Strategic counsel

The Tyee's Will McMartin runs with the prospect that in B.C., any voters wanting to vote strategically to prevent a Harper government should favour the NDP over the Liberals:

B.C. New Democrats may now credibly claim that their party is at least as well-positioned as the Liberals to prevent a Harper government from being elected; or, at a minimum, stop the Tories from obtaining a majority.

Currently, the New Democrats hold five B.C. seats, and it seems unlikely at this point that the party will see any of its incumbents defeated. The NDP also has a reasonable chance to pick up six ridings currently or previously won by the Conservatives - Vancouver Island North, Nanaimo-Alberni, Surrey North, Newton-North Delta, New Westminster-Coquitlam, and British Columbia Southern Interior - as well as three from the Liberals - Victoria, Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca and Vancouver-Kingsway.

Electoral history and current polls do not support the notion that the Liberals, who now have eight B.C. seats, are poised to make gains on January 23. Indeed, in addition to the three Liberal ridings which are vulnerable to the NDP, two more - North Vancouver and Richmond - might be within the grasp of the resurgent Tories.

The New Democrats, therefore, have a chance to 'turn the tables' on the Liberals by claiming that their party is best able to stop Stephen Harper from becoming prime minister.

It's certainly a plus to see the strategic argument running in the NDP's favour. And while I'd much rather see that type of sentiment as merely a secondary reason for voting NDP (and indeed a distant second behind the fact that strategy aside, the NDP simply better represents Canadians), it's tough to complain about any media coverage that doesn't buy PMPM's "horse race" spin this late in an election campaign.