Socialist, They're Socialists!

So there it is, they've agreed to disagree. They're in top shape, though, and happy as a hive of bees in clover. Considering themselves a government-in-waiting. Having achieved the seemingly impossible, in becoming the official Opposition, they're just starting to warm to their achievements and the tasks that lie ahead. Jack Layton is now officially ensconced at Stornaway and has found it not all that difficult to adjust to his altered surroundings.

Expansive surroundings for an expansive personality. Life can be good.

All of a sudden the press has time for the NDP, and their leader's utterances have taken on significance. The Liberals have melted into the background, occupying the quicksand terrain that the NDP have habitually tottered on. Nice trade for the NDP; not so thrilling for the Liberals. Hard to say which the Conservatives would really prefer, but the jig was up for the Liberals. Mr. Harper temporarily extends courtesies to the NDP instead of the finger the Liberals got.

But it's early days. And Mr. Layton hasn't pulled any punches, claiming most latterly that the government is out to destroy the post office with its Machiavellian plans to manipulate its reputation in the minds of Canadians to consider it utterly irrelevant, so no big loss if it's privatized. That's the thing about the Conservatives, they cannot be trusted, according to the NDP and that's what they'll ride into the future on, hammering them with.

They'll do it with that "socialist" designation remaining front and centre, because 'brothers and sisters' and 'comrades' come so readily to mind with the NDP mentality. The language is sacrosanct, and no one's to forget it because Tommy Douglas wouldn't forgive and would come back to haunt them all. Who's afraid of the big bad word, anyway?

"Brothers and sisters, you can take socialism out of the preamble but you can't take socialism out of the NDP."

But that idea, you know the one about bringing the Liberals and the NDP together, as long as the Liberals know they'll be subordinate? that can be put to rest for a bit and then trotted out again. Meanwhile, focus on tempting more Liberal voters over to the winning team, because the allure for NDP voters to drift to the Liberals has waned, considerably.