Pundits Unleashed: tales of the campaign 004

With the clock ticking down on the election campaign and judgement er, voting day coming up fast, the pundits are clear cutting the forests to get their points in print.

Jeffrey Simpson at the Globe, takes pen to the high hopes of the NDP campaign and suggests that the poll results don’t match the constant upbeat feeling of the Layton himself and that of his disciples. Simpson looks how at despite a high energy campaign that has warmed the hearts of socialists across the country, the NDP may find that the other parties shall siphon off his support.

The Toronto Star’s David Olive offers up some bad news for the Conservatives in his “Pulse Diary”, citing Internal Liberal polls and the latest in the public opinion polls, Olive suggests that the Conservative dream of a majority is long gone and even worse they’re slipping out of the possibility of forming a minority government. Olive pegs the turning point at the child porn statements and the Ralph Klein introduction to health care reform as the end of the Harper run of luck.

Across the office at the Star, Chantal Hebert ruminates on whether things are too late for the Liberals. With Martin getting a second wind in the final week of the election and the Conservatives apparently running on empty, Hebert wonders aloud whether the bounce back will be enough to keep the Martin forces holding the reigns of power. Perhaps its just a a case of racing backwards to the finish line now.

Back at the Globe Roy MacGregor, examines a completely unscientific but none the less quite telling poll about this campaign. The damaged lawn sign poll suggests a very angry electorate. Focusing on a riding in rural Ontario, MacGregor discovers that this campaign has brought out the destructive nature of supporters of the two main parties, as over 700 signs in the Conservative camp have been destroyed thus far, and equal number find the same fate with the Liberal supporters.

Greg Weston of the Sun papers puts aside the upswing in advance polling numbers and the promise that may bring. Rather he says it’s the suggestion that many folks don’t plan to be anywhere near their riding on election, with the end of school and the start of vacations, perhaps they just want to get away. At least they have done their civic duty, the last federal election only stirred 63% of the population to participation a continuing downward trend, which if it continues could see the next big category listed as Uninterested as opposed to Undecided. Weston’s column paints a picture of not so much an apathetic nation, but one fed up with politics and politicians. Weston advises it’s a brave candidate that dares to knock on a door these days lest it be slammed in their face. And with the prospect of a low turnout, he states this could come down to the very last vote, this year more than ever it could be the party with the best machine to get the vote out that wins the vote.

One of the deans of the Ottawa press room, Douglas Fisher will have the Liberals reaching for the Maalox and Tums with his Sunday column entitled “Certain Disaster”, it reads like a primer for how things can go wrong. Tracing back Liberal troubles through the Chrétien era, Fisher recounts HRDC, Adscam the Chrétien wars, all of which he says has contributed to the malaise of the Liberal party and a weariness of the public to see it hang around much longer. Arrogance and a loss of confidence of the public, he says is the downfall of the Martin Liberals. Perhaps a bit pre mature as the polls indicate that this goose is not necessarily cooked yet, but if someone were looking for a thumbnail guide as to what is wrong with the Liberals today, this would be their reading material.

The final stop on the Pundit wheel today goes to Richard Gwyn, who examines the changing face of the electoral landscape in the country. With the Green Party nosing up around the 5% range of the vote and the decline of voter participation in the process, Gwyn looks at the future of the political scene in Canada and how it may soon mirror that of Europe. Are we ready for an election called where nobody bothers to vote? Or will we adopt a syndrome where we the electors, just vote to protect narrow interests and to punish the party in power. In less than a week we make our verdict, but in some ways we’re already more European in thinking, than we may believe.