THE CONSERVATIVE HIPSTERS

As promised, here are my thoughts regarding "Election Debacle '08".

I refuse to hang this car crash of a campaign on the faith-based funding issue. For sure, it was a horrible policy to put in a platform. But I'm convinced that even if it wasn't included we would of had a difficult time getting elected. There was no evidence the "broken promises" broken record was effective; and I'm not sure how many of you actually read the platform, but it wasn't exactly a product of conservative thinking. I think we still would have been in trouble.

However, faith-based funding was an absolute horror show, electorally. As a Party member in good standing, here are the key questions I'd like answered:

1. Who EXACTLY decided that to include the policy in the platform?
2. When was that decision made?
3. If polling indicated this policy was an opportunity to gather support, why did it not reveal the underlying angst?
4. Who was asking those polling questions?
5. Why were the obvious responses of the other parties not gamed out beforehand?
6. How could these "experts" not have seen the coming wave of opposition to the policy?
7. If the campaign team were such experts, why couldn't they pull out of the tailspin they were in?
8. What idiot decided to get John Tory to announce a free vote?

If John Tory wants my support, he needs to ditch his entire existing team. Let's not forget - this is the SAME TEAM THAT RAN EVES FOR LEADER and were largely responsible for the 2003 CAMPAIGN LOSS.

I'm tired of the hired guns - the people who come in to run things into the ground and then go off to their private sector jobs to let everyone else clean up in the aftermath. I never saw them around in the hard slugging in the first couple of years, but they sure did show up once the Party was out of debt and cheques were starting to be cut again.

If Tory intends to stick around, its time to clean house. Even if there are individuals (I know there are) who did their jobs correctly, we need a fresh start. There was nothing good about this campaign, and the people affiliated need to be benched for a while. Even if that means a loss of talent (I'm sure the risk is minimal).

If John Tory wants my respect, here's what he can do. Even if he decides to quit, he can stay around to clean up the mess. He should help to wipe out the expected millions in debt the Party will (once again) have racked up during the election campaign. There's no rush for a new leader to be in place, so Tory can at least set the table properly for the next leader.

Secondly, he can make sure the details of this brutal campaign be released to Party members. If we are to move forward (together, as the Fiberals say), we need to know what happened. For my part, I want to know who got paid and when.

I hope John Tory and his campaign team have the guts to stand up at the next AGM (or wherever) and take their lumps. They certainly earned them. But at least I would respect the fact that they were willing to stand up and be accountable. That's leadership. And as you repeatedly told us - leadership matters.

Until then, I have no intention to do anything for the Party.