On choosing sides

It's no particular surprise that a ridiculous proportion of the coverage of #HFX09 in the media and blogosphere has focused on a single proposal that didn't make it to the floor rather than the dozens of policy resolutions that were discussed. But it's interesting to note one other element of the convention which has also seemed to go unnoticed despite fitting nicely into the type of issue that normally occupies plenty of attention: namely, the unveiling of "On Your Side" as a theme and backdrop for Jack Layton's keynote speech.

Of course, the phrase is far from a new one either for the NDP (which has made use of it provincially in B.C. and Ontario) or for the federal political scene (where it was presented as a Con slogan in 2008, but was then de-emphasized as the campaign's focus turned to the economy). But it would seem to suggest a couple of noteworthy priorities for the federal NDP, particularly to the extent the party's actions match the theme (unlike the 2008 Cons).

First, the message draws a more stark division compared to the other federal parties.

While the "New Kind of Strong" theme in 2008 presented a positive NDP message, it didn't raise a great degree of implicit criticism of the other parties, who could be seen at worst as either "weak" or "old strong" by comparison. In contrast, "On Your Side" effectively brands the NDP's opponents as fighting against the best interests of Canadians - calling at least for an explanation as to how that view is wrong, which figures to keep the debate on friendly terrain for the NDP.

Second and more importantly, the theme also seems to hint at a concerted effort to build connections with and among voters in keeping with Marshall Ganz' message. In effect, voters will be invited to think more closely about what their "side" actually involves, with at least some reason to expect that the NDP will then work toward listening and responding to the answer.

Mind you, it remains to be seen how well "On Your Side" will work in the end. But it has potential to both better define the dividing lines in federal politics, and encourage the NDP to stay on the right side of them - making it one of the elements of the convention which figures to reverberate for some time to come.