LEFT? RIGHT?
Oh, what a beautiful NDP triumph in Nova Scotia. Marvelous really. After Darrell Dexter's stunning and deserved electoral victory; it's now time to reflect on how this man, this leader, pulled it off.
As Maclean's has reported, the country's newest NDP Premier ran a tightly focused platform that included modest spending increases and tax breaks, while attacking the government's record and questioning its ability to deliver on any new promises. As a politician he is "scarcely a party hardliner" and he regularly "balks" when people try to label him a "socialist". For its part, CBC saw it much the same way, noting the NDP leader's victory was due to the fact that he had distanced "himself from the image of a free-spending socialist by taking a middle of the road stance on many issues."
Indeed, it is very true that Nova Scotia's newly elected Premier, Darrell Dexter, owes Tuesday's electoral success to all the reasons noted above. However, the opening quotes to this post do not refer to Darrell Dexter's victory, but rather to Manitoba NDP Premier Gary Doer's 1999 victory over his Tory arch-nemesis, Gary Filmon. Which begs the question, is Dexter a Doer?
One hopes not...
UP NEXT: "Why Dexter should not be a Doer"
Yes, I was also very concerned about Dexter... everything I've heard about him indicates that he will be like Doer, except maybe a little worse.
ReplyDeleteBrian,
ReplyDeleteWith respects, I beg to differ, I actually see within Dexter a greater warmth and common touch that should serve him well in the coming months and years. Whereas, I fear the promise of Doer has been squandered over his last two terms. Gary, unfortunately, seems to have forgotten that the simple act of retaining power, is, in and of itself, meaningless if you are not going to maximize its utility. In my estimation, Mr. Doer has done his government, his party, Manitoba (and himself?) a great disservice by not doing more with his mandates.