Nycole Turmel

[TheNewTeddy]

I'm wondering what people think of this idea/opinion that I have; that Nycole Turmel has been the "perfect" Interim Leader?

I'll compare her to others to show what I mean.

Bob Rae

Rae is being "drafted" to run for permanent leader, and might do so, despite committing to not do so. The "should be run" question is always around, and makes his "Interim" leadership very dodgy. For this reason I do not think Rae is a good Interim.

Bill Graham

Interim Leader of the Opposition between Martin and Dion. This fact might surprise many, and that is why he is not a good Interim. People need to know who the hell you are and what you are doing.

John Lynch Staunton and/or Grant Hill

Not only unknowns, but the former was a Senator, despite being official leader of the CPC on it's founding. The fact that Grant Hill and Staunton are always going to have an asterisk mentioning the other makes this one a very odd situation, and that is why I feel neither of them did a good job.

John Reynolds

He suffers from the same problem Graham had, people need to know who you are, but unlike the former, many people probably don't even know who he is to begin with, while with Graham, the confusion is more that he was leader and less of who this person is.

Deborah Grey

People may well know that she was the leader between Day and Manning, but she suffered from some of the same problems that Rae does. While there was no "Draft Grey" campaign, she was already a big name, who only grew even further. Had her party won government, she almost certainly could have leveraged this position into the Deputy PMship. Her already large stature as a politician caused her problems in this regard. You want the Interim to be known, not to steal the show.

Gilles Duceppe

Between Bouchard and Gauthier, Duceppe served. Normally he'd get a good rating, but he clearly leveraged this to become full-time leader after people realized they had no clue who the hell Gautheir was.

All of these leaders had one of two flaws.

They were too "big"

They stole the show, they boosted their own stature, they leveraged it into a full-time position. An Interim leader should not have themselves in mind, but rather, they should have the party in mind.

They were too "small"

People have to know who you are and what you are up to. If people can not identify the interim leader of your party, you are in trouble.

Nycole Turmel, IMO strikes the perfect balance. She is not so big as to steal the show, and she is of an age where the idea that she will use this later on is laughable. At the same time, she is doing an adequate job, and people generally seem to be aware of her and the fact that she is LoO. While the party has lost a bit in the polls, that was expected after the death of a very popular leader. I feel that she has done the exact job that she needed to do, and that she should serve as a model for other Interim leaders of the future.

[cybercoma]

I was saying to someone from the NDP that Layton probably picked Turmel so that the new leader, whomever that will be, will look like an all-star. She has been useless.

[TheNewTeddy]

So, you are saying she is too "small"?

[Newfoundlander]

She was perfect, for the Conservatives and Liberals

[j44]

I think on paper she looked good to Layton and he had some good reasons for picking her (Quebec, she has executive experience, and she wouldn't be someone who could use the interim slot to make a push for permanent leader). While I get your point she hasn't really been even a decent leader in my opinion. But can we really expect anyone to be able to jump into that job and do well under the circumstances? I will admit that a good chunk of the bad rating I give her is due to the fact that I can't understand a _____ing word she is saying most of the time. Throw in dozens and dozens rookie MPs who never in a million years thought they would ever being MPs and you couldnt pay me enough to be in her shoes.

Plus she has to fend off Rae who is obviously no slouch. I'm all over the place here but....in a year or two when the NDP will have had a full-time leader for a while will people even remember her? will she even have an affect on people when they go to the polls? I would say no. People have relatively short memories. While she may not have brought in votes now I don't know how much affect she will have on their election chances in the future.

PS. Thanks for reminding me that John Reynolds existed. :angry: I couldn't stand watching him in the house.

[Big Guy]

I found her to be a “sympathic” voice and a pathetic leader. The NDP were primed to be launched just after the election. They had the spotlight and then Jack died. It has been a slide ever since then – a slide accelerated by the unfortunate leadership race. With the lethargic NDP race taking place at the same time as the fiery Republican race in the USA and Nycole’s performance being compared to that of veteran Bob Rae, the NDP has suffered greatly in the public eye.

Unfortunately Nycole Turmel has come across as a female clone of Stephane Dion.

She tries very hard but the NDP may never recover from her leadership.

