Tag: brian topp

The quiet election: Where are the thunder sticks in the Nova Scotia election?

Campaign Thunder Sticks
In the 2012 provincial election, the Wild Rose Party deployed noisy thunder sticks at every rally for its leader Danielle Smith, as it looked to stage a high-energy television-friendly event every day. Wild Rose would lose this election but top political strategists like Brian Topp and Brad Lavigne say this kind of political theatre is a vital part of a modern campaign — except, apparently, in Nova Scotia. (David Akin/QMI Agency)

I and our Sun News Network reporters have been on campaign buses in federal elections and in elections in B.C., Alberta, Ontario and others. For the last four weeks, we’ve been following the New Democrat, Liberal, and Progressive Conservative leaders tours through the Nova Scotia election. (The campaign is nearing an end and the votes will be counted Tuesday).

One thing our reporters in Nova Scotia have noticed is how quiet — relatively speaking — the Nova Scotia campaign events are compared to others we have covered. Now, a lot of people might be happy to see a campaign free of those annoying thunder sticks, but I think you will find broad agreement among political operatives of all stripes, that putting together a tub-thumping, heart-pumping political rally can give a campaign some energy and help with voter turnout. Continue reading The quiet election: Where are the thunder sticks in the Nova Scotia election?

The Topp campaign responds to the Dewar poll

Earlier today, the Paul Dewar campaign released an internal poll of NDP supporters which purported to show that, on the first ballot of the NDP Leadership campaign, Thomas Mulcair would come in first with about one in four voters. Brian Topp would finish fifth.

The Topp campaign released this e-mail which campaign manager Raymond Guardia sent around in the wake of the Dewar campaign release (This if formatted as I received it): Continue reading The Topp campaign responds to the Dewar poll

A nasty online dustup in the NDP leadership race about speaking French

You think the NDP leadership race is too polite? How about this dustup between supporters of Romeo Saganash and Brian Topp. It starts when a Saganash supporters gets a phone call from Topp’s team and, in that call, Topp’s canvasser suggests that Saganash, who represents a northern Quebec riding, cannot speak French. Topp, on Twitter, quickly tries to put out any suggestion that that’s what his team was implying. Not good enough, says Saganash’s campaign manager, who, also on Twitter, calls for an apology.

Continue reading A nasty online dustup in the NDP leadership race about speaking French

NDP insider: Saganash, Ashton should pack it up. Topp maybe, too

Ian Capstick is a smart fellow who knows a lot about the political backrooms that most journalists never get to see. He’s a former aide to Liberal Sheila Copps but who eventually left the Liberals to join the federal New Democrats and was, when I first met him in 2005, the very effective and efficient press secretary to the federal NDP caucus. He’s never afraid of a good political fight. Indeed, I believe he enjoys one. And, perhaps most importantly in a town where many inflate their sense of themselves to get ahead, Capstick, in my experience, rarely blows smoke.

So, here he is tonight on CBC’s Power and Politics, responding to some questions from my friend Evan Solomon about the departure from the NDP leadership race of the unilingual Robert Chisholm: Continue reading NDP insider: Saganash, Ashton should pack it up. Topp maybe, too