Liberal Leadership

The federal Liberal Party are going to choose a new leader. The two main contenders are of course Bob Rae, and Michael Igantieff. It is widely rumoured that both men never dismantled their leadership campaigns, and will have a head start when running for it. Only one other candidate has so far declared themselves, and that is Dominic LeBlanc. Expected to declare their intention to run include Martha Hall-Findlay, Gerrard Kennedy, and Scott Brison.

But who are we kidding here? Everyone who wants to can throw their hats in the ring, but it's expected to come down to a contest between Rae and Ignatieff. One last competition between two old friends with the prize being the leadership of the opposition, followed by a shot at the Prime Minister's office.

The Liberals are one of the oldest political parties in the world. The appearance that its leadership is being used in a personal competition between two former friends is horrible. It's bad for the party because the one that wins will be seen as selfish- and that's not a good trait for a perspective Prime Minister to have. It's bad for democracy because let's face it neither of these men will inspire us to get out and vote for them. Rae was one Ontario's worst Premiers in recent memory, and will fail to deliver Ontario. Ignatieff has the awkward personality of an academic and has just as much trouble connecting with voters as Stephen Harper. No Rae and Ignatieff aren't the answer for them.

The logical question then: who is?
The next Liberal leader has to be strong enough to stand up to Stephen Harper and nay-sayers inside the party. They should be young- because it could potentially be a long time before the party returns to power. They should have new ideas that will catch the imagination of Party Members and Canadians. They can't have ties with either Chretien or Martin factions for fear of continuing the conflict. But who is all this? Who can do it?

From within their ranks, is the intriguing possibility of Garth Turner for the leadership. He's shown himself able to stand up to Harper, and he has a lot of ideas concerning income-splitting and the M.P's role . His idea of MPTV adds a new layer of transparency to our government and makes citizens feel more in-touch. He's far removed from Chretien and Martin. The added benefit of seeing the look on Stephen Harper's face in Parliament would be worth it. Turner would certainly get the last laugh.

The name of Trudeau keeps coming up. He's just won his first election, and should have a few years to develop and learn the machinations of politics first. If he went for it now, it would be name recognition, and a feeling of nostalgia for the days of his father that got him the job.

I actually think it should be someone without a political background. Someone from outside the party because that's where you'll find new ideas that will appeal to Canadians. And that's what the party needs.