Lots of interesting punditry after the french language debates.
Again, as always feel free to use this as a Canadian politics open thread.
Ipsos did a poll after the debate and reached the conclusion that Harper was devastatingly bad, while Dion and Duceppe did pretty good.
The Winner...
Liberal Leader Stephane Dion emerges as the clear winner of Wednesday’s debate with 40% of Canadian voters who viewed the French language debate saying he won, compared with 24% who feel that Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe won, 16% who feel that Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper emerged victorious, 11% who feel that NDP Leader Jack Layton won, and just 1% who feel Green Leader Elizabeth May won.
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Impressions of the Leaders...
Subtracting worsened impressions from improved impressions, opinions of Stephane Dion improved (net +56) the most as a result of the debate, while Jack Layton (net +48) also fared well. Gilles Duceppe (net +30) also had a solid performance, according to those who watched the debate, as did Elizabeth May (net +18). Opinions of Stephen Harper plummeted (net -39) among those who viewed the debate.
Don Martin begs to differ with Ipsos and personally thinks that everyone was plain vanilla at the debate. In a nutshell -- Duceppe was decent, Harper did little to impress anyone, Dion was "underwhelming", Layton attacked Harper well, and May was "fearless and fiesty."
Most revealing quote of the debate,
Stephen Harper: "The fundamentals of our economy are strong."
Haroon Siddiqui: Harper has stood up for Australian Conservatives, American Republicans, British Right-Wingers and even Canadian Conservatives. Yet, he has never stood up for the majority of Canadians. Ie. the other 60%+ of the population who don't support the Cons.
Jeffery Simpson discusses politicians who left Canadian politics this year, and the many more who won't leave office for a very very long time.
The Time Colonist reminds Layton of the dangers of being too cocky as resurgent NDP leader. As Ed Broadbent learned sadly, it's important to save the optimism for after the election.
Andy Imlach talks about the plague of "silent calls" and what England is doing to stop them. Silent Calls are calls from telemarketers who aren't staffed well enough. Ie. when you answer the phone you get a silent line until the telemarketer decides to give you the time of day and talk to you. I hate these calls with a passion and hope that they are made illegal.
Dr. Carol Kinsey Gorman provides a helpful list of gestures which can imply someone is lying, uncomfortable, completely freaking out or otherwise trying to hide an emotion. This is an incredibly useful resource for the two debates tonight.
Paula Simons: Democracy in Sherwood Park, Alberta costs $220 a head.
William Watson believes that having all of our national party leaders properly briefed and working together on the ensuing financial crisis is "one of the dumber suggestions in what has not been the most edifying period in the history of public policy." Clearly, rule by one party, one leader is a smarter move.