Silly Little Country

I Already Have a Lawn Sign

We in Canada are now in the thick of an election campaign.

I arrived home today from my surgery to find a lawn sign on my lawn - this is a standard feature of Canadian campaigning.My lawn sign supports Marilyn Churley of the New Democratic Party (NDP). There is not the smallest chance in the universe that I will vote for her. Now I do occasionally vote for an NDP candidate - sometimes that candidate, even through running for a party espousing mostly harmful policies, is a demonstrably good person, and more worthy than his/her competitors. My experience suggests there is no danger of that outcome in this election.

How do I come to have this lawn sign? The Party phoned me a month ago or so and asked for permission to put it in place. I agreed immediately - I find lawn signs quite useful for letting me know who is running in my riding. One election, many years ago, I had three separate party lawn signs, and I thought this was excellent.

But I get the feeling the parties are not quite getting my own message. The NDP keeps asking if I want to become a member and I always laugh at that question. Oddly, I am getting the feeling the other parties are seeing the lawn sign planted on the second day of the campaign, and deciding it is not worth bothering me about lawn signs or votes. I welcome this outcome - I have no wish to be bothered by canvassers. And if they aren't agressive enough to get their own lawn signs up - more power to the NDP.

Now it turns out that the leader of another somewhat distatsteful party, Jim Harris of the Greens, has decided to run in my riding. So I at least have a tactical vote. As in the last election, when I saw no party I felt worthy of being elected, at least the Greens were worthy of reaching a vote level that got them federal funding.

posted by Alan Adamson @ 6:07 PM