Election day is almost here and according to the polls it looks like Obama is going to win.
Which is exciting for the obvious historical reasons and that America will actually not elect a Republican for President. 2004 was just sad! Even in Canada there seemed to be a collective sadness of 4 more years of Bush and everyone seemed to walk with their head slightly down the day after Bush's victory, lol.
Speaking of lulz, this election has been full of it, mostly from the over the top attacks against Obama for being a secret Marxist Muslim. Which is hilarious since he is a christian (with a very interesting former Preacher) and that his policies are pretty remarkably centrist and moderate, which in comparison to Canada, is pretty close to our own Conservative Party.
Even American conservatives are supporting him, so yeah, it's change, but hardly anything radical. Though his tax cut plan for the middle class by increasing taxes on the rich is very interesting. Not even my social democratic party in Canada proposed something like that in the Canadian election, though they propose tax increases to corporations. And it looks like his health plan is a step in the right direction. Though his policies on Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the environment, may be a bit disappointing to Americans on the left I'm guessing.
Though, it's possible still he could surprise us. With all the current economic, geopolitical, and environmental problems and the possibility of China surpassing America and India moving ever so closely economically in the coming decade. It could provide the catalyst to pass through some very bold reforms and policies through.
Still, I'm not expecting anything too exciting from an Obama Presidency, which is better than being frustrated and angry all of time I suppose. If I was a committed Democratic partisan or in a swing state I would happily vote for him. If however, I was an independent lefty in a solidly Republican or Democrat state, I wouldn't rule out a vote for Nader or the Green Party candidate out of protest for not being liberal enough. Though, since I vote for a social democratic party in Canada, I would be in the far-left in the states. So my opinion may be irrelevant. :p
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Why you should vote New Democrat on Tuesday
I don't blog here often and probably don't have any readers as a result. But in my own blog I posted this, so if there are two or three people that read this, here is the reasons why i'm voting New Democrat, and so should you if you agree with them! :)
So here are the reasons if you need convincing or want them:
1) Jack Layton is a leader you can trust and Stephen Harper = FAIL
The Conservatives wanted to make this campaign all about leadership, so it became a main focus of the campaign. So much so, it seemed as if there campaign theme was 'Stephen Harper has a family, and his son plays hockey'. Which is all good and fine, go families. But when it comes to the kind of leader he actually is he cannot be trusted. If you are looking for the laundry list of why Harper government's record bad news bears check out this whole range of articles by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Just from this election timing, I think Harper can be shown not to be trusted as he broke his government's very own fixed election date law in order to try and win before the economy went in the crapper since they knew the economic shitstorm was clearly coming.
Harper isn't exactly the type of leader I trust in these economically troubled times either. If the economy goes into recession and we have a deficit again, I could easily foresee that as his opportunity to push through massive cutbacks to government just like the Liberals and Mike Harris did in the 90's. I would hate to use the 'George Bush' comparison, but yeah, Harper is kind of like that guy too. And we'll get more Bush like stuff with Harper.
Speaking of the Liberals, I don't really trust them either. They always govern on a few great ideas and become Conservative when in government. And lately, even when they are in opposition as the supported the Conservatives on confidence votes 43 times.
Jack Layton however, is a guy I can trust. You know where he stands, you know that he opposed the Conservative agenda at every opportunity. I can rely that Jack will use whatever tools at his disposal to put forward progressive policies that Canadians are asking for. He is the kind of Prime Minister I would want.
2) The New Democrats have the most progressive policies and you can be sure they'll get them done
And what kind of progressive policies are the New Democrats putting forward? They are right here in the
NDP platform.
There are a ton of good ideas in there, that are also fully costed and can be easily implemented, so i'll just highlight the greatest hits. If you don't want to read even that, i'll spell it out for: an NDP government would result in a greener Canada that will meet Kyoto, protect consumers and jobs, reduce poverty and create a national childcare system, save health care, help correct historic injustices with First Nations people, renegotiate NAFTA, reform our outdated electoral system, and play a leadership role on the global stage.
