Disgruntled Liberal Female

(cc: letter I sent a few moments ago)

Mr. Michael Ignatieff
Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Dear Mr. Ignatieff:


I'm writing to you today to tell you why I am disgruntled.

In the next day or so you'll find my name and my husband's name on the list of members of the Liberal Party of Canada. I rejoined and he joined for the first time to support a friend of mine who was trying to get on the nomination ballot for the riding of Vancouver-Kingsway. Apparently, the election readiness squad decided to call the nomination when there was only one candidate on the list so they were unable to accept his papers and the memberships he signed up. This single candidate lost to the NDP in this past election and needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, the powers that be don't see it that way. Apparently, grassroots only count if the party already supports what they want.

I was chased away from the LPC in the early 2000s for not supporting Paul Martin. I rejoined when Stephane Dion was elected leader and did not rejoin after my membership lapsed because I was diagnosed with MS and decided to take a year out from politics. When my friend decided to go for the nomination in my riding, I gladly signed up because I think he's the kind of candidate who could beat the NDP here. Now that he's unable to contest the nomination, an exercise in democracy has been reduced to a coronation, and I'm not so sure I made the right decision. I also put off rejoining because I wanted to see where you would lead my beloved party.

I'm not impressed Mr. Ignatieff. I'm afraid, make that terrified, that you are leading this party into another Paul Martin-style meltdown. The rules have changed, and for the party that had the most advance warning of those changes, we've done a piss-poor job of adapting to the new reality.

Your Liberal fundraisers have never had to do more than call up their five favourite CEOs and ask them for half a million dollars. I have been informed by people who know that it is easier to do this than to ask 5000 for $1000. I've never been in that position, so I wouldn't know. I have been in a position to ask 1000 people for $100 each and did quite well. I offered my help to the LPC here in Vancouver but my services were declined.

I recently found out that you won't come to a riding unless they can raise a minimum of $40-$50K while you are there. That's unfortunate, because it sends a signal that the man who wants to be Prime Minister of Canada will only make himself available to people who can afford to meet him. This stuff gets around, Mr. Ignatieff. Anyone who cares about the LPC already knows this.

I also take issue with the LPC's stance on Israel. I support Israel but not to exclusion of the Palestinian people or basic, fundamental human rights. I can be a good Liberal and think that Israel has behaved and is behaving badly, though that's not what it sounds like when you speak of it.

I have questioned why I care so much about a party that doesn't care about people like me. Why would acclaimed author, historian and politician Michael Ignatieff listen to me? I can't afford the $300 it costs to go and hear one of his speeches. I'm just a disabled woman from East Vancouver who's trying to get herself and her country back on track after being devastated by a disease. I have MS and my country has conservatism of the sort that should be branded a mental disorder.

I realized that I care because I am one of Trudeau's kids. I can't remember a time in my life that we didn't have the Charter, official bilingualism, and a multi-cultural society of inclusion. I was born a Liberal in a distinctly apolitical household of voters. The Liberal Party of Canada raised me to value much of what makes Canada a secular, tolerant society. I don't want any more conservative or Conservative insurance and used car salesmen making a mess of my country. I want to believe that you can get to 24 Sussex, but I'm just not sure that you understand where your support is or who you could possibly attract to our party. When the Ottawa apparatus tramples the grassroots, pays heed only to those who can write $1100 cheques and organize the $50K events, and has a long history of familial and personal support of the party, I really don't think that we can do it.

There's more to the LPC than Ottawa and Toronto but your team doesn't reflect that. That makes me sad, Mr. Ignatieff. I want to believe we can take this country back yet I'm just not sure that our party as it is today is the one that is going to do it.

Lori Kidwell
(my address)

(my phone number)

http://disgruntledliberalfemale.blogspot.com/
(my email address)

Not impressed:

Susan Delacourt shares the press release.

The Government of Canada is pleased to provide support to Regroupement des femmes de la région de Matane for its project, Et toi ton couple, ça clic? (So, Are You Clicking as a Couple?). This project aims to promote equitable, non-violent behaviour in the romantic relationships of adolescents by targeting the hypersexualization of girls as a root cause of dating violence. The Honourable *Helena Guergis*, Minister of State (Status of Women) made the announcement today.

