At this time last year, I recommended that progressives become more like conservatives in order to better serve both the people they hoped to govern and to actually fulfill the ideological aim of progressivism.
In the ensuing year, progressives not only took power at all three levels of government across Canada, but proceeded to double down on policies and rhetoric that would make even Karl Marx rather edgy.
Clearly, my words found no fertile soil in the progressive mind. Luckily, my own camp appears to be in a listening mood for the first time in a long while, given our recent reverses at the ballot boxes.
And so this year I inaugurate my first annual Christmas for Conservatives, complete with a three-step plan to regain power and save Canada from becoming the worst possible combination of Orwell and Huxley's futures.
The first step, of course, is to take back the initiative. Currently, Tories at every level of government have been painted as reactionary politicians unable to handle the challenges of the 21st century, even while progressives and their operatives are crafting expensive new policies and programs that will interfere with people's lives or wastefully pander to identity groups.
This issue can be used by Tories to bring the political rhetoric back to a tempo and style they control.
The simplest wedge to drive into this progressive paradox is to combine the political credo "don't tread on me" with rhetoric referencing equality. While it would be a very delicate balance to achieve, properly done it is a deadly, universally appealing political weapon.
The entire Tory project is based on showing leftists for the opportunists they are, and painting them as favouring special interests to the detriment of the wider electorate certainly fits the bill.
The second step naturally follows: Tories must articulate a conservative vision for the country, province, or city they hope to govern. The greatest condemnation of the Harper government is that ultimately they were more concerned with what they didn't do than what they did do. And a vision of "do no harm" does little to inspire even supporters, let alone swing voters.
The greatest Canadian conservatives had vision: Macdonald wanted a unifying railway, Borden wanted Canada to defeat unwarranted aggression, Diefenbaker wanted a unifying constitution, and Mulroney helped Canada solidify its trade rights. Unless Canadians are given such grand visions again by Tories, the Liberals will be in as often as they were in the last century.
Whatever the details of this yet unauthored platform, the grand facts it must address are plain to see: youth unemployment, the tide of retirees coming in a few years, the unsustainability of our welfare state, our aging infrastructure, and the security concerns around the globe. Voters want a political narrative that includes all these things, and Tories must meet this demand.
Third and finally, at all levels, right-leaning groups and parties must signal that they are prepared for change internally and externally. This might mean introducing term limits for sitting representatives, requiring bi-annual leadership reviews, promoting referenda on serious questions, or hosting open nominations in certain electoral districts.
There are great examples for this all over the English-speaking world, whether we look to America's primary system, Australia's ability to ditch PMs without an election, or David Cameron's bold appeal to Britons regarding EU membership.
Clearly, there is a place for innovative, fearless, even congenial conservatism, if right-leaning people will build up trust with the wider electorate.
That's as good a present as I can give to my right-leaning friends. I hope that you will utilize it, and slowly but surely regain power throughout a land currently headed for a politically correct doom worse than death itself. God keep our land glorious and free - Merry Christmas!