Here our my personal favourite policies:
-I love the protecting consumers section on page 12-13. All to frequently we get hossed from the corporations. Usually the banks, phone companies, or gas companies. Having more protection for consumers would be amazing. I'm still shaking my fist at Bell for being unable to get out of my contract. You'll be shaking your fist a lot less under an NDP government.
-The stuff for post-secondary students on page 15, also good. Will keep it more affordable, less of a debt burden down the road.
-The childcare and poverty section: on page 17-19, also one of the main reasons I support the New Democrats. Making it more affordable to raise a family and provide a home for every Canadian needs to be a cornerstone of our society, and they have it right there and will get it done. You'll be struggling with the bills less with Jack in charge.
-Starting on page 21, the platform gets into health care. Protecting health care, hiring more doctors and nurses to reduce wait times, and bring in national pharmacare for prescription drugs. All necessary steps to save health care, something I don't really trust that Harper will get done. It was one of his 5 promises in his last platform in 2006, and he didn't get it done.
-Environmental policy: On page 28, the platform starts to fully get into the environmental policy with a pledge to meet the obligations of the Kyoto Accord. This will be done through reducing pollutions on industry through a cap and trade system.
There is also an environmental car strategy to make a transition to low-emission vehicles, which is killing two birds with one stone by reducing pollution and making us less dependent on oil. Dedicating a portion of the gas tax to public transportation is also much needed. Awesome stuff.
Halting any new tar sands development until it is more sustainable is also very necessary. The tar sands is Canada's biggest source of pollution, and we should only take the oil out if we can make it less environmentally destructive.
The Renewable Energy Act on the next page is also a super awesome pledge by dedicating Canada towards meeting 35% of our energy needs from renewables by 2020.
-First Nations: On page 35, the policies to help First Nations people of Canada are outlined. These will help end the shameful third world infrastructure the government gave many of communities and go further towards correcting historic injustices.
-Trade agreements: I also dig the section on international trade agreements on page 37. Having a government that would renegotiate NAFTA and stop supporting the regressive neo-liberal international agreements that stealthy privatize governments need to be firmly opposed.
-Electoral Reform: Changing our outdated 19th century democracy to a truly 21st century system that includes proportional representation! On page 39! That's what i'm talking about. Abolishing the Senate and floor crossing definitely awesome stuff. Sorry, as a poli-sci guy, this stuff excites me.
-Canada in the world: Lots of big picture stuff about what Canada's role in the world should be. Having a better strategy to end the war in Afghanistan, reducing global poverty, and supporting the concerns of developing nations would certainly live up to the street cred Canada has across the world.
So if you read this whole thing, you can see that I think Jack Layton is the best leader to be Prime Minister, someone you can trust, and that I believe the NDP policies are progressive and easy to implement. I'll also ad at the end, that I think the roster of NDP MPs up for re-election as well as the candidates are a great time. One of the parties strengths is its MPs that are hard working, and I could easily see them in a cabinet lead by a Prime Minister Layton.
There ya have it, vote for your local New Democrat candidate on Tuesday! Head for Elections Canada if you need more info! www.elections.ca. Go Democracy!
So here are the reasons if you need convincing or want them:
1) Jack Layton is a leader you can trust and Stephen Harper = FAIL
The Conservatives wanted to make this campaign all about leadership, so it became a main focus of the campaign. So much so, it seemed as if there campaign theme was 'Stephen Harper has a family, and his son plays hockey'. Which is all good and fine, go families. But when it comes to the kind of leader he actually is he cannot be trusted. If you are looking for the laundry list of why Harper government's record bad news bears check out this whole range of articles by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Just from this election timing, I think Harper can be shown not to be trusted as he broke his government's very own fixed election date law in order to try and win before the economy went in the crapper since they knew the economic shitstorm was clearly coming.
