Poll from Nanos Research
The G&M has Elizabeth May endorsing strategic voting for close-race ridings again today, mentioning both VoteforEnvironment and DemocraticSpace as sites to go to for advice/info.
VoteforEnvironment is still endorsing May in Central Nova against Peter MacKay, even though the Ekos, Decima and Nanos polls listed there all show her running a close third place behind the NDP candidate. Come on, guys, get it together - these are your own rules.
Would be very peculiar if this means Greens are expected to not vote for May in her own riding on top of her having done the deal with Dion to not run a Lib there, but last time Lizzie was quoted as coming out in favour of stategic voting, she says she was misquoted, so we'll have to see. Her oft-stated position is that the most important thing is to stop the Cons.
I was part of a two hour radio show on SPP and the election today, with local candidates giving their thoughts. Unsurprisingly the Libs and Cons both declined to participate.
Thursday night Update : Yup, it's happened again. May says she did not endorse SV.
Received from Adriane Carr, Green Party, 2pm:
"Media reports and suggestions from other parties that I am urging strategic voting across the country or that backroom deals are being made are complete nonsense,” Ms. May said. “As I have said over and over, strategic voting is generally not a sound strategy at all and I do not support it. Canada needs to elect Green MPs."
Ms. May was responding in particular to the headline and opening of a Globe and Mail story that directly contradicts what she said to the reporter.
“I clearly said that voting strategically as advice is pretty useless. I also said: ‘Suggesting one should jump away from the Green Party is very bad advice indeed.’
“I want to do politics in a much different way, with collaboration, civility and respect. But I am not making deals with other parties, and the Greens are not in discussions with other parties.
“I will say it once again so absolutely no one can be confused or misled: I want Canadians to elect Green MPs."
The G&M had reported May as saying :
"As the leader of a grassroots party, I'm not in a position to yank anyone, or tell anyone what to do. I just think Canadians need to take a long hard look at the potential here to get rid of the government of Stephen Harper and all that it represents…”I dunno. If the above G&M quote is accurate, it clearly is a limited endorsement for SV. If that's what she said. This misquoting business happens a lot to May. Hard to say whose fault that is.
“That includes Greens as elected MP's, and to make that change it includes Stéphane Dion as a minority prime minister.”
She said it's a bad idea to leave the Greens in most ridings in the country, but that it would make sense in a small number of ridings where there are tight races."
Peterborough Politics has background on the Green reaction.
Saturday Update : And she's back to endorsing SV again.
3 comments:
Two things:
#1) Interesting that Lizzie May was recommending VoteforEnvironment. Adriane Carr in Van Centre said last evening that their data was "old and not relevant to the races today."
#2) You were on the radio and didn't let us know in advance?!?
I'm crushed . . . . :(
1)Lizzie didn't mention VFE by name - the G&M did. She just said SV sites were out there if people wanted to find them.
VFE uses a mathematical formula that is based on the last elections, but they also have daily polls from Ekos, Decima, Nanos for every riding in a drop-down list so you can get a range of current ones.
2) It's a stage-fright thing - I can manage just as long as I imagine I'm anonymous. ;-) If it makes you feel any better I didn't even tell my mum.
2 redux): I guess you're forgiven, then . . . . :)
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