Categories: Polls

What does the NDP need to do to grow its support base?

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by macleans.ca on Thursday, August 13, 2009 3:40pm - 14 Comments

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  • Mary Jane

    The 'new' name of the NDP should be "New Democrats" . DROP THE 'PARTY' NOT THE 'NEW'!!! If you ask Liberals or Conservatives what they are they say Liberal or Conservative, not Liberal Party or Conservative Party!!! Mary Jane

  • Carol

    I say the NDP should keep doing what they are doing because I do not want them to gain any votes—their policies and leader should just continue to muddle along.

  • June Roberts

    I agree with Mary Jane,,, drop the "Party" but also the "New" they could just be plan Democtas,,, or they could always go back to their original tital.,,,,,

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Nich Nich

    iDemocrats.

    Vote iDemocrats.

  • George W. Scriven

    Its not really what they needed to change. Their political stand is, in my opinion, the best possible for the majority of Canadians.
    They really need to have some, or more control of the media. It has always trumpeted the rightwing Conservatives and Liberals who make laws that favour them.
    We are still living Tommy Douglas's Mouse story with the Cats holding power.
    the question is, and has been, how can we New Democrats achieve this?

  • David

    The New Democrats should merge with the Liberal Party and become the Liberal Democrats.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/tpholmes tpholmes

    I agree with Paul Wells on this one.

    They should call themselves "Progressive Democrats". It gives them a safety zone to distance themselves from the U.S. Democrats (yet just enough similarity to cuddle up to Obama when they feel it's appropriate).

    They all go around calling themselves "progressive" anyway, and how they want to build a "progressive" coalition. It seems obvious.

    Failing that, how about "Social Democrats"? It's what every other "social democratic" party in the world calls themselves. Of course, nationally, this party is more "Socialist" than "Social Democrat", which leads to another issue…

    They really need to revamp their voting structure. Unions have too much control of the party and the policy. It's time to move policy beyond 1963.

    And dump Jack Layton.

    And dump the Communist Manifesto, and making "Karl Marx Appreciation Day" a national holiday.

    And split the party up into separate National and Provincial parties.

  • Donna

    Dump Jack Layton! When he decided to stand with the Liberals in trying to take down the Conservatives, he instantly became a Political Opportunist in my opinion! I don't think that he is doing any particular favour to the Federal NDP by staying on as their leader!

  • http://www.snoopyonskittles.com Chris

    There was ever any doubt he was an opportunist? He's made his living making promises he knows (and we know) he'll never need to keep.

    For them to increase vote share, I'd say take the New out of the name. Then uninformed voters will think they're voting for Obama and not some psycho (and yes, he is a psycho – he wanted to cap credit card interest rates extremely low – an absolutely catastrophic idea that happens to sound good on radio) with a sentient mustache.

  • Tom

    To me, the NDP / CCF were the social conscience of the country. Today, the party seems to be slipping away from that early path and adopting a stance they hope some day may lead to government numbers. That means they are more "New" Liberals as they move a little more to centre. There are issues they should be screaming about for example protecting private sector pensions with the auto industry and now Nortel. I would have thought they would have been screaming about the glaring inequalities in the federal goverrnance / electoral system that would not be tolerated within a province but not a peep. I would have thought they would be calling for a more cooperative model for the governance of Canada through regular meetings of first provincial ministers with the federal cabinet but not a peep.

  • Terry McKeown

    Dump Jack Layton. He is nothing more than a loud mouth village idiot. The party will go nowhere with him as the head.
    Terry McKeown

  • Thumper

    They are just fine, hold sraedy and just maybe they'll disappear.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/andersonboyz andersonboyz

    Their energy policy is straight out of lala land, sprinkled with green fairy dust. I will never vote NDP again. Out of touch with reality.

  • kruegerh

    Why all this fuzz? It would be fitting to just let them go ahead with it, and call themselves "D.P.'s"

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