Harper isn't exactly the type of leader I trust in these economically troubled times either. If the economy goes into recession and we have a deficit again, I could easily foresee that as his opportunity to push through massive cutbacks to government just like the Liberals and Mike Harris did in the 90's. I would hate to use the 'George Bush' comparison, but yeah, Harper is kind of like that guy too. And we'll get more Bush like stuff with Harper.
Speaking of the Liberals, I don't really trust them either. They always govern on a few great ideas and become Conservative when in government. And lately, even when they are in opposition as the supported the Conservatives on confidence votes 43 times.
Jack Layton however, is a guy I can trust. You know where he stands, you know that he opposed the Conservative agenda at every opportunity. I can rely that Jack will use whatever tools at his disposal to put forward progressive policies that Canadians are asking for. He is the kind of Prime Minister I would want.
2) The New Democrats have the most progressive policies and you can be sure they'll get them done
And what kind of progressive policies are the New Democrats putting forward? They are right here in the
NDP platform.
There are a ton of good ideas in there, that are also fully costed and can be easily implemented, so i'll just highlight the greatest hits. If you don't want to read even that, i'll spell it out for: an NDP government would result in a greener Canada that will meet Kyoto, protect consumers and jobs, reduce poverty and create a national childcare system, save health care, help correct historic injustices with First Nations people, renegotiate NAFTA, reform our outdated electoral system, and play a leadership role on the global stage.
Here our my personal favourite policies:
-I love the protecting consumers section on page 12-13. All to frequently we get hossed from the corporations. Usually the banks, phone companies, or gas companies. Having more protection for consumers would be amazing. I'm still shaking my fist at Bell for being unable to get out of my contract. You'll be shaking your fist a lot less under an NDP government.
-The stuff for post-secondary students on page 15, also good. Will keep it more affordable, less of a debt burden down the road.
-The childcare and poverty section: on page 17-19, also one of the main reasons I support the New Democrats. Making it more affordable to raise a family and provide a home for every Canadian needs to be a cornerstone of our society, and they have it right there and will get it done. You'll be struggling with the bills less with Jack in charge.
-Starting on page 21, the platform gets into health care. Protecting health care, hiring more doctors and nurses to reduce wait times, and bring in national pharmacare for prescription drugs. All necessary steps to save health care, something I don't really trust that Harper will get done. It was one of his 5 promises in his last platform in 2006, and he didn't get it done.
-Environmental policy: On page 28, the platform starts to fully get into the environmental policy with a pledge to meet the obligations of the Kyoto Accord. This will be done through reducing pollutions on industry through a cap and trade system.
There is also an environmental car strategy to make a transition to low-emission vehicles, which is killing two birds with one stone by reducing pollution and making us less dependent on oil. Dedicating a portion of the gas tax to public transportation is also much needed. Awesome stuff.
Halting any new tar sands development until it is more sustainable is also very necessary. The tar sands is Canada's biggest source of pollution, and we should only take the oil out if we can make it less environmentally destructive.
The Renewable Energy Act on the next page is also a super awesome pledge by dedicating Canada towards meeting 35% of our energy needs from renewables by 2020.
-First Nations: On page 35, the policies to help First Nations people of Canada are outlined. These will help end the shameful third world infrastructure the government gave many of communities and go further towards correcting historic injustices.
-Trade agreements: I also dig the section on international trade agreements on page 37. Having a government that would renegotiate NAFTA and stop supporting the regressive neo-liberal international agreements that stealthy privatize governments need to be firmly opposed.
-Electoral Reform: Changing our outdated 19th century democracy to a truly 21st century system that includes proportional representation! On page 39! That's what i'm talking about. Abolishing the Senate and floor crossing definitely awesome stuff. Sorry, as a poli-sci guy, this stuff excites me.
