CPC convention '08

Ok... so there's no mountains in Manitoba.

I must say that I am disappointed that I am unable to attend the convention in Manitoba this year. I have been reading through blog posts and facebook entries from my blogging colleagues and friends, and I must say it seems as if this convention has an incredible amount of energy behind it. There are a good deal of serious issues being discussed, and a lot of intelligent and influential people participating.

One of the voices in the mix is the founder of the Reagan-Goldwater Society, Derek Fildebrandt. Derek and I worked together last year, I developed the original RGS website(and admittedly had to leave because professional and educational responsibilities trumped my ability to dedicate the time required). In my time working with Derek I found him to be an intelligent thinker, a dedicated small-c conservative, and a fine leader. Well, Derek has moved beyond the days of campus activism, but he is still an active conservative and remains a man deserving of great respect. Derek has put together an excellent list of the proposals being voted on, in the light of strategic voting. I would check it out at his new blog, Conservtive Demablog.

Another of these voices is that of Stephen Taylor, the well known co-founder of the Blogging Tories. Stephen is somewhat of a blogging celeb, he created what is arguably the most influential blogging community in this country. I've also worked with Stephen on several occasions, most notably in my time moderating the Blogging Tories forums, and I can confirm what most all of us already know - he's the guy to watch during this convention. If something is going on, be certain he will know about it, so head on over to his blog and see what he's saying.

Andrew Lawton is another voice to watch, both during the convention as well as following it. Andrew is the President of the UWO chapter of the Reagan-Goldwater Society, and an intelligent conservative thinker. He has just started a new blog, Pundit Central. Be certain to check out his blog as well.

And of course, there is no ignoring my friend over at OfficiallyScrewed.com. He has been giving his take on the event so far, as well as the lead-up. For tales of the events, head on over and see what he's saying.

All of this action keeps me thinking about the importance of the blogosphere in today's political environment. Not just our importance to ourselves, but also to the greater conservative movement in Canada. We cannot allow our Conservative party to be hijacked by centrist voices again, because we cannot afford another splitting of the right. We have to be louder than the voices that are calling for pandering to the center-left; we have to make the leaders of the party understand that we will not stand for "conservatives in name only" leadership - and that without the small-c conservative base, the party is nothing.

Now none of this is to say that the party is in imminent danger of becoming this, but certainly there appear to be seeds of this in some of the proposals that have been brought up in this very convention.

While we must remain strong as small-c conservatives, I think it is important for the movement to focus on matters of the mind, and not of the heart. We must keep the voices of strong social policy moderated, much as we must keep the fringe capitalist thoughts moderated. I think it is important to keep the conversation on moving this country to the right, without appearing scary. Important issues like senate reform, tax reduction with spending cuts/freezes, two-tier health care, equalization reform, responsible environmental protection, and building trade partnerships are all such issues.

These are the issues where conservatives stand a chance at gaining ground and changing minds. And if the CPC decides to move away from their traditional stances on these issues, they will not stand apart from the Liberals in the next election nearly as much as they might like.

More importantly, we must find outlets to get these words out, beyond the blogosphere. If we are honest with ourselves, we will know that our words online only go so far; we miss a huge chunk of the audience. The best way to combat this is to ensure we get ourselves into the public eye - work with small-c conservative organizations like the Manning Center, or Taxpayers Federation. Start your own local movement- gather friends, family, or just like-minded thinkers, start meeting and formulating plans of action to promote issues important in your community. Get out and protest - all too often we sit back and let the left trump us in this. And don't forget, to show support for your party of preference - organize a rally-in-support of a decision or project. No matter what you decide to do, just keep doing it... keep pushing grass roots reform, it's the only way to achieve what we desire.