What is up his sleeve?

I've proudly stood beside Michael Ignatieff since he became leader and supported his decisions. I always felt that, while I may not have agreed or understood all of them, they were all, clearly, for the greater good.

Now, I can feel myself starting to doubt him, which is worrisome. I wonder if he really is aiming for a resolution that will benefit his, and my party.

Now, don't get me wrong; I'm not buying into the media perspective that Michael ought to pack his bags and get ready to leave. I'm, instead, basing my perspective on the fact that he could have approached this whole kerfuffle in a different way and made himself look strong as a result. Instead, he puffed himself up and then backed off.

I really hope he has a plan for the fall, because I don't know where else to put my vote.

Let's bring 'er down!

While Michael Ignatieff spends the rest of today and part of tomorrow contemplating whether to put the Harper Government out of its misery or not, I'd like to add my voice to the vocal, but unfortunately small, group of people who want him to send Harper packing.

Far from selfish reasons, Ignatieff can cite everything from the fact that the Conservatives have not demonstrated that their stimulus money is getting out the door, to the Raitt affair, to the Conservative Party's generally abusive attitude toward anybody who crosses them. Fact is, Harper is a mean bully and it won't take long or much to convince Canadians that he doesn't deserve the honour of being their Prime Minister anymore.

To Mr. Ignatieff, bring 'er down!

NDP Majority Government

NDP: 31
Lib: 11
PC: 10

You don't really get more decisive then that, I suppose.

Nova Scotians voted for change tonight, and that change is coming from the New Democratic Party. I can't say I'm not disappointed, obviously, and I can't say that I don't feel wary about my province's future under the orange regime. However, he clearly wanted it more and so I congratulate him.

Beyond that, though, I'd say the Liberal Party also won a strong victory here, because, in his first campaign as leader, Stephen McNeil managed to take his party to Official Opposition status and, despite a clear wave of NDP support, he managed to keep all Liberal MLA's in place and pick up two new seats, one from the Conservatives and one from the NDP. For the first time in 6 years, Dartmouth is no longer 100% NDP orange. That's a victory right there.

In my own riding of Dartmouth North, the NDP's Trevor Zinck beat the Liberal candidate, Jim Smith. I worked hard for Jim and I'm sorry that he lost, but it was a fair battle and Trevor is a great guy and will, hopefully, be made a Minister in the new NDP Government; something he definitely deserves.

Overall, I'm upset, but not miserable by the results.

You have 4 years to make things right in Nova Scotia, Darrell; don't f*** it up!

My final thoughts before election day

I haven't posted here as much as I'd like to have, but rest assured that I've been keeping a very close eye on the election campaign and trying to make as unbiased a decision as possible. With the campaign nearly over, I thought I'd speak up and give my take on things before the vote.

Based on what I've seen, I've come to the conclusion that we're almost assured of an NDP minority Government. I've seen the public polls released by the CBC and I've seen several internal polls, including one out today from the Liberal Party whose results I'm not at liberty to share. However, suffice it to say that the NDP aren't in as good a position as they would have us believe. When the chips are counted, I think Nova Scotians are looking for change and it appears that change will be the New Democrats. However, I think there's enough caution in giving the NDP control that they will be given a very tentative minority.

That having been said, I will conclude with a few changes to the predictions I released earlier in the election:

Cape Breton West - I'd like to change my prediction to a Liberal pickup. Despite Rodney's home being in Cape Breton and Alfie being a prominent member of the Legislature, I think the PC's have fallen hard enough that this seat is turning red.

Dartmouth North - I've been going door to door in this riding and I've seen the reaction at the doors and heard the things people say. Jim has been a counted-on figure in Albro Lake-Harbourview and people like him and trust him. It'll be a close race, but I'd like to change my prediction to having Jim pick this seat up.

Dartmouth East - Joan Massey has been invisible versus a HIGHLY popular Councillor. Younger is a lock here.

Halifax Citadel - Sable Island - It's a bit more of a stretch then the other three above, but I genuinely feel the Liberal Party has been strong enough here that they stand a good chance of winning.

Overall, I see a huge shift for the Liberals. My final prediction is going to be:

NDP - 25
Liberal - 19
PC - 8

Take that for what you will.