On renewal

Having mentioned my prescription for the federal New Democrats this morning, I'll note that one of the more interesting questions on the federal scene is whether a party can better build itself up through party-based planning under popular continued leadership as the NDP enjoys under Jack Layton, or whether the competitive drive of leadership candidates will do more to bring new faces and organization into the fold (which would seemingly favour the Libs if any contestants manage to move beyond the party's past supporters).

That said, it's worth noting that following Lorne Calvert's resignation, Saskatchewan's provincial NDP has to be hoping to make the latter process work. And while we'll see who emerges from a long list of contenders to run for the provincial leadership, the more important question for the party may not be who competes and wins so much as how they go about the job.

If the race is simply a matter of choosing a winner based on competition among the party's current supporters and volunteers, then what should be a great opportunity for renewal will have been entirely wasted, and the NDP figures to be in tough to challenge the Sask Party in 2011. In contrast, if the leadership contestants push for support outside the party's current base and build organizations with strong loyalties to both them and the party in the longer term, then there's a real possibility of helping to move Saskatchewan back in the right direction within the next few years.

Needless to say, I'll be hoping for the latter - and doing my best to encourage it among all the leadership candidates. And hopefully the different paths to renewal will work for both levels of the NDP.