After Jack Layton's death this summer, a lot of NDPers in Ottawa had to shoulder heavy loads.
Even if Layton had been around to lead the party, it wasn't going to be easy to integrate a caucus full of inexperienced Quebec rookies into the team, while simultaneously adapting to the new challenge of serving as official opposition.
After Layton's death, the party had to run a divisive leadership campaign while trying to hold the government to account. It doesn't look like it was easy.
In the run-up to this weekend's convention, the Ottawa people prepared briefing books for all the leadership candidates, and offered them a role in planning the moments after victory was declared.
The party told the candidates that the winner could give a short speech from notes, then return later to deliver a party-authored speech that would hit key messages, working from teleprompters, which allows for a more emotional delivery. Mulcair, who isn't fond of teleprompters, declined the offer, and voting delays meant the plan wouldn't have worked anyway.
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/general+only+good+soldiers/6358013/story.html#ixzz1qECvMxk4
A general is only as good as his soldiers
Even if Layton had been around to lead the party, it wasn't going to be easy to integrate a caucus full of inexperienced Quebec rookies into the team, while simultaneously adapting to the new challenge of serving as official opposition.
After Layton's death, the party had to run a divisive leadership campaign while trying to hold the government to account. It doesn't look like it was easy.
In the run-up to this weekend's convention, the Ottawa people prepared briefing books for all the leadership candidates, and offered them a role in planning the moments after victory was declared.
The party told the candidates that the winner could give a short speech from notes, then return later to deliver a party-authored speech that would hit key messages, working from teleprompters, which allows for a more emotional delivery. Mulcair, who isn't fond of teleprompters, declined the offer, and voting delays meant the plan wouldn't have worked anyway.
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/general+only+good+soldiers/6358013/story.html#ixzz1qECvMxk4
A general is only as good as his soldiers
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