Well four days to go and if polls are to be believed it looks like Ignatief is finished.

I suspect his massive ego will result in him leaving politics. He has been massively unimpressive and unconvincing the past few weeks. He had to eat humble pie today by calling in Jean Chretien for support. If NDP become the Opposition there's no way in his mind he could exist in third place. I think he will resign before the Liberal party kick him out.

Looks like Harper might be finished too. For me, that's more crucial. This seems to be a pivotal moment in his political career. A Harper majority? Total disaster for Canada in my view ... The Liberals in 3rd place? Not much of a disaster. Disappointing, but they'll bounce back.

Iggy has run an unimpressive campaign and probably deserves to go.

If Harper wins we can expect such things as soldiers in the streets.

He never stood a chance. Regardless of their politics North Americans don't like or trust potential leaders that might actually be intelligent. They much prefer folksy idiocy - so the successful candidate must appear as such even if they are not.

(note that this is not an endorsement)

I read the thread title and thought you had some inside information on Jerome Iginla and a potential trade from the Calgary Flames.

Sadly 'twas not to be, just boring politics again.

I don't think that's directly his undoing. I think his problem is that he's been abroad. He's practically an immigrant and the electorate doesn't trust foreign.

You probably have the rights of it. The Tory's 'attack' advertisements played on this very successfully I feel. He was only marginally (to me anyway) more 'electable' than his predecessor 'Dion' - though 'Dion' I thought was more genuine & believable.....

Iggy will have had his exit strategy in place had for some time...a very 'plastic' and transparent individual IMO. Like the ad said 'He's only visiting'...and always was.

There was an almost interesting piece in the globe and mail, Ive a feeling Ignatief may stay on. This is his first taste of national campaigning after all, and it was quite refreshing to see a politician actually answer questions directly and use his brain rather than tote out the required "on message" sound bites. At times he has been quite passionate, and hasnt really fitted the picture painted by the media before the campaign. The big problem for the liberals is they have not really painted themselves as distinct enough from the status quo, and people still remember previous liberal scandals so they cant really get away with portraying themselves as the "good guys".

Disappointingly I think, the G&M editorial came out in favour of endorsing Harper, although I have to say the logic of that column was lost on me, and judging by the comments that followed, most everyone else that bothered to reply. Reverse psychology perhaps?

It doesn't sound as if he's going anywhere,

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/p...o-to-hell?bn=1

Iggy gives the perfect example of why the vast majority of academics should remain in institutions where they may bully their subordinates without recourse, providing themselves with large pats on the back as to how clever they are. The real world usually thinks otherwise

Eh? What example? What did I miss...

He doesn't even have a North American smile and his eyebrows need attention. FFS how can a man run a country with standards like that/.

The fact that, it would appear, voters prefer candidates that can achieve things, rather than those that write about achieving things.

There was an academic in the legal field in England and Wales (Professor Zander or something) that became the bane of Lord Chief Justice Woolf's life. After the implementation of the Woolf Reforms to the Civil Procdure Rules in 1998, Zander pored over Woolf's judgments ad nauseum. One would think that, had Zander had such a keen legal mind, he would be practising at the Bar. Instead, knowing that a sitting Judge could not comment upon his own judgments, Zander attempted to prove his intellect by writing the most pedantic articles ever.

Each to their own of course but, to quote Andy McNab, "I have always been suspicious of those that can tell you the muzzle velocity of a particular firearm but who have never actually fired one."

Classic quote...

What does that have to do with Ignatief? Who has he bullied?

Remember, you said "Iggy gives the perfect example of why the vast majority of academics should remain in institutions where they may bully their subordinates without recourse" I dont see anything you quoted to back that up.

Its not like Harper has actually done anything in "Real Life" either. He studied economics at a middle of the road University, got in on the ground floor of the Reform party straight from that and rode that to the top of the merger with the PCs. Thats even worse than livng as an academic and writer if you ask me.

At least Ignatieff has been out into the world at large, Oxford may have a dodgy track record, but Harvard dont generally hire Idiots...