danny a closet socialist?

From David Frum's blog:

Danny Williams may reap what he has sown. If he does not, his party will. As the Post pointed out, the principle beneficiary of Williams ABC campaign was the NDP. For those outside Atlantic Canada, this may seem odd, but NFLD’s Liberal Party is still recovering from scandals from its time in office so the beneficiary is naturally the party that had the least amount of seats. How long before his efforts to tarnish the national party’s brand trickle down to his own.

The truth is many of NFLD’s federal-provincial wins were the result of the diplomacy of other Atlantic premiers. Danny’s antics just grabbed the headlines. By empowering the NDP, if the Liberals don’t resuscitate themselves before Danny’s star fades, NFLD may have the first NDP government east of Ontario.

If this happens, it'll be Danny leading it up. In all seriousness, Danny taking on the feds in defense of Newfoundland's common good has socialism written all over it. Despite his being a successful entrepreneur, the majority of his policies are not the neoconservative junk that Frum embraces; they are actually much closer to the kind of responsible socialism (i.e., Newfie-style, not necessarily the NDP's brand) that has given him wings in Newfoundland.

If the NDP gain popularity in Newfoundland it is because (1) Newfoundlanders are generally not bankers and stock brokers, but people with a long history of labour who are looking for leaders who can deliver real labour solutions and protection from vulture conservatism, and (2) Danny Williams has given us a strong voice and a sense of social responsibility that we will be loathe to relinquish as the benefits are realized.