[Tory ridings get more stimulus money]

Nice way of tring to change the focus, but the liberals were saying that the tories were not doling it out equally, now its been proven that is untrue.

Actually, the media were doing that in places like Nova Scotia. Wasn't the Liberals who did that report.

Other media started analyzing the numbers in other places as well.

The Liberals made the accusation but it was the media that followed up the story and had a hard time finding evidence that money was being spent equally.

Meanwhile, Tories campaign on their ability to bring pork barrel money to their ridings as if they are the ones cutting the cheques.

I wonder if you will ever get dizzy from all the spinning you have been doing lately.

I wonder if you get dizzy lying?

[Ross Rebagliati to seek Liberal nomination]

Well, he did put a Creationist in charge of science funding.

Funny how some on the right here make fun of chiropractors and yet various Tory MPs including a science minister are one. And also a creationist.

[Tory ridings get more stimulus money]

The only thing the Liberals understand is lying, and they're totally confused when people don't listen to it anymore.

Seems like the focus has been on how the Tories are doing the opposite of what they said in Opposition about pork barrelling with people's money. The Tories are saying that Liberals are lying about this but plainly the photographic evidence is there to show Harper's people are taking credit in pork barrel politics.

[Ross Rebagliati to seek Liberal nomination]

Former Olympic snowboarding gold medalist Ross Rebagliati is seeking the vacant Liberal nomination in the Okanagan-Coquihalla riding, where Stockwell Day is the current MP.[/url]

Funny, I'd have thought he'd go Green.

I was surprised to hear about it. Does anyone know what he has been doing in recent years? I wasn't sure what his politics were if any.

[Manitoba NDP leadership Race]

I'm pretty sure he did.

I'm pretty sure he said he had no plans to call an election which is not a categorical denial.

You've again focused on the negative. Crime is down overall in Manitoba and it's not a provincial matter anyway.

Crown Prosecutors and provincial jails as well as a host of other judicial measures are within provincial jurisdiction. Certain aspects of the crime stats are very disturbing such as organized crime and youth crime. If you focus all on the positive as you have, you forget that the NDP let the organized crime task force lapse allowing the Hell's Angels to entrench themselves all through the time that Doer was premier.

Manitoba has a drug problem, an addiction problem and it is worse now than ten years ago.

All parties in this province have been united in their pressure on the federal government.

And the Opposition has been united in getting the NDP to hire more Crown Prosecutors. It is one of the reasons that justice is delayed and people are piling up in remand.

On that note though, you mentioned prosecutors. You're right that they aren't hiring as many as recommended, but governments never do.

It has been 10 years of neglect and it shows now in the delays to justice.

They are hiring over 5 a year as well as new police

They have been unclear how many will be hired two years from now. At the moment, it doesn't look like it will make a dent given the additional legislation on crime.

Manitoba is extremely short of police as well. The organized crime task force alone needs 25 police full-time. What will end up happening is that they will likely come from the auto crime task force. This is what happened last time.

....and tuition isn't frozen anymore.

It was the promise of one of the candidates and the new leader has not lifted tuition restrictions. It is why the University of Manitoba is in crisis. Selinger continues a policy that has placed the U of M at the bottom of universities in Canada.

You don't like what's happened here, but overall most people seem to.

Most people liked Doer as you do. Many people had issues with some of the policies which we are now seeing coming home to roost.

Oh, and yes, McFayden is doing much better. If he continues to do well, I might even consider him next time.

I expect that if the Tories keep chipping away as they do, it will be harder for the NDP to hold ridings that formerly elected Tories.

In the last 10 years, we have seen a lot of revenue flow from Ottawa in transfers. I'm not entirely sure the province can rely on that and they may have to make hard decisions on cuts.

[return of Nordiques to NHL]

I don't think the economics of the NHL support a team in Hamilton either. We could very well see what was happening in the great depression era which was a massive contraction. Which would not be good for the sport.

