On Revolutions And Coronations

Depending on which articles you read these days, the Liberal Party of Canada is either in the early stages of a revolution or preparing for a coronation. One thing is certain, however: it can't do both.

The president of the Liberal Party, Alfred Apps, wants to see tables turned, prisons stormed and shots heard round the world. He wants nothing less than a revolution where the well manicured lawns of lazy country club Liberals are trampled under the feet of a grassroots army signing up new recruits on the doorsteps of the nation. Apps anticipates the culmination of this mass mobilization will be the selection of a new permanent leader in a process open to members and supporters alike. The result: a sweeping democratic transformation for the party and a coup de grace for the ossified power brokers who still haunt the back rooms.

That's one narrative being bandied about but there's a countervailing plot unfolding that foresees much less time in the trenches and a lot more time dusting off crowns and sceptres.

In this narrative, the loyal minions of the Liberal Party swell the progress of current interim leader Bob Rae. His rule is so surefooted, so the story goes, that tedious arguments about promises and noticeably rolled trousers should be scuttled. Why should Liberals disturb the universe with overwhelming questions when the answer's dropped right on its plate?

But the universe will be disturbed, when power's at stake, it always is.

To wit: the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade may have confused the situation but the floating of Dalton McGuinty's name for federal leader was no trial balloon. It came in the aftermath of three solid weeks of excellent press for Bob Rae and was a clear shot across his bow, intended to remind him that sailing into the permanent job may not be so smooth. And as long as Rae equivocates on his long term aspirations, Liberals can expect many more such shots both in plain view and behind the scenes. To think otherwise is dangerously naive.

Once again, in the history of the Liberal Party, a fight for the crown of leadership threatens to nip revolution in the bud.