Beyond the obvious path of voting for the most progressive option, to truly honour the man and his vision of a better Canada we must do much more.
We must let the candidates and political parties know that we demand more of them. When they descend into negativity as they surely will, we must loudly and forcefully let them know that we expect them to offer positive solutions to our problems and debate policy instead of resorting to personal attacks. This means picking up the phone,a pen, pounding the keyboard , showing up at all candidates meetings, attending events, engaging them at the door and more importantly taking to the streets to make certain our voices are heard loud and clear.
We must also hold the media to account demanding more of them than just the latest poll results and the echoing of party talking points. We must demand that they ask the questions that need asking and to keep asking until we get the answers we need, using much the same tools laid out above.
Just as importantly we must engage our families, friends, and coworkers in discussion. Let them know that contrary to what they have been told these past few years that, yes, we can afford to, and must take care of each other and build a better and more inclusive society
If we do these things this fall and beyond then win or lose we will have at least done what Jack would have wanted us to do. That to my mind would be the highest tribute we could pay the man
Kev, I don't want to rain on your parade but Jack's dead. Let him go. He didn't live long enough to consolidate his election win nor did he leave any legislative legacy. He advanced his party to opposition status. New leadership will have to emerge with new vision. Jack didn't leave a roadmap. They'll have to chart their own course, not try to replicate his.
ReplyDeleteHi, MoS Much of what you say is true, however whoever Jack was or accomplished in life the manner of his passing and the resultant outpouring has for whatever reason served to re-energise the progressive camp in this country.
ReplyDeleteIt would be a shame to waste that new found energy
We can't wait to see who the NDP chooses and the path they ultimately take as none of that will be in time to affect the upcoming elections. So at this time and perhaps always we need to be our own leaders
hi Kev...right on. We have to put the ideals Jack left us into practice. And what you're suggesting sounds like an excellent start. And don't listen to that old grump the MOS. He wouldn't know what youthful idealism was if it hit him in the face. Liberals like him are so broken they want to take us back to a situation of hopelessness. It's true the NDP will have to channel this new energy carefully, and yes Jack is dead. But his ideals live on...
ReplyDeleteHi,Simon always great to have you drop by. Lets hope that a sufficient number of people feel that way and we can build some momentum towards real progressive change
ReplyDeleteps: As a recovering cynic myself I can appreciate where MoS comes from LOL