Sometimes, especially during a meeting that’s so dry my salivary glands are contemplating suicide, I wonder why I’m in the NDP. I look around at the political types and wonder, how did I get here? Two years ago, I didn’t even vote in elections, and two weeks ago I was (half) a voting member at a Provincial party Council meeting? How DID I get here? Luckily, my path to political awareness has been documented in online discussions, at marigoldzine.com. My position today as an executive at large for the NPYM and co-chair of the NSNDP Editorial Board is due solely to the people at Marigold.

In April of 2000 , with elections looming in the fall, I had no clue about anything political; even worse, I didn’t want to know. Ignorance was bliss - but at what price, I was soon to discover. Discussions appeared on Marigold about voting. If I thought of it, I voted NDP, but blindly: “I basically want a woman in whatever office, and they’re it.” Completely ignorant of the issues and the parties, I understood the importance of voting, but “I honestly [couldn’t] bring myself to care. Politicians bore me. Politics bore me. I hate the news because they insist on reporting the most negative crap they can find.” But the seed had been planted, and I asked for a way to learn more. They delivered; I was inundated with information, most of which I couldn’t bring myself to read.

On May 2, without any irony at all, I said, “I'm not really into politics one way or the other, but . . . I suppose the issues we believe in dictate who we vote for (ideally).” The next day, I finally plunged in and revealed my complete ignorance of all things political, and asked “What is Right Wing? And Left Wing? What do they mean, who is which, how can you tell, and is one better or worse than the other? Is there a middle ground and shouldn't we be aiming for that?”

Over the next few days and weeks, people strove to answer the question for me. But nearly every answer was so ingrown with circular jargon, I was still confused. I was starting to get the difference between “Left” and “Right,” but still didn’t know which party was where, or even where I might be. I’d always thought leaning to the right or left was a bad thing; the terms tend to have negative connotation when overheard, probably due to the leanings of the speaker.

By July, I was still confused and fuzzy, but determined to educate myself and make an informed vote for the next election. In September, I finally got an explanation that made sense, and began to understand the beliefs behind each party on the continuum. I also began to realize which party was for me.

In November, Stockwell Day gave me a huge jumpstart. The man scared the crap out of me. I started paying attention to the media, and when a letter to the editor appeared saying everyone should vote Alliance just to see what happens, I was thrown into action. “What the hell are we going to do if too many people feel this way??? I think I'm going to write a letter to the editor refuting that guy's opinion with my own.” A week later, it was printed, complete with urges for everyone to educate themselves and vote.

I began to see statistics that pulled me towards the NDP. They had the lowest number of attacks in their campaign (2%). They’re the only party with gender parity; the party with the most regard for the GLBT population; they were humanists and feminists. I began to realize I was a socialist. But I still was very leery of party politics, and while I was prepared to vote NDP, I really wanted nothing to do with the political action itself. Little did I know what was to come.

The next blip on the radar was the FTAA. It took a long time, but I finally clued in to how important it was. I didn’t understand it, but I eventually noticed it. I was convinced to go to the NSNDP Youth Wing convention at the end of April, 2001, where someone who had been to Quebec explained it to me. I was floored. Flabbergasted. How anyone could think “Free Trade” was a good thing was beyond me; being with people who felt the same way was good.

Also featured was a talk about sustainability and farming, and I was again amazed; it all made so much sense, I couldn’t understand why it wasn’t implemented everywhere. This was the convention where it was voted to change the name of the youth wing to the New Party Youth Movement. The idea that young people could create change, could help push people towards better choices, to make a difference - well, let’s just say I was walking a few feet off the floor for a while. It was probably this convention, with the youthful energy around me, that led me to decide that I was NDP.

In May, I created my Muggah Creek Watershed tourist website - a satire exposing the Tarponds situation here in Cape Breton. It caught the attention of CBC radio, and they brought me in for some Information Morning work. In June, I attended the NSNDP convention in Sydney. I actually stood up at one of the policy meetings and spoke to education. The NPYM name change was given a standing ovation, and everyone wanted to talk to the youth. The whole thing left me feeling empowered.

The Pride Parade in 2001 was a great experience. Alexa herself showed up and walked the whole route, and gave an incredible speech at the end. I was proud of many things that day.

In September, I became co-chair for the Editorial Board. I'd hoped that meant I’d get to redesign the party’s website, but that hasn’t yet happened; however, I get to put together this magazine, and it means a lot to me.

What seems like every day, I hear about NDP MLAs fighting for Cape Breton’s rights, for the rights of people, and I wonder how on earth we’re not in power; how the people at large don’t see who has their best interests at heart.

I still roll my eyes at Council meetings, I still cringe at seemingly useless infights over minute wordings of resolutions. But when it all seems like too much, someone in the party comes at me with something like the Platform discussions at the Council meeting in New Waterford, and I remember the ideals which are so dear to me now, and the humanity of the party rises up and placates my inner boredom.

I’ve created an Activism folder of bookmarks called “Taking Over The World.” full of URLs like the New Party Youth Movement, the Maple Flavoured Women project, the Third Wave Foundation. My path from Apathy to Activism has been a long, revealing, sometimes painful one. Ignorance was bliss, but as soon as I was given the knowledge, my outrage would no longer let me lie under the sand. Two years ago, none of this existed for me. And now, just look at me! Situated smack in the middle of the NDP, writing biting satire, attending party conventions. The NDP is helping me to do my bit to Change The World, and it’s really very satisfying.