James Laxer vs. Jack Layton

Jack Layton was a guest on TVO's The Agenda this evening, discussing the strategy and future of Canada's left(ish) party. The segment focused a great deal of principle vs. politics, and some guests suggested that Layton and the NDP had opted for the latter in recent times. A quote from fromer Waffle leader James Laxer was put on screen, much to Layton's dismay. It stated...

Strangely, in the 2004 election, and much more overtly in 2006, the NDP leader exhibited a penchant for short-term fixes over long-term party-building. He became a servant to the proposition that what was good for working people and for the left was more seats for the NDP—no more, no less.

Needless to say, not too flattering. But then again, the truth does occasionally hurt. Such an analysis forces those of us on the left to look critically at the NDP and our relation to the party. What future directions should those committed to the left take, particularly organized labour? Should we abandon the party? Reform it? Accept it? At the very least, we should have a look at the full article written by Laxer, entitled Fake Left, Go Right. His blog entry on a similar subject is also worth the read.