NDPNash_20120119_05sm
Peggy Nash with supporters, at her post NDP Candidates Debate party, Toronto © Linda Dawn Hammond / IndyFoto.com 2012. January 18, '12,
I visited 4 of the after debate parties on the NDP pub crawl. choosing those whom believe to be the top contenders in this candidates race.
First on my list was Nathan Cullen's full capacity event at the Three Spot. Decidedly a younger crowd, all enthusiastic to meet the man who I believe gained the most from his exposure at the Toronto debate. He entered as an unknown candidate to many, and from the post-debate chatter I heard, left several impressed and willing to give him serious consideration. Nathan is a dynamic and charismatic speaker, and offered a decisively left leaning but inclusive direction for the party. Excellent Quebec French, surprising for a candidate from Toronto who now resides in northern BC.
Next on the agenda was Brian Topp at Bar Neon. I confess to being surprised to find him in such a trendy, buzzing venue, but he appeared to be enjoying himself, engaged in discussion with some youthful NDP supporters. When I questioned him about his position on the tar sands issue, he asked me to write to him with my questions and promised that he would reply personally and in depth. Which struck me as a sincere response, considering the late hour and various people pressing him for attention.
Mulcair's was upstairs at Duffy's and packed. It was the only after party I attended which offered the attraction of a live band- the amazing Heather Morgan among the talent. To be fair, by the time I arrived (post speech *), many who remained were there to support the band and not necessarily the politician. Mulcair made a point of NOT being photographed holding a drink- the sign of a seasoned politician, and I don't believe the glass he put down held water, (though I can't verify this and honestly don't care either way.) Other candidates were however less cautious, which speaks volumes about their relative inexperience in dealing with the media and public opinion. If one were to judge a politician by the bar chosen to host his "party", Duffy's clientele were older, tired and less edgy. As were many of the crowd, it appeared. Mulcair strikes me as the conservative choice- but then, this may give him a better chance of wooing disenchanted Liberals into the NDP fold (Wasn't he one himself?). Another indication is that he's managed to convince the upscale French riding of Outremont (Montreal) to vote for him. An ability to woo Quebec is an important consideration for any future NDP leader who wishes to step into Layton's shoes, and Mulcair's fluency in French is excellent and only matched by Topp. Mulcair may be the pragmatic decision. A last note on Duffy's the bar- TEN bucks for a Magner's??? To be fair, they offered a $3. special on beer that night... but as a cider drinker, that's pricing beyond greed and I won't be returning any time soon.
I finally made it to Peggy Nash's party at Ciro’s around 1 am. My worry that I might have missed her was unfounded. There she was, gracious and articulate as always, surrounded by her many faithful supporters. Andrew Cash showed up even later than I, and when I left to catch the last subway, she was still gamely holding court.
* Mulcair's speech www.youtube.com/watch?v=obm9roIYtAY
LDH
www.thegridto.com/city/politics/who-says-the-ndp-cant-par...
Jan 20, 2012
Politics
Who says the NDP can’t party hard?
As soon as Wednesday night’s NDP leadership debate was done, four candidates hosted afterparties along Bloor Street West. We investigated them all.
BY: Steve Kupferman
Subsequent to Wednesday’s NDP leadership debate at the Bloor Collegiate Institute, the eight candidates for Jack Layton’s former position were criticized for being too much in agreement on the issues at hand. However, once the debate wrapped up, they had no choice but to divide and conquer.
Finding no venue big enough to hold the debate’s 600 attendees, four of the candidates scheduled after-debate parties at different bars within a half-kilometre of each other on Bloor Street West. Yes: four bars, all within walking distance. There was only one reasonable thing to do: an NDP bar crawl.
Having investigated all four parties, The Grid hereby presents our NDP party rating guide:
Candidate: Peggy Nash
Venue: Ciro’s, 1316 Bloor Street West
holding his post-debate shindig. If it’s possible to divine anything about the candidates’ respective chances from the sizes of their parties alone, Dewar is in serious trouble. Stella was about half the size of Ciro’s and it still wasn’t quite packed. It was a dark, dingy little hangout where the air smelled like curry. There was no music.
