NDP VOTE IN BY-ELECTION DESERVES CLOSE SCRUTINY

The Cartwright L’Anse Au Clair
By-Election was supposed to have been a yawn. Given the Tory record in the
District, you could hardly blame Dunderdale for calling it as soon as she
secured a sacrificial lamb to run for the P.C Party and arranged to be out of
Town, when the ballots were counted. 

The by-election might have been a simple
affair.  It almost was.  That the Liberals won, (53.5% of the vote),
was a forgone conclusion.  But, these
pesky NDPers won almost 33% of the vote. 
While one should not take anything away from the Liberal’s victory, it
would be a serious oversight if one failed to acknowledge the importance of the
NDP support, at this time.

A second and minor point is that when
the governing Party perceives it has a “shot” at winning a riding, held by an
Opposition Party, the cash register is flung open and the Party’s financial,
organizational and PR capacity is liberally made accessible in the pursuit.  The Cartwright-L’Anse au Clair by-election was
not one of those contests.  This was a
by-election in which only the Liberals could lose face. 

A little history will offer
perspective.

                                                                                           

In 2003 General Election, Liberal
Yvonne Jones captured 59.8% of the vote; in 2007 she won 73%, in 2011 it was
71.1%. Yvonne’s overwhelming personal support did not make either race a real contest.
Dennis Normore, of the P.C.’s (also the current Tory candidate) took 31.8% of
the vote in 2003; slightly less in 2007 and in 2011 a different P.C. candidate
won a mere 26.8% of the votes cast. For the Tories, this was not friendly
territory.

The NDP got around to running a
Candidate in 2011, but garnered only 2.5% of the vote.

Even Premier Danny Williams failed
impress this solidly Liberal riding.

In 1996 General Election, when Yvonne
Jones and Danny Dumaresque duked it out, the Tories barely registered a
presence in the District, coming up with a mere 45 votes.

The best Tory showings in the District
(pre-redistribution) occurred in 1979 when Peckford mania was sweeping the
Province.    

In April, 1979 Election, smelling the
possibility that the District could be taken, Peckford surprised his Campaign
Manager and Campaign Staff, including this scribe, with the announcement that
he would fly into the District personally, within a day or so of the Writ
having been dropped.  At that time of
year, it was a concern that if the weather turned bad, the Chief Campaigner might
find himself marooned in fog (or worse), and unable to fly back out. But,
Peckford knew that no Premier, including Smallwood, had visited the District up
to that time. He hoped his gamble might pay off with a Tory win, given how well
he was connecting with rural voters.

Peckford flew in and out the same day,
escaping any delays feared by Party organizers; his Candidate, in that
Election, took 44.46% of ballots cast; the best Tory vote ever, in the post-Confederation
era.  Subsequent election results, for
the Tories, paled in comparison.

Bottom line: the Liberal Party ‘own’ Cartwright-L’Anse
au Clair and have owned it forever. Tonight’s win confirms it still does.

The NDP would love to have overturned the
Riding, placing the Liberal’s Official Opposition status, in the House of
Assembly, in jeopardy.  That was never
going to happen. But, don’t think the NDP a loser in this campaign.
The NDP would have to go back to 1985
to find any support in southern Labrador (in the district then known as Eagle
River); a local NDPer, named Claude Rumbolt, chalked up 22.7% of the vote.
After that election, the Party as much as disappeared.   

Reportedly for the current by-election,
the NDP sent in several of its best names to campaign.  Any success at all, would have outdone the paltry
44 votes it received in the 2011 Election. 
But, Lorraine Michael does not have to claim some pseudo victory.  After literally being absent, the NDP suddenly
goes in and takes 32.9% of the vote! That result cannot be discounted.

I recently wrote that the ascension of
the NDP and Michael, to first place, in the contest of Public Opinion Polls,
suggests that the Tory vote in rural Newfoundland is collapsing; its support, in
the St. John’s area, having already dissipated.
I believe that the Cartwright L’Anse
Au Clair by-election is hard evidence of this trend.  13.6% is much less than one-half of the
support the Tories could typically claim. 
It’s a disastrous number for the P.C.’s, even given its poor history in
the riding.

 

The Liberals may be celebrating, but
the message of this by-election result will likely not be lost on Dwight Ball.

Still, it is the Dunderdale Tories that
are under the most severe stress; the NDP are eating their lunch. 

 

Dunderdale shouldn’t take too much
comfort from Christy Clark’s big come back in B.C.  But, she can always hope.  
Des Sullivan
Des Sullivan
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada Uncle Gnarley is hosted by Des Sullivan, of St. John's. He is a businessman engaged over three decades in real estate management and development companies and in retail. He is currently a Director of Dorset Investments Limited and Donovan Holdings Limited. During his early career he served as Executive Assistant to Premier's Frank D. Moores (1975-1979) and Brian Peckford (1979-1985). He also served as a Part-Time Board Member on the Canada-Newfoundland Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB). Uncle Gnarley appears on the masthead representing serious and unambiguous positions on NL politics and public policy. Uncle Gnarley is a fiscal conservative possessing distinctly liberal values and a non-partisan persusasion. Those values and opinions underlie this writer's views on NL's politics, economy and society. Uncle Gnarley publishes Monday mornings and more often when events warrant.

REMEMBERING BILL MARSHALL

Bill left public life shortly after the signing of the Atlantic Accord and became a member of the Court of Appeal until his retirement in 2003. During his time on the court he was involved in a number of successful appeals which overturned wrongful convictions, for which he was recognized by Innocence Canada. Bill had a special place in his heart for the underdog.

Churchill Falls Explainer (Coles Notes version)

If CFLCo is required to maximize its profit, then CFLCo should sell its electricity to the highest bidder(s) on the most advantageous terms available.

END OF THE UPPER CHURCHILL POWER CONTRACT: IMPROVING OUR BARGAINING POWER

This is the most important set of negotiations we have engaged in since the Atlantic Accord and Hibernia. Despite being a small jurisdiction we proved to be smart and nimble enough to negotiate good deals on both. They have stood the test of time and have resulted in billions of dollars in royalties and created an industry which represents over a quarter of our economy. Will we prove to be smart and nimble enough to do the same with the Upper Churchill?

4 COMMENTS

  1. Des. Listening to open line, twitter, and other media accounts what was most interesting in this was the quality of the candidates. The real take away from this by election, as a general election looms, is that for the first time in decades there will be a competitive election in this province. The great candidates in this by-election hopefully foreshadows where we will be in 2015. Spingle and Dempster would of both made excellent MHA's. Either will have an immediate impact in the opposition, and both are of better quality than the PC backbench (or even front bench). If a ball / Michael / Dunderdale playbill is what we have in 2015, then the selection of local candidates will be crucial. This is where I think the NDP have the real momentum. They should not be underestimated by anybody as they are clearly the team who are working the hardest. Hope things are well… JM

  2. It is time to put all the support behind the NDP for one reason, and one reason alone. They will be the only party to hold the people responsible for Muskrat Falls accountable. With the announcement of a past Nalcor Chair running for leadership of the Liberal Party it is clear party politics matter not to those who wish to shackle NL to 50 years of debt. Danny's dream knows no political borders and will push forward at all costs. What a shame. This is a mockery of the system. It is clear the writing is on the wall for the PC's and Muskrat pushers NEED someone to come in from the other side to keep it alive. They have found that someone. God Save thee NL.

  3. To Anonymous – I think she's been in the wings in case needed by the Muskrat backroom – is that why she left the Nalcor Board and started politicking at the NDP public meeting on the deal many – many months ago?