Yes, the Green candidate for Vancouver Centre is younger than me (go Green, go ImageReady!), but I’m voting for the party, not the candidate. Besides, we all know that between Hedy Fry and Svend Robinson, he’s as likely to win in Houston, Texas as downtown Vancouver.
I’m voting Green for the same reasons I did in 2004, so you can just read those if you’re interested in why. Enjoy my $1.75, you hippies.
Unfortunately, while I like a lot of the Green platform, I refuse to vote for any party that wants to change to a proportional representation system.
Your strategy isn’t really a strategy at all but a protest vote. I’d prefer if you spoled your ballot. Voting Green for many obviously satisfies some need to make a statement. It unfortunately seems to ignore reality and might do us all more harm than good.
Alan Gregg, whose on air smugness bothers me as much as his pompousself-imposed title as Chairman of the ‘Strategic Counsel’, predicts that based on the latest polling ‘the Conservatives would win in the neighbourhood of 140 seats, the Liberals 75, the New Democrats 35 and the Bloc in the high 50s or low 60s.’
As I see it – and I’m not an expert – your vote would serve better if it were cast for the NDP, to diminish the Bloc Quebecois numbers or the Liberals, to soften the Conservative’s power in what will likely be a Minority Government.
May I suggest you send the Green Party $1.75 out of your own pocket and make your vote help the situation as it exists.
Gregg: Did you read the other entry that I linked to? I’m not sure how you can qualify my selection as a protest vote.
I’m with you DB -the choice between a theif and an incompetent incumbent is no choice at all!! Green it is!
In your linked entry, you said you didn’t have faith in the NDP fiscal platform and didn’t like their close union ties. Did the NDP budget and Buzz Hargrove’s “defection” to the Liberals not help change your mind on this? You said you were closer to voting NDP last time than ever before, and it seems that your two major beefs have been at least partially resolved.
Chris: I did give them serious consideration, but my personal philosophy still jibes more with the Green Party.
I can’t help but vote for the person as well as the party. I like Svend, and I prefer the NDP platform, so luckily everything jives there. But if I were voting Green, I’d have a hard time doing so based on the local candidate. He’s older than me, but it’s measurable in months, not years.
His age bothers me, but even more than that is his english skills. I mean, I’m not perfect, but the boy needs to hire a press manager… or learn to write above a grade 8 level. Meh.
I can understand where Gregg is coming from. Though I like what Green stands for, voting for them is like spoiling the ballot in terms of its effect on the election results. My strategy is truly a strategy: vote for the non-Conservative candidate in my riding most likely to win against the Conservative, because I don’t want the Conservatives in power more than I care who else wins. Your vote might help Green in the long run, but makes no difference tonight.
Hey Donna,
If you want to donate your time to help out with the editing for the next election, we’d be greatful. The website was put together in an evening about a week ago, and was a last minute attempt to get some sort of web presence by a late campaign volunteer (ah um).
And yes, nothing beats ImageReady when you’re in a bind for time!