Vancouver King

A far more interesting question is why are Conservatives stuck at less than their support level of last election. Logic dictates that after a more than a year of implementing their agenda, controlling the legislative pipeline, out of control (Liberal?) spending, and expensive off-campaign negative political ads directed towards a struggling opposition leader, that the party would be basking around 45%, or majority territory. Instead Tories best efforts yield support below their showing in 2006. What's wrong?

really? In Stockwell's Alice in Wonderland universe, humans run along side dinosaurs and proliferation of hand guns decreases gun shot victims.

In Saskatoon - east of Lloydminster I believe - the waiting lists for new detached housing stretch 18 months. In the last quarter no region or province came anywhere near Saskatchewan for increased value of resale housing. Sadness, indeed. If the Canadian public wants an accurate and unnerving barometer as to how far our nation has regressed, look no further than the spectacle of a movie star Republican California governor giving our Ottawa leadership lessons on addressing GHGs and climate change. It is to cry.

The opposition parties got 58% of the vote, compared to 36% for the Conservatives. If the opposition parties (and thus, indirectly, 58% of the population) agree on an issue, why should the Conservatives (indirectly, 36% of the population) get their way instead? I have to ask the question on everyone's mind - what about the other 6%, were they write in votes for Preston Manning?

All the evidence, ie. polling numbers, shows the first round was a waste of Conservative cash. What strange strategy, follow a first round that produced negligible results with another attempt to define Dion that threatens to backfire and paint Tories as just plain mean.

This could be a large issue in Quebec if they lose the head office of Alcan. The man in the pocket of big oil is unlikely to intervene as the world snaps up our defining trademarks. Why should only the major chartered banks be shielded from this takeover frenzy?

Thanks for the vote of support, Shakey, however an apology is not necessary. Michael's dark mood must be considered in context: these are not exactly heady times for Conservatives, in fact the bright ones know full well there is a real possibility the govts best weeks are behind it. Poll after poll confirms his party has slipped from it's 2006 election support level. Such a cruel reward for a business-like first year.

Here is the quote from the article. In the 2006 election the NDP got 2,589,597 of the 14,845,680 votes cast. That is 17.44% of the total votes cast. Seems to me like 17% is less than 17.44%. Do explain why I'm wrong again. Angry, angry, angry.... cut

Wrong again Michael, the NDP is not below their showing of last election. What has changed is this: there is no longer a corrupt Liberal regime to toss out of office; left of centre voters will have other priorities, ie. denying Conservatives a majority govt.

So you expect to see at least a 7 point rise in the Conservatives level of support from current levels at some point during the next election? I think you are probably correct, just didn't expect to hear it from you. A rare slip; substitute the word "if" for "when". By the way my vote might end up with Liberals, Greens or with the godless socialists.

Melting NDP support? Wavering Green voters? Where do this fallacious adjectives come from? The melting will commence when polls during the next election point to a possible Conservative majority.

Sounds like a saw off.....but wait, what did the pollster say about where melting NDP support would flow? "Among those decided or leaning to the NDP, 42% said the Liberals would be second choice, with another 20% prepared to go the Greens. Only 18% of these nominal NDP votes would go to the Tories as second pick". By a margin of over 2-1, New Democrats voting strategically favor the Liberals over the Conservatives. I suspect similar grim news for Tories among wavering Green voters.

I think I have listed Consumer Reports top picks. None are North American. I'm glad you are happy with your North American car. I tried. I really did. I didn't like what I read, what I saw, what I drove and what people were telling me about their cars North American cars. I eventually bought Japanese. If Japanese vehicles are better engineered and designed why is that they can't make a dent in N. American truck sales? In stark contrast to the success of their car sales, their attempts over 35 years to design, build and market light trucks that drivers actually want, could accurately be described as a disaster. Why is it Toyota trucks are few and far between on consturction sites - if they are so well built and designed construction companies would be forgoing significant profits in not buying fleets of them.

New poll out this evening, this one from Strategic Counsel. This group consistently underestimates Liberal support - in the last election they missed about 20% of that party's eventual vote. Taking that into account it appears to point at another dead heat. Conservatives - 34 Liberals - 31 NDP - 16 Bloc - 10 Green - 9 http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...0518?hub=canada

Perhaps he's in shock, not that Tories would actually turn to these parliamentary tactics, but rather someone would compile them in a handbook.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/05/18/tory-document.html No wonder they want fixed election dates. Gifts as juicy as this one seldom fall into Opposition laps. The govt desperately needs to restore it's aura of business-like contol - since the Afghan detainee debacle Harper's tight direction seems absent.

