Why the NDP can’t emulate Conservative strategy and tactics

Apparently, people close to Jack Layton and Olivia Chow are being told to read Paul Wells’ book Right Side Up and Tom Flanagan’s book Harper’s Team, because the senior NDP leadership–Layton, Chow, and Chief of Staff Bob Gallagher–admire the Conservatives’ intelligence and want to emulate them. This won’t work for any number of reasons. One [...]

What makes a good strategist?

What makes a good strategist? And why is strategic talent so rare? This blog is a digressive attempt to answer these questions. I will digest and improvise theory with reference to contemporary experience and historical anecdotes. Philip Tetlock, in his excellent book, Expert Political Judgment, begins by enumerating sceptical arguments against the possibility of forecasting. [...]