Maybe I'll Be Washing My Hair

Or burping my Tupperware, or stacking my books alphabetically by size and number of letters in the name of the author's hometown.

But no, I guess I'll have to vote anyway.

For this is where I stand. From the most balanced and reasonable of perspectives the Liberals have fallen victim to the Gomery Inquiry and associated sleaze, despite most of the major players having long since vanished over the horizon. This is largely the work of Paul Martin, a man with little charisma, and a tendency to look guilty and desperate at the best of times. His campaign has been a shambles, tending towards fear-mongering and pleading.

The Conservatives have tried to keep a lot of their candidates out of the limelight--one is forced to wonder if this is because they might be unreconstructed Reform candidates. Stephen Harper has the bland uncharisma of a loaf of bread, and has introduced both far-right-wing politics and seriously nasty campaigning to Canada. I'd love to thank him appropriately, but the stores are out of feathers and the Albertans are busy squeezing oil from the tar.

The NDP--well, Jack Layton is sounding somewhat reasonable with his "Vote for us just this once, we won't let you down" campaign, but it's not exactly inspiring. Nor is the vision of the NDP. Like the Conservatives, I find their platform a little less than what I'd hoped for, and a good deal more like I fear.

The Green Party. My conscience would probably drop my "X" here. But in my riding I'd have a much better chance with the NDP if I want to deny the Conservatives the seat. Last election the Cons won by a mere one hundred or so votes.

The others: Christian Heritage Party? We fortunately seem to have no candidate this year. Marxist-Leninist? It's sometimes known as Communist Party II (or I, depending on when you joined and the year they split). And our two independents just don't show up on the radar. One of them's a one-plank-platform law-and-order campaigner and that's all I know.

So, given that we appear to be in for a minority Conservative government, how should I make best use of my vote? Vote my heart, content in providing both moral and financial support to my party of choice? Or should I strategize, and vote with someone I believe can beat the person(s) I don't want representing me?

More on this anon.