Increasing the GST back to 7% would be political suicide for any party. Never has there been such emotion and cynicism over a specific tax. Remember Chretien's scouts-honor promise to abolish it completely? Any party must tread warily when the subject of tax hikes is on the agenda. If and when Stephen Harper fails in a re-election bid, analysts will point to his politically foolish income tax increase on the poorest working Canadians as part of the reason for his rejection at the polls. Canadians cannot understand or identify with this lack of compassion. Kicking the poor in their empty wallets - and Tories scratch their heads over accusations of being mean-spirited.

Partisans and ideologes of any stripe might have to make a painful adjustment to a new norm - minority govts could be the new standard while majorities are the occasional exception. A political stalemate exists between the two major parties - Liberals saddled with an apprentice on a slow learning curve and Tories on the wrong side of two intractable issues, Afghanistan and global warming. Both parties command the loyalty of only 3 of 10 voters, soon perhaps even less as new or revitalized players, ie. Greens, defy tradition and further fracture voter choices. Harper's govt gives lie to the common sentiment that minorities don't work, only now is a steady stream of legislation slowing. In all of the rah, rah, rah, hooray for our side reaction to the latest numbers, we've missed the main message of every poll for the past 2 years - Canadians seem consistently satisfied to have any federal govt on a very short leash.

That's where I am at right now. Why should I care, I get the same no matter what. ...And this is where the Canadian people are right now: "It's not news that most Canadians are pragmatic centrists". Not an electorate that wants to privatize gov't, rule for the rich and exclude/stigmatize some social groups. Most Canadians are not far right extremists. Thus Harper's actions in dragging his party, kicking and screaming, towards middle ground.

For poll addicts here's another fix. http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/index.html Liberals - 32 Conservatives - 31 NDP - 17 Green - 9 The main message from this Ipsos-Reid effort is Tory support is falling substantially in the far west. In B.C. it is off an eye-opening 19%' This regional breakdown was my highlight: "In B.C., the NDP surged 15 points ahead inti the lead with 30% support, followed by the Liberals at 29%, the Tories at 24%, and the Greens at 16 per cent. While that province (B.C.) tends to be a bit volatile, it's by no mistake that the drop (in support for the Conservatives) comes in probably the most eco-concious part of the country and comes right on the heels of the Tory (environment) plan, said Wright (Ipsos-Reid). "I think the public is really anxious about climate change and believes that this (plan) is pretty sub-standard stuff."

I think Harper's mouth has hurt them a few times as they neared majority numbers. I think the statement that the Liberals were in support of the Taliban is the type of tactic that Canadians bristle at. Certainly, the next week after the statement, Conservative support dropped sharply as people's feelings on Afghanistan became quite pointed. Could he be the most unlikeable PM in Canadian history?

Interesting but academic - the BQ is not going to disappear and as SES's national poll of yesterday shows the Conservatives are the poor third party, polling only 17% among Quebec's voters. The BQ at 35% is hardly a party undergoing disintegration, Quebecers will always need a Quebec-only vehicle to vent their nationalism and there is no alternative on the horizon.

With all the heat May has received, she has held her numbers quite strongly. It's hard to believe anyone comfortable under the Tory tent could defect directly to the Greens. Surely the latest set of numbers reflect the Greens collecting from all parties while the Conservatives bleed to all other parties. Then again, there is a well documented phenomenon here in BC of many federal Tories voting for the provincial NDP. As one raised on a horizontal political spectrum, I shake my head at such ideological leaps.

If you compare this SES poll with the one held exactly one month ago, you'll see that the Conservatives dropped by 4% and the Greens rose by 4%. Maybe May's tendency to mix politics with religion is getting at least some of the CPC vote to move in her direction. She's more up front about it than the two-faced Harper. SES's newest Quebec numbers are devastating for Harper. Catering to La Belle province at the expense of the other nine fiefdoms has produced virtually no gains for his party. At 17% - down a third from the last election - he can expect losses off the 10 seat rump earned in 2006. Conservatives took a calculated risk that showering Quebec with money and attention was necessary as no national majority was possible without increased seats there. Their strategy has failed and the province - according to these latest numbers - has become a political wasteland for Tories.

With the exception of cafeterias in a hospital and on campus, yes, I believe the rest are coffee stands.