London North Centre

[bcholmes]

Very early results: Elizabeth May is neck-and-neck with the Liberal candidate. Although I generally favour the NDP, I'd really like to see May take the riding. That'll change the face of all future election campaigns[1].

By-elections are generally more successful for the smaller parties, since people feel less need to vote strategically.

[1] During televised leaders debates, the major news channels argue that only leaders of parties that have ever elected leaders should be included in the debates (to some extent, I sympathize, 'cause there are some nutbar parties out there).

Edit: May has lost. Sad.

Comments

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

Not leaders of parties that have elected leaders, leaders of parties that have elected members of parliament. The Greens have had party leaders for ages, and so have all kinds of other parties like the two kinds of communists, the Canadian Action Party, etc.

I agree, it would have been good to see one Green Party member in Parliament, and she had a shot at it. I hadn't thought of that before, that a small-party or independent candidate is going to have a better chance in a by-election.

Roll on electoral reform, anyway.

[bcholmes.livejournal.com]

D'oh! That's what I meant to say!