What became blatantly obvious in the election of 2014 was that the People’s Alliance had no cohesiveness as a party. PANB candidates in neighboring ridings, even those in the same cities, had wildly differing ideas on what the party platform meant. Was it simply a matter of misinterpretations of the party platform? When every member of a party has a different interpretation of the party platform, what is the point of a platform?
Compounding the issue of platform interpretations was the party’s stance on free votes. Some in the populist circle see PANB’s promise to use the party whip as infrequently as possible in a positive light. What it actually means is that nobody knows what a PANB government would actually do. If Austen kept his promise of allowing party members to vote whichever way they felt so inclined, he would be a weak leader and a terrible premier. If he broke that promise and forced members to vote along a party line; nobody knows exactly what that party line would entail as the platform has been so open to debate.
Austin has excelled in exactly one area as leader of his fifth-place party; speaking out both sides of his mouth to appease whichever audience he happens to be standing in front of at the time. Some might compare his oratorical skills to that of Bill Clinton. He’s folksy when he speaks to rural communities. He’s angry when speaking to impoverished areas. He’s soft and nostalgic when speaking to seniors. Overall, people find him very likeable despite not knowing where he actually stands on most key issues. In short, Austin is strong on speech while remaining painfully inactive on action.
There is no better example than Austin’s lack of response to the Stewart Manuel debacle. Manuel is a vocal candidate for Carleton who has posted a series of highly questionable memes and posts to social media that would almost certainly end the campaign of anyone running for a respectable party. No leader would allow such a shady candidate to go on carrying the party banner after a national news outlet caught this most heinous scent.
The Manuel problem reached a low-point when he posted a meme from Ontario comparing the Liberals of that province to the Nazi Party of Adolf Hitler. It was not clear as to whether Manuel even realized the meme was targeted at the Ontario Liberal Party or if he meant it to reflect how he felt about the Liberals of this province. This came after a series of memes attacking Liberals and Progressive Conservatives alike. Ironically, Manuel uses PC Leader Blaine Higgs’ past affiliation with the Confederation of Regions as an attack against Higgs’ leadership; despite the fact that PANB is using much of the same language and policy directions that CoR employed during its heyday. As expected of most PANB candidates, there is an unhealthy amount of posts vilifying the Francophones of New Brunswick or at the very least the government policies that enrich Francophone society.
A problem like Manuel should be an easy fix for Kris Austin especially given how hard Austin strives to be liked. But nearly a week has passed since Global News brought the story online across the country and still no action from the leader’s office. Manuel has apologized for the Nazi meme only and the party has remained stunningly silent. What could have been a brilliant moment for Austin to display his leadership skills has become a blight on his polished image. Certainly, the luster has diminished.
A leader that doesn’t enforce party policy does not have a party. It is as simple as that. The People’s Alliance is a collection of men and women who collectively smear purple on their campaign signs and stick close to Austin in the hopes of gaining some likeability of their own. However, they do not share a singular vision of New Brunswick nor do they guarantee to deliver a unified government if elected. Austin’s inaction at the grassroots level, even with a small group of volunteers and candidates, is a clear sign that he lacks the leadership skills necessary to run a province.
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