Newfoundland NDP Leader Facing Revolt?
Nfld NDP leader Lorraine Michael had a 63% approval rating in the latest Angus Reid Canadian premier's survey - the 2nd highest support level in Canada, of any leader, after Brad Wall from SK. And the Nfld NDP has been polling very well, thank-you very much.
And then I just stumbled upon this... WTF?
N.L. NDP Leader Lorraine Michael facing caucus revolt
4 MHAs send letter asking for leadership convention to be held in 2014 for 'party renewal'
The entire Newfoundland and Labrador NDP caucus says Lorraine Michael’s position as leader should be put to the test in a party vote next year, CBC News has learned.
"We believe that a leadership convention in 2014 is critical if there is to be party renewal and growth in support for the New Democratic Party in Newfoundland and Labrador," the caucus wrote in a letter emailed to Michael this weekend.
"We collectively make this request out of genuine concern for our party's ability to attract quality candidates and build on our level of public support in advance of the 2015 election …
We hope you are receptive to our request."
The entire NDP caucus — Dale Kirby, George Murphy, Gerry Rogers and Christopher Mitchelmore — signed the message.
Michael feels 'betrayed'
Michael told CBC News Monday she feels “betrayed” by the letter.
“I was really quite shocked because there had never been a discussion of this nature with me before I went on holiday,” Michael said.
Within hours of returning to the province this weekend, Michael received the letter.
She says her chief of staff and the provincial NDP president were also shocked.
“It blindsided all of us, really,” Michael said.
The matter must be resolved “fairly quickly,” she says.
Michael plans to meet with her fellow MHAs as soon as possible.
“I’m going to sit with them and talk and see if that’s what they really mean. I know what’s in the letter. I want to say, ‘OK, is that what you want? You want me gone?’ Well, there’s only one way for that to happen — it’s either for me to resign or for the party to go ahead and put petitions out and kick me out …
“If they say they want me gone, and they’re not ready to sit down and talk about issues, then I’ll have to consider what that means.”
Michael won leadership in 2006
Michael – a former teacher, Roman Catholic nun and social advocate – won the Newfoundland and Labrador NDP’s top job in 2006. She replaced long-time leader Jack Harris after his retirement from provincial politics.
She won a byelection in Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi that year, defeating Tory star candidate Jerome Kennedy.
Michael was re-elected in the 2007 general election, and served the next four years as the only New Democrat in the legislature.
The NDP surged to five seats in 2011, establishing a strong beachhead in the metro St. John’s area and narrowly missing out of Official Opposition status. The New Democrats took 25 per cent of the overall popular vote – six points higher than the Liberals.
Months later, in the summer of 2012, the NDP made history by leapfrogging the Tories into first place in a province-wide public opinion poll. An Environics Research Group survey put their level of support at 38 per cent.
But that surge has since stalled. The Liberals have pulled into first place in recent polling with NDP numbers remaining strong, but flat.
Anyone have anymore insight?!
Every single cancus memeber wants her to go and so she should.
Do the right thing and resign as leader.
Here's a video of Lorraine Michael being interviewed on CBC about the revolt.
http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/NL/ID/2413308355/
My respect for the four NDP MHAs, who were elected under Lorraine's leadership just two years ago this month, has gone way, way, way, way down.
I really expected better. This is disgusting.
[double post]
Every single caucus member needs to give their head a shake. This is how opposition parties STAY in opposition for a very long time.
First of all, you have never been an NDP supporter that I can remember, so I take whatever you Liberals say about the NDP, with a very large grain of salt.
hTe fact that it is every one of the caucus members states a clear and unequivocal message. This person is not the right leader for the job, and it is about friggin' time the NDP started to wield the knife when things are going South on them.
Bravo!
South? Polling consistently in the 30% range - unprecedented for the NL NDP? One of the most popular provincial political party leaders in Canada, according to the polls? This is "south"?
Give your frigging head a shake. The four rats have just blown up their own party. IT WILL NOT BE WORTH LEADING after this fiasco.
Now, who is behind all of this, really? Jack Harris on behalf of Danny Williams? Ryan Cleary? Something is up.
I would not be putting out "names" here as that is pure speculation. I also agree that this or whatever this is should have been handled differently. And I agree that the NFLNDP was doing well in the polls and that the leader had high leadership numbers when polled.
I really find knifes in bks type of politics pretty disgusting.
None of us (as far as I know) are actual members of the NL NDP caucus who have to work with Lorraine Michael on a daily basis. There may be a lot more to this story than meets the eye. Sure, the public likes the septuagenerian ex-nun they see on TV every now and then...but maybe inside the caucus and the party she might have all kinds of shortcomings that we can only guess at. The four members of the NL NDP caucus are a very diverse group - some a very much on the left wing of the party and some are more moderate Third Way types. One is a lesbian documentary film-maker, one is a man from the outports and a couple are middle aged men from St. John's...but they all seem to agree on one thing - Lorraine Michael has to go. Writing this letter is not something the caucus would have taken lightly so i have to assume that the problem with her is bigger than we would think as outside observers. This is NOT like the Carole James situation in BC where 13 people in caucus wanted her to quite - but another 20-odd wanted her to stay. In this case the ENTIRE caucus wants her to quit.
It appears that Lorraine Michael was very good at caucus management from 2006 to 2011 when she was a caucus of one and all she had to do was talk to herself. Evidently, she finds it more difficult to manage a caucus of 5. Draw your own conclusions.
Why did Jack Harris leave provincial politics and suddenly go back into federal politics? I never quite figured that out, but I don't know NL politics that well.