-Canada in the world: Lots of big picture stuff about what Canada's role in the world should be. Having a better strategy to end the war in Afghanistan, reducing global poverty, and supporting the concerns of developing nations would certainly live up to the street cred Canada has across the world.
So if you read this whole thing, you can see that I think Jack Layton is the best leader to be Prime Minister, someone you can trust, and that I believe the NDP policies are progressive and easy to implement. I'll also ad at the end, that I think the roster of NDP MPs up for re-election as well as the candidates are a great time. One of the parties strengths is its MPs that are hard working, and I could easily see them in a cabinet lead by a Prime Minister Layton.
There ya have it, vote for your local New Democrat candidate on Tuesday! Head for Elections Canada if you need more info! www.elections.ca. Go Democracy!
Monday, July 14, 2008
The End of Oil
OUT OF GAS
I just finished reading 'The End Of Oil' by Paul Roberts, which is a great book I highly recommend. Even though it was written 4 years ago and his predictions about where the price of oil would be, was a little off, he was definitely right about how dangerously close we are getting to, in terms of hitting peak oil.
With oil prices pushing to historic highs of $150 a barrel, and with some forecasts having it go as high as $300 a barrel in the next couple of years, our global economy has entered a oil crisis as not enough new oil is being pumped to meet the rising demand from China, India, and the developing world.
Roberts also recently wrote a piece in 'National Geographic' that updated some of his analysis in the book as well. The lack of new oil discoveries in recent years has many geologists worried that there will soon not be enough oil to meet demands, which is of course pretty problematic for our civilization which is dependent on oil. And this could be happening as soon as the next 10 years, or even perhaps *cue dramatic music* RIGHT NOW!
So what do we do about it? Well, the author much like many environmentalists, scientists, and environmental scientists, says there is a heck of a lot we can do.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Renewable energy such as wind, solar, tidal, and biomass, can produce as much as 20% of electricity needs, and perhaps even more, if countries get serious about energy efficiency and conservation efforts.
Although, there is the possibility of uranium supplies peaking out this century, more nuclear power in the next couple of decades is a solution I support for family biased reasons (my Dad works in a nuclear power plant). Many point out that carbon emissions would be a lot higher than they presently are if nuclear power didn't replace some coal.
With abundant natural gas supplies in the world, a move from a transportation system powered on oil, to one on natural gas, is a good 'bridge fuel' that could sustain us for a few decades. The bridge fuel being towards a hydrogen fuel cell powered economy that was all the hype 7 or 8 years ago before, may still be possible in the future.
And even though coal is pretty much the main culprit that is leading to climate change from coal power in the United States and China, 'clean coal' is a possibility. And if its ever possible would be a good way to go since the two biggest economies in the world have supplies that will last them hundreds of years.
CAP AND TRADE, AUTO EMISSIONS, AND CARBON TAXES
Of course, we can't leave this all up to the market, since that will eventually lead to disaster. Governments have to lead the way in promoting these new technologies, and can implement a few policies along the way to change the market.One, is the creation of a 'Cap and Trade system' which is the way Europe is going, and a system that many countries are slowly lining up behind.
Another approach is putting a tax on carbon emissions through a carbon tax, which is generating a lot of debate in the Canadian homeland from what I read. Auto emissions regulations are also behind in America and a few countries, and could be brought up to speed.S
CIENCE SAVES US WITH MAGIC!Of course, science could always come along and save us through magical new inventions. GM is developing a car that runs on 'electricity'.
While Japanese scientists have apparently developed a car that runs on 'water'. So maybe scientists will save us with some futuristic invention, the movies of the 80's always predicted would happen. I have even read other cool stuff that could save us, but forget where I read it, one involved harvesting algae to produce hydrogen though.
THE RAMBLING END
Anyways, long story short, the book was really interesting and clarified why oil prices are so high, and why we need to lessen our dependence of oil very soon. Say, in the next 10-15 years. Or ASAP.
Although climate change is the thing that is causing problems now and in the long term, running out of fuel is a problem that could make our lives very uncomfortable quite soon.
