Segacs's World I Know

The campaign has been unofficially happening for months, but now it’s official: It’s Election time again.

Let the attack ads, insults, and petty politics begin.

In the meantime, having recently moved out of the riding I’ve voted in my entire adult life, I’ve have been getting a crash course in the politics of my new riding, NDG/Lachine. It’s been educational, to say the least.

For one thing, I’ve discovered that the incumbent candidate is Marlene Jennings, who, from what I know about her, has been one of the Liberals whose views I’ve tended to respect.

Jennings is almost sure to win a third term in office. She is being challenged by candidates from the Bloc, the NDP, and the Green Party. There is no Conservative Party candidate running in my riding, interestingly enough. I’d never voted Conservative (in any of their previous incarnations) before, but if they really wanted me to consider voting for them this time, they should have at least run a candidate.

I still don’t know what I’m going to do come election day. Politically, I tend to diverge with all the major parties on at least some issues I consider critically important. Like a lot of Canadians I’m fed up with the Liberals. Even before the sponsorship scandal, I was getting sick of the waffling on important issues, the pandering to interest groups, the annoying way that the party assumed they were in power forever and didn’t actually have to do anything… But I don’t see too many viable alternatives out there.

I’m sure I’m far from the only person who’s annoyed that there are so few people to vote for. In provincial elections, I always hold my nose and vote Liberal because I’m a federalist and, well, that’s what federalists do. In federal elections, I liked the notion that there were more choices. But it’s starting to seem like the hold-nose-and-vote-Liberal-mantra is going to become more common in federal elections as well.

Somehow, it’s hard to get energized by such a meaningless vote.

Related posts:

1. 10 reasons to vote even if you don’t live in a swing riding
2. Why I’m not jumping on the blue bandwagon
3. Election Musings
4. Big win for the Liberals!
5. Election night results

2 Comments to “Decision 2004”