NDP’s New Language Says a Lot

Last month an email from the BCNDP dropped into my inbox. Expecting the usual “we hate Campbell and so should you” key messaging, I was pleasantly surprised to be invited me to a rally for a non-partisan group called the coalition to Build a Better BC. Their goal: call on the provincial government to protect a list of specific services. Smart.

In addition to this coalition being comprised of unions, their roster also boasts some environmental groups. While they’ve still got a long way to go (when will larger companies or even small to medium- sized businesses join the coalition?), it’s a start.

After reading the email, something else struck me. Not only did the key message get a makeover; the language used to convey the message was also different and – I dare say – more inclusive.

Politics, politicians and activists tend to be incredibly sensitive to language. Choosing a word like “individuals” instead of the NDP’s usual “working families” isn’t just the work of a thesaurus – there’s method to the madness.

During the last provincial election, citizens were bombarded by all sorts of NDPisms:

“Working families are standing up to the BC Liberals”
“Gordon Campbell can’t be trusted”
“Ordinary British Columbians deserve better”

These were all phrases frequently bandied by Carole James, her MLAs and candidates, and in party communications.

This language paid homage to the NDP’s traditional base, organized labour, was quite negative and steeped in socialist/class-based terminology. The aim was to appeal to as broad as swath of the BC population as possible. After all, who wouldn’t identify themselves as part of a working family? Well, many of us. Young professionals, federal liberals, green entrepreneurs, progressive urban dwellers, unemployed and poor people tend to not connect with this sort of language. It’s too class based, too tied to the ideologies of a century past. Yet these are precisely the type of individuals the BCNDP needs to attract and engage with in order to win the next election.

Now, for the first time in a long while, the BCNDP’s new language removes them from old school trade unionism and towards a more inclusive progressive coalition. If this is true and this messaging finds its way into speeches, TV ads, and other member communications, the BCNDP will find a growing number of activists and voters eager to join their side and topple the BC Liberals.