11.30.2013 03:58 PM

Globe story on Brandon-Souris

Quote:

“…For all the potential missteps, Mr. Dinsdale says he’s not looking back. He plans to run in 2015. “In an election, many, many things go your way. Many, many things screw up. We had our share of good fortune, and stepping in puddles. We can’t think that this or that might have been the difference,” he said. “… I know I campaigned as hard and well as I could.”

This brings us to the good news. Poll-by-poll results compiled by Elections Canada show the Liberals lost narrowly across the entire riding, but dominated the polls in Brandon – the city that’s the hub of the riding. In Brandon, Mr. Dinsdale drew 6,551 votes, ahead of Mr. Magurie’s 3,834. In other words, the Liberals outpaced the Tories by about 71 per cent in the city.

The 2015 federal election will feature a new electoral map, one where 30 seats have been added in mostly urban areas. Boundaries have also changed. In Saskatchewan, for instance, hybrid rural-urban ridings have been done away with. Altogether, the electoral voice of cities is increasing, and in Brandon, the Liberals showed this week that even Prairie cities aren’t necessarily Tory strongholds when the circumstances are right.”

8 Comments

  1. james Smith says:

    Interesting.
    I listened to a gentleman from the so-called polling firm Forum today on THE HOUSE WITH EVAN SOLOMON. If he had striped away the excuses and the self serving non answers, and admitted that they ONLY polled in the City of Brandon, he may not have come across like a dick, and one could accept that their poll was the 1 outlier out of 20. As it is one is left wondering: “HTF do these folks get work?”

  2. Swervin' Merv says:

    Good observation about prairie cities, although in Saskatchewan the alternative is the NDP, with the exception of Ralph Goodale in Regina Wascana.

  3. Allan Brown says:

    You are right about the Brandon numbers, but lacking a fuller understanding of the reality that was the recent election in the riding. There were a number of local issues at play that won’t be there in 2015. In this election THOUSANDS of Tories stayed home because of these issues. They won’t be staying home in two year’s time.

    Mr. Dinsdale syphoned off pretty much the entire NDP vote from last time and a few disgruntled Tories. It’s not likely he’d gain many more in 2015, plus those thousands of I’m- sitting-this-one-out Con voters will happily head to the polls again. Brandon is rock solid Con, and in 2015 it will once again head back there for another generation…or longer.

    If Rolf is truly interested in public office in this riding his energies would be better spent running provincially, in Brandon West. It’s currently held by the PCs, but has been NDP, the current MLA is in his first term , and he won by less than 80 votes.

    A Rolf Dinsdale victory in Brandon West in the next provincial election is totally doable. In Brandon Souris, not so much.

    • smelter rat says:

      Agreed.

      • How can you possibly predict how voters will behave in two years? In case you had not noticed, a great many of those ‘Tory’ voters were not Tories 10 years ago, are disenchanted with their Tory government today, and may well have ceased being Tories altogether in another two years. The worm is turning again. If Dinsdale runs again, there is no earthly reason he cannot win. The Liberals in Brandon Souris will have had plenty of time to prepare, so (hopefully) their GOTV will be in better shape. Anybody with an ounce of sense would chalk this riding up as hotly contested, and go all out for results.

  4. Matt says:

    “This brings us to the good news……”

    Who wrote this Globe piece? A Globe journalist or a Liberal party official? If the latter, then fine.

    If the former, then it is completely unprofessional. Journalists are supposed to be objective, not cheerleaders for a particular party.

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