On distinguishing features

Gregory at democraticSPACE has an interesting discussion of what the NDP needs to do in order to be able to compete nationally, suggesting that the main way for the party to stand out is through process rather than through centrally-determined policy:

To be sure, the NDP suffers from the injustices of an electoral system that necessitates concentrations of support over broad-based support, and surely the NDP must continue to fight for electoral reform to redress how votes are translated into seats. Yet the NDP executive must also re-examine its own institutional structure and ask itself whether a more decentralized, regional, issue-targeted and bottom-up organization wouldn’t be more effective at electing members to fight for progressive values. In other words, the current top-down structure — where policies are set by a central executive (and voted upon by the chosen few delegates who are allowed to attend the party convention) — represents a significant departure from the grassroots movement that gave birth to the Party...

If the NDP is to differentiate itself from the other main parties, it will not be on the basis of policy; rather, it will be on the way that policies and strategies are formed. In this, the NDP has the power to control its destiny. A return to grassroots through a charrette process of policy formation and political organization will send a message of real change, creating a platform that is not only for the people, but crafted by the people.

What Gregory doesn't discuss, but also a point worth repeating, is that there are now easier ways to engage in a far deeper degree of consultation with all interested Canadians than there would have been when the party first formed. The NDP thus isn't limited to trying to match its historical structure, but has the opportunity to blaze new trails in creating effectively a publicly-accessible policy-development process.

The only question is whether the party is willing to take the chance involved in deviating from conventional wisdom. And given the NDP's historical and current role as the party most willing to hold itself to a higher standard, it's hard to see much reason not to set the trend.