Lots of people are saying the NDP might jump over the Liberals and form the Official Opposition in the next Parliament.
I'm not buying it.
First off, even with a dud like Stephane Dion leading them, the Liberals still have a strong brand name and deep roots in many parts of the country, meaning coming hell or high water they will hang onto their core support which is enough to guarantee them second place.
Second off, the NDP has little room to grow vote-wise. Simply put, their policies are designed to appeal to union bosses, tweedy professors and left-wing special interest groups.
And such policies -- higher taxes, class warfare, pro-big union measures--just don't resonate with the Middle Class.
In fact, the more Canadians learn about the NDP's socialist agenda, the more nervous they will get.
So, the Liberals can relax -- they will get destroyed on election day, but at least they will keep the keys to Stornoway.
I agree the NDP is a little too left wing to form opposition, but also their support is very concentrated in around 50 to 60 ridings and elsewhere they are very weak, so you don't form official opposition by racking up huge majorities in a few areas and doing poorly elsewhere. Lets remember, even when they fall below 10%, they usually can still find 12 seats where they get over 40% of the popular vote. Areas such as the north side of Winnipeg, Windsor, East Vancouver are all areas that greatly inflate their numbers.
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