Has it ever been so good to be a New Democrat?

David Akin's On the Hill:

I can’t think of a time in the party’s 50-year history when it’s likely  been more fun to be a New Democrat. And by “fun”, I mean holding the levers of power or being close to holding the levers of power. 

In the meantime, there’s a poll out from Forum Research this morning that has some remarkable results. Forum’s survey indicates that, if an election were held today, 37 per cent of those surveyed would vote NDP, that’s a full seven percentage points ahead of the 30 per cent support enjoyed by Stephen Harper’s Conservatives and well ahead of the leaderless Liberals who are at 22 per cent.

The poll of 1,529 Canadians was done by phone on Thursday, the day the The Great Budget Battle of 2012 would end.

The National Post this morning in presenting Forum’s results also presents a seat prediction based on its polling and here’s the breakdown (You’ll have to buy a hard copy of the Post and flip to page 4. Forum has its numbers posted here.)

Now, already on Twitter, some are chirping at me that this is no big deal, that the next general election is four years away, that no party is in campaign mode and that the Liberals don’t even have a permanent leader. All that is certainly true and is important context. But take a look at this poll and consider all that you’ve heard in the last week or month about how the Conservatives are unbeatable unless the Liberals and NDP merge. Now take a look at the seat projection. Do you still think that the NDP can’t get the job done on its own?

And remember the last time we saw one side of the political spectrum merge in order to present a more credible threat to the other side? That would have been the days of the Reform/Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives. Anyone point me to any poll which showed the Reform or Alliance 7 points up on Jean Chretien’s Liberals at any point in time? Exactly. Reform back then peaked at about where the Liberals are today. And they were the dominant or more popular right-wing party!

 

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