It is why I say that Winnipeg will wait. They have a very profitable team and arena now and can afford to wait till the economics of the league change.

My feeling is that the no one here can argue that economics of the league are realistic or sustainable. Even in a full bore economy, teams lost money hand over fist. Now...it must be a bloodbath. Something gotta give.

[Manitoba NDP leadership Race]

You don't have to say Liberal...it's just there.

I have never said the Liberals will win in Manitoba. I have been pretty explicit what their weaknesses are. However, you misdirect whenever given the chance. It just gets under your skin when someone points out the flaws in your party.

Sure, if I were to look at things that way I'd never support anything. Ask 10 Manitobans on the street if they feel that their province is better or worse now than in 1999. You'll get your answer. Almost everything has gotten better under the NDP government. Healthcare, infrastructure, environmental commitment, the economy, the population, the city of Winnipeg...and so many other things. You don't want to see them because the wrong logo is behind the party in power. I don't really care what logo they wear, I want them to do a good job, and so far, they've done as good a job as any government could be expected to taking into consideration that we're all fallible human beings.

I think they have the wrong policies and look to repeat some of them over and over again with freezing tuition and freezing rent increases, the rise in youth crime and Hell's Angels has been under their watch.

Ask 10 people in Manitoba on what they think of crime and what it was 10 years ago and you'll get your answer. Ask them if it was easier to rent an apartment 10 years ago and you'll get your answer. Ask them if freezing tuition for 10 years has made their university better than it was 10 years ago and you'll get your answer.

Yes, usually I support the government.

That much is clear.

I have a special attachment to Doer, and I was sad to see him go. It was nice to see a politician who could get along with other politicians and people from all parties at all levels of government. I'm going to give Selinger a chance to prove himself. If he can do half the job that Doer did, he'll still be twice as good as McFayden and Gerrard.

I believe McFaydan has performed far better the last year. And given that Selinger won't have the profile Doer did, I suspect that things will appear a little more favourable poll-wise unless Selinger decides to pull the plug. He didn't categorically deny that he won't go to an election.

[Manitoba NDP leadership Race]

If Selinger stays the course, he will be successful as a premier, at least until the next election, and likely beyond. Ashton couldn't have done that, and delegates to the party leadership convention recognized this reality. I don't see a big change happening here in the short term, or even in the long term. Most Manitobans are happy with the staus quo.

Selinger doesn't have the easy going nature that Doer had that led to some MLAs riding his coattails to power.

Ashton is far more genial but he may have been regarded as far more activist. It could have been a good selling point in a brand new leader but I think some in the NDP feared it would be polarizing.

Ultimately, Selinger was picked because he was the blander of the two choices. I think the NDP forget that Doer was chosen as leader not because he wasn't bland.

I think the Tories would have had a hard time making gains against Doer given his popularity but I think they have potential in a number of seats now.

I suspect Selinger would win if the election were held now although with fewer seats barring a terrible campaign by the Tories. They have been far more polished in their performance in the last year.

[Manitoba NDP leadership Race]

No, I posted a poll. The WFP did the speculating. You don't like the particular speculation because it doesn't favour Liberals.

Never said anything about the Liberals. You did in a misdirection as you often do.

I said the poll was speculation and you posted it. Posting a poll on what people think of a party after Doer while Doer is still in office is a head scratcher.

Criticsing an outgoing popular leader is usually a bad idea...and people just don't like John Gerrard anyway.

No, I fawn over relatively good government in the face of useless opposition parties with no real ideas and no vision. It's the same reason that I grudgingly support the CPC.

I can't say that I am that impressed with a government that has seen the rise of the Hell's Angels under their watch when they didn't exist prior to their coming into government, the failure to hire the required amount of Crown Prosecutors, that let Crocus implode, that let children be put up in hotels rather than care, that let child poverty persist, that wastes money sending hydro lines down the far side of the province while planning to build a road where the hydro lines would have gone, that put hospitals in crisis while increasing the various layers of management overseeing them and that puts Hydro in possible jeopardy of providing power for the province while letting the utility fire the whistleblower.

