Thursday, April 21, 2011

Strategic voting 2011 style.

We are all familiar with the concept of strategic voting where people don't vote for the candidate or party of their choice but rather vote against a candidate by choosing the candidate/party that is most likely to defeat them and cast their vote in that direction. During the last few elections most strategic voting campaigns have been directed at the conservatives in an effort to stop them from getting a majority but that was then and this is now.

With the recent NDP surge in the polls and particularly in Quebec I have to ask the following: How many Liberals are now going to support the Conservative Party in an effort to stop the NDP from gaining more seats than the Liberals and becoming the official opposition? (which is now a distinct possibility)

I know some Liberals will laugh at the suggestion of ever supporting conservatives but they should ask themselves what would happen to the Liberal Party of Canada if Jack Layton and the NDP ever became the leader of the official opposition in Canada.

Short answer: It would be all over for the LPC a party. Irrelevancy does that.


Welcome to strategic voting 2011 style.

9 comments:

wilson said...

Yes, it's one thing for those Lib supporters to be ok with a coalition of losers IF it's a Liberal PM,
but the thoughts of an NDP PM, NDP cabinet, NDP running the entire show with Liberals as the back seat driver....

Jack could offer Iffy the same thing Iffy recently offered Jack...nothing in exchange for support

Unknown said...

My analysis --- Anatomy of a Coup:
http://burpnrun.blogspot.com/2011/04/anatomy-of-coup.html

Anonymous said...

Don't have to worry about Iggy trying to govern. The NDP are making up too much ground on the Liberals and the Bloc - why would Layton support them to form a government. It would be in the NDP's best interest to have another election as they are the only party that is gaining.

Chris C said...

You're right. If Jack Layton became
leader of the opposition it would be curtains for the LPC.

In the UK at the 1922 Election, Labour overtook the Liberals as the main opposition to the Tories.
The Liberals have never regained that position.

Anonymous said...

There's a simple word for all of this...
EVOLUTION

Ardvark said...

Anon @11:57 True, but the Libs never thought that it would be them on the outside looking in. They have made themselves irrelevant, but I guess that is what you get by going to the left on policy for years.

Burpnrun: Nice analysis!

Anonymous said...

The Liberals and New Democrats are so desperate for power, I think either party will do whatever it takes to overturn a CPC minority, and form the government themselves.

Anonymous said...

In turn, the NDP and Libs may lose a seat to the greens in protest as the greens didn't bring about this election (but likely would of tried all the same).

I thought I saw two greens at second place in some ridings but I don't recall how "close" the vote margins were.

In any case, I predict the end of the liberal party within the next five years. If this election doesn't wipe them out considerably, the next one will. It's only a matter of time.
It'll take longer for the NDP but informed voters will vote Left less as the gaping flaws in that side of the political spectrum become more apparent.

Even world wide as people see the gigantic failure of Obama, and the success in Canada of the conservative party.

It'll be a good century ahead, folks.

We're setting the trend and leading by example. Inch by inch and soon to be mile by mile.

Bridge the Gap said...

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