The story is that Ed Broadbent used the phrase as describe in this bit from Wikipedia. I was active in the movement and my understanding is the same...The movement was a group within the NDP attempting to move it to the left.
Origins of the Waffle name The name was meant ironically one story, quoted in historian Desmond Morton's book The New Democrats, has the name having originated during the drafting of the group's manifesto when, at one point, Ed Broadbent said "that if they had to choose between waffling to the left and waffling to the right, they waffle to the left." The "Waffle Manifesto" was the published headline to Jean Howarth's piece in Toronto's The Globe and Mail on September 6, 1969. Howarth heard about the waffle line from Hugh Windsor, who also worked at Globe and Mail, and was also a co-signer of the manifesto. When Laxer and other members of the group read the headline, they adopted it.[1] --- Jim Devine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On 7/16/07, ken hanly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Here is a quote from James Laxer, a well known > > Canadian left nationalist, and one of the founders > of > > the Waffle group. ... > > why is it called the "Waffle"? that makes it sound > bad. (No-one knows > for sure, by the way, why the IWW were called > "Wobblies," another name > that sounds bad.) > > > I think Laxer confuses the neo-conservative > ideology > > with that of libertarians. Many libertarians such > as > > those at Anti-war.com are completely opposed to > > neo-conservatism but opposed to a strong state > with > > extensive power. The neo-conservative state is > > completely at odds with a free people but that is > > because it is not weak or limited at all. > > can't the neo-cons mix their rhetoric, calling for a > strong state when > it comes to military issues, foreign policy issues > (in alliance with > Unka Sam), and the protection of property rights but > then calling for > a weak state when it comes to social welfare issues? > That's common > with cons in the US. > > -- > Jim Devine / "The tooth fairy teaches children that > they can sell > body parts for money." -- David Richerby > Blog: http://kenthink7.blogspot.com/index.html Blog: http://kencan7.blogspot.com/index.html
