Well, we're into another leadership convention. It will be in the "real" West (BC), an area where we need to do a lot of work. This will be good for the party.
Now, with only about 6 months left, we need to level the playing field for all leadership hopefuls. We DO NOT want some great candidate to not run because the "others" are so far ahead with fund-raising. We need to:
1) Control spending on leadership campaigns. Rather than big money ads, get the leaders out to meet the people.
2) See about getting more people to vote. Do we, just this time, go to a one-member, one-vote system - just to save us all on our precious funds we can spend during elections?
We need to handle the fundraising AND at least engaging all voters in every province. Harper established "beachheads" in Liberal territory - the cities, by engaging the "ethnic vote" - something no-one thought the Cons could, or wanted to do. We, on the other hand, took the "ethnics" for-granted (not bus-loading them to conventions, but with REAL policy), gave up on even engaging voters on the Prairies into thinking for themselves, and ended up where we are.
If we don't follow the American Democrat lead (50 States), lets at least follow Harpers: - win back the ethnic vote - a critical part to our keeping our cities - expand to the greater urban/suburban vote - show our faces and our brand in places like the Prairies Even rallies and public meetings in those centers help. Let's not kid ourselves, though, there are ridings in AB, and SK, which are not going to be anything but Con.
The bottom line, however, will be the bottom line: we need funds and volunteers. We need to engage members into a monthly donation plan. We need to have a "liberal" (note small "l") policy "skeleton" which reflects liberal policy basics - ways we feel on very general issues - that is available as speaking points AT ALL TIMES so would-be candidates and volunteers have something to go by, when someone asks, "what do Liberals stand for?"
6 comments:
You cant change how we elect a leader without changing the Party's constitution. This upcoming convention must be done by delegates.
-scott
thescottross
I've made a list of things I think the Liberal party needs to do on my blog.
But you can't amend the constitution except at a party convention so you'd have to have two conventions which would drag the process out an extra year.
Right?
The leadership convention will be delegated. At the convention the delegate system will be voted on
-scott
thescottross
here is my thought...
all leadership contenders should agree that half of all their donations will go to the Liberal Party, the other half will go to the leadership campaign of that particular candidate.
... might be a tough sell, but if one does it, the rest may have no choice to follow suit.
so... am i completely out to lunch with this idea?
I think we can make some changes. Our constitution does allow for changes to be adopted from the floor... I'm not sure what type of changes, but we need to do something to ensure more grassroots involvement.
Perhaps the delegated system is best... Maybe we just have to fine-tune what we have. I don't know if going to an "every member votes" structure is going to help us with the grassroots, since both systems do involve everyone in a way... With delegates, it is hard to know for sure (past the 1st ballot) who they voted for. With a non-delegated system, it's hard to ensure the voters aren't just new members inserted by the opposition. Perhaps the real impediment is not the delegate system, maybe it's the cost of the convention for "ordinary Liberals" (that to me is the biggest factor)...
Everyone who wants to go to a convention should be able to - young or old... without having to swallow a $1000 gate fee...
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