Blog of the week: Bloggers log in

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/10/2011 (5118 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While the rest of us are sleeping or drinking or diligently pursuing other normal human behaviours after a hard day’s work, there are those among us who spend their spare time diligently observing, pondering and opining on what is happening in our city. And they do it pretty much for nothing (unlike us fat-cat newspaper journalists).

To at least give them some props (rather than actual pay) Sunday Xtra asked several Winnipeg bloggers to answer this question: Who does your head say will win the provincial election on Oct. 4, and who does your heart wish would win on Oct. 4?

Enough with the insanity

As Albert Einstein said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. It would be insanity to vote NDP to fight crime yet again. My heart now goes to Progressive Conservatives this election. They will bring back the gang database, take a tougher stand on crime, better enforce outstanding warrants and strengthen policies in sentencing violent criminals.

My head tells me Winnipeg is tired of the way crime is dealt with (or not dealt with) in this town. I read it in newspaper comments and hear it on the street when talking with people. The people will vote against the status quo of the NDP. Liberals no longer exist as a mainstream party, so the PC will win this election.

— Rae Butcher, A Day In The Hood: Observations of my street in Winnipeg’s ‘notorious’ North End (adayinthehood.blogspot.com)

I don’t like either of them

The last Federal election suggested that many voters in Canada are growing a little tired of their local status quo. Even in stodgy old Manitoba, voters shifted to the right in a few Winnipeg ridings. But these surprise victories were won only by the slightest of margins. This provincial election seems poised to have the same result, and it will be a narrow victory for either the NDP or the PCs.

On one hand, there is a social democratic party that lost their principals out of arrogance. On the other is a progressive conservative party that lost their principles out of desperation. While my own ideals tend to prefer the latter party, I don’t really like the prospect of either of the two in power.

— Robert Galston, The Rise and Sprawl: Abattoir for sacred cows (riseandsprawl.tumblr.com)

Race fizzles; NDP happy

What seemed like a heated race in the making has fizzled somewhat, and the NDP couldn’t be happier. The NDP ripped a page out of the federal Conservative playbook and has successfully deflected attention away from itself by casting doubt on PC Leader Hugh McFadyen. For his part, McFadyen has had a hard time finding traction on any major issues and simply hasn’t been able to register any heavy blows against Greg Selinger’s NDP. The Liberals are likely to win a seat but will face some tough questions after the election.

The One Man Committee decision desk predicts a slightly reduced NDP majority mirroring the result of the 1999 election, with 32 NDP MLAs, 24 PCs and one Liberal elected.

— Walter Krawec, One Man Committee: Taking a closer look at urban life in Winnipeg (www.onemancommittee.com)

Bipole only real difference

Hugh McFadyen threw away his fiscal-responsibility card when he promised not to balance the budget until 2018, and he failed to differentiate the PCs from the NDP on most other issues. I think he needed to be bolder to steal back the votes he needs to win, therefore, the NDP will stay in office.

I would like to see the Conservatives win, in large part because of the enormous additional cost of the NDP’s west-side Bipole III line, as well as the sacrifices to energy reliability, environmental and land-use compromises and other drawbacks. With similar platforms between the two main parties, this stands out as a key issue.

— Blogger Cherenkov, Anybody Want a Peanut? (anybody-want-a-peanut.blogspot.com)

Heart just wasn’t in it

My head says the NDP wins with a slightly smaller majority.

Even with the economic downturn and flood, Manitoba has fared well over the last couple of years — better than what many jurisdictions can claim. Given that we’re a pretty conservative bunch, people likely won’t want to change horses.

If the Tories wanted to create a ‘boot the rascals out’ feeling, they needed to show early in the race a platform or vision that was something that the NDP couldn’t match. Instead, both offered a variation on the same theme.

My heart? It wasn’t in this campaign. The only emotion I felt was displeasure at those American-style political ads and brochures that filled the airwaves and mailboxes.

— Christian Cassidy, West End Dumplings: Random thoughts from a Winnipeg West Ender (westenddumplings.blogspot.com)