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New Democrats' family feud rages in social media

As the NDP postponed its expected showdown on Sunday afternoon, supporters and opponents of party leader Carole James were skirmishing online -- especially on Facebook and Twitter.

On her own Facebook page, James had not posted since November 30, but some earlier posts included comments urging her to resign and others praising her "very brave stand at the provincial council."

Her opponents have launched their own Facebook page, Progressives for BC NDP Renewal, which on Sunday appeared much busier than James's.

On Twitter, BCNDP invited readers: "Add your name to those who are united with @carolejames for positive change." The BC NDP Caucus, as of early Sunday afternoon, had no tweets related to the intra-party dispute.

Two other Twitter sites had been very active over the weekend, with both New Democrats and observers commenting. #bcpoli included tweets from well-known bloggers, Liberal supporters, and various kibitzers. At #bcleg, tweets occasionally mentioned the NDP dispute but focused more on general issues such as the Liberal leadership race.

It was over these same social media that the NDP caucus communications director, Sara Goldvine, confirmed that its emergency caucus meeting was being postponed "to give time for private discussions."

Crawford Kilian is a contributing editor of The Tyee.

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