“I am supporting Paul Dewar,” said Kari Sackney, who was standing by the door with a drink in her hand. “I think that he is unequivocally the best candidate for the job. I think that he is a bridge builder.” She conceded that she probably would be going to some of the other parties, “in the spirit of democracy.”
Party Rating: 5/10
Rationale: This party felt very pro-forma. If Paul Dewar is serious about being the leader of a sorta-socialist workingman’s political party, he needs to find supporters who do regular-guy things like, for instance, SHOTS!
Candidate: Thomas Mulcair
Venue: Duffy’s, 1238 Bloor Street West
Thomas Mulcair, the Quebecois MP, decided to hold his party in the dingiest of the four bars. The cavernous interior, ordinarily a refuge for local barflies, was packed with supporters. It was a slightly older crowd, to judge by faces alone. Mulcair worked the room with his wife, slowly sipping water from a plastic cup. Alone at a bar stool, a lonely leather-jacketed regular downed a beer with his back turned to the throng.
Party Rating: 7/10
Rationale: Mulcair has a very statesmanlike bearing and doesn’t seem like the type of guy who enjoys dive bars, but meeting him in Duffy’s and trying to have a dignified conversation with him over by the ATM was hilarious and I enjoyed it.
Candidate: Brian Topp
Venue: Bar Neon, 1226 Bloor Street West
The party for Brian Topp, a political strategist now trying to make the leap into policymaking, was happening at Bar Neon, a tiny hole in the wall that practically drips with hipster cool. The walls are bare brick and partly covered in murals, and the counter is stocked with obscure and very fancy brands of liquor.
The crowd was mostly young and stylish, and they were drinking hard—suspiciously hard. After some questioning, it was clear that many of them weren’t there out of fealty to the candidate.
Gavin, a 30-ish man who withheld his last name, was there for a birthday party that was happening simultaneously with the campaign event. “The NDP has taken over every bar in this neighbourhood,” he said. His group had come to Bar Neon because it seemed emptiest.
“Maybe you can judge a candidate by the size of their bar crowd,” he suggested. Brian Topp had best hope that’s not the case.
Party Rating: 9/10
Rationale: Topp can claim no credit for the awesomeness of his post-debate bash, because most of the fun was being had by people who weren’t his supporters. He was literally backed into a corner, by the stairway that led to the bathroom. Seemed like a really nice guy, though.
Hey NDP leadership candidate, how late are you planning on staying out tonight?
Peggy Nash: “I’ll be staying out… [pause] as long as I’m having fun.”
Paul Dewar: “Not too late, because I’m up early tomorrow.”
Thomas Mulcair: “We’re going to work seven days this week. We get up very early in the morning and we finish quite late, so I think that we’re just about to pack it in.”
Brian Topp: “My wife will decide that. We’ve got some events tomorrow morning, but I’m going to stay for a little while and see if we get more people coming in who want to meet. One of the things I want to do is meet them.”
COMMENTS
Hey!
You totally missed the after party for Nathan Cullen.
It was right next door at the Three Spot.
The place was packed and erupted when Nathan arrived.
Listen, I organized it and was nervous about how many folks would come out.
I was as surprised as anyone that we had such a big crowd. At first, I genuinely thought that it was pretty equal mix of locals and NDPers. But, as the night moved on and Nathan mingled it was apparent that is was about 80/20 NDPers/locals.
Our event was more organic and less campaign-y. We had loads of folks come through from other after parties that ended up sticking around.
The Davenport NDP Association led by Andrew Cash started their pub crawl there and Craig Scott newly minted nominee for Toronto Danforth dropped by around midnight.
Over the course of the night I’d say between 70-80 folks came through.
Photo’s: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=192481094184358&set=a...
By 1:00am the crowd was thinning out. It was a big success for a underdog candidate from Northern BC!
Very sorry that you weren’t able to make it or able to cover.
