(Photo: NDP.ca) The National Post‘s Chris Selley and I have done some friendly jousting over the years. Selley is a funny, astute more than slightly Libertarian observer of the Canadian political scene (ie. unlike me, he’s no Commie). And in a piece posted last night on the Post‘s Full Comment he wrote an absolutely towering walk-off home run concerning Jack Layton’s legacy. To wit: “Just about every day, it becomes more frustrating to watch Canadians bitch and moan about the May 2 election results… Canadian politics is not exactly as I would wish it, either. But perhaps this is a good occasion to take stock: Jack Layton and his New Democrats destroyed the Bloc Qubcois. That’s not a footnote in your children’s Canadian history textbooks. It’s a chapter. If, which is possible, it becomes part of a profound reordering of Quebec politics along lines other than federalism and separatism, it’s a whole new textbook unto itself. Mr. Layton smiles his way through two bouts of cancer, one fatal, and we just mope and groan.” Whoa. I commend the rest of the piece but that bit tying the NDP’s triumph in Quebec to a reordering of priorities in that province to Layton’s personal sacrifice to the exhortation to get off our collective political duff is, and there’s no other word for it, electrifying. Whatever the Post‘s paying, Selley’s a bargain at twice the price. My minor footnote (implicit in Selley’s argument) is that the NDP brain trust ought to read that column and tape it to the wall of their collective head. Point being that Quebec MP Thomas Mulcair is so far and away the most logical choice as next leader as to beggar discussion. Yes, shit happens and yes, there has to be a plan B. But any plan or controllable circumstance that sees the NDP moving their focus off Quebec (regional equity: Libby Davies; Star candidate: Gary Doer; Labour-leftie street cred: Paul Dewar, Peter Kormos) is lousy politics. Period. Full stop. The NDP caucus is worse than an unknown quantity, it’s a mediocre unknown quantity. That can change but only with political success. Quebec remains (its shrinking population and seat count notwithstanding) the NDP’s holy grail, the means to genuine political salvation. Without it the dippers go back to being the national “conscience,” Gerry Caplan’s squib of a political wet dream. Thomas Mulcair might be irascible and not much for kissing babies; but here’s the thing, he wants it bad, just the way Jack wanted it. He can learn to smile and hold his tongue. Libby Davies can’t learn to organize les gens du pays. Oh and by the way, Bob Rae, if you’re reading this, the only way your party finds its way back from the wilderness is if you make common cause with the Layton legacy in Quebec; follow Warren Kinsella’s advice regarding an entente cordiale with the dippers or otherwise, I promise, you’ll only be remembered as the guy who punched Michael Ignatieff’s ticket to oblivion.
