Dear Liz,
I know I haven't been the most sympathetic of commentators in the past, mainly because I find your style of politics both shrill and annoying. But, in light of a few recent pieces of news, allow me to offer three small pieces of advice:
1) Please stop trying to get Greens elected. Or rather, please stop trying to make this the main focus of your efforts.
I don't say this to be mean, or to suggest that certain Greens would not be able to serve as Members of Parliament (although that could certainly be the case) but merely in an attempt to preserve what it is that makes the Green Party of Canada special.
Much as I hate to admit it, the Green Party does serve a purpose in Canadian politics. It takes the environment and makes a big, huge fuss over it. It makes people uncomfortable, and it annoys them and it gets in their face. It's not big enough to be considered a mainstream party and it's not small enough to be considered fringe. Really, it's an advocacy group that slapped a platform together and decided to run federally.
In short, this is exactly the sort of group that shouldn't be trying to get elected. It shouldn't get serious, it shouldn't get 'mainstream,' it shouldn't take things seriously. Because if you make the Greens a serious party, they aren't going to be taken seriously. Because if they become serious, what do they have to offer—other than advocacy, other than making noise—that they aren't already offering?
Arguably, having a Green MP in the House of Commons would accomplish something. It would certainly give you, Liz, an actual reason to be involved in televised political debates—but I'm not sure it would be a gain otherwise.
2) Recruiting ex-hockey player Georges Laraque was a good move. Seriously, congrats. He might be one of the few people involved in politics today who honestly just wants to help.
But Liz, I think the Globe and Mail’s Tim Powers has it right when he points out that your chief strategy—namely, make as much noise as possible to focus attention on Green issues—is at play here. Georges Laraque is a spokesperson. He's not going to run, he's not going to develop policy. He's basically there to generate goodwill for the party and little else.
That's not a bad thing, and I'm sure it's not a new thing, but as Powers points out it could be so much more:
"If Elizabeth May spent less time making noise and gave more effort to some smart strategy, her party's chances of success might improve. For example, why not target 30 seats as opposed to 308? Greens could use their expertise in a concentrated way to focus on ridings where their popularity is as legitimate as the opportunity to flip the seat."
Liz, you need to update your strategy here. Making noise and bringing in celebrities only works for so long before people start getting tired of it all. If the Greens want to generate interest in their work, maybe it's time they took a new tack.
3) Finally, Liz, you really need to hold a leadership vote. Seriously. When the Greens collectively decided to put off a leadership race it might have seemed like good news, but it wasn't.
Why? Well, think about it. There's no particular reason not to hold a leadership race, first of all. If there's a more qualified candidate they should have the job—that is, if the Green Party is really about issues and isn’t just a vehicle for the ambitions of its current leader.
I know, I know, there's an upcoming election this fall ... or next spring ... or next fall. My God, there could be an election at any moment! Perhaps in the eyes of some this means that a leadership race right now would be ill-timed and inconvenient, but as Steve Janke, of the National Post, points out:
"Will there be an election in the fall? Well, there might be. Better keep May as leader. And if there isn't one in the fall, there might be one in the winter. Better keep May as leader. And if the winter passes without an election, then odds are there will be one in the spring. Better keep May as leader.
And so it goes."
Indeed, so it does. There is instability in the party and there are people that would like to make a bid for the leadership. If you're truly the right leader for the party, Liz, then prove it: win over everybody else. Prove yourself the best person for the job. Because anything less wouldn't be leadership.
There, now that's settled.
Hugs and kisses,
Walker
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/grantneufeld/172488088/
Any comments, hate mail, or love notes? Drop me a line or four at dresdenmorrow@gmail.com, or give me grief on Twitter @wmorrow1.
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