"So, are you clicking as a couple?"

Heteronormative assumptions are cool. Treating women, even young women, as damsels in distress is *so* progressive.

A root cause of dating violence *couldn't* be that people are taught or otherwise shown that it is okay to hit each other, could it?

Why is it that every government or corporately funded initiative to address violence against women is directed at the women? Other than some court mandated programs for abusers, why is there is no promotion of "equitable, non-violent behaviour in the romantic relationships of adolescents" for boys to be shown how to have enough self-esteem they don't have to resort to violence to make themselves feel strong and virile or to show them that controlling and/or other crazy-making behaviour does not make them "real men"?

I'd really like an answer to that, but I doubt one is forthcoming.

I know its only $144,361, but I am *sure* that the money could be better spent on something else.

Now accepting nominations.

WHO is the worst MP in the House of Commons?

Rules: 1) They must be currently an elected member of Parliament as of July 13, 2009
2) You must give a reason. Their party affiliation is a non-issue. I want to hear about screwed up constituent relations, baffoonery, verbal gaffes, bad choices and decisions, alienation of core communities, etc. etc. I want the WORST politicians only the House of Commons could attract.

Anonymous replies will be respected.

My vote:

Dean Del Mastro - Ann Douglas finishes the story. My mom also thinks he's an idiot for thinking that turning a used car salesman into a politician was a good idea. His family business also tripled their ad buy during the writ period so that every second time you turned on a local radio station you'd hear "Del Mastro".

I open the floor to nominations. The nomination process will end on August 15, 2009 at whenever I go to bed, PDT.

(PS. I'm feeling better. Not even close to myself, but better. And I've been watching and reading for weeks now, and I've got some stuff to say about what is going on in my country. I'm going to try to get back into the swing o'things... but please be patient.)

Question.

I'm having a difficult time keeping up with everything I used to in Canadian politics.

If you could only read 5 Canadian bloggers in the progblogosphere, who would they be?

Working some stuff out.

http://12december2008.blogspot.com/

To quote:

"I have Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis with residual deficits.

I used to care about a lot of things, but now I'm not so sure if any of those things matter. This blog came as an idea I had in the shower the night before last.

Maybe living out loud will help me find what matters to me and I'll find my reason for getting well."

If you're interested in what's going on with me that's where you can find all the stuff I shouldn't have typed into a text box and clicked "Publish Post".

Upon Third Thought

I have not renewed my LPC membership, will not be attending the convention, and have decided to devote at least the first half of this year to figuring out what's going on with my body and brain.

I wish Mssr. Ignatieff, his shadow cabinet and the party all the best in 2009.

I hope to return to regular blogging in September of this year. Mayhaps there will be something interesting enough in the next few months that will pull me back, but I don't know that I will have the energy to do it.

To the Progbloggers and peeps with me in their readers, please don't kick me out.



I will return.

On Second Thought

I just had a look at the delegate selection form sent to me by the prez of the LPC-BC and it asked me which candidate I supported for leader.

I've been unwell since late December and fully admit that I haven't been on top of the issues as fully as I had been previously, but I'm fairly certain that the only guy left in the leadership race is the guy who's presently leader. Right?

I don't support him. I won't write his name on this form. As far as I am concerned, he's exactly the type of leader this party doesn't need. With Michael Ignatieff, the business Liberals have won, and the LPC will continue to lose as long as that keeps happening.

I am a Liberal and a liberal, but as the lovely and talented Alison over at Creekside sez:

Tomorrow will mark the 45th time in a row that you have sat on your hands in Parliament because you can't afford to fight an election because no one gives money to fight elections to parties that sit on their hands in Parliament.

And as my American friend Laura from NY once said to me about an ex-boyfriend:

We need a set of Manpants sent to Canada. STAT.

Iggy, LPC peeps, I'm losing faith in this party's ability to get it's act together. What are the chances of that happening before the next budget? Is it worth the $20 to renew my membership and the hundreds of dollars to go to what will end up being an Ignatieff love in?

I'm torn.