I just finished reading 'The End Of Oil' by Paul Roberts, which is a great book I highly recommend. Even though it was written 4 years ago and his predictions about where the price of oil would be, was a little off, he was definitely right about how dangerously close we are getting to, in terms of hitting peak oil.
With oil prices pushing to historic highs of $150 a barrel, and with some forecasts having it go as high as $300 a barrel in the next couple of years, our global economy has entered a oil crisis as not enough new oil is being pumped to meet the rising demand from China, India, and the developing world.
Roberts also recently wrote a piece in 'National Geographic' that updated some of his analysis in the book as well. The lack of new oil discoveries in recent years has many geologists worried that there will soon not be enough oil to meet demands, which is of course pretty problematic for our civilization which is dependent on oil. And this could be happening as soon as the next 10 years, or even perhaps *cue dramatic music* RIGHT NOW!
So what do we do about it? Well, the author much like many environmentalists, scientists, and environmental scientists, says there is a heck of a lot we can do.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Renewable energy such as wind, solar, tidal, and biomass, can produce as much as 20% of electricity needs, and perhaps even more, if countries get serious about energy efficiency and conservation efforts.
Although, there is the possibility of uranium supplies peaking out this century, more nuclear power in the next couple of decades is a solution I support for family biased reasons (my Dad works in a nuclear power plant). Many point out that carbon emissions would be a lot higher than they presently are if nuclear power didn't replace some coal.
With abundant natural gas supplies in the world, a move from a transportation system powered on oil, to one on natural gas, is a good 'bridge fuel' that could sustain us for a few decades. The bridge fuel being towards a hydrogen fuel cell powered economy that was all the hype 7 or 8 years ago before, may still be possible in the future.
And even though coal is pretty much the main culprit that is leading to climate change from coal power in the United States and China, 'clean coal' is a possibility. And if its ever possible would be a good way to go since the two biggest economies in the world have supplies that will last them hundreds of years.
CAP AND TRADE, AUTO EMISSIONS, AND CARBON TAXES
Of course, we can't leave this all up to the market, since that will eventually lead to disaster. Governments have to lead the way in promoting these new technologies, and can implement a few policies along the way to change the market.One, is the creation of a 'Cap and Trade system' which is the way Europe is going, and a system that many countries are slowly lining up behind.
Another approach is putting a tax on carbon emissions through a carbon tax, which is generating a lot of debate in the Canadian homeland from what I read. Auto emissions regulations are also behind in America and a few countries, and could be brought up to speed.S
CIENCE SAVES US WITH MAGIC!Of course, science could always come along and save us through magical new inventions. GM is developing a car that runs on 'electricity'.
While Japanese scientists have apparently developed a car that runs on 'water'. So maybe scientists will save us with some futuristic invention, the movies of the 80's always predicted would happen. I have even read other cool stuff that could save us, but forget where I read it, one involved harvesting algae to produce hydrogen though.
THE RAMBLING END
Anyways, long story short, the book was really interesting and clarified why oil prices are so high, and why we need to lessen our dependence of oil very soon. Say, in the next 10-15 years. Or ASAP.
Although climate change is the thing that is causing problems now and in the long term, running out of fuel is a problem that could make our lives very uncomfortable quite soon.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Top 25 censored stories of 2007
Courtesy of a friend, here are the top 25 censored stories of 2007.
A good read as always.#1 is net neutrality, which many are probably familair with, but a lot aren't. I know Charlie Angus has raised this issue quite a lot and its something that we should all be paying a lot of attention towards.
#5 is an issue i'm just beginning to learn about, coltan, used for our cellphones everywhere, is kind of like the present sequal to blood diamond in Africa, where most of the world's supply is found. Though, I read that a coltan-free cellphone is available, since Leonardo Dicapro is mad pimping it. Besides that, a lot of stuff that is getting some coverage but not enough. Mostly concerning the severe problems with the environment and how much Dick Cheney truly is, well a really big dick.
