We have entered the home stretch: just one more week to go before Canadians head to the polls.
NDP growing stronger and stronger
In its editorial cartoon today, one newspaper shows Jack Layton and Stephen Harper doing jumping jacks of joy over a newspaper headline that reads, “NDP Surge”. Never far from the truth, like all political cartoons, this one too reflects today’s reality. The Conservatives must be extremely happy that the Liberals seem destined for the cemetery once and for all.
The latest poll, which is more representative than most because it polled almost 3,000 people, shows that the NDP has moved up to 28%, while the Liberals are settling into what used to be NDP territory, at 23%.
Having witnessed the tremendous surge of the NDP in the last week alone, there’s no telling how much further the party might go yet in the last week. But it’s a safe assumption, and prediction, that the chances of the NDP becoming the Official Opposition have never been better.
Conservative Party doesn’t seem to connect with conservative voters
The Conservatives can still capture a majority, but another minority is the more likely outcome at this point. Even in Calgary, the Conservatives’ “home base”, which they have largely ignored in the last five years, people who voted in the advance polls and were interviewed by the media said that they voted for parties other than the Conservatives.
This isn’t surprising, because local MPs and the Prime Minister himself have shunned Calgary, and the rest of Alberta too. Local candidates’ debates have had to be held with potted plants or other props “standing in” for no-show Conservative candidates.
All this indicates that the Tories might be in for quite a shocking result on May 2, particularly after governing like Liberals for five years and abandoning every principle of fiscal conservatism (the only kind of conservatism that really matters).
From an open letter to Stephen Harper:
Perhaps I misspeak myself, however, when I talk about a betrayal of principle. That is to imply the existence of an actual principle to betray, and hence to overlook how deeply fiction informs every aspect of your political project. Your Keynesian flip on deficit spending, for instance – and this from a finance minister who once swore he would rather spend a month on a desert island with Jack Layton than run a deficit – takes on a Proustian elegance when seen in the light of the fiction of policy that has marked your party since its inception.
Indeed, pursuing traditional left-wing policies in fiscal matters was a big no-no, and the kind of “sin” that no small-c conservative could ever forgive. Disgruntled conservatives have long been known to swing to the NDP, rather than the Liberals, so the recent rise in the NDP’s popularity could be explained, perhaps, by an increasing number of conservative voters making the switch from blue to orange.
Will Ignatieff leave Canada after the May 2 vote?
Finally, this site always comes up among the top ten search results in Google, no matter what (political) questions surfers pose. The other day, a lot of Canadians googled for information on “Is Ignatieff leaving Canada?”. With Canadian Views popping up in the top three results for this question and several other variations thereof, a brief observation on the subject is in order.
One conservative commentator believes that Michael Ignatieff should be allowed to stay on as an MP and leader after his defeat on Monday. Of course, the ultimate decision rests with Ignatieff himself. Who could blame him if he went back to Harvard or London after Monday’s debacle?
But Iggy should stay. He is a thinker, after all, and this country needs people like him. Lord only knows, we don’t have enough of his calibre. But in order to free up his intellect, he should resign as party leader and focus on representing his constituents.
We have seen plenty of images of Ignatieff mingling with “regular folks” across Canada, and it’s painful to watch. Even from the TV screen one can sense his discomfiture, having been pressed into a mould that really doesn’t fit him at all.
Having to perform like a “circus monkey” isn’t Ignatieff’s thing. Let him do what he does best, and leave the more mundane activities, like leading a national party, to someone else.
It was inevitable that the CPC would become what it has — this is not a failure of “leadership” but the natural outcome of populism. Perhaps the impending death of the Liberal Party might focus their minds on the small-c fiscal conservative, small-l social liberal who has no home. (I’m not holding my breath on that: I fully expect them to drive an axe into their current leader and merely search for another “saviour” to “return us to
our natural place in governmentthe trough”.)As for me, the NDP had my vote going into this election — my do-nothing-useful Question Period shrieker Liberal MP is in need for forcible retirement by the voters and in my riding the NDP are the most likely way to do just that — but I have been pleasantly surprised by how it’s going, and think we have nothing to fear from Jack Layton leading an NDP Government. Perhaps this will allow for a much-needed leadership change and rethink inside Conservative ranks!
Fully agree. With Layton bringing up the Official Opposition, or even becoming PM, there will have to be a major rethink across the land, one that\’s long overdue.
I also like the fact that Layton is the only leader who\’s been honest with the public about his principles and intentions. With him, at least, you know what you get. Vote Conservative, and you may find yourself with a bloody socialist. Vote Liberal, and God only knows what you could \”catch\”….
after governing like Liberals for five years and abandoning every principle of fiscal conservatism (the only kind of conservatism that really matters).
Great quote.