I imagine it would have got a 7 or 8/10 in your rating system. ;)
Hopefully you can make a note of it on web version of story.
Regards,
–
Patrick Casey 2 COMMENTS
Hey!
You totally missed the after party for Nathan Cullen.
It was right next door at the Three Spot.
The place was packed and erupted when Nathan arrived.
Listen, I organized it and was nervous about how many folks would come out.
I was as surprised as anyone that we had such a big crowd. At first, I genuinely thought that it was pretty equal mix of locals and NDPers. But, as the night moved on and Nathan mingled it was apparent that is was about 80/20 NDPers/locals.
Our event was more organic and less campaign-y. We had loads of folks come through from other after parties that ended up sticking around.
The Davenport NDP Association led by Andrew Cash started their pub crawl there and Craig Scott newly minted nominee for Toronto Danforth dropped by around midnight.
Over the course of the night I’d say between 70-80 folks came through.
Photo’s: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=192481094184358&set=a...
By 1:00am the crowd was thinning out. It was a big success for a underdog candidate from Northern BC!
Very sorry that you weren’t able to make it or able to cover.
I imagine it would have got a 7 or 8/10 in your rating system. ;)
Hopefully you can make a note of it on web version of story.
Regards,
–
Patrick Casey
Peggy Nash is the Member of Parliament for Parkdale--High Park and a former President of the NDP. A lifelong activist and community organizer, she is known for her tireless work to build a stronger and more equal Canada.
Born into a working class suburban family, Peggy went onto serve as a top executive for Canada's largest private-sector union. Peggy has distinguished herself as a national leader on economic affairs. Since the May 2011 election, Peggy has served as Opposition finance critic. She has fought for equality and human rights abroad as an elections monitor in South Africa and Ukraine. In 1994 she helped to found Equal Voice. In recognition of her work in the labour, women's and environmental movements she has received numerous awards from the YWCA, City of Toronto and the Sierra Club of Canada.
Peggy is fluent in English, French and Spanish.
She lives in Toronto with her partner, Carl. They have raised three sons.
NDPNash_20120119_05sm
Peggy Nash with supporters, at her post NDP Candidates Debate party, Toronto © Linda Dawn Hammond / IndyFoto.com 2012. January 18, '12,
I visited 4 of the after debate parties on the NDP pub crawl. choosing those whom believe to be the top contenders in this candidates race.
First on my list was Nathan Cullen's full capacity event at the Three Spot. Decidedly a younger crowd, all enthusiastic to meet the man who I believe gained the most from his exposure at the Toronto debate. He entered as an unknown candidate to many, and from the post-debate chatter I heard, left several impressed and willing to give him serious consideration. Nathan is a dynamic and charismatic speaker, and offered a decisively left leaning but inclusive direction for the party. Excellent Quebec French, surprising for a candidate from Toronto who now resides in northern BC.
Next on the agenda was Brian Topp at Bar Neon. I confess to being surprised to find him in such a trendy, buzzing venue, but he appeared to be enjoying himself, engaged in discussion with some youthful NDP supporters. When I questioned him about his position on the tar sands issue, he asked me to write to him with my questions and promised that he would reply personally and in depth. Which struck me as a sincere response, considering the late hour and various people pressing him for attention.
Mulcair's was upstairs at Duffy's and packed. It was the only after party I attended which offered the attraction of a live band- the amazing Heather Morgan among the talent. To be fair, by the time I arrived (post speech *), many who remained were there to support the band and not necessarily the politician. Mulcair made a point of NOT being photographed holding a drink- the sign of a seasoned politician, and I don't believe the glass he put down held water, (though I can't verify this and honestly don't care either way.) Other candidates were however less cautious, which speaks volumes about their relative inexperience in dealing with the media and public opinion. If one were to judge a politician by the bar chosen to host his "party", Duffy's clientele were older, tired and less edgy. As were many of the crowd, it appeared. Mulcair strikes me as the conservative choice- but then, this may give him a better chance of wooing disenchanted Liberals into the NDP fold (Wasn't he one himself?). Another indication is that he's managed to convince the upscale French riding of Outremont (Montreal) to vote for him. An ability to woo Quebec is an important consideration for any future NDP leader who wishes to step into Layton's shoes, and Mulcair's fluency in French is excellent and only matched by Topp. Mulcair may be the pragmatic decision. A last note on Duffy's the bar- TEN bucks for a Magner's??? To be fair, they offered a $3. special on beer that night... but as a cider drinker, that's pricing beyond greed and I won't be returning any time soon.
