The hazards of democracy

One of the NDP's problems in trying to be more responsive to members than other political parties is that every so often, that responsiveness leads to results that the leaders likely wouldn't have chosen. For an example, look no further than Bev Desjarlais' defeat in a nomination battle:

Bev Desjarlais, the NDP MP who broke ranks with her party to oppose same sex marriage, has lost a battle for the NDP nomination in her northern Manitoba riding.

Ms. Desjarlais was defeated by Niki Ashton, the daughter of Steve Ashton, the Manitoba cabinet minister who represents the Churchill riding provincially...

NDP insiders insisted yesterday that Ms. Desjarlais' defeat had nothing to do with her June vote (against same-sex marriage). Rather, Mr. Layton has maintained a policy of allowing all sitting MPs to be challenged for their nominations.

From the sound of Ashton's resumé as listed in the article, it looks like she too will be an absolutely fantastic candidate. But for a party with as few seats as the NDP now holds, it hurts to lose the power of incumbency. And particularly given the NDP's difficulty in recruiting top candidates in some locations, it's painful to see two such good ones face off internally rather than spreading out into different ridings. (Though as noted by Brad Lavigne in the article, it is a good sign to see new potential stars getting into the mix.)

In the short term, hopefully Desjarlais will stick with the party and either look for another riding to represent, or work to help win Churchill for Ashton. And in the long run, hopefully Canadians will remember which of the national parties recognizes that democracy - both within the party and in government - is more important than immediate electoral gain.