The fawning I see seems to associated with the party in power.

[Manitoba NDP leadership Race]

I have no idea what the NDP will do from here on out. I expect them to continue the same type of governing style with Selinger at the helm, but I don't know. The difference is I'm not speculating about elections that have already been flatly denied more than once and criticizing one of the most admired...no, the most admired leader in this province's history.

You do speculate when you post speculative polls though.

I wonder how many points the Liberal's dropped after Gerrard did the same thing on Doer's final legislative day?

Probably none. As we have seen, attacks get poll support. Witness what is happening in the states in a governor's race like New Jersey. Look at Canada.

Like I said, keep chasing those ghosts. One day you might actually find one. I and most other Manitobans will wait and see what happens, and make our decisions after that.

And you keep fawning over the NDP.

[Manitoba NDP leadership Race]

Keep on fighting ghosts in the wind.

You seem to have supreme confidence in your chosen party.

[return of Nordiques to NHL]

If you cannot answer that question with an enthusiastic 'yes' then Winnipeg and Quebec will have problems surviving.

They wouldn't. I don't expect a number of teams now in the NHL will survive either unless they have billionaires willing to lose tens of millions.

If your team is successful, you can and do charge those numbers. If you are Phoenix, you charge ten dollars, as they did on opening night and sold out. Now they have gone back to their regular(low) prices and are drawing 7,000.

There are quite few teams charging low ticket prices. I can pick them up in Tampa and Miami for a song too.

In a league given by the gate and a payroll in the $55 million range per team, you have to sell out lots of expensive tickets to make a dime.

I just do not see markets like Winnipeg and Quebec doing that for long.

Neither do I.

The economics of the NHL don't support it.

We'll see what the economics of the NHL does to the league in the next year.

[Manitoba NDP leadership Race]

I would have preferred Ashton, his speech at convention was MUCH better than selinger's.

There were a few independents and even some people on the right who spoke about Ashton being a man of principle. Some in the blogs even supported him. At first it seemed a bit cynical since I believed it was just mischief in regards to seeing the NDP elect someone who was going to bring defeat to the party. However, after hearing some TV and radio interviews and reading some of the newspaper and blogs from some of the people in question, it appears that many people were sincere that Ashton was the most principled and the most likely to do things as promised.

That said, of course I will still support the NDP under Selinger as he is a far better option than anything the Conservatives have to offer.

He is no Doer. Voter recognition of anyone beyond Doer is poor.

The Conservatives will certainly have to perform better than they did in the last election. However, for the NDP to win a fourth majority, I expect we are going to have to see one of the most exceptional campaigns seen yet in the province. It remains to be seen if Selinger can do that. I watched his mayoral campaign go down in flames so I am not confident.

There will be no election till the fixed election date.

And if there is, I expect some NDPers are going to say it is democratic, or needed or whatever else excuse they can come up with.

The NDP actually keep their word, unlike Harper's bunch of opportunistic liars.

Doer did not keep his word about serving his term.

Is there a Liberal party in Manitoba?

Two seats. I don't know that there will be an improvement from there although Probe Research says there is an opportunity in two or three Winnipeg seats. It is possible that a leadership change could shake things up but I have heard no indication of that.

[Manitoba NDP leadership Race]

Only the leader has changed not all the MPs, MLAs or Mpps etc.

Calling an election in the climate is political suicide. Ask Ignatieff.

Just letting you know what the pollster said reading the tea leaves.

In Manitoba, Doer was everything. The prediction was that the high numbers Doer commanded would be hard to sustain.

[Union of the English Canadian Left]

I still think that Canadian federal politics are primarily regional, even in English Canada. Nevertheless, I think Harper's Conservatives are going to provoke an ideological reaction from the Liberals.

And you think that is going to be a left wing reaction? So you think the party will dump its fiscal side?

