How we pick our LEADERS

NDP & Liberal LEADERSHIP?

It is a strange time with both of the major provincial political parties are searching for a new LEADER. In the current political scene both the NDP and the Liberals are searching for a LEADER that can UNITE the different fractions within each of the PARTIES.

The NDP are searching for someone that can UNITE the far LEFT of the SOCIALISTS and the more MODERATE members that are part of the PARTY. The LIBERALS are searching for someone that can UNITE the more conservative members with the more Liberal members that are part of the PARTY. Is this ability to UNITE the PARTY a key component for a LEADER?

In the last few months we have seen both of these PARTIES sabotage their own LEADER. The question is - can any party govern when the party is so internally splintered? The governing of our Province becomes secondary to govern their party. I am not much for POLITICAL PARTIES as they become too focused on their own PARTY issues and the SOCIETY is secondary to the PARTY.

I think it is a starting point to understand how we define what a LEADER is before we elect a LEADER. A true LEADER is a lot more than just someone that UNITIES the different fractions of SOCIETY or a PARTY. The biggest sole component that describes a LEADER is TRUST! In today's political climate this attribute is sorrily lacking. In the old days LAWYERS were always viewed with skepticism, the LAWYER has been replaced by the POLITICIAN.

TRUST:

Why has our TRUST in POLITICIANS become so low? POLITICIANS have changed from being mainly promoting a philosophy of how we should be governed, to a single objective of being ELECTED. It is their OBSESSION to being ELECTED into POWER that trumps any philosophy they may have.

If we take Harper as an example, our Federal Leader (Prime Minister). Harper is the leader of the Federal Conservative Party and is generally known as a Conservative with a capital "C", meaning his philosophy is far right. In order to be elected (even a minority state) he needed to compromise on his Conservative philosophy. In order to stay in POWER Harper needs to compromise his far right philosophy closer to the middle of the political philosophy. The question is - How much TRUST can we have in a LEADER that compromises his philosophy in order to stay in POWER?

Another more local example is the NDP leadership. One of the main reasons given for disposing of their LEADER - Carol James - is that she has been unable to lead the NDP to WIN the seat of POWER in the last 3 political elections. The issue of her philosophy being too Left or too Right was not as important as  her inability to WIN. The NDP membership is solely interested in WINNING POWER! How much TRUST can we have with this type of obsession to WIN?

This OBSESSION is the reason why I have much more TRUST in INDEPENDENT candidates when it comes to political support. The INDEPENDENT candidate can win a seat but not the POWER OF GOVERNMENT. This gives me some TRUST that the candidate is running for office for the RIGHT REASON.