Anyways, speaking of polls, this CBC article says that the NDP was ahead in 2012, but now the Liberals are ahead. Perhaps that's what the NL NDP caucus is complaining about?
http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/canada/newfoundland/story/1.2129212
‘I betrayed Lorraine,’ George Murphy admits
Getting the facts is good
snip
snip
It appears by some caucas members that they didn't know what they were signing or thought they were doing a good thing. Asking for a leadership review since it hadn't happened in 7 years.
It also appears that one person ensured it was leaked to the press. I actually find it quite sad as they were doing well in the polls but now it looks like amature hour.
St. John's East MHA George Murphy said Wednesday that fellow NDP caucus member Dale Kirby pressured him into signing a memo to party leader Lorraine Michael that she saw as a demand for her resignation.
Murphy said that he and fellow caucus member Gerry Rogers had tried but failed to prevent the letter — which was signed by all four members of caucus — from being sent.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/ndp-mha-blamed-for-instigating-leadership-fracas-1.2186463
Looks good.
Sonia Williams considering run for NDP
http://www.cbncompass.ca/News/Local/2013-10-22/article-3435819/Sonia-Wil...
It's a tough one. Michaels has led the party to its highest ever standing, and that is worthy of respect. However, she has been in the position for a long time, and it may have been that she was considering stepping down.
Anyways, this appears to have been poorly handled. Inexpereince among the elected members seems to be the big factor, but at least some Caucus members are brave enough to admit that. I hope they get the matter sorted out, and soon.
The above Sonia Williams website seems to be down. The quote is from the Google reference to this website.
Here is her background.
http://www.mdrc.org/about/sonya-williams
I think it's far more likely that the Sonia Williams considering running as the NDP candidate in the Carbonear-Harbour Grace byelection is in fact Harbour Grace deputy mayor Sonia Williams, and not Sonya Williams from New York/Chicago/North Carolina.
Just a hunch
Oops! That's what happens sometimes when you comment on something on the other side of the continent.
They really need a YND out there. It allows one to practice Machaivailien politics with the luxury of having no real power to screw things up.
From what I have heard, Lorraine Michael is not easy to work with. A former candidate and member of the executive, who left the party because of her leadership, said that when working with her it was either her way or the highway. Dale Kirby also mentioned that she was still leading the party like it was just her in the caucus. He said something about how she has randoly announced policies in public, that had not been discussed by caucus, yet the caucus was just suppose to accept that whether they supoported the policies or not. I was also surprised to hear that the party's organization was not as strong as I had thought it was. The party supposedly has just 9 active district associations in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Now I am not positive what was meant by "rural" but I would imagine that it would mean the party may only has active distict assocations in half, or even less, of the province's 48 districrs.
There had also been a mechanism in the constitution that required a leadership review, and over the last few years it has been removed. Some supporters have said they are not sure how or when it was actually removed. I had spoken to people who thought that a leadership review would be held at the next convention, in the fall of 2014, but that's not the case anymore.
Michael has done very well in the Angus Reid polls that ask if you support the job she's doing as opposition leader. However, while many people think she's done well in opposing the government they still don't see her as someone who could be premier of the province. As for the parties poll numbers, they are at historic highs. The last poll had them at 33% and in second place, but that's down from 39% earlier the year when they tied the PC Party for first place. Since that time the PC Party has continued to bleed the support, which is going to the Liberals. From August 2012 to August 2013 the PC Party went from 45% to 26% in CRA polls, while the NDP remained at 33%.
Michael's leadership may have been safe had she faced a leadership review, or even ran in a leadership convention. Nobody in the caucus would have challenged her, seeing Kirby has ruled it out and George Murphy has said none of them are ready to be leader. There is also not many names of people outside of cacus who could take over. One name mentioned is Ryan Cleary, who has been mentioned as a person who may have orchastrated this whole leadership fiasco. But that's just pure speculation.
I wonder if Jack Harris would come to become leader of the NL NDP again now that he is established as such a senior statesman etc...
BTW: I see that Michael has announced that she will submit to a leadership review in 2014...so it seems like they have patched things up again.
Oh my goodness, what a motley crew!
Two Newfoundland NDP members who called for leadership review quit caucus
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/national/Newfoundland+members+called...
Jeez! they thought she was sinking the party....so they decided to beat her to it?
WTF!
BTW...is there a left-wing/right-wing element to this dispute in the NNDP? If she was a former social activist, an outsider would assume that the dissident MHA's might think she was too radical and want the party blanded out and centerized. Is that a faulty assumption?
My impression (albeit as an outsider) is that this conflict is 100% personality based and has nothing to do with ideology. In some ways it reminds me of what happened to the Canadian Alliance after the 2000 election when they had this year long civil war to get rid of Stockwell day that culminated in half the caucus quitting and forming something called the Democratic Reform Caucus...until finally Day stepped down and ran to succeed himself in a leadership contest. There was no ideological split there either - just that half the caucus came to the conclusion that day was nuts and could never win an election.
Ryan Cleary is interested in Michael's job. One of the allegations was that the dissident MHAs wanted to bring in Cleary from the wings. link
I'm sorry, but something about this smells. Are we supposed to believe that George Murphy and Gerry Rodgers were so naive that they did not know what they were signing and what the implications were? If in fact they truly did not, then calling this "amateur hour" is charitable in the extreme.
Maybe Lorraine Michael didn't want to be privately blackmailed and leaked the letter to the media herself, "sunlight being the best disinfectant."
ghoris, just the messanger. And I find this all disheartening. Either way one looks at it, it doesn't make these members look good.
Harris quit provincial politics in 2006, and didn't run federally until 2008, so it wasn't what I'd call "sudden".
And maybe being grandfathered into the old MP pension plan helped entice him back? :)