Don't Panic!

[mousme]

It's the end of an era, but it could be a lot worse.

Conservative minority, but the swing vote could go to anyone.

Final breakdown is as follows:

Conservatives: 124 seats, 36.3% of the vote
Liberals: 103 seats, 30.2% of the vote
NDP: 29 seats, 17.5% of the vote
Bloc Quebecois: 51 seats, 10.5% of the vote
Independent: 1 seat, -
Green: 0 seats, 4.5% of the vote


Paul Martin was obviously elected in spite of my best efforts to vote him away, but he's stepping down as leader of the party. Somehow, I didn't expect that. Don't ask me why. In his shoes, I would have asked myself WWJCD? ("What Would Jean Chrétien Do?"), but maybe that's just me. I have the vague impression that Chrétien would have hung on by his fingernails, although I'm not convinced that's a good thing.

Hey, out there! Friends who are more politically savvy than I! Any idea who the main contenders for leadership are these days? Belinda, maybe?



In other news, it came to my attention during this election that, in spite of keeping a vague eye on the politics of my nation, I'm not nearly aware enough of the nuances that would turn me into a truly informed voter.

So, since I know that a lot of you are ridiculously well-informed about such things, I am turning to you for aid. Can anyone recommend some good websites/feeds/whatever where all the important stuff gets discussed? As non-partisan as possible would be nice, but I'll settle for several sources as long as I can get a general idea of who's saying what and not from just one point of view. (Yikes! No coffee = massively run-on sentences, apparently.)


Anyone? Bueller?

Comments

[caitlin.livejournal.com]

Is he Liberal?

If so, I hope he gets it.

I don't trust this guy they say is a frontrunner to become leader of the Liberals now. I-something?

C.

[elanya.livejournal.com]

He is *a* liberal... who are you talking about (frontrunner)?

[toughlovemuse.livejournal.com]

Possibly Michael Ignatieff? I think he's the guy they interviewed on CBC last night who acted offended by the question of whether he'd run for the leadership. I'd offer more but I hadn't heard of him until last night.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, that's who I figured, but I wasn't sure. He was the pro-iraq guy. :p

[lucidite.livejournal.com]

Yes and no...
There was an interesting article about him in The Walrus that clarifies that misconception: he was for the Iraq war until it was discovered that there were no WMDs.
I've only "discovered" him in the last few weeks however he definitly looks like someone to look out for...

[caitlin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Ignatieff... That's him.

There's rumour that he's 'frontrunner' in the race to take over Martin's post as head of the party.

I hope not.

C.

[toughlovemuse.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I'd heard he was thinking of running, but this is only his first term, right? He seems a little green for a party leader, doesn't he? Especially if the next election is not that far away.