in the world.”
You go ahead and vote for Libby Davis, I will support Mr Cullen.
There is not going to be a Jack Layton for some time to come I am sure.[/quote]
Nathan got it wrong with the metered Internet issue, but, he gets it right on the other issues that I care about. I keep hoping he will come out and admit that he was wrong on UBB (that doesn’t look like it is going to happen).
I am thinking strategically here. Mulcair has enemies and he tends to be abrasive (he would have clout in Quebec). Does Topp have the wherewithal to take on Harper? Cullen is a savvy politician who could give Harper a run for his money.
I think Cullen or Topp are possible choices at this point. None of the leadership candidates come close to Jack.
[quote=“MiG”]
Sorry, but Nathan Cullen is no Jack Layton.
.[/quote]
[quote=“chookie”]
There is not going to be a Jack Layton for some time to come I am sure.[/quote]
It is Blasphemy Day so I guess I will say it. When did Jack Layton get canonized? He was a decent man and a good politician and he certainly was successful this past election. How much of that success was due Layton and how much was due to the collapse of the Liberals and the Bloc can be debated. But during the last election and during his nine years as leader, I don’t ever remember him being compared to Tommy Douglas or David Lewis or Ed Broadbent.
I feel sorry for the next NDP leader. Any success that they have will be attributed to Layton. Any failures will be the fault of the new guy.
I am not knocking Layton. His death was horribly sad and the House of Commons is certainly worse off without him. But he is not irreplaceable. The NDP don’t need a Second Coming. The NDP has a platform and somebody - with the help of 103 MPs - will have to go out and sell it.
It is Blasphemy Day so I guess I will say it. When did Jack Layton get canonized? He was a decent man and a good politician and he certainly was successful this past election. How much of that success was due Layton and how much was due to the collapse of the Liberals and the Bloc can be debated. But during the last election and during his nine years as leader, I don’t ever remember him being compared to Tommy Douglas or David Lewis or Ed Broadbent.
… I am not knocking Layton. His death was horribly sad and the House of Commons is certainly worse off without him. But he is not irreplaceable. The NDP don’t need a Second Coming. [/quote]
He was all of the things that you mention. The circumstances of his death, particularly that it was so sudden, no doubt set the stage, but in a way he succeeded in canonizing himself, through his lengthy funeral arrangements that dominated the news cycle for an entire week. It was a political master stroke from his death bed. He was indeed a highly skilled politician.