CalgaryLiberal

Yesterday Scott Ross made a post on his blog at thescottross stating that a party member’s freedom of expression shouldn’t be constrained by party influence and that it is disrespectful for a party organization to expect to have some level of uniformity in messaging to the public. TMoS echoed this statement.

I think they’re both daft on this point. I’m with Ignatieff on this.

A commenter on Scott’s blog wrote this elegant post a few hours after Scott posted his article. I almost 100% agree with Kebian–the commenter–that there is an expectation that party members have to support their leader and communicate as a united group.

I think you’re simplifying the issue too much.

Scott, I attended the Edmonton session. Ignatieff was talking about communication with the public–talking to our neighbours, saying that “Ignatieff isn’t that bad of a guy”, and presenting a cohesive face. That’s the expectation and he made it bluntly clear.

There are ways to showcase your discontent privately. As a guy who has had a bit of unhappiness with certain aspects of the party I have vocalized them privately and they have been heard. That door is ALWAYS open and the ears to discontent in the party are ALWAYS there.

If you’re in a party you’re expected to have a level of acceptance that you need to toe the party line, at least as much as the parameters are set out. The Liberal Party has turned (or is turning?) into a grassroots party; What every member says matters and what every member does matters. You are part of this team and we need to have a coherent voice.

If you can’t help but be a negative nancy on everything you should shut up. If you can’t help but **** and moan about things, you should shut up.

That said (and Ignatieff made this point equally as–if not more so–blunt) if you can help, if you can give direction, if you can help lead, and if you can highlight what makes voting for a Liberal a noble, indeed great, act, then SPEAK UP.

Which you did and have done. The preparation you did, this entire blog (not this specific post, mind you), your tireless effort.. That’s the expectation and you’re leading. You’re part of this party, part of this movement. What you say and what you do matters–fellow Liberals and Canadians are listening.

That’s the expectation, Mr. Ross. To do otherwise betrays both your fellow Liberal and fellow Canadians.

And if you can’t fulfil that expectation…

The commenter then trails off with that one ellipse there.

I’ll finish that girl’s sentence, though. If you cannot fulfil the expectation of being in a party perhaps you should reconsider the membership you have have taken out or solely focus on policy inside the party. The Liberal Party is in a different sphere now: it’s in opposition and the media is ignoring its messaging. There are different demands of it now and different tools at its disposal. It needs members and regular folks to portray it nicely because no one else is or will.

Let me repeat this: the mainstream media ignores the Liberal party and we’re in opposition.

We don’t have the government to send out a message. We can’t spend a couple million dollars on media barrages. Attacks ads placed on TV wont help us. The centralized, top-down, ad-heavy, and not-caring-what-the-membership-says Martin party is gone. It has been replaced with a grassroots party. Look at One Member One Vote that passed at the 2008 Annual General Meeting–members, across Canada, will be voting for the leader and not delegates. Look at the web ads and competitions being send out by the OLO–that’s not stuff that’s done by big ads or expensive campaigns. That’s you. That’s me. That’s every one in the party.

The party has dramatically changed, Scott. Before Martin, et al. didn’t care what the membership said. They were in power and had oodles and oodles of money to spend. The strategic and tactical reality is different now.

Sure, you can point out fake lake and all, but that was not carried on the back of the media. It wasn’t shown to Canadians through broadcasts or mass Ad campaigns on TV. The organization that passed the message to members and to Canadians at large was you, me, and everyone else.

If the membership and people comment negatively, if they don’t fulfil their duty, and if they don’t help the party along with their communication… then we’re dead in the water. The Liberal Party needs you to give that positive message. The Liberal Part needs you to speak to your neighbours, run a blog, and fight for the Liberal/liberal cause.

The era of loud, obnoxious aloof cynics and elitist snobs is over. The Liberal party, although changed in mechanism and in form, needs now to change its soul and its expectations of its membership. There is a new communications reality.

And if you can’t help with that aspect (this new communication reality) of the party then shut up.

One Response to “The Liberal Party is now a grassroots party–and that requires members to pitch in even more.”