I hope Ryan Cleary decides to seek the NDP nomination in St. John's South - Mount Pearl. It will make for an interesting race and give the ABCD folks a viable choice.
Cleary is a gutsy award winning journalist who is one of the last people I would have expected to consider a run at elected politics. He has always been a tough hitter who has drawn the ire of politicians of all stripes for his investigative, no-prisoners approach. Ryan has crawled under the rocks to shed light on issues that have shaken politics, business and unions. He would not normally be the poster boy for a party backed by NAPE or the FFAW.
There is a saying that many are called and few are chosen. Ryan received a fair amount of criticism for stepping out and stating his opinion about the Federal Conservatives at last year's rally. It was a non-partisan affair where leading political figures, union leaders and community leaders delivered a message to the Conservative government regarding its broken commitments on equalization changes and the unilateral tampering with the Atlantic Accord. Ryan delivered an eloquent and passionate speech. He demonstrated that he is a fighting Newfoundlander first and foremost. It took courage. It took conviction. Two things Ryan has lots of.
In Ryan Cleary the NDP could have a high profile candidate in the mold of Nova Scotia NDP MP Peter Stoffer. Stoffer was first elected in June 1997 and then re-elected in November 2000, June 2004, and January 2006 in the riding of Sackville-Eastern Shore. Peter is the outspoken federal NDP critic for Fisheries & Oceans, Shipbuilding, and Veterans Affairs. In 2007, Peter received the “Best Constituency MP” award from Maclean’s Magazine.
Sackville-Eastern Shore has not suffered from sending an NDP member to Ottawa for the past decade, why would St. John's South - Mt. Pearl not consider doing the same thing if the opportunity presented itself.
Another non-Conservative, independent, aggressive Member of Parliament capable of keeping the issues of this province on the front burner in Ottawa is what is needed. I think Ryan Cleary fits the bill. The New Democrats should be encouraging him and would be fortunate to have him as a candidate.
The public should be considering him. He certainly would not be the establishment's candidate!
6 comments:
Nope - Peter Stoffer is a federalist.
Little similarity with Ryan.
Sorry you lost me. Is Ryan a separatist?
I never said Ryan was a separatist.
You did.
I said he wasn't a federalist.
Hey Peter,
I lived in Fall River NS for about ten years. Peter Stoffer was our MP.
Without a doubt, one of the best constituency MP's out there. This is a non-partisan observation.
GK
You said Peter Stoffer is a federalist, inferring that Ryan was not. Hence my question, are you saying Ryan a separatist?
Nice play on words. Use your name next time
Cleary would bring a welcome breath of fresh air to the Province's political representation in Ottawa. He would also go a long way towards bridging the gap between organised labour and the majority non unionized middle class and small businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador. In short, Cleary would be good for the Province and for the NDP.
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