The No Democracy Party
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
PAOV,
Tonight, the BC NDP’s executive council threw Anjali Appadurai out of the leadership race. They didn't even allow her to speak.
In doing so, the party brass revealed their allegiance: not to their members, not to democracy, not to the thousands of British Columbians who flocked to their party to have a say over the crumbling systems that govern our lives – but to the oil and gas companies that are stealing Indigenous lands and taking over our democracy.
The NDP would rather blow up their own party than have a debate about this government’s ongoing support for new fracking and pipelines. A climate justice champion they didn’t see coming garnered enough support within the party’s membership to become premier – and that’s why they won’t let her run.
What’s next for the province’s climate movement? Join our town hall meeting on Thursday, November 3 to hear from organizers about our options now that the “No Democracy Party” has denied its members a vote.
I’m disappointed – and angry. I shelved my cynicism and joined the party during the leadership race out of hope for what the BC NDP could accomplish. But instead of welcoming their new members, the party called thousands of us ‘fraudulent.’
To be clear: joining the BC NDP to vote for the next premier is not fraud, whether or not you supported another party in the past. Dogwood’s activities during the leadership race followed multiple conversations with Elections BC compliance officers.
Third parties like unions, businesses, faith groups and NGOs like Dogwood are allowed to encourage supporters to join a political party. Social movements are core to grassroots democracy in B.C., and signup drives are part of every leadership race.
Attacking the climate movement and their own members is a sign of how desperate party insiders are to protect their own power.
So tonight, there’s plenty of cause for frustration.
But before any of us go ripping up our membership cards in disgust, let’s take stock of the moment we’re in. Groups like Dogwood reportedly helped sign up thousands of new members, which means the movement and values represented in Appadurai’s campaign are now a force to be reckoned with inside the party.
Join a town hall meeting after the dust settles, to discuss what comes next.
There are important battles ahead between the re-invigorated grassroots membership and the corporate lobbyists who currently control the BC NDP, including nomination races leading up to the next provincial election.
I plan to stay as a member of B.C.’s governing party and fight for my values to be reflected – and I hope you will too. Because if we abandon the field, we concede power to a tiny group of people who are taking this province in the wrong direction.
There are also plenty of opportunities beyond the NDP and the political arena to stop oil and gas expansion, and to fight the corporate takeover of our democracy. The important thing is not to let the grassroots momentum that has built up around this race fizzle out.
I hope you’ll join us on November 3 to talk about what comes next.
In solidarity,
Alexandra
P.S. To talk more about what this pivotal moment means for the province’s climate movement, we are holding a town hall meeting on Thursday, November 3 at 7:00 p.m. I hope you’ll join us for a frank discussion about the leadership race, what it revealed about the political party system in B.C. and what comes next.
Thanks for all you do,
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