SpankyMcFarland

Well now, who made this campaign so long?

Canadians like FPTP and don't like coalitions. I'd say if they actually think about such matters more than one moment a year, I'd be generous but that is how it is. And that dictates binary choices - between mediocre and terrible. No nuance is allowed in a Canadian federal election. If you want to get rid of Harper, vote Liberal unless you know a third party has a real chance in your riding.

I am fairly certain Tom Mulcair is not a Muslim. I would also venture to suggest that he's not fond of the niqab or what it represents and he knows full well that his position may cost him the election and his job. He has taken a stand here for pluralism and tolerance, defending a practice that many of us find alien and distasteful. I won't vote for Tom Mulcair but I believe he has stood up for something important and most Canadians, especially in Quebec, have entirely missed the point. We are not one tribe, and we must encourage civic nationalism, not based on ethnic or religious loyalties, if we are to endure as a nation.

These Conservative ads are becoming intolerably frequent. How much of this are we expected to take? I may do violence to my poor TV yet. Harper trying to smile is one of the most pathetic sights in all creation; he has seen other people do it, he KIND of has the mechanics right, but the result is something that looks like it's about to rip your leg off.

Maybe Dmitri's mastery of the dark arts will be revealed after the election. I hope he was worth it because, so far, himself and his lady friend haven't exactly brought a ton of good publicity in their wake.

Let me simplify it for you. Mulcair is dividing the majority vote against Harper.

People are beginning to realize there are only two items on the menu. If you opt for Tom, tasty though he looks, you just get more Steve.

But the Conservatives would have known about that possibility a long time ago?

The Conservatives have several big advantages, turnout wise: 1. Old voters. Nothing else to do. 2. Angry voters. Anger defines the Harper movement. Earl Cowan is the poster boy. This rage gives them the energy required to arise from their La-Z-Boys at all costs. The response to this post will illustrate the characteristic. 3. Committed voters. Jihadis for Harper. Him or nothing. 4. Ashamed voters. Some have awareness that their beliefs are not of the times and cover up their fanatical allegiances when asked by pollsters. That may be worth a few percentage points. If it happened in the UK with somebody as nice as Cameron, Lord knows how big the effect is here.

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.