#26 on this list should be Turks and Caicos. Seriously, we should let them join Canada, since that would be awesome.
A good read as always.#1 is net neutrality, which many are probably familair with, but a lot aren't. I know Charlie Angus has raised this issue quite a lot and its something that we should all be paying a lot of attention towards.
#5 is an issue i'm just beginning to learn about, coltan, used for our cellphones everywhere, is kind of like the present sequal to blood diamond in Africa, where most of the world's supply is found. Though, I read that a coltan-free cellphone is available, since Leonardo Dicapro is mad pimping it. Besides that, a lot of stuff that is getting some coverage but not enough. Mostly concerning the severe problems with the environment and how much Dick Cheney truly is, well a really big dick.
#26 on this list should be Turks and Caicos. Seriously, we should let them join Canada, since that would be awesome.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
BC NDP calls for $10 minimum wage, prosperity gap campaign also sweet
This just in, the BC NDP has joined the campaign to raise the minimum wage to $10, following the lead of the federal and Ontario NDP as well. Certainly, different provinces have different needs, and I think democraticspace's idea of regional minimum wages is also pretty interesting. Nonetheless, the living costs of BC are freakin' huge, and our current minimum wage along with a host of other poverty fighting policies just don't cut it.
The BC Liberals have made some better calls this term than last, and stabilizing some of the housing in the downtown eastside by buying some of the single occupancy room hotels where the poorest in the city live, was a good call. Definitely could use more housing announcements like that, such as actually creating new social housing. Since the BC Liberals have been trying to appear more centrist as of late after losing 30 seats in the last provincial election, I do hope some planned increases in the minimum wage will also be a part of that dash to the centre. We'll have to wait and see until next year's budget, since there wasn't any increase this year.
I also must point out, that i'm really like some of the policies the NDP has coming out regarding the growing prosperity gap in Canada. Closing tax loopholes of skyrocketing CEO salaries as well as a host of other issues the party has been focusing on have been things i've been hoping they would be championing. In a time where the gap between the wealthiest and poorest in our society continues to worsen, focusing on policies that attempt to close this gap in a meaningful way, as opposed to a trickle down economics method, are exactly the kind of policies that a lot of people could find appealing.
The BC Liberals have made some better calls this term than last, and stabilizing some of the housing in the downtown eastside by buying some of the single occupancy room hotels where the poorest in the city live, was a good call. Definitely could use more housing announcements like that, such as actually creating new social housing. Since the BC Liberals have been trying to appear more centrist as of late after losing 30 seats in the last provincial election, I do hope some planned increases in the minimum wage will also be a part of that dash to the centre. We'll have to wait and see until next year's budget, since there wasn't any increase this year.
I also must point out, that i'm really like some of the policies the NDP has coming out regarding the growing prosperity gap in Canada. Closing tax loopholes of skyrocketing CEO salaries as well as a host of other issues the party has been focusing on have been things i've been hoping they would be championing. In a time where the gap between the wealthiest and poorest in our society continues to worsen, focusing on policies that attempt to close this gap in a meaningful way, as opposed to a trickle down economics method, are exactly the kind of policies that a lot of people could find appealing.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Time to increase the minimum wage in BC
This weekend, I helped out the BC Federation of Labour's Young Workers Committee 'hit the streets' with their campaign to raise the minimum wage in BC to $10 an hour. Got a pretty good response as well, most people were definitely receptive to that idea and more than happy to sign the petition (which y'all should do as well).
Its definitely about time, been many years since an increase, and BC ain't getting any cheapr to live in with the rising cost of living. The issue has recieved a lot of attention federally and in Ontario, the government just announced in their budget last week that the minimum wage will rise to $10.25 an hour in a few years. This ofcourse after some well done pressure from the Ontario NDP.
