Two takes on Canada

James Allan writing in the Oz claims the ALP needs to pay attention to Canada as the result there shows the historic centre-left party (the Liberal Party) being overtaken by a new further left party (the New Democratic Party).

Allan claims;

Now it's no great stretch to compare the NDP with the Greens here in Australia. Both have the same other-worldly grasp of economics, the same dislike of free trade, the same strands in their parties who dislike Israel and the same proclivity to deal in moral and political abstractions rather than specific facts.

Which is interesting but fails to note that the NDP is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. It is far more like what the Australian Democrats would look like today if they hadn't self-immolated and their vote hadn't drifted to the Greens and the Liberals. Neither the Liberals nor NDP can really claim to be a social democratic party of the standard of the ALP.

Charles Richardson writing in Crikey (behind a paywall) suggests the real message from Canada is for the UK and their forthcoming referendum on the AV (see earlier comments).

Canada's Conservative Party was a minority government for the past two terms They finally won a majority in Monday's general election -- 167 seats out of 308 -- courtesy of the electoral system, not the voters. The Tories won with only 39.6% of the votes. Against them, the three centre-left parties of New Democrats (30.6%, 102 seats), Liberals (18.9%, 34 seats) and Greens (3.9%, one seat) had a clear majority between them.

The ALP has much to fear - The Greens are not one of those things.

Novae Meridianae Demetae Dexter delenda est