In related fashion, IMV, Quebec is at a tipping point and ripe for a change. The PQ/PLQ divide is tiresome. This basic division in Quebec will always exist but it needs a new expression.

Think that was attempted by the ADQ, right? But their inexperience and erratic leadership has not served them well.

Smart investors dismiss claims of "new paradigms" but I think Canadian federal politics have changed in the past few years. Jean Charest's re-election is an indication of the change.

Indication of what?

[Union of the English Canadian Left]

To defeat Harper and the Conservatives, will the Liberals and NDP unite?

No. One party will disappear before that happens or simply be driven to a small corner of the House of Commons.

[Manitoba NDP leadership Race]

How do I know I'm not already (ok, they aren't instant)

Excuse my while I drown myself.

No, it's the current political reality in this province.

Probe Research says it is a different game with Doer gone. It is hard to think they aren't right saying that. If Selinger does call a snap election, it remains to be seen if he can get by on leadership glow or whether it will be a backlash.

In any matter though, Selinger is a bit of an unknown to the Manitoban public.

[Manitoba NDP leadership Race]

Obviously those people were real. I've read it more than once on the Free Press and CBC in the last few days.

People who write anonymously can spout off about anything and be anything. I don't trust it. You shouldn't either or you end up send instant messages to some guy in underwear pretending to be a cheerleader.

I don't expect an election, but if one comes, the outcome is a foregone conclusion.

This is arrogance on the part of the NDP supporters that never fails to impress.

[Canada denies bribing Taliban]

Wishful thinking is nice, isn't it? That's no doubt what the OP was engaged in when he posted this, as he posts any and all negative news about Afghanistan.

I said I doubted the story. But you still act like a donkey.

[Manitoba NDP leadership Race]

There's been no poll. There have been comments left on message boards that obviously don't come from NDP supporters asking for an election so that the people can decide rather than the delegates. I suppose it would be better to call them populist.

I can't really judge by anecdotal evidence from people who are anonymous. I suspect the NDP will take a private poll on this. Maybe the Free Press will commission a Probe Research poll.

It isn't like the Opposition has a choice in the matter. The NDP has a majority can do as they please.

My view of fixed election laws is they are useless.

[return of Nordiques to NHL]

Question for Winnipeg and Quebec: will your market support the purchase of 18,000 tickets priced $70 t0 $250 for 41 homes games and four exhibition games every year, indefinitely? That means a pair of season tickets will cost around $6000 to $20000 every year, win or lose.

Probably not. Quite a few teams in the league don't pay those prices either.

The question is: How many of the teams who charge that amount want their profits to go to Phoenix and other cities who give away free tickets?

The economics of the league are out of whack.

Winnipeg can afford to wait till the league bleeds money from the rich teams until they feel it.

[Manitoba NDP leadership Race]

I haven't heard any speculation today about a snap election. Many Conservative voters are asking for one, but I doubt one will come.

There has been a poll on this or some if the PC party have asked for an election? Who?

Probe Research said the earlier the better for the NDP since the glow from the leadership convention and post Doer glow may not burn so bright.

[Manitoba NDP leadership Race]

Greg Selinger.

We can see where the 30% of unelected union delegate support went.

Now, let's see if a snap election happens in the next days and weeks.

[Manitoba NDP leadership Race]

I couldn't believe Ashton would walk the picket line in the Hydro strike when he could conceivably be premier by the end of today. It struck me as a sign he really isn't ready for the job.

It did occur to me that if the strike had dragged on, Ashton might have had to put back to work legislation in place.

In any event, the majority of the unelected delegates from unions voted for Selinger.

[Do You STILL Think the Internet is a Fad ?]

IMV, twitter is a fad. The Internet is not.

A fad is a practice or interest followed for a time with exaggerated zeal. Twitter appears to be a craze which has a shorter lifespan.

The Internet started as a fad but is probably becoming more of a tool over time but like television, it may become a less regarded in terms of zeal.

Tools can be retired though. You have said so yourself.