I finally made it to Peggy Nash's party at Ciro’s around 1 am. My worry that I might have missed her was unfounded. There she was, gracious and articulate as always, surrounded by her many faithful supporters. Andrew Cash showed up even later than I, and when I left to catch the last subway, she was still gamely holding court.
* Mulcair's speech www.youtube.com/watch?v=obm9roIYtAY
LDH
www.thegridto.com/city/politics/who-says-the-ndp-cant-par...
Jan 20, 2012
Politics
Who says the NDP can’t party hard?
As soon as Wednesday night’s NDP leadership debate was done, four candidates hosted afterparties along Bloor Street West. We investigated them all.
BY: Steve Kupferman
Subsequent to Wednesday’s NDP leadership debate at the Bloor Collegiate Institute, the eight candidates for Jack Layton’s former position were criticized for being too much in agreement on the issues at hand. However, once the debate wrapped up, they had no choice but to divide and conquer.
Finding no venue big enough to hold the debate’s 600 attendees, four of the candidates scheduled after-debate parties at different bars within a half-kilometre of each other on Bloor Street West. Yes: four bars, all within walking distance. There was only one reasonable thing to do: an NDP bar crawl.
Having investigated all four parties, The Grid hereby presents our NDP party rating guide:
Candidate: Peggy Nash
Venue: Ciro’s, 1316 Bloor Street West
holding his post-debate shindig. If it’s possible to divine anything about the candidates’ respective chances from the sizes of their parties alone, Dewar is in serious trouble. Stella was about half the size of Ciro’s and it still wasn’t quite packed. It was a dark, dingy little hangout where the air smelled like curry. There was no music.
“I am supporting Paul Dewar,” said Kari Sackney, who was standing by the door with a drink in her hand. “I think that he is unequivocally the best candidate for the job. I think that he is a bridge builder.” She conceded that she probably would be going to some of the other parties, “in the spirit of democracy.”
Party Rating: 5/10
Rationale: This party felt very pro-forma. If Paul Dewar is serious about being the leader of a sorta-socialist workingman’s political party, he needs to find supporters who do regular-guy things like, for instance, SHOTS!
Candidate: Thomas Mulcair
Venue: Duffy’s, 1238 Bloor Street West
Thomas Mulcair, the Quebecois MP, decided to hold his party in the dingiest of the four bars. The cavernous interior, ordinarily a refuge for local barflies, was packed with supporters. It was a slightly older crowd, to judge by faces alone. Mulcair worked the room with his wife, slowly sipping water from a plastic cup. Alone at a bar stool, a lonely leather-jacketed regular downed a beer with his back turned to the throng.
Party Rating: 7/10
Rationale: Mulcair has a very statesmanlike bearing and doesn’t seem like the type of guy who enjoys dive bars, but meeting him in Duffy’s and trying to have a dignified conversation with him over by the ATM was hilarious and I enjoyed it.
Candidate: Brian Topp
Venue: Bar Neon, 1226 Bloor Street West
The party for Brian Topp, a political strategist now trying to make the leap into policymaking, was happening at Bar Neon, a tiny hole in the wall that practically drips with hipster cool. The walls are bare brick and partly covered in murals, and the counter is stocked with obscure and very fancy brands of liquor.
The crowd was mostly young and stylish, and they were drinking hard—suspiciously hard. After some questioning, it was clear that many of them weren’t there out of fealty to the candidate.
Gavin, a 30-ish man who withheld his last name, was there for a birthday party that was happening simultaneously with the campaign event. “The NDP has taken over every bar in this neighbourhood,” he said. His group had come to Bar Neon because it seemed emptiest.
