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| NDP Candidate Brian Sklar |
This antiquated first past the post system we have sets us up for some weird situations. There are a great many ridings in Canada where the incumbent was elected with the majority of voters casting their ballots for someone else. In my riding for example the incumbent MP is Tom Lukiwski. Tom is invisible in the city of the Regina, is known as an obstructionist in Ottawa and has a pretty good shot at winning because of the Tory blue rural voters. He is in a bit of trouble as a result of his refusal to speak out about the failed BHP potash bid and his lack of support for the attempt to secure Federal funding for a much needed new stadium. In case you missed it Tom, the Roughriders are a big deal here.
He and the other 13 Conservative MPs here in Saskatchewan have earned a reputation of saying nothing unless the issue has been vetted, then scripted by the PMO.
My reading of the situation is that, considering the riding history, if any party can do it, the NDP would have to best shot to knock him off.
Given that, the NDP, in its wisdom, is running a Provincial NDP party worker and country singer in an attempt to unseat Tom. All credit to Brian Sklar for his commitment and I hear he has a pretty good band but, couldn't the New Democrats find someone with just a bit more depth? All that being said, I expect Sklar's and the Tex Pistols, have in pretty good following out where those crucial country polls are located.
Then there are the Liberals. Monica Lysack is the spoiler. She has good credentials but hasn't a hope of winning. The role she'll will play will be in splitting the anti Harper vote and Tom will come up the middle.
When it is all said and done the NDP and the Liberals will point fingers and blame each other for the result.
I have lived in the riding for going on 14 years. No Federal candidate or candidates representative has ever come to my door and if there are all candidate's sessions, they are a secret.
I hope you election is going better than mine.
Looks like those of us who thought this election was a waste of time and money may have been on to something. Today's Nanos polling numbers are remarkable in that the numbers for all parties except for the Bloc Quebecois (down 2.4 percentage points) are virtually unchanged from the start of the campaign. (Tories up 0.5, Grits up 0.8, NDP down 0.1, Greens up 0.1). If the Bloc loses some of its stranglehold on Quebec, I guess that will at least be something.
ReplyDeleteIt looks to me like Harper is doomed no matter what. If he wins another minority and continues to act like King Stephen I think they will bring him down quickly.
ReplyDeleteEnter a Liberal minority government supported by the NDP and the Bloc and using the Harper model offered to Layton and Duceppe during the Martin minority.