[Newfoundlander]

I think she's worse that Dion, who has been the most successful Liberal leader since Chretien.

Layton only picked her to try and please Quebec and because she was a female.

[TheNewTeddy]

PS. Thanks for reminding me that John Reynolds existed. :angry: I couldn't stand watching him in the house.

Remember when he broke his leg?

Unfortunately Nycole Turmel has come across as a female clone of Stephane Dion.

I think Dion would be the perfect Interim. Terrible full-timer, but a perfect Interim.

[UofGPolitico]

Remember when he broke his leg?

I think Dion would be the perfect Interim. Terrible full-timer, but a perfect Interim.

Notice how Dion, while one of the most senior Liberal MP's, is really nowhere to be seen.

[capricorn]

Notice how Dion, while one of the most senior Liberal MP's, is really nowhere to be seen.

I put it down to the "Chretien touch".

[madmax]

Not sure what the purpose of this thread is...

Harper has never really competition, perhaps that is why he and his party are always doing stupid things when left on their own.

Considering the current opposition you wouldn't think the Conservatives need to sound so stupid everyday... but they manage it..

all on their own..

[TheNewTeddy]

Not sure what the purpose of this thread is...

I ... think ... that Nycole Turmel has been the "perfect" Interim Leader?

and

I'm wondering what people think of this

[j44]

Remember when he broke his leg?

Nope. Video? lol

Notice how Dion, while one of the most senior Liberal MP's, is really nowhere to be seen.

It still freaks me out when I see him behind Rae when he is speaking in the house. It doesn't seem right that he is still there.

Harper has never really competition, perhaps that is why he and his party are always doing stupid things when left on their own.

Considering the current opposition you wouldn't think the Conservatives need to sound so stupid everyday... but they manage it..

all on their own..

They are learning that it is very hard to run a country when the opposition can just lay into them at every turn and not have to pull their punches so they don't cause an election.

[capricorn]

Harper has never really competition, perhaps that is why he and his party are always doing stupid things when left on their own.

Whatever competition he had disintegrated as a result of the Chretien/Martin feud, aided by Adscam. Add to that opposition parties preoccupied with recruiting permanent leaders and their inability to present a clear, credible alternative to voters.

There's truth in the fact they shoot themselves in the foot. Yet, until voters decide that the government has stepped over the line and continue to govern satisfactorily, they'll be forgiving, especially if they don't like the alternative.

I find the opposition mainly ineffective and that's not healthy. The war drums are beating in the middle east and there are pressing questions on the economy to resolve. The opposition has made its point about their concerns over the 2011 elections. Instead of letting our institutions do their job, they are on a quest for media bites over robocalls. I'm certain I'm not the only Canadian frustrated about the state of affairs on the Hill.

[Evening Star]

I'm certain I'm not the only Canadian frustrated about the state of affairs on the Hill.

Not at all.

[cybercoma]

Then again for the both of you I'm sure it wouldn't matter what policy the NDP put forward.

[waldo]

I have yet to hear any cohesive opposition policy platform that counters what the Conservative platform is offering.

would that be the Conservative platform grudgingly offered late in an election campaign... only after repeated challenges from Opposition parties to release it? That one?

[TheNewTeddy]

Interim leaders are not supposed to come up with "new ideas"

[madmax]

EXACTLY!

Jack Layton did a little better job of outlining some sort of platform, but he also spent more time on the offensive attacking Harper's policies than enforcing his own.

I really gotta disagree with that.. Jack Layton provided a very strong platform that contrasted greatly from the lack of platform of the Conservative Party. Especially in the 2008 election when the Conservatives called an election and ran without a platform until the last few days before the end of the campaign.

I also believe in the 2011 election.. Mr Layton challenged more then just the Prime Minister he Directly challenged the opposition leadership of Mr. Ignatieff.

Mr. Layton would disagree with a conservative position but alway have a proposition in hand.

This was true both in election campaigns and during the minority parliment.

Since then, all I've seen from the opposition is nit-picking, criticizing and enforcing their strong message that they are not the conservatives, but nothing to indicate what their policies are. Give voters an alternative, and maybe opposition support will grow.

I agree...

[cybercoma]

the visiting proffessor.

You mean the guy from the Grant and Massey families?