Angry in the Great White North

My only character flaw was that I was conceited.  But I'm not conceited anymore.  I guess that makes me perfect.

Most people trying out that argument would get the heave-ho from the rest us examples of imperfect humanity.  But some people think that Elizabeth May can get away with this.

Well, one person thinks she can.  That would be Elizabeth May.

The press has gotten hold of her analysis of the recent Green Party campaign:

"I intend to remain as leader of the Green party. My personal popularity with the Canadian electorate is something, speaking as objectively as possible, that the Green party needs. I did not become leader of this party to quit and, in so doing, watch it decline."

Wow.  So if she is so popular, how come there are no Green Party MPs?

Green party was "clearly unprepared" for the recent federal election, leaving leader Elizabeth May feeling like she was "flying by the seat of my pants," says a confidential post-mortem prepared by May.

"No campaign planning document was ever prepared that I saw," she wrote. "No campaign discussions and strategy calls took place during the campaign.

"My feeling throughout the campaign was that I was flying by the seat of my pants."

May went on to say this was partly due to the party having spent its summer focusing on byelections, and having been caught off guard by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's election call.

No campaign planning document?  Why didn't she write one?  Why didn't she make certain one was written?  And what was she waiting for?  That document should have written right after the 2006 election.  And she should have made certain it was ready for her to review.

In any other political party, being unprepared for an election would be considered the fault of the leader.  It would be a lack of foresight by the leader that would have allowed the party to get target-locked on by-elections to the detriment of national preparedness.

But not in the Green Party.  Elizabeth May seems to be suggesting that the Green Party owes her an apology.

Really, I am in awe of this woman's chutzpah.

If there is a problem, Elizabeth May admits, it is in Quebec, where the Green vote did not go up.  Finally, is there something here that Elizabeth May will take responsibility for?

No.  The problem is that the provincial Greens are not loyal enough:

However, May noted that results in Quebec were "seriously worrying" and says the Quebec provincial wing of the party "is not supportive of federal Greens."

"As a party, we need to put special attention into determining why our vote did not grow in Quebec. ... Clearly, there needs to be an overhaul of our organizing efforts."

Right.  Again, in any other party, that lack of support would reflect badly on the leader, suggesting, perhaps, a serious problem in communication.  But there is no suggestion of that here.  Just a demand that there be an overhaul in the organizing efforts.

I wonder if that means an overhaul in the organization.  You know, replacing people who aren't supportive enough of Elizabeth May.  Once that loyalty is in place, Elizabeth May can redirect the Green Party to the number one priority: getting Elizabeth May elected!

"The biggest problem area to sort out by the next campaign is how I can win in my riding (any riding) when I am out of the riding more than half the time. The push and pull is tough," she wrote.

"Can we have any kind of decision that the leader winning in her seat is a top priority?"

May also argued that the party needs to find "more creative" ways during the next campaign to allow her to spend more time in her own riding.

"We need to have deputy leaders do events outside of their own ridings. We should start work now to obtain commitments from Green celebrities (entertainers, writers, sports figures) to do events and media for us during the campaign," she wrote.

Here's a hint for Elizabeth May in case she's reading this.  When you ask about how to win in "my riding" and then parenthetically point out that your riding is any riding, you come off as a crass opportunist who has no particular concern for the people in the riding (any riding) that you care to represent.  That will cost you votes.

No wonder she wants a proportional system for elections.  This riding approach is so tiresome for someone as great as she.  What, with having to spend time in the riding dealing with local issues and pretending to care.  And now that she's lost in Central Nova, she'll have to go and find another riding and pretend to care about those people instead.

But it'll get easier next time, as long as Elizabeth May can convince the rest of the party that what matters most is to get Elizabeth May that MP's pension.  They can get right on that after they've apologized to her for not being properly prepared to help her win her seat in Central Nova.