Ontario Votes 2007: final tally

[ciroccoj]

Party	Elected	Vote Share
Liberal	71	42.19%
Conservative	26	31.67%
New Democrat	10	16.79%
Green	0	8.01%
Other	0	1.34%

In related news:

• Ontario voter turnout a record low: Apparently, only 52.6% of us bothered to vote yesterday. We suck.
  
• Green party scores 8 per cent of vote: They didn't win a single seat, but their vote percentage more than doubled since last election. Go us! There was even the possibility of them winning a seat, though sadly, that didn't happen. They did come really, really close, though.
  
• Ontario rejects electoral reform in referendum: We turned down mixed member proportional and opted to remain with first-past-the-post, so that although 8% of us voted Green, not a single Green seat was won, and although 31.67% voted Conservative, they have only 24% of the seats.

There's more out there on how the NDP gained in popular vote, and how Conservative leader John Tory lost in his own riding, but I'm all politicked out.


Although, re. John Tory losing in his own riding: it's being widely concluded that Tory lost in large part because he promised publicly funded religious schools, which alarmed most voters and was soundly rejected by all three other parties. And that reminded me of something else the poor new home schooling mom with the foot-and-mouth condition said the other day.

She started talking about the election (because hey, everyone knows that talking politics is a nice, safe way to enter into a social group) and voiced her very adamant opinion on the coming election. And the issue that appeared to incense her the most was this "insane" promise by the Conservatives to fund religious schools. So, OK, she started by offending any Conservative moms (granted, there are few who home school) in the group, as well as insane moms (of which there are many, or they wouldn't home school).

Then she followed up by saying what a lot of people were saying during the campaign: that she partially agreed with Tory on the issue. He promised to fund Jewish, Muslim, etc schools as a way of ending discrimination against religious minorities and making them on par with the Catholics, since Ontario has always publicly funded Catholic school boards. And many folks were saying that although he was right on the discrimination thing, the right thing to do would be to end funding for the Catholic schools as well.

Because everyone knows that another safe way of breaking into a new social group is talking religion. Ouch.

I'm kinda curious as to whether she'll show up at the next drop-in. I wonder if we'll get to hear her views on global warming, homosexuality, Afghanistan, and stem cell research. Something tells me we will :)

Comments

[sterling-sky.livejournal.com]

it's being widely concluded that Tory lost in large part because he promised publicly funded religious schools

I'm sure that's what killed Tory's popularity overall, but as far as his "own" riding (even though he doesn't live there, but that's another matter altogether) I think the fact that he was running against the (Liberal) Education Minister in that riding was an incredibly unwise move on the part of his handlers (who appear to have fallen asleep part way through the campaign, judging by some of the policies they were coming up with - although who can blame them, with the election being as boring as it was?).

I'm not liking the huge victory McGuinty got here. Though I'm a Liberal, and I voted Liberal, and I do *like* him for the most part (as well as anyone can like a politician), I am concerned for two reasons. One, he is going to get the Harris Complex; that is that everyone adores him and that he can do no wrong - he isn't that popular; people were (primarily) just pissed off at Tory and figured voting for McGuinty was the lesser of the evils.

Also, it likely means that Dion is dead in the water, IMHO. We're going to end up with a Harper majority in the next election (which could be sooner rather than later, as of the moment) and he too is going to get the Harris complex.... Although I guess in this instance it's the Mulroney/Cretien complex, but same difference. Landslide wins aren't good for the country, because the leaders start figuring that they're God's gift, and can dick around doing whatever they want with the budget and social services. It makes me nervous.

Let me know when she gets around to abortion too, would ya? ;)

[ciroccoj.livejournal.com]

I think the fact that he was running against the (Liberal) Education Minister in that riding was an incredibly unwise move on the part of his handlers (who appear to have fallen asleep part way through the campaign, judging by some of the policies they were coming up with - although who can blame them, with the election being as boring as it was?).
LOL yeah, no kidding, eh? Sheesh.

I'm not liking the huge victory McGuinty got here.
I was hoping for a slim majority myself - enough that we wouldn't have to worry about a new election any time soon, but not so big that he'd start to get a Harris complex. Landslides make me nervous too.

Also, it likely means that Dion is dead in the water, IMHO.
Yeah, that too.

We're going to end up with a Harper majority in the next election (which could be sooner rather than later, as of the moment) and he too is going to get the Harris complex....
::shudder::

Let me know when she gets around to abortion too, would ya? ;)
Oh, she already went there. Don't remember what she said, but it was not terribly complementary to pro-lifers. I thought it either a very brave or very stupid (mostly leaning towards stupid) statement to make near two moms who had just told her they had 5 and 7 kids each. Especially the one who looks like she's about 20 (though she's actually 27) and whose kids are 7, 5, 4, 3 and 1. As it happens, both of those moms are actually pro-choice (as were all the moms there, by sheer coincidence), but the new mom certainly didn't know that.

I wonder what she thinks of breast v. bottle, and co-sleeping v. Ferberizing. Hm...

Is it wrong of me to actually contemplate guiding the conversation in those directions?

[sterling-sky.livejournal.com]

Here here on all points, especially the Harper majority shudder. Make that a double shudder. I keep hoping he'll fry his own robotic self with those dehumanized laser eyes... Wishful thinking, I suppose.

I think any conversation steering could be viewed as a social experiment and therefore of benefit to the scientific community, and therefore completely reasonable. Plus, I'm enjoying following these stories with morbid glee. ;)

Small talk is certainly not her strong suit - what happened to "so, see any good movies lately" as a conversation starter? Has she done gay marriage yet? What about divorce/custody battles? Sex education? She's like.... a neon train wreck. I not only can't look away, I also can't stop blinking at the pretty colours.