The BC NDP has some internal strife?

I read the Rabble discussion board Babble from time to time, on there I found the following:

GingerGoodone

recent-rabble-rouser

Member: 19670

Joined: Feb 10 2010

May 9, 2010 - 11:53pm

THE GINGER GROUP HAS BEEN FORMED TO:

1. Address the democratic deficit within the provincial NDP;

The Ginger Group believes that the current leadership of the provincial NDP has lost its sense of direction and vision, along with the confidence of a large number of NDP members and supporters. It is imperative that the Provincial NDP immediately address the democratic deficit within the Party.

Further, the Group believes that too much power has been concentrated in the hands of the Table Officers. The ultimate decision making power must be returned to

Provincial Council.

2. Refocus the Party on the environmental, social, and economic crises, particularly Climate Change, which confront the ordinary citizens of BC, and provide a sense of agency and belonging for the alienated membership of the party.

The Group believes that the leadership of the Party has insulated itself from the membership and appears to be incapable of, or unwilling to, address these crises.

This alienation is destroying the Party.

3. Return the Party to its democratic Socialist roots.

THE GINGER GROUP HAS THEREFORE GATHERED TOGETHER LIKE-MINDED PROVINCIAL NDP MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS TO:

A) Restore to the membership the power to decide policy and to choose our organizational and political leadership.

B) Restore our Party as a vigorous advocate for, and an agent of, social justice.

C) Commit our Party to protection of the environment, including the initiation of real actions to deal with Climate Change

D) Commit our Party to offering a clear and unambiguous socialist economic model to replace the failed capitalist system which is destroying our environment, undermining basic human rights, and robbing our citizens of their share in the common wealth of our province.

THE GINGER GROUP WILL ACCOMPLISH THE GOALS ABOVE THROUGH:

Resolutions at the bi-annual Provincial Convention to further these goals;

Electing Provincial leaders who advance the economic principles of socialism (ie. production for use and not for profit)

Electing leaders at the Constituency level who will work towards these goals.

GingerGoodone

recent-rabble-rouser

Member: 19670

Joined: Feb 10 2010

May 9, 2010 - 11:53pm #1 (permalink)

Ginger Group Articles for Change

We, the Ginger Group, believe the following changes are required to make the BC NDP a party of the people prepared to deal with the real issues of our times:

1. An effective Oversight Committee that is nominated from the convention floor and elected by convention delegates.

2. The right of all members in good standing to have access to all official minutes of all meetings except those portions held in-camera.

3. The establishment of platform items that honour the call by Sustainable BC policy that all future policy be created through the lens of environmental sustainability and that will initiate real action against Climate Change.

4. The decision-making power of the Table Officers shall be restricted to day to day administration of the party and not extend to the development of party policy or direction.

5. Positions on the Provincial Executive shall be limited to terms of six consecutive years, after which they shall not hold any position on the Executive for four years after their term expires.

6. No members of the Provincial Executive or the Table Officers shall be allowed to sit in more than one position consecutively.

7. There will be an automatic leadership review at every convention except when the Party is in power.

8. Platform and policy committees other than Standing Committees shall be elected by the Provincial Council rather than being appointed by the Table Officers. Those elections shall be based on a review of resumes on each area of interest that are submitted by interested members from across the province. Further all committees arising out of the business of the Provincial Council shall exist on an ad hoc basis only, tasked with an assignment by the Council, and upon conclusion of that assignment, each committee shall be dissolved.

9. Standing Committees will report directly to Provincial Council and such reports shall be given priority at Council.

10. All resolutions shall be circulated to each constituency by email, and only those that receive 30 per cent support be brought forward to Council or Convention.

11. Any resolutions not dealt with at convention shall be distributed to all Constituency Associations for presentation to their members in good standing, and those members shall vote on a recommendation to Provincial Council for disposal of the resolution.

I do not know if this is something serious as I can find no other evidence of this group existing.   I do not spend a lot of time looking at how the NDP works internally, but they have to function within the political paradigm of our times and have to have the ability to operate well.   This means no party can be as open as they would ideally like to be if they wish to ever form government.

The NDP does not need a new internal strife pulling the party away from where it is.