The NDP's strategic voting conundrum in the next election

[frandroid]

Dilemna for the NDP in the next election:
On one hand, asking Canadians on the left not to vote strategically for the Liberals
On the other hand, asking environmentally conscious Canadians to vote strategically for the NDP rather than for the Greens. mrputter even caught me thinking that way recently.

It's quite clear that the Greens will have a strong chance of picking up more votes in the next election. culpster was surprised recently that the NDP hadn't jumped on Elizabeth May regarding her ambiguous comments on abortion, and I theorized that the NDP right now has decided not to pick any fights with the Greens, lest the Greens get more media attention. I'm sure the corporate media out there would feast on and feed a Green/NDP feud. Avoidance is a safe strategy for now, since Layton doesn't want to commit to an environmental vision anyway and would rather play the tactician instead. But I think the NDP will have to bring out the artillery and figure out how they will deal with the Greens in the next election, or else the Greens might tip some NDP seats in BC to the Conservatives and the Liberals, and maybe reinforce some Liberal seats in Toronto at the expense of the NDP. May could even win a riding.

Layton's lack of clear demands on the environment (other than "Kyoto", which doesn't particularly distinguish the NDP from the pack) will more and more drive the NDP to ask potential Green voters to vote strategically, which will lead the NDP nowhere, except in ridings where the NDP is the incumbent, maybe.

Comments

[theoria.livejournal.com]

Given Harper's announcements the past few weeks, disgruntled Tories concerned about winter not arriving until mid-January may come back to the party leaving the GP with what is a generally socially and fiscally conservative (i.e., right of center) set of non-environmental policies. There is a general view - albeit incorrect - that the GP and the NDP are essentially the same: i.e., left of center parties. The NDP certainly is, but, as things stand now and as they have stood in the past, this is a serious mis-apprehension of the GP. Mind you, the GP hasn't gone out of its way to correct this mis-apprehension, in part for the reasons you mention above. It'd be the NDP's benefit to make this difference clear.