I'm sure the BC NDP will eventually endorse this position as well, and who knows, maybe even the Liberals. They have been trying to act more progressive lately with all that sudden interest for the environment. An increase in the minimum wage is just the start ofcourse, but it seems to have perked a lot of peoples interests in poverty issues, and that could be a great beach-head in trying to adress wider issues surrounding poverty in our country.
Its definitely about time, been many years since an increase, and BC ain't getting any cheapr to live in with the rising cost of living. The issue has recieved a lot of attention federally and in Ontario, the government just announced in their budget last week that the minimum wage will rise to $10.25 an hour in a few years. This ofcourse after some well done pressure from the Ontario NDP.
I'm sure the BC NDP will eventually endorse this position as well, and who knows, maybe even the Liberals. They have been trying to act more progressive lately with all that sudden interest for the environment. An increase in the minimum wage is just the start ofcourse, but it seems to have perked a lot of peoples interests in poverty issues, and that could be a great beach-head in trying to adress wider issues surrounding poverty in our country.
Monday, February 12, 2007
So, the NDP is not as weak as we were led to believe
About everyone in the entire blogosphere is talking about the latest SES poll and what it means for the Liberals and Conservatives. So I thought I would just jump in there with some additional commentaries about the smaller parties.
I think it says a lot about how the NDP support is much more solid than many have said in recent months. I can't count how many articles I have been reading predicting the demise of the NDP and how a merger on the left is inevitable. That stuff seemed a little crazy in December and it still does.
Just because the Liberals and Greens elected new leaders who enjoyed some post leadership convention buzz doesn't mean the NDP no longer exists. To be sure I think the Greens are in a good position to make some gains though I would figure they are largely incremental than through the roof. And although Dion is going through some tough growing pains, he may still beat Harper in that next election whenever it is.
But now at least all that writing off the NDP business can stop, since my gut, and SES, is telling me that new democrat support is stable in comparison to the last two elections and is still in a good position to even make substantial gains. Ofcourse much will depend on what happens in the coming months, but i'm at least assured that there is some solid support there.
The real party to write off in the next election is the Bloc. Dion and Harper are putting the squeeze on their support, and the poor position of the PQ right now isn't helping. Teh Bloc is probably going to win the most seats in the next federal election most definitely, but i'm starting to imagine that it may very well be a worse outcome than their lowmarks in 1997 and 2000. But ofcourse that also depends on certain outcomes like that Quebec provincial election.
That is where the bza's Canadian junkie crystal poll ball looks like for the moment anyways...
p.s. I would wager that whichever party comes in second place after the Bloc wins the next election.
I think it says a lot about how the NDP support is much more solid than many have said in recent months. I can't count how many articles I have been reading predicting the demise of the NDP and how a merger on the left is inevitable. That stuff seemed a little crazy in December and it still does.
Just because the Liberals and Greens elected new leaders who enjoyed some post leadership convention buzz doesn't mean the NDP no longer exists. To be sure I think the Greens are in a good position to make some gains though I would figure they are largely incremental than through the roof. And although Dion is going through some tough growing pains, he may still beat Harper in that next election whenever it is.
But now at least all that writing off the NDP business can stop, since my gut, and SES, is telling me that new democrat support is stable in comparison to the last two elections and is still in a good position to even make substantial gains. Ofcourse much will depend on what happens in the coming months, but i'm at least assured that there is some solid support there.
The real party to write off in the next election is the Bloc. Dion and Harper are putting the squeeze on their support, and the poor position of the PQ right now isn't helping. Teh Bloc is probably going to win the most seats in the next federal election most definitely, but i'm starting to imagine that it may very well be a worse outcome than their lowmarks in 1997 and 2000. But ofcourse that also depends on certain outcomes like that Quebec provincial election.
That is where the bza's Canadian junkie crystal poll ball looks like for the moment anyways...
p.s. I would wager that whichever party comes in second place after the Bloc wins the next election.
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