The new deputy leader of the Green Party of Canada apparently still has not decided if he will even run for Parliament, which you would think would be a prerequisite for taking the #2 spot in a party. Though I suppose when your party has no seats in Parliament, you operate by a different set of rules. According to Elizabeth May, the deputy is not someone who is next in line for leadership and must be groomed accordingly; rather the job is for a campaigner. Forget all those candidates who put in tireless hours trying to get elected and are actually qualified to be leader, #2 should be a buffoon who may or may not run for office.
The question is will the Laraque appointment quell the little insurrection happening in the Green Party this summer? Are all those Greens who doubt May's ability to win a seat in Parliament going to be satisfied with this? Georges actually joined the Greens in February, but was not named deputy until the end of July on a long weekend slow news cycle. This announcement also comes a few weeks after Lizzy's top leadership rival went on the CBC to publicly declare her intention to force a leadership review before the next election. Sylvie Lemieux announces intention to force leadership review on July 19th, and May appoints the hockey goon as deputy on July 31st. This strongly suggests that the Laraque appointment had more to do with internal party posturing than actually doing what's best for the party. It had already been announced that Georges was going to be a Green spokesperson, but deputy???
Elizabeth May is hoping that making Georges the deputy can quash a leadership review from happening before the next election. She loves democratic reform, but only reforms that make it easier for her to get elected and harder to remove from power.
Georges was just on the CBC saying that running for office will interfere with his activism. Evidently he has no intention of actually putting his name on a ballot.
ReplyDeleteThis makes him a very strange choice for deputy leader...
The one thing you need to take into account is the sheer number of deputy leaders the Green Party has.
ReplyDeletePrior to Laraque's appointment, I believe the figure was 12.
12 deputy leaders. So, really, what's one more?
This is one screwed up organization. Some guy, who's only claim to fame is that he was a hockey goon, and who has only been a party member for a few months is chosen deputy leader. I think I'll write a letter of protest to Daniel Smith; I've been a member of the Wildrose Alliance for three years and no one has offered me the job of deputy leader.
ReplyDeleteHe might just be a pretty face hoping to win through his on ice popularity, his activist background without going door to door or mounting a traditional campaign in a riding he is assigned.
ReplyDeleteWilliam in Ajax said...
ReplyDeleteI suspect Ms. May expects an ugly leadership challenge.
She won't go down without a fight, I've heard she may have to be dragged out of the green leadership.
With Georges around, no-one will be getting into Ms. Mays face, or physically touching her.
Get my drift...!
She will not win a seat in the next election, and shortly before election day she will encourage all her candidates to give up, and their supporters to do strategic voting.
ReplyDeleteThere will be no candidates in AB as the party was disbanded.
I hope they do not get enough votes to get their 1.95/vote.
Can't wait for lizzie to complain that PMSH ignores democracy, while she trys to be leader for life-sort of like other leaders in communist and terrorist countries.
May is desperate to cling to her office. Any "green" celebrity that happened along would be welcomed by May.
ReplyDeleteGeorges Laracque has as much political insight as Chelsea Clinton, and will be just as advantageous to May as Chelsea was to Bill.
There are many hockey personalities out there who could bring real business management skills to a political Party, Bob Gainey, Larry Robinson, Darryl Sutter,etc., but they're all gainfully employed in what they know best,HOCKEY,and are not out making a fool of themselves joining a lunatic fringer like Elizabeth May.
DMorris