It seems to me that tonight’s federal election results in Canada are a reaction to the instability of the last few years. The Liberals have distinguished themselves from the Conservatives merely by reflexive opposition to any policy supported by the Tories, regardless of the merits and indeed whether or not the policy was initiated by the Liberals in their previous tenure (Afghanistan, fighter jets, etc.).
It also seems to me that the NDP will be a much better opposition than the Liberals, since their primary policies actually differ in substantial ways from the Conservatives’, and they’ll perhaps be less likely to oppose sensible positions simply because they’re the Tories’.
The thing that has most struck me is the sanctimonious tone of the Liberals’ and NDP’s rhetoric, especially in the soi-disant grass-roots internet media meme-mongering. Do you really expect me to believe that if Stephen Harper is a lying cheating scumbag polishing a pair of jackboots in his back room then Ignatieff and Layton are pure as the driven snow? I think it’s that kind of contempt for the common sense of the ordinary Canadian that has given Harper his majority.
Canadians are tired of the self-righteous wrangling over trumped-up rhetoric, and have handed Harper a mandate to finally get things done, Layton the responsibility to provide real opposition on issues rather than partisanism, and Ignatieff a huge slapdown.
And good on Elizabeth May, who at this writing looks to win her seat.
UPDATE: An example of sanctimonious partisanism and not: the NDP supporters booed when Jack Layton congratulated Stephen Harper. The Conservative supporters cheered when Stephen Harper congratulated Jack Layton.
I tend to agree. I’m finding myself pretty happy with how just about every chip landed in this election, from the first place finisher to the fifth place one. This is what the voting population of Canada wants. And I too often find it ironic: those who paint Harper as mean come across as mean in doing so, at least to me.