Where do the Greens go?

[betsy]

The Green supporters must see the clear writings on the wall. Although some are staunch Green, no matter what....surely not all of them would want to waste their votes, but rather use them strategically. Which Party is more likely to get the greens?

Somebody told me that environment-aside, the Green is closer to Conservative values.

Is that true?

[punked]

The Green supporters must see the clear writings on the wall. Although some are staunch Green, no matter what....surely not all of them would want to waste their votes, but rather use them strategically. Which Party is more likely to get the greens?

Somebody told me that environment-aside, the Green is closer to Conservative values.

Is that true?

Greens are Liberals just look at their numbers. If they go down the Liberals go up and visa versa. If the Liberal party dies it will be mostly because the greens ate up 25% of their vote last election.

[August1991]

The Green supporters must see the clear writings on the wall. Although some are staunch Green, no matter what....surely not all of them would want to waste their votes, but rather use them strategically. Which Party is more likely to get the greens?

Good question.

Somebody told me that environment-aside, the Green is closer to Conservative values. Is that true?

Uh, no. The Green vote is likely to fall but it won't go to the Tories. As a first guess: It will stay at home, or go NDP.

I checked in Quebec and the Green vote was so low in 2008 (3.4%) that it is irrelevant. Even lowering it to 2.7% and shifting the votes to the NDP makes no difference in Quebec seat totals.

In 2008, the Greens received 6.7% (9.4% in BC). They won't receive that now so it may matter elsewhere.

[Handsome Rob]

Elizabeth May is in BC now so those numbers will likely rise a couple of percentage points to little relevance.

[RNG]

I too had heard that other than environmental things, the Greens were quite right wing. But the CBC Vote Compass thing had them closest to the NDP, so I'm confused also.

[bloodyminded]

I too had heard that other than environmental things, the Greens were quite right wing. But the CBC Vote Compass thing had them closest to the NDP, so I'm confused also.

It's interesting to me that everyone (definitely including myself) feels somewhat in the dark about just where the Greens stand.

[punked]

It's interesting to me that everyone (definitely including myself) feels somewhat in the dark about just where the Greens stand.

They are pretty scatter shot in their beliefs. They are free market in control carbon with no hard caps but they also want to legalize pot. It seems like they locked the extreme right and extreme left in a room and said "You can't come out until you have a platform" and after hours of arguing they agreed to disagree and just divided it up evenly. So instead of getting a moderate platform you have something the reads like half of it was written by the John Birch society and the other half by Greenpeace.

[bloodyminded]

They are pretty scatter shot in their beliefs. They are free market in control carbon with no hard caps but they also want to legalize pot. It seems like they locked the extreme right and extreme left in a room and said "You can't come out until you have a platform" and after hours of arguing they agreed to disagree and just divided it up evenly. So instead of getting a moderate platform you have something the reads like half of it was written by the John Birch society and the other half by Greenpeace.

What do you get when you combine airy, feel-good liberalism with tradition-soaked, "personal responsibility" conservatism?

You get Dr Phil.

[punked]

What do you get when you combine airy, feel-good liberalism with tradition-soaked, "personal responsibility" conservatism?

You get Dr Phil.

And no one wants that guy running the country.

[betsy]

What do you get when you combine airy, feel-good liberalism with tradition-soaked, "personal responsibility" conservatism?

You get Dr Phil.

[netochka]

The Green supporters must see the clear writings on the wall. Although some are staunch Green, no matter what....surely not all of them would want to waste their votes, but rather use them strategically. Which Party is more likely to get the greens?

Somebody told me that environment-aside, the Green is closer to Conservative values.

Is that true?

I am Conservative by ideology and voted for Greens because after attending our all-candidates meeting, it was clearly the best choice. I am in Elizabeth May's riding and would love to see her get a seat. Judging by the number of signs supporting her around here, she just may have a real shot!

Edited April 26, 2011 by netochka

[cybercoma]

It's interesting to me that everyone (definitely including myself) feels somewhat in the dark about just where the Greens stand.

Too bad we don't have a federal debate where the leaders can discuss their platforms and tell the nation where they stand...

oh wait....

[ToadBrother]

It's interesting to me that everyone (definitely including myself) feels somewhat in the dark about just where the Greens stand.

In a bucket holding a live electrical wire.

[cybercoma]

I'm with everyone else that said some form or another of "who cares where the Greens go?"

[ToadBrother]

I'm with everyone else that said some form or another of "who cares where the Greens go?"

This election has become too important to waste votes on crazy fringe malcontents. I'm expecting them to crash and burn on the popular vote, and good riddance. Maybe someday when they have a leadership that is sane and sensible, they can give it another go. Like I said before, the CCF/NDP showed how you can build a party from the ground up and form provincial governments and get seats in Ottawa.

[The_Squid]

ANyone who thinks that there is such a thing as a "wasted vote" is a fool.

THe Reform Party had no hope of forming government. They now hold the reigns of power.... It was a "waste" to vote for them....

Vote for the party closest to your ideology. How is that a waste?

[ToadBrother]

ANyone who thinks that there is such a thing as a "wasted vote" is a fool.

THe Reform Party had no hope of forming government. They now hold the reigns of power.... It was a "waste" to vote for them....

Vote for the party closest to your ideology. How is that a waste?

The Reform party died a decade ago.

[cybercoma]

I think that may be another bittersweet irony in this election. The Greens will lose support, but Elizabeth May might just win her seat.

Next election the consortium can go ahead and say for the debates, "you need at least 2% of the seats in the House".

[The_Squid]

The Reform party died a decade ago.

Hardly. It is part of the CPC coalition that is running the nation.

You missed my point completely....

If Reformers thought that voting for a party that had no hope of winning the election was a "wasted vote" they wouldn't be part of the gov't today.

There are no wasted votes.

[Nonpartisanindv]

Hardly. It is part of the CPC coalition that is running the nation.

You missed my point completely....

If Reformers thought that voting for a party that had no hope of winning the election was a "wasted vote" they wouldn't be part of the gov't today.

There are no wasted votes.

Well said. I completely agree. No one's opinion is wasted in a democracy.

[RNG]

A cautionary tale from many, many years ago when I was doing a post-doc at Simon Fraser University. We had five candidates in our riding, a Con, a Lib, an NDP, a Communist Party of Canada and a Communist Party of Canada-Marxist-Leninist.

Well I have always been fiscally conservative, and have mostly voted Conservative, but in this case our Tory was a total dork. But I could not bring myself to not vote so I voted for the Marxist-Leninist, thinking this would send a message to the powers that be.

So the first result comes in on the TV, and they tell me he's leading. I almost had a seizure. Then they explained he was leading 9 votes to 1, one poll only and that was from a residence at SFU. He ended the evening with 10 votes and I'm sure the 10th was mine.

But never again with the protest votes.

[cybercoma]

Which is why no one should vote "ABH" or "ABC". People need to vote for the Canada they want. If you don't want a Marxist-Leninist Canada, don't vote for it.

[Sleipnir]

Regarding the 3 by-elections on November 26th.

The greens are there.

[Smallc]

I can't believe any poll that has the Liberals doing that well in Calgary Centre.

[Sleipnir]

I can't believe any poll that has the Liberals doing that well in Calgary Centre.

I'm waiting for couple more polls to confirmed whether or not the Liberals are doing well in Calgary Centre.