Zohran Mamdani's shown in New York that strong, left-leaning policies that benefit the working class are popular. If the Canadian NDP can learn from that, maybe they'll make a come back -- they need bolder policies, a bigger comprehensive vision, and to avoid getting mired in divisive identity politics.

My guess is that they won't though. Instead we'll get more of the same demographic-based stuff. The NDPs survival depends on the Liberals stuffing up enough to alienate left-leaning moderates.

[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 month ago

they need bolder policies, a bigger comprehensive vision, and to avoid getting mired in divisive identity politics

Exactly this. It feels like they've fallen into the trap of trying to appeal to a bunch of small demographics with targeted policies and actions. The Liberals and Conservatives can make that work because they just want to win, and they have a brand.

The NDP seems to be more about moving the Overton window. If they want to do that, they need to speak to a much wider swath of the Canadian population.

[–] patatas@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The NDP's big wins in the last parliament were pharmacare and dental care. So I disagree that they've gotten "mired in identity politics".

Besides, standing up for the human rights and welfare of, say, trans people, indigenous people, or people in Gaza, this is standing up for the human rights and welfare of all of us. Maybe they just need to make that connection clearer.

[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

they need bolder policies, a bigger comprehensive vision, and to avoid getting mired in divisive identity politics.

You focused on the second part of OPs message, when the first part is more interesting I think.

Small incremental gains, like in pharma and dental, are good to show the NDP's usefulness but they aren't a "bigger comprehensive vision".

The NDP needs a bold vision of the scale of the Leap Manifesto or the Green New Deal.

[–] patatas@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago

That would be great too!

However, to be clear, Mamdani's proposals are things like publicly-owned grocery stores and free buses—these are tangible cost-of-living benefits that also happen to align with a greater socialist project.

It is great and necessary to have that broader vision, of course. But being able to articulate tangible, easy-to-understand benefits is also important. The right is very good at making up spooky campfire stories about 'eating the bugs' or 'you will all lose your jobs' or 'everything will cost more'.

We need both things. Anyway, I was mostly responding to the notion that identity politics is a) divisive and b) not part of a comprehensive vision.

[–] cyborganism@piefed.ca 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

What do you mean by identity politics?

[+] leftytighty@slrpnk.net 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] cyborganism@piefed.ca 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

So the Conservatives were doing identity politics, not the NDP.

The NDP are well aware of the wealth gap and the class divide. They've been fighting for not only eliminating the gaps in the rights and freedoms of certain groups, as it should, but also fighting to make sure the wealthiest Canadians pay their fair share. That companies that profited from the pandemic pay a windfall tax, that we tackle the housing crisis with new ideas, and they introduced bills to improve on the coverage of healthcare. But these ideas were not popular with the Liberals or especially the Conservatives. They only managed to pass a couple by making compromises with the Liberals since they were a minority government.