Thursday #2
Why is this young man smiling? Because he is looking forward to a political fight - meet the NDP nominee for NQW - Pat Clark.Born and schooled in Cobourg, with a BA from Trent (in International Development), and now finishing his Masters in Global Governance he is eminently qualified academically to battle wits with the witless in the next Federal election. Fresh back from a Co-op experience in Venezuala where he was working with an NGO in the Fair Trade Coffee movement he returned with a new language and plenty of experience with the South American Free trade Agreements. Finishing in December, he has already turned down opportunities to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he looks for new and interesting challenges of all kinds.
One of his new challenges will turn up at any time and that is a Federal Election. Talking with Russ Christianson, the three time successful NDP candidate (he increased the NDP vote in each election he challenged) Pat was surprised when Russ encouraged him to put his name forward. After all it's not as though Pat is unknown to the NQW NDP, he has worked in several elections before he left for academia and since.
Acknowledging his youth, Pat is only 23, he thinks that is no disadvantage. "There is a youth constituency that has been ignored, I would like to work with them, and others, to bring their issues to the fore" Whilst wanting to meet and learn from others he wants to meet and hear what all the different groups in N'land have to say .
"Student debt and the problem of youth unemployment is high on my list of concerns" he told me in a recent interview. "Especially the lack of opportunities in one's field" referring to the problems that many recent graduates, and friends are now facing, "Even the ones with crappy jobs are seeing no opportunities further down the road!"
He readily admits that he became a New Democrat because he has been attracted to Social Democracy for a long time' "Social Democracy has worked well in many countries and Social Democrat economies have worked the best!" Acknowledging that he is willing to call himself a socialist he ponders the question, "Why is 'socialist' a negative term?" Great question, one that the present Dippers might ask themselves.
Let me tell you I am excited about this young candidate, he is bright, articulate thoughtful and unfilled with dogma and cant. ln an age where all the political parties do is look for candidates that will not screw up, this fellow will shine!
15 comments:
This young fella's got his work cut out to impact the Liberal/Conservative juggernaut of less government. He might as well be brave and call himself a socialist, before the others do , I suppose. Good luck to him. We need the new blood.
I'm excited by the thought of this person being in our local election. He brings a different angle to the politics-as-usual we are saddled with election after election, municipal, provincial and federal. Many times, I think, Why is every chair on the All-Candidates table filled with a 50-ish white man? They all wear the business suit, similar ties and have their hair cut in the same style. Youth, yes! Women candidates, yes! Non-white choices, yes! People open about their different sexual orientation, yes! Let the elections reflect the diversity of our actual population. Is he to be the NDP candidate or is that still undecided? Is he running for the nomination or does he already have it?
"Youth, yes!
Women candidates, yes!
Non-white choices, yes!
People open about their different sexual orientation, yes!
Let the elections reflect the diversity of our actual population."
Elections have been doing that for years. What else isn't new?
I, too, am excited for this candidate. I hope he can bring a youthful vision to our riding and invigorate our young people so they can play an important role in our political process.
We need new ideas, and a new way to do things. While I am a true Liberal, and will always be a Liberal, I wish this candidate success as he works hard to advocate for the most vulnerable in our society.
Thanks, Ben, for posting this, and for sending along the link for me to read.
At this point, Pat Clark is not the NDP candidate. The selection meeting has not been held yet. It seems it has not even been scheduled so far. Clark is the only one to express interest as of now. Ben, can you do an interview with Murray Weppler to get the scoop?
Here's a new idea about going GREEN and costing more, much more, in our hyrdro bills.
"This week council found out that the library's hydro bills have shot up to $30,000 - $23,000 more than estimated. Councillor Ralph Forsyth thus asked council to review the costs associated with other "green" buildings in the Resort Municipality, including a fire hall in the Spring Creek neighbourhood and an employee housing complex."
Perhaps we have here someone willing to not even climb onto the (gravy) train and be swallowed up by the ruthless monster 'Politico'.
We'll have to see what happens after initiation.
Following up on Andrew McF's comment, I pose this riddle: What is the difference between True Liberals and New Democrats?
True Liberals are people who have only just discovered, on their summer holidays, that their party can "do better" than the Conservatives; New Democrats are people who have known that they can do better since the last election.
Yep Anon is correst Pat Clark has not been selected but will be when the nomination meeting takes place on September 27th at 2.00pm in the Citizens Forum in Cobourg at Victoria Hall. See you there
William,
Way to take a non-partisan comment by Andrew and turn it into something divisive. McFadyen was wishing this candidate luck in the run not trying to play politics.
Andrew McF. can obviously speak for himself. When Anonymous said gets a voice, then s/he, too, may do the same. Until then....
PS to Anonymous said, who has ears, but lacks a voice:
di⋅vi⋅sive –adjective: forming or expressing division.
In parliamentary politics, division is not a vice, but rather a de-vice whereby the representatives of the people speak.
As a response to injustice, I am happy to promote political division.
If only Mr. McF's fearless leader had been more divisive last January, Canadians would have been blessed with Iggy's fearless leadership for, lo, those many months.
Instead, Iggy chose to be non-partisan. Can it be that this is why Anonymous said is all choked up?
For William:
A poster on Rabble.ca recently said that the liberals are a party founded by invertaebrates. I kinda like that one.
As for the NDP, may I offer my own theory? They would be represented in the animal kingdom by a fictional beast from Hugh Lofting's Dr. Dolittle books called a "push me/pull you". This creature never got anywhere because it could never decide which way to go.
I'm rather pleased with myself for that one too.
According to evolutionary theory backbones are a fairly recent development, unless the NDP know something they're not sharing.
Well, Deb, who would deny that we do not get a whole loaf from any political party and that all of them have a share of members who are, in effect, animals without backbones--cockroaches.
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