Five seconds to air

In the recent discussion about the NDP's best possible message now, I'm reminded of a passage from the movie Airheads:

"All I'm saying is, We want to be heard!"
"OK, you're on the air. What do you want to say?"
"I dunno. We just want to be heard!"

(Sadly, IMDB doesn't have the exact quote. If you can correct this, please do.)

We're on the air. We're being heard. We need to have something to say.

I agree with the concept that we do need to demonstrate that the NDP is fiscally responsible. However, that doesn't mean we can afford to limit ourselves to trying to emphasize that point, for a few reasons.

First, by doing so we'd open ourselves up to the "methinks thou doth protest too much" criticism. The more we try to bring up as a point of debate whether or not the NDP is a practical party, the more we invite commentators to say otherwise. My preferred framework is, "We all agree with the importance of a balanced budget. Given that, here's what we would do with it." Make fiscal responsibility a premise, not a conclusion.

Second, we're simply not in a position to show what we can do as a federal government: there's no way to back up the claim, making it easy for other parties and for the media to dismiss such talk as sheer rhetoric.

Third, it doesn't make for a good story. Right now we're getting lots of positive attention. If our message changes to something that isn't newsworthy (and let's face it, "NDP Continues to Claim Fiscal Responsibility" isn't going to be a fixture in the headlines), that attention goes to waste.

The Wonderdog wonders whether it'll be possible to form a federal government without first governing successfully in Ontario. My take is that it probably can be done - but an essential first step is a successful period as the Official Opposition nationally, and we're not going to get there by reinventing ourselves as the Technocrats. Nor will we get there by running away from protest votes, nor by trying to avoid discussing policy until the start of a campaign.

There are good issues receiving plenty of attention at the moment: health care, prescription drugs, global and national poverty, the environment, EI and education. Our best chance in Ontario and elsewhere is to show why we're right on these issues, and how good policy can fit within a balanced budget.