Putting lipstick on a pig but its still a pig

[tweety]

Grassfarmer, what exactly is a smart vote?

[newguy]

Saskatchewan is full of people that have never marked a ballot any different than their parents always did. Now take Quebec they will swing on a minute.Parties pay way more attention to the seats that can be bought. Harper knows the farmer vote is always in the bag so no need to listen to things like transportation problems. The biggest worry in Ottawa today is How many ex Conservative MPs will the Railway companies hire.

[bucket]

That's why we would better off with a liberal or ndp minority.

Vanclief eventually came to the table for farmers. But I don't think any party gets off their ass quicker.

The bureaucrats need to study everything into a pension for themselves first.

Until we have elected people telling bureaucrats what to do instead of the other way around this country is not going forward.

[grassfarmer]

tweety, a smart vote is one cast by a person who understands how to vote tactically in the pursuit of a better functioning democracy.

[TOM4CWB]

Grassy
Which means all votes cast are smart ones!
Cheers!

[grassfarmer]

No it doesn't Tom but I'm not surprised at you not grasping the concept.

[TOM4CWB]

Grassy,

Every single person who is eligible to vote... should vote.

To say you are smarter than every one else who does not agree with your point of view... is why bloody wars got/get started!

Islamic State... for instance!

[newguy]

Tom if everyone who was eligible to vote voted Harper would be toast for sure.

[stonepicker]

You guys are so worried about harper being in government that you can't see and enjoy the world around you! But ya i get your point of view, everybody who disagree's with you is wrong.

[grassfarmer]

TOM, You really don't understand the point I'm making do you?
I'm all for everyone voting, the more the merrier.
Just pointing out that Canadians seem to have little experience of tactical voting compared to what we had in Europe.

For example my constituency in the upcoming AB election. Traditionally a PC seat but elected Joe Anglin under the WR banner last time only for the WR party to turn on him and set up his constituency chairman to contest his candidacy. So now Joe, our sitting MLA is standing as an independent. WR is running their rather unpopular candidate and the PCs are running plus an NDP.
It's really a 3 horse race and clearly there are enough people disgruntled with the PCs as was shown by the election of the WR candidate last time. It looks to me like the anti-PC vote will split between the WR and the Independent allowing the PCs to win. This is where voters need to get tactical and vote en masse for either the WR or Independent candidate (including the NDP voters whose vote is essentially wasted in this instance if they vote NDP)
I don't think they will, whereas in Europe this kind of thing does happen. Sometimes a candidate would even hint in the closing days of an election race if they were trailing in the polls that they wouldn't mind their supporters voting tactically for another candidate if it helped the greater cause.
I think people here will vote on traditional party lines and a majority anti-PC constituency will finish up electing a PC candidate.

That was my point and although this example talks about defeating a PC candidate there are places where it may apply to defeating an NDP or Liberal candidates if it results in better overall Government.

[Tucker]

You know Grassy that didn't seem to be a problem for you socialists when it was the PC and Reform splitting the right wing vote for a decade.

[grassfarmer]

Thats the kind of dumb-ass reply that will ensure our politics won't change.
I'm not a socialist and I wasn't here when that was happening so don't blame it on me.

As I said I for one am prepared to hold my nose and vote tactically if it is for the good of the democracy, I've done it before and I'd do it again - including voting PC if that were needed.

Guarantee you'd never vote for a mildly left wing party that you would wrongly call "socialist" though.

And so we continue with huge majority, long reign Governments that we all know breed entitlement, corruption and poor governance.