SpankyMcFarland

Uhm, yes. The nice hair ads are an instant classic, given how nice Harper's own hair is. They seriously underestimated him. He's likeable which is lot more than anybody can say about the current incumbent You really want to talk about deficits under Conservative and Liberal governments in the the last thirty yeas?

I guess the range extends to the percentage of vote as well. 200 or so seats still sounds like a generous reward for 40 per cent of the vote but that's FPTP for you.

The biggest gaffe by the Conservatives was focusing on Trudeau so much. Once he got on the road, his energy, resilience, optimism and charm began to counteract his limitations. He has turned out to be an excellent campaigner in the Dubya style.

He was on PandP the other night, utterly clueless compared to Calandra, Rempel or even Roxanne James, God bless her heart.

It's on the CBC website - upper end of the range, 'worst case' projection.

The BQ is a conservative party - it wants to keep Quebec as it is or, even better, as it used to be. I've never heard much praise of free enterprise from the leadership.

It's just mind-boggling to me that the Conservatives could end up with 201 seats with 32.4% of the vote.

It's impossible to evaluate properly before the election. In general, I do agree with subsidies for an industry that undergoes sudden disruption.

The Globe is definitely a pro-business paper. It's readership is quite different from the Star's. You'll find a fair few Harper-friendly pieces in there if you look.

The old metrics linking house prices to local income are breaking down for elite cities like NY, Vancouver and London as foreigners dominate the high end of the market. Of course, nobody benefiting from the real estate market, including local government, wants to ask too many questions about where the money comes from but some of it must be very dodgy. It's a Faustian bargain. http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Rich+Chinese+facing+backlash+Vancouver+North+America+costliest+city/11419005/story.html?__lsa=8667-876c

I'm not sure what to make of this news story: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/harper-government-partnered-with-industry-group-fighting-cra-over-kpmg-case-1.3257994 At least, one suspects future governments will be more careful about being photographed with these people, especially when the sleazy stories of offshore shenanigans show no sign whatsoever of going away.

That may be a recipe for both sides losing, and intervening countries too.

Danny Williams is the most admired former politician in the province. Though not without flaws, he had a profound and positive effect on how people see themselves here and did much to restore local pride.

NL PCs would have some overlap with federal Conservatives but not a whole lot. The lack of love is not just from Danny.

I think he has to get a majority of seats in Parliament to stay.

The heart of the alliance between Conservatives and Bloc is metaphobia, fear of change. The metaphobes are the core vote in both groups.

What happens to your assets if the gov decides you are surplus to requirements? Could be a nice little earner if expanded. And what about the group which got the most terrorism done here in the last 40 years - the Khalistan Skhs? How come there are no moves to strip citizenship from people who murdered hundreds? There are also some very dodgy Tamils in our midst. Something tells me we'll see no action on those fronts during the election..

What percentage votes would give that result?

The hypothesis on what the election is about is now going to be tested. If the election is not about Harper, the NDP vote should stay fairly solid. It if is, we will see more drift to the Libs.

Party politics aside, and purely as a historical matter, who was the last Canadian born in Canada to have his citizenship revoked? Gerald Bull gave his up, didn't he?

Things are bouncing around but the NDP vote seems to be sinking. Post-Niqabeast, the Bloc are de facto Conservative allies in Quebec, they help them chew up NDP votes, and elsewhere the Liberals seems to trending up. The Cons may get a boost from this trade deal and they have certainly prepared well to keep the farmers (and guys like LInamar) happy with our money but the auto unions may hurt them in Ontario. A long campaign has helped Trudeau meet more people and get that 'happy warrior' image better known. He's far better on the campaign trail than in formal debates and it may have a decisive effect.

Actually, they have changed. Very few of the old mob are still around.It's simply NOT good enough to excuse one's sins by pointing to those of others. Never has been. We live in an information age where so much is revealed - and where governments and private companies know more than they ever knew about us - and yet our federal government goes to great lengths to conceal what it is up to. Even parliament can't review what CSIS is doing any more. We deserve better, irrespective of party politics.

Is there any example you are willing to give where the Conservatives disappointed you on the issues of openness and accountability?

OK, so when did that happen and to whom?

Has the citizenship of a person born here ever been revoked before?