Woo

My love sent this to me. There is some good advice here.. Wake up People What do you think? this good advice for both provinical and the federal party.

Kelly McParland: Six tips for a better Liberal party
Posted: October 19, 2008, 10:01 AM by Kelly McParland
Full Comment, Kelly McParland, canadian election
The Liberal party suffered one of the worst drubbings in its history Monday, thanks to the Green Shift and the abundance of alternative left-of-centre parties to choose from. Party elders have all but trampled Stephane Dion in the rush to get to the next leader, but Liberal problems are much deeper than than, and a period of sober reflection probably wouldn't hurt. (Remember, they send the pension cheques whether you were in power or in opposition). Here are some suggestions for things they might want to do different if they hope to earn their way back into the good graces of the Canadian electorate:Get over yourselves
You are not Canada. People with different views are not unCanadian. You do not have an inborn right to run the country. God did not invent Canada to ensure Liberals a full-time job in Ottawa. The party had a healthy run of power for a long time, and you should be proud and grateful, but the country has grown and changed, times have evolved, and you have not evolved with it. It is your responsibility to listen to the country and develop policies accordingly; it is not the country's responsibility to read the Liberal platform and nod obediently.Forget Trudeau
Okay, don't forget him, but quit searching for the second coming. The man was a phenomenon who struck a chord in his time, but he was also deeply flawed and nowhere near as good for the country as he was for the party. He so seriously divided Canadians that large parts of the country are still offended by mention of his name; he was a lousy economic manager who left a legacy of deficit and debt; he galvanized Quebecers for a time but left an aftertaste his successors have never managed to overcome. Canadians aren't going to rise up again to embrace the new Trudeau; they probably wouldn't embrace the old Trudeau if he were to appear now. Confine him to the pantheon of party heroes and find someone who better suits the times.Look at a map
Canada does not consist of greater Toronto and bits of Quebec. Thirty percent of the seats, most of the money and a lot of the freshest ideas reside west of Ontario, yet Liberals continue to treat it as some sort of backwater filled with cowboys and right-wing extremists. No, the people out west aren't like the ones you find at CBC headquarters, but neither is 90% of the country. No, they don't love you for your past and they're not going to wake up tomorrow and suddenly realize the Liberal party vision of the country is the one right and true path. Mocking them doesn't earn their allegiance; listening to them might. Quit preaching, lose the holier-than-thou attitude and come up with some proposals that address the perfectly legitimate aspirations and ambitions of western Canada.Enough with the anti-Americanism
Carolyn Parrish was an embarrassment and the earlier the Liberal party realizes it, the better. The United States is our biggest trading partner, our most valuable ally and the lifeline of our economy. It’s fine to moan privately over the political antics that take place in Washington, or the mess the country often makes when it tries to reconstruct the world in its own image -- many Americans feel the same way. But the mile-wide streak of virulent anti-Americanism Liberals love to indulge in is puerile, embarrassing, harmful to Canada’s interests and every bit as ignorant as anything George Bush ever got up to. The United States is not Washington, just as Canada, thank God, is not Ottawa; judging the entire country based on who happens to occupy the White House only betrays the shallowness of the person making the judgment.Think smaller
Liberals appear to have abandoned the notion that ideas count. They got stuck with the Green Shift because they had nothing else to offer and because too many Liberals still think the path to victory is via some big-spending social policy extravaganza that will wow the nation. The new Medicare! The new pension plan! A cure for poverty! Forget it: what Canada needs is good government, strong management, a sound economy and the ability to finance steady, incremental progress. Take the time to prove you can do that and you’ll be surprised how willing people are to listen.Don’t be in such a hurry
Stephane Dion hadn’t even made his concession speech before would-be successors were being interviewd about their intentions. In the days since, critics have poured from the woodwork, suddenly eager to denounce him after remaining silent for the better part of two years, desperate to dump him as fast as possible so the next saviour can take his place. What’s the rush? The Liberal party’s lust for power is perhaps it’s least redeeming quality. Tom Axworthy was appointed to conduct an exhaustive examination of the party in the wake of the 2004 loss, and did a commendable job of it, but has been all but ignored as the party desperately seeks someone who can topple Stephen Harper by any means possible. Despite what you’ve been telling Canadians, the country won’t collapse in ruin under a few years of Conservative rule. Use it to your advantage. Learn something for a change.
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