“Maybe you can judge a candidate by the size of their bar crowd,” he suggested. Brian Topp had best hope that’s not the case.
Party Rating: 9/10
Rationale: Topp can claim no credit for the awesomeness of his post-debate bash, because most of the fun was being had by people who weren’t his supporters. He was literally backed into a corner, by the stairway that led to the bathroom. Seemed like a really nice guy, though.
Hey NDP leadership candidate, how late are you planning on staying out tonight?
Peggy Nash: “I’ll be staying out… [pause] as long as I’m having fun.”
Paul Dewar: “Not too late, because I’m up early tomorrow.”
Thomas Mulcair: “We’re going to work seven days this week. We get up very early in the morning and we finish quite late, so I think that we’re just about to pack it in.”
Brian Topp: “My wife will decide that. We’ve got some events tomorrow morning, but I’m going to stay for a little while and see if we get more people coming in who want to meet. One of the things I want to do is meet them.”
COMMENTS
Hey!
You totally missed the after party for Nathan Cullen.
It was right next door at the Three Spot.
The place was packed and erupted when Nathan arrived.
Listen, I organized it and was nervous about how many folks would come out.
I was as surprised as anyone that we had such a big crowd. At first, I genuinely thought that it was pretty equal mix of locals and NDPers. But, as the night moved on and Nathan mingled it was apparent that is was about 80/20 NDPers/locals.
Our event was more organic and less campaign-y. We had loads of folks come through from other after parties that ended up sticking around.
The Davenport NDP Association led by Andrew Cash started their pub crawl there and Craig Scott newly minted nominee for Toronto Danforth dropped by around midnight.
Over the course of the night I’d say between 70-80 folks came through.
Photo’s: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=192481094184358&set=a...
By 1:00am the crowd was thinning out. It was a big success for a underdog candidate from Northern BC!
Very sorry that you weren’t able to make it or able to cover.
I imagine it would have got a 7 or 8/10 in your rating system. ;)
Hopefully you can make a note of it on web version of story.
Regards,
–
Patrick Casey 2 COMMENTS
Hey!
You totally missed the after party for Nathan Cullen.
It was right next door at the Three Spot.
The place was packed and erupted when Nathan arrived.
Listen, I organized it and was nervous about how many folks would come out.
I was as surprised as anyone that we had such a big crowd. At first, I genuinely thought that it was pretty equal mix of locals and NDPers. But, as the night moved on and Nathan mingled it was apparent that is was about 80/20 NDPers/locals.
Our event was more organic and less campaign-y. We had loads of folks come through from other after parties that ended up sticking around.
The Davenport NDP Association led by Andrew Cash started their pub crawl there and Craig Scott newly minted nominee for Toronto Danforth dropped by around midnight.
Over the course of the night I’d say between 70-80 folks came through.
Photo’s: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=192481094184358&set=a...
By 1:00am the crowd was thinning out. It was a big success for a underdog candidate from Northern BC!
Very sorry that you weren’t able to make it or able to cover.
I imagine it would have got a 7 or 8/10 in your rating system. ;)
Hopefully you can make a note of it on web version of story.
Regards,
–
Patrick Casey
Peggy Nash is the Member of Parliament for Parkdale--High Park and a former President of the NDP. A lifelong activist and community organizer, she is known for her tireless work to build a stronger and more equal Canada.
Born into a working class suburban family, Peggy went onto serve as a top executive for Canada's largest private-sector union. Peggy has distinguished herself as a national leader on economic affairs. Since the May 2011 election, Peggy has served as Opposition finance critic. She has fought for equality and human rights abroad as an elections monitor in South Africa and Ukraine. In 1994 she helped to found Equal Voice. In recognition of her work in the labour, women's and environmental movements she has received numerous awards from the YWCA, City of Toronto and the Sierra Club of Canada.
Peggy is fluent in English, French and Spanish.
She lives in Toronto with her